125 files changed, 37333 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6833f05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+* text=auto
+*.txt text
+*.md text
diff --git a/35570-0.txt b/35570-0.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..94ead0e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-0.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,6625 @@
+The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine, by Frank R. Stockton
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
+of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
+www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you
+will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before
+using this eBook.
+
+Title: The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+
+Author: Frank R. Stockton
+
+Illustrator: Frederic Dorr Steele
+
+Release Date: July 10, 2023 [eBook #35570]
+
+Language: English
+
+Credits: Jane Robins, Suzanne Shell and the Online Distributed
+         Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS.
+LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE ***
+
+
+    +-------------------------------------------------------+
+    | Note: No corrections in the text have been noted.     |
+    +-------------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE
+
+[Illustration: "THESE TWO WORTHY DAMES SPENT THE GREATER PART OF THEIR
+TIME ON DECK."]
+
+
+
+
+    THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS.
+    LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE
+
+    BY
+
+    FRANK R. STOCKTON
+
+    WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
+    FREDERIC DORR STEELE
+
+    [Illustration]
+
+    NEW YORK
+    THE CENTURY CO.
+    1903
+
+
+
+
+    COPYRIGHT, 1886, 1892, 1898.
+    BY THE CENTURY CO.
+
+
+    THE DEVINNE PRESS.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+    PART I                                                        PAGE
+
+    THESE TWO WORTHY DAMES SPENT THE GREATER PART
+    OF THEIR TIME ON DECK                              _Frontispiece_
+
+    DO YOU SEE THAT BOAT THERE?                                      6
+
+    MRS. ALESHINE PROVED TO BE A MORE DIFFICULT SUBJECT             11
+
+    WE WILL PULL AFTER THEM                                         15
+
+    STAND UP STRAIGHT, AND DON'T TALK SO MUCH                       23
+
+    VIGOROUSLY WINKING AND BLOWING                                  25
+
+    THEY GOT ON REMARKABLY WELL                                     27
+
+    THERE'S NOTHIN' LIKE SAUSAGES FOR SHIPWRECK                     31
+
+
+    PART II
+
+    MRS. LECKS WALKED BOLDLY UP TO THE FRONT DOOR
+    AND PLIED THE KNOCKER                                           45
+
+    I CLIMBED UP ONE OF THE COLUMNS                                 48
+
+    I GUESS YOU'LL BE COMFORTABLE, MR. CRAIG                        52
+
+    THAT YELLER FROCK                                               55
+
+    MRS. ALESHINE HAD BEEN HARD AT WORK ALL THE
+    MORNING                                                         61
+
+    "THERE'S ANOTHER THING," SAID SHE, "THAT I'VE
+    BEEN THINKIN' ABOUT"                                            67
+
+    MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE STANDING ON THE END
+    OF THE LITTLE WHARF                                             72
+
+
+    PART III
+
+    MR. ENDERTON WAS A PERSON OF ANOTHER SORT                       83
+
+    I DID ALL THAT I COULD TO MAKE MISS RUTH'S TIME
+    PASS AGREEABLY                                                  87
+
+    THEY WERE EVIDENTLY WAITING FOR ME                              91
+
+    SMOKING THEIR PIPES IN PEACE                                    99
+
+    IT WAS PERFECTLY SAFE                                          102
+
+    I KNOWED IT WAS ALL RIGHT                                      105
+
+    THEY ASSISTED RUTH TO ARRAY HERSELF                            111
+
+
+    PART IV
+
+    THE ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN WAS SLOW AND TEDIOUS                121
+
+    "WHAT HAS HAPPENED?" I EXCLAIMED                               123
+
+    MRS. LECKS WAS SITTING ON A STONE                              129
+
+    I SOON HAD A CRACKLING FIRE                                    135
+
+    COULD YOU LEND ME A SMALL IRON POT?                            141
+
+    WE WERE ABOUT TO SEND HIM A BASKET                        150, 151
+
+
+    PART V
+
+    WE BEGAN TO SLIDE DOWNWARD                                     163
+
+    OH, WHICH IS EMILY, AND WHICH IS LUCILLE?                      167
+
+    WE DREW UP ABOUT THE FIRE                                      174
+
+    REVEALING THE FAMILIAR FAT LITTLE GINGER-JAR                   186
+
+    RUTH AND MISS LUCILLE STRUCK UP A WARM ACQUAINTANCE            191
+
+
+    PART VI
+
+    THE IMPIDENCE OF HIM!                                          204
+
+    ELIZABETH GROOTENHEIMER                                        215
+
+    "YOU MAN!" SHRIEKED MRS. LECKS                                 218
+
+    HE RESPECTFULLY TOUCHED IT WITH HIS LIPS                       227
+
+    THE GREATEST WORK OF DECORATION WAS RESERVED
+    BY THE RED-BEARDED COXSWAIN FOR HIMSELF                        231
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE
+
+PART I
+
+
+I was on my way from San Francisco to Yokohama, when in a very desultory
+and gradual manner I became acquainted with Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine. The steamer, on which I was making a moderately rapid passage
+toward the land of the legended fan and the lacquered box, carried a
+fair complement of passengers, most of whom were Americans; and, among
+these, my attention was attracted from the very first day of the voyage
+to two middle-aged women who appeared to me very unlike the ordinary
+traveler or tourist. At first sight they might have been taken for
+farmers' wives who, for some unusual reason, had determined to make a
+voyage across the Pacific; but, on closer observation, one would have
+been more apt to suppose that they belonged to the families of
+prosperous tradesmen in some little country town, where, besides the
+arts of rural housewifery, there would be opportunities of becoming
+acquainted in some degree with the ways and manners of the outside
+world. They were not of that order of persons who generally take
+first-class passages on steamships, but the stateroom occupied by Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine was one of the best in the vessel; and although
+they kept very much to themselves, and showed no desire for the company
+or notice of the other passengers, they evidently considered themselves
+quite as good as any one else, and with as much right to voyage to any
+part of the world in any manner or style which pleased them.
+
+Mrs. Lecks was a rather tall woman, large-boned and muscular, and her
+well-browned countenance gave indications of that conviction of
+superiority which gradually grows up in the minds of those who for a
+long time have had absolute control of the destinies of a state, or the
+multifarious affairs of a country household. Mrs. Aleshine was somewhat
+younger than her friend, somewhat shorter, and a great deal fatter. She
+had the same air of reliance upon her individual worth that
+characterized Mrs. Lecks, but there was a certain geniality about her
+which indicated that she would have a good deal of forbearance for those
+who never had had the opportunity or the ability of becoming the
+thoroughly good housewife which she was herself.
+
+These two worthy dames spent the greater part of their time on deck,
+where they always sat together in a place at the stern of the vessel
+which was well sheltered from wind and weather. As they sat thus they
+were generally employed in knitting, although this occupation did not
+prevent them from keeping up what seemed to me, as I passed them in my
+walks about the deck, a continuous conversation. From a question which
+Mrs. Lecks once asked me about a distant sail, our acquaintance began.
+There was no one on board for whose society I particularly cared, and as
+there was something quaint and odd about these countrywomen on the ocean
+which interested me, I was glad to vary my solitary promenades by an
+occasional chat with them. They were not at all backward in giving me
+information about themselves. They were both widows, and Mrs. Aleshine
+was going out to Japan to visit a son who had a position there in a
+mercantile house. Mrs. Lecks had no children, and was accompanying her
+friend because, as she said, she would not allow Mrs. Aleshine to make
+such a voyage as that by herself, and because, being quite able to do
+so, she did not know why she should not see the world as well as other
+people.
+
+These two friends were not educated women. They made frequent mistakes
+in their grammar, and a good deal of Middle States provincialism showed
+itself in their pronunciation and expressions. But although they brought
+many of their rural ideas to sea with them, they possessed a large share
+of that common sense which is available anywhere, and they frequently
+made use of it in a manner which was very amusing to me. I think, also,
+that they found in me a quarry of information concerning nautical
+matters, foreign countries, and my own affairs, the working of which
+helped to make us very good ship friends.
+
+Our steamer touched at the Sandwich Islands; and it was a little more
+than two days after we left Honolulu that, about nine o'clock in the
+evening, we had the misfortune to come into collision with an
+eastern-bound vessel. The fault was entirely due to the other ship, the
+lookout on which, although the night was rather dark and foggy, could
+easily have seen our lights in time to avoid collision, if he had not
+been asleep or absent from his post. Be this as it may, this vessel,
+which appeared to be a small steamer, struck us with great force near
+our bows, and then, backing, disappeared into the fog, and we never saw
+or heard of her again. The general opinion was that she was injured very
+much more than we were, and that she probably sank not very long after
+the accident; for when the fog cleared away, about an hour afterward,
+nothing could be seen of her lights.
+
+As it usually happens on occasions of accidents at sea, the damage to
+our vessel was at first reported to be slight; but it was soon
+discovered that our injuries were serious and, indeed, disastrous. The
+hull of our steamer had been badly shattered on the port bow, and the
+water came in at a most alarming rate. For nearly two hours the crew and
+many of the passengers worked at the pumps, and everything possible was
+done to stop the enormous leak; but all labor to save the vessel was
+found to be utterly unavailing, and a little before midnight the captain
+announced that it was impossible to keep the steamer afloat, and that we
+must all take to the boats. The night was now clear, the stars were
+bright, and, as there was but little wind, the sea was comparatively
+smooth. With all these advantages, the captain assured us that there was
+no reason to apprehend danger, and he thought that by noon of the
+following day we could easily make a small inhabited island, where we
+could be sheltered and cared for until we should be taken off by some
+passing vessel.
+
+There was plenty of time for all necessary preparations, and these were
+made with much order and subordination. Some of the ladies among the
+cabin passengers were greatly frightened, and inclined to be hysterical.
+There were pale faces also among the gentlemen. But everybody obeyed the
+captain's orders, and all prepared themselves for the transfer to the
+boats. The first officer came among us, and told each of us what boats
+we were to take, and where we were to place ourselves on deck. I was
+assigned to a large boat which was to be principally occupied by
+steerage passengers; and as I came up from my stateroom, where I had
+gone to secure my money and some portable valuables, I met on the
+companionway Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, who expressed considerable
+dissatisfaction when they found that I was not going in the boat with
+them. They, however, hurried below, and I went on deck, where in about
+ten minutes I was joined by Mrs. Lecks, who apparently had been looking
+for me. She told me she had something very particular to say to me, and
+conducted me toward the stern of the vessel, where, behind one of the
+deck-houses, we found Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+[Illustration: "'DO YOU SEE THAT BOAT THERE?'"]
+
+"Look here," said Mrs. Lecks, leading me to the rail, and pointing
+downward; "do you see that boat there? It has been let down, and there
+is nobody in it. The boat on the other side has just gone off, full to
+the brim. I never saw so many people crowded into a boat. The other ones
+will be just as packed, I expect. I don't see why we shouldn't take this
+empty boat, now we've got a chance, instead of squeezin' ourselves into
+those crowded ones. If any of the other people come afterward, why, we
+shall have our choice of seats, and that's considerable of a p'int, I
+should say, in a time like this."
+
+"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "and me and Mrs. Lecks would 'a' got
+right in when we saw the boat was empty, if we hadn't been afraid to be
+there without any man, for it might have floated off, and neither of us
+don't know nothin' about rowin'. And then Mrs. Lecks she thought of you,
+supposin' a young man who knew so much about the sea would know how to
+row."
+
+"Oh, yes," said I; "but I cannot imagine why this boat should have been
+left empty. I see a keg of water in it, and the oars, and some tin cans,
+and so I suppose it has been made ready for somebody. Will you wait here
+a minute until I run forward and see how things are going on there?"
+
+Amidships and forward I saw that there was some confusion among the
+people who were not yet in their boats, and I found that there was to be
+rather more crowding than at first was expected. People who had supposed
+that they were to go in a certain boat found there no place, and were
+hurrying to other boats. It now became plain to me that no time should
+be lost in getting into the small boat which Mrs. Lecks had pointed out,
+and which was probably reserved for some favored persons, as the
+officers were keeping the people forward and amidships, the other
+stern-boat having already departed. But as I acknowledged no reason why
+any one should be regarded with more favor than myself and the two women
+who were waiting for me, I slipped quietly aft, and joined Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"We must get in as soon as we can," said I, in a low voice, "for this
+boat may be discovered, and then there will be a rush for it. I suspect
+it may have been reserved for the captain and some of the officers, but
+we have as much right in it as they."
+
+"And more too," replied Mrs. Lecks; "for we had nothin' to do with the
+steerin' and smashin'."
+
+"But how are we goin' to get down there?" said Mrs. Aleshine. "There's
+no steps."
+
+"That is true," said I. "I shouldn't wonder if this boat is to be taken
+forward when the others are filled. We must scramble down as well as we
+can by the tackle at the bow and stern. I'll get in first and keep her
+close to the ship's side."
+
+"That's goin' to be a scratchy business," said Mrs. Lecks, "and I'm of
+the opinion we ought to wait till the ship has sunk a little more, so we
+'ll be nearer to the boat."
+
+"It won't do to wait," said I, "or we shall not get in it at all."
+
+"And goodness gracious!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "I can't stand here
+and feel the ship sinkin' cold-blooded under me, till we've got where we
+can make an easy jump!"
+
+"Very well, then," said Mrs. Lecks, "we won't wait. But the first thing
+to be done is for each one of us to put on one of these life-preservers.
+Two of them I brought from Mrs. Aleshine's and my cabin, and the other
+one I got next door, where the people had gone off and left it on the
+floor. I thought if anythin' happened on the way to the island, these
+would give us a chance to look about us; but it seems to me we'll need
+'em more gettin' down them ropes than anywhere else. I did intend
+puttin' on two myself to make up for Mrs. Aleshine's fat; but you must
+wear one of 'em, sir, now that you are goin' to join the party."
+
+As I knew that two life-preservers would not be needed by Mrs. Lecks,
+and would greatly inconvenience her, I accepted the one offered me, but
+declined to put it on until it should be necessary, as it would
+interfere with my movements.
+
+"Very well," said Mrs. Lecks, "if you think you are safe in gettin' down
+without it. But Mrs. Aleshine and me will put ours on before we begin
+sailor-scramblin'. We know how to do it, for we tried 'em on soon after
+we started from San Francisco. And now, Barb'ry Aleshine, are you sure
+you've got everythin' you want? for it'll be no use thinkin' about
+anythin' you've forgot after the ship has sunk out of sight."
+
+"There's nothin' else I can think of," said Mrs. Aleshine; "at least,
+nothin' I can carry; and so I suppose we may as well begin, for your
+talk of the ship sinkin' under our feet gives me a sort o' feelin' like
+an oyster creepin' up and down my back."
+
+Mrs. Lecks looked over the side at the boat, into which I had already
+descended. "I'll go first, Barb'ry Aleshine," said she, "and show you
+how."
+
+The sea was quiet, and the steamer had already sunk so much that Mrs.
+Lecks's voice sounded frightfully near me, although she spoke in a low
+tone.
+
+"Watch me," said she to her companion. "I'm goin' to do just as he did,
+and you must follow in the same way."
+
+So saying, she stepped on a bench by the rail; then, with one foot on
+the rail itself, she seized the ropes which hung from one of the davits
+to the bow of the boat. She looked down for a moment, and then she drew
+back.
+
+"It's no use," she said. "We must wait until she sinks more, and I can
+get in easier."
+
+This remark made me feel nervous. I did not know at what moment there
+might be a rush for this boat, nor when, indeed, the steamer might go
+down. The boat amidships on our side had rowed away some minutes before,
+and through the darkness I could distinguish another boat, near the
+bows, pushing off. It would be too late now for us to try to get into
+any other boat, and I did not feel that there was time enough for me to
+take this one to a place where the two women could more easily descend
+to her. Standing upright, I urged them not to delay.
+
+"You see," said I, "I can reach you as soon as you swing yourself off
+the ropes, and I'll help you down."
+
+"If you're sure you can keep us from comin' down too sudden, we'll try
+it," said Mrs. Lecks; "but I'd as soon be drowned as to get to an island
+with a broken leg. And as to Mrs. Aleshine, if she was to slip she'd go
+slam through that boat to the bottom of the sea. Now, then, be ready!
+I'm comin' down."
+
+So saying, she swung herself off, and she was then so near me that I was
+able to seize her and make the rest of her descent comparatively easy.
+Mrs. Aleshine proved to be a more difficult subject. Even after I had a
+firm grasp of her capacious waist she refused to let go the ropes, for
+fear that she might drop into the ocean instead of the boat. But the
+reproaches of Mrs. Lecks and the downward weight of myself made her
+loosen her nervous grip; and, although we came very near going overboard
+together, I safely placed her on one of the thwarts.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+I now unhooked the tackle from the stern; but before casting off at the
+bow I hesitated, for I did not wish to desert any of those who might be
+expecting to embark in this boat. But I could hear no approaching
+footsteps, and from my position, close to the side of the steamer, I
+could see nothing. Therefore I cast off, and, taking the oars, I pushed
+away and rowed to a little distance, where I could get whatever view was
+possible of the deck of the steamer. Seeing no forms moving about, I
+called out, and, receiving no answer, I shouted again at the top of my
+voice. I waited for nearly a minute, and, hearing nothing and seeing
+nothing, I became convinced that no one was left on the vessel.
+
+"They are all gone," said I, "and we will pull after them as fast as we
+can."
+
+And I began to row toward the bow of the steamer, in the direction which
+the other boats had taken.
+
+"It's a good thing you can row," said Mrs. Lecks, settling herself
+comfortably in the stern-sheets, "for what Mrs. Aleshine and me would
+ha' done with them oars I am sure I don't know."
+
+"I'd never have got into this boat," said Mrs. Aleshine, "if Mr. Craig
+hadn't been here."
+
+"No, indeed," replied her friend. "You'd ha' gone to the bottom, hangin'
+for dear life to them ropes."
+
+When I had rounded the bow of the steamer, which appeared to me to be
+rapidly settling in the water, I perceived at no great distance several
+lights, which of course belonged to the other boats, and I rowed as hard
+as I could, hoping to catch up with them, or at least to keep
+sufficiently near. It might be my duty to take off some of the people
+who had crowded into the other boats, probably supposing that this one
+had been loaded and gone. How such a mistake could have taken place I
+could not divine, and it was not my business to do so. Quite certain
+that no one was left on the sinking steamer, all I had to do was to row
+after the other boats, and to overtake them as soon as possible. I
+thought it would not take me very long to do this, but after rowing for
+half an hour, Mrs. Aleshine remarked that the lights seemed as far off,
+if not farther, than when we first started after them. Turning, I saw
+that this was the case, and was greatly surprised. With only two
+passengers I ought soon to have come up with those heavily laden boats.
+But after I had thought over it a little, I considered that as each of
+them was probably pulled by half a dozen stout sailors, it was not so
+very strange that they should make as good or better headway than I did.
+
+It was not very long after this that Mrs. Lecks said that she thought
+that the lights on the other boats must be going out, and that this,
+most probably, was due to the fact that the sailors had forgotten to
+fill their lanterns before they started. "That sort of thing often
+happens," she said, "when people leave a place in a hurry."
+
+But when I turned around, and peered over the dark waters, it was quite
+plain to me that it was not want of oil, but increased distance, which
+made those lights so dim. I could now perceive but three of them, and as
+the surface was agitated only by a gentle swell, I could not suppose
+that any of them were hidden from our view by waves. We were being left
+behind, that was certain, and all I could do was to row on as long and
+as well as I could in the direction which the other boats had taken. I
+had been used to rowing, and thought I pulled a good oar, and I
+certainly did not expect to be left behind in this way.
+
+"I don't believe this boat has been emptied out since the last rain,"
+said Mrs. Aleshine, "for my feet are wet, though I didn't notice it
+before."
+
+At this I shipped my oars, and began to examine the boat. The bottom was
+covered with a movable floor of slats, and as I put my hand down I could
+feel the water welling up between the slats. The flooring was in
+sections, and lifting the one beneath me, I felt under it, and put my
+hand into six or eight inches of water.
+
+The exact state of the case was now as plain to me as if it had been
+posted up on a bulletin-board. This boat had been found to be
+unseaworthy, and its use had been forbidden, all the people having been
+crowded into the others. This had caused confusion at the last moment,
+and, of course, we were supposed to be on some one of the other boats.
+
+And now here was I, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, in a leaky boat,
+with two middle-aged women!
+
+"Anythin' the matter with the floor!" asked Mrs. Lecks.
+
+I let the section fall back into its place, and looked aft. By the
+starlight I could see that my two companions had each fixed upon me a
+steadfast gaze. They evidently felt that something was the matter, and
+wanted to know what it was. I did not hesitate for a moment to inform
+them. They appeared to me to be women whom it would be neither advisable
+nor possible to deceive in a case like this.
+
+"This boat has a leak in it," I said. "There is a lot of water in her
+already, and that is the reason we have got along so slowly."
+
+"And that is why," said Mrs. Aleshine, "it was left empty. We ought to
+have known better than to expect to have a whole boat just for three of
+us. It would have been much more sensible, I think, if we had tried to
+squeeze into one of the others."
+
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "don't you begin findin'
+fault with good fortune, when it comes to you. Here we've got a
+comfortable boat, with room enough to set easy and stretch out if we
+want to. If the water is comin' in, what we've got to do is to get it
+out again just as fast as we can. What's the best way to do that, Mr.
+Craig?"
+
+[Illustration: "'WE WILL PULL AFTER THEM.'"]
+
+"We must bail her out, and lose no time about it," said I. "If I can
+find the leak I may be able to stop it."
+
+I now looked about for something to bail with, and the two women aided
+actively in the search. I found one leather scoop in the bow; but as it
+was well that we should all go to work, I took two tin cans that had
+been put in by some one who had begun to provision the boat, and
+proceeded to cut the tops from them with my jack-knife.
+
+"Don't lose what's in 'em," said Mrs. Lecks; "that is, if it's anythin'
+we'd be likely to want to eat. If it's tomatoes, pour it into the sea,
+for nobody ought to eat tomatoes put up in tins."
+
+I hastily passed the cans to Mrs. Lecks, and I saw her empty the
+contents of one into the sea, and those of the other on a newspaper
+which she took from her pocket and placed in the stern.
+
+I pulled up the movable floor and threw it overboard, and then began to
+bail.
+
+"I thought," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that they always had pumps for leaks."
+
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "just gether yourself up on
+one of them seats, and go to work. The less talkin' we do, and the more
+scoopin', the better it'll be for us."
+
+I soon perceived that it would have been difficult to find two more
+valuable assistants in the bailing of a boat than Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine. They were evidently used to work, and were able to accommodate
+themselves to the unusual circumstances in which they were placed. We
+threw out the water very rapidly, and every little while I stopped
+bailing and felt about to see if I could discover where it came in. As
+these attempts met with no success, I gave them up after a time, and set
+about bailing with new vigor, believing that if we could get the boat
+nearly dry I should surely be able to find the leak.
+
+But, after working half an hour more, I found that the job would be a
+long one; and if we all worked at once we would all be tired out at
+once, and that might be disastrous. Therefore I proposed that we should
+take turns in resting, and Mrs. Aleshine was ordered to stop work for a
+time. After this Mrs. Lecks took a rest, and when she went to work I
+stopped bailing and began again to search for the leak.
+
+For about two hours we worked in this way, and then I concluded it was
+useless to continue any longer this vain exertion. With three of us
+bailing we were able to keep the water at the level we first found it;
+but with only two at work, it slightly gained upon us, so that now there
+was more water in the boat than when we first discovered it. The boat
+was an iron one, and the leak in it I could neither find nor remedy. It
+had probably been caused by the warping of the metal under a hot sun, an
+accident which, I am told, frequently occurs to iron boats. The little
+craft, which would have been a life-boat had its air-boxes remained
+intact, was now probably leaking from stem to stern; and in searching
+for the leak without the protection of the flooring, my weight had
+doubtless assisted in opening the seams, for it was quite plain that the
+water was now coming in more rapidly than it did at first. We were very
+tired, and even Mrs. Lecks, who had all along counseled us to keep at
+work, and not to waste one breath in talking, now admitted that it was
+of no use to try to get the water out of that boat.
+
+It had been some hours since I had used the oars, but whether we had
+drifted, or remained where we were when I stopped rowing, of course I
+could not know; but this mattered very little; our boat was slowly
+sinking beneath us, and it could make no difference whether we went down
+in one spot or an other. I sat and racked my brain to think what could
+be done in this fearful emergency. To bail any longer was useless labor,
+and what else was there that we could do?
+
+"When will it be time," asked Mrs. Lecks, "for us to put on the
+life-preservers? When the water gets nearly to the seats?"
+
+I answered that we should not wait any longer than that, but in my own
+mind I could not see any advantage in putting them on at all. Why should
+we wish to lengthen our lives by a few hours of helpless floating upon
+the ocean?
+
+"Very good," said Mrs. Lecks; "I'll keep a watch on the water. One of
+them cans was filled with lobster, which would be more than likely to
+disagree with us, and I've throwed it out; but the other had baked beans
+in it, and the best thing we can do is to eat some of these right away.
+They are mighty nourishin', and will keep up strength as well as
+anythin', and then, as you said there's a keg of water in the boat, we
+can all take a drink of that, and it'll make us feel like new cre'tur's.
+You'll have to take the beans in your hands, for we've got no spoons nor
+forks."
+
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine were each curled up out of reach of the
+water, the first in the stern, and the other on the aft thwart. The day
+was now beginning to break, and we could see about us very distinctly.
+Before reaching out her hands to receive her beans, Mrs. Aleshine washed
+them in the water in the boat, remarking at the same time that she might
+as well make use of it since it was there. Having then wiped her hands
+on some part of her apparel, they were filled with beans from the
+newspaper held by Mrs. Lecks, and these were passed over to me. I was
+very hungry, and when I had finished my beans I agreed with my
+companions that although they would have been a great deal better if
+heated up with butter, pepper, and salt, they were very comforting as
+they were. One of the empty cans was now passed to me, and after having
+been asked by Mrs. Lecks to rinse it out very carefully, we all
+satisfied our taste from the water in the keg.
+
+"Cold baked beans and lukewarm water ain't exactly company vittles,"
+said Mrs. Aleshine, "but there's many a poor wretch would be glad to get
+'em."
+
+I could not imagine any poor wretch who would be glad of the food
+together with the attending circumstances; but I did not say so.
+
+"The water is just one finger from the bottom of the seat," said Mrs.
+Lecks, who had been stooping over to measure, "and it's time to put on
+the life-preservers."
+
+"Very good," said Mrs. Aleshine; "hand me mine."
+
+Each of us now buckled on a life-preserver, and as I did so I stood up
+upon a thwart and looked about me. It was quite light now, and I could
+see for a long distance over the surface of the ocean, which was gently
+rolling in wide, smooth swells. As we rose upon the summit of one of
+these I saw a dark spot upon the water, just on the edge of our near
+horizon, "Is that the steamer?" I thought; "and has she not yet sunk?"
+
+At this there came to me a glimmering of courageous hope. If the
+steamer had remained afloat so long, it was probable that on account of
+water-tight compartments, or for some other reason, her sinking had
+reached its limit, and that if we could get back to her we might be
+saved. But, alas, how were we to get back to her? This boat would sink
+long, long before I could row that distance.
+
+However, I soon proclaimed the news to my companions, whereupon Mrs.
+Aleshine prepared to stand upon a thwart and see for herself. But Mrs.
+Lecks restrained her.
+
+"Don't make things worse, Barb'ry Aleshine," said she, "by tumblin'
+overboard. If we've got to go into the water, let us do it decently and
+in order. If that's the ship, Mr. Craig, don't you suppose we can float
+ourselves to it in some way?"
+
+I replied that by the help of a life-preserver a person who could swim
+might reach the ship.
+
+"But neither of us can swim," said Mrs. Lecks, "for we've lived where
+the water was never more'n a foot deep, except in time of freshets,
+when there's no swimmin' for man or beast. But if we see you swim,
+perhaps we can follow, after a fashion. At any rate, we must do the best
+we can, and that's all there is to be done."
+
+"The water now," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "is so near to the bottom of my
+seat that I've got to stand up, tumble overboard or no."
+
+"All right," remarked Mrs. Lecks; "we'd better all stand up, and let the
+boat sink under us. That will save our jumpin' overboard, or rollin' out
+any which way, which might be awkward."
+
+"Goodness gracious me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine. "You set the oysters
+creepin' over me again! First you talk of the ship sinkin' under us, and
+now it's the boat goin' to the bottom under our feet. Before any sinkin'
+'s to be done I'd ruther get out."
+
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "stand up straight, and don't
+talk so much. It'll be a great deal better to be let down gradual than
+to flop into the water all of a bunch."
+
+"Very well," said Mrs. Aleshine; "it may be best to get used to it by
+degrees; but I must say I wish I was home."
+
+As for me, I would have much preferred to jump overboard at once,
+instead of waiting in this cold-blooded manner; but as my companions had
+so far preserved their presence of mind, I did not wish to do anything
+which might throw them into a panic. I believed there would be no danger
+from the suction caused by the sinking of a small boat like this, and if
+we took care not to entangle ourselves with it in any way, we might as
+well follow Mrs. Lecks's advice as not. So we all stood up, Mrs. Lecks
+in the stern, I in the bow, and Mrs. Aleshine on a thwart between us.
+The last did not appear to have quite room enough for a steady footing,
+but, as she remarked, it did not matter very much, as the footing, broad
+or narrow, would not be there very long.
+
+I am used to swimming, and have never hesitated to take a plunge into
+river or ocean, but I must admit that it was very trying to my nerves to
+stand up this way and wait for a boat to sink beneath me. How the two
+women were affected I do not know. They said nothing, but their faces
+indicated that something disagreeable was about to happen, and that the
+less that was said about it the better.
+
+The boat had now sunk so much that the water was around Mrs. Aleshine's
+feet, her standing-place being rather lower than ours. I made myself
+certain that there were no ropes nor any other means of entanglement
+near my companions or myself, and then I waited. There seemed to be a
+good deal of buoyancy in the bow and stern of the boat, and it was a
+frightfully long time in sinking. The suspense became so utterly
+unendurable that I was tempted to put one foot on the edge of the boat,
+and, by tipping it, put an end to this nerve-rack; but I refrained, for
+I probably would throw the women off their balance, when they might fall
+against some part of the boat, and do themselves a hurt. I had just
+relinquished this intention, when two little waves seemed to rise one on
+each side of Mrs. Aleshine, and gently flowing over the side of the
+boat, they flooded her feet with water.
+
+"Hold your breaths!" I shouted. And now I experienced a sensation which
+must have been very like that which comes to a condemned criminal at the
+first indication of the pulling of the drop. Then there was a horrible
+sinking, a gurgle, and a swash, and the ocean over which I had been
+gazing appeared to rise up and envelop me.
+
+[Illustration: "'STAND UP STRAIGHT, AND DON'T TALK SO MUCH.'"]
+
+In a moment, however, my head was out of the water, and, looking hastily
+about me, I saw, close by, the heads and shoulders of Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine. The latter was vigorously winking her eyes and blowing
+from her mouth some sea-water that had got into it; but as soon as her
+eyes fell upon me she exclaimed: "That was ever so much more suddint
+than I thought it was goin' to be!"
+
+[Illustration: "VIGOROUSLY WINKING AND BLOWING."]
+
+"Are you both all right?"
+
+"I suppose I am," said Mrs. Aleshine, "but I never thought that a person
+with a life-preserver on would go clean under the water."
+
+"But since you've come up again, you ought to be satisfied," said Mrs.
+Lecks. "And now," she added, turning her face toward me, "which way
+ought we to try to swim? and have we got everythin' we want to take with
+us?"
+
+"What we haven't got we can't get," remarked Mrs. Aleshine; "and as for
+swimmin', I expect I'm goin' to make a poor hand at it."
+
+I had a hope, which was not quite strong enough to be a belief, that,
+supported by their life-preservers, the two women might paddle
+themselves along; and that, by giving them in turn a helping hand, I
+might eventually get them to the steamer. There was a strong probability
+that I would not succeed, but I did not care to think of that.
+
+I now swam in front of my companions, and endeavored to instruct them in
+the best method of propelling themselves with their arms and their
+hands. If they succeeded in this, I thought I would give them some
+further lessons in striking out with their feet. After watching me
+attentively, Mrs. Lecks did manage to move herself slowly through the
+smooth water, but poor Mrs. Aleshine could do nothing but splash.
+
+"If there was anythin' to take hold of," she said to me, "I might get
+along; but I can't get any grip on the water, though you seem to do it
+well enough. Look there!" she added in a higher voice. "Isn't that an
+oar floatin' over there? If you can get that for me, I believe I can row
+myself much better than I can swim."
+
+This seemed an odd idea, but I swam over to the floating oar, and
+brought it her. I was about to show her how she could best use it, but
+she declined my advice.
+
+"If I do it at all," she said, "I must do it in my own way." And taking
+the oar in her strong hands, she began to ply it on the water very much
+in the way in which she would handle a broom. At first she dipped the
+blade too deeply, but, correcting this error, she soon began to paddle
+herself along at a slow but steady rate.
+
+"Capital!" I cried. "You do that admirably!"
+
+"Anybody who's swept as many rooms as I have," she said, "ought to be
+able to handle anythin' that can be used like a broom."
+
+"Isn't there another oar?" cried Mrs. Lecks, who had now been left a
+little distance behind us. "If there is, I want one."
+
+Looking about me, I soon discovered another floating oar, and brought it
+to Mrs. Lecks, who, after holding it in various positions, so as to get
+"the hang of it," as she said, soon began to use it with as much skill
+as that shown by her friend. If either of them had been obliged to use
+an oar in the ordinary way, I fear they would have had a bad time of it;
+but, considering the implement in the light of a broom, its use
+immediately became familiar to them, and they got on remarkably well.
+
+[Illustration: "THEY GOT ON REMARKABLY WELL."]
+
+I now took a position a little in advance of my companions, and as I
+swam slowly they were easily able to keep up with me. Mrs. Aleshine,
+being so stout, floated much higher out of the water than either Mrs.
+Lecks or I, and this permitted her to use her oar with a great deal of
+freedom. Sometimes she would give such a vigorous brush to the water
+that she would turn herself almost entirely around, but after a little
+practice she learned to avoid undue efforts of this kind.
+
+I was not positively sure that we were going in the right direction, for
+my position did not allow me to see very far over the water; but I
+remembered that when I was standing up in the boat, and made my
+discovery, the sun was just about to rise in front of me, while the dark
+spot on the ocean lay to my left. Judging, therefore, from the present
+position of the sun, which was not very high, I concluded that we were
+moving toward the north, and therefore in the right direction. How far
+off the steamer might be I had no idea, for I was not accustomed to
+judging distances at sea; but I believed that if we were careful of our
+strength, and if the ocean continued as smooth as it now was, we might
+eventually reach the vessel, provided she were yet afloat.
+
+"After you are fairly in the water," said Mrs. Aleshine, as she swept
+along, although without the velocity which that phrase usually implies,
+"it isn't half so bad as I thought it would be. For one thing, it don't
+feel a bit salt, although I must say it tasted horribly that way when I
+first went into it."
+
+"You didn't expect to find pickle-brine, did you?" said Mrs. Lecks.
+"Though, if it was, I suppose we could float on it settin'."
+
+"And as to bein' cold," said Mrs. Aleshine, "the part of me that's in is
+actually more comfortable than that which is out."
+
+"There's one thing I would have been afraid of," said Mrs. Lecks, "if we
+hadn't made preparations for it, and that's sharks."
+
+"Preparations!" I exclaimed. "How in the world did you prepare for
+sharks?"
+
+"Easy enough," said Mrs. Lecks. "When we went down into our room to get
+ready to go away in the boats we both put on black stockin's. I've read
+that sharks never bite colored people, although if they see a white man
+in the water they'll snap him up as quick as lightnin'; and black
+stockin's was the nearest we could come to it. You see, I thought as
+like as not we'd have some sort of an upset before we got through."
+
+"It's a great comfort," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "and I'm very glad you
+thought of it, Mrs. Lecks. After this I shall make it a rule: Black
+stockin's for sharks."
+
+"I suppose in your case," said Mrs. Lecks, addressing me, "dark trousers
+will do as well."
+
+To which I answered that I sincerely hoped they would.
+
+"Another thing I'm thankful for," said Mrs. Aleshine, "is that I thought
+to put on a flannel skeert."
+
+"And what's the good of it," said Mrs. Lecks, "when it's soppin' wet?"
+
+"Flannel's flannel," replied her friend, "whether it's wet or dry; and
+if you'd had the rheumatism as much as I have, you'd know it."
+
+To this Mrs. Lecks replied with a sniff, and asked me how soon I thought
+we would get sight of the ship; for if we were going the wrong way, and
+had to turn round and go back, it would certainly be very provoking.
+
+I should have been happy indeed to be able to give a satisfactory answer
+to this question. Every time that we rose upon a swell I threw a rapid
+glance around the whole circle of the horizon; and at last, not a
+quarter of an hour after Mrs. Lecks's question, I was rejoiced to see,
+almost in the direction in which I supposed it ought to be, the dark
+spot which I had before discovered. I shouted the glad news, and as we
+rose again my companions strained their eyes in the direction to which I
+pointed. They both saw it, and were greatly satisfied.
+
+"Now, then," said Mrs. Aleshine, "it seems as if there was somethin' to
+work for"; and she began to sweep her oar with great vigor.
+
+"If you want to tire yourself out before you get there, Barb'ry
+Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "you'd better go on in that way. Now what I
+advise is that we stop rowin' altogether, and have somethin' to eat; for
+I'm sure we need it to keep up our strength."
+
+"Eat!" I cried. "What are you going to eat? Do you expect to catch
+fish?"
+
+"And eat 'em raw?" said Mrs. Lecks. "I should think not. But do you
+suppose, Mr. Craig, that Mrs. Aleshine and me would go off and leave
+that ship without takin' somethin' to eat by the way? Let's all gether
+here in a bunch, and see what sort of a meal we can make. And now,
+Barb'ry Aleshine, if you lay your oar down there on the water, I
+recommend you to tie it to one of your bonnet-strings, or it'll be
+floatin' away, and you won't get it again."
+
+As she said this, Mrs. Lecks put her right hand down into the water, and
+fumbled about, apparently in search of a pocket. I could not but smile
+as I thought of the condition of food when, for an hour or more, it had
+been a couple of feet under the surface of the ocean; but my ideas on
+the subject were entirely changed when I saw Mrs. Lecks hold up in the
+air two German sausages, and shake the briny drops from their smooth and
+glittering surfaces.
+
+[Illustration: "'THERE'S NOTHIN' LIKE SAUSAGES FOR SHIPWRECK.'"]
+
+"There's nothin'," she said, "like sausages for shipwreck and that kind
+o' thing. They're very sustainin', and bein' covered with a tight skin,
+water can't get at 'em, no matter how you carry 'em. I wouldn't bring
+these out in the boat, because, havin' the beans, we might as well eat
+them. Have you a knife about you, Mr. Craig?"
+
+I produced a dripping jack-knife, and after the open blade had been
+waved in the air to dry it a little, Mrs. Lecks proceeded to divide one
+of the sausages, handing the other to me to hold meanwhile.
+
+"Now don't go eatin' sausages without bread, if you don't want 'em to
+give you dyspepsy," said Mrs. Aleshine, who was tugging at a submarine
+pocket.
+
+"I'm very much afraid your bread is all soaked," said Mrs. Lecks.
+
+To which her friend replied that that remained to be seen, and forthwith
+produced, with a splash, a glass preserve-jar with a metal top.
+
+"I saw this nearly empty, as I looked into the ship's pantry, and I
+stuffed into it all the soft biscuits it would hold. There was some sort
+of jam left at the bottom, so that the one who gets the last biscuit
+will have somethin' of a little spread on it. And now, Mrs. Lecks," she
+continued triumphantly, as she unscrewed the top, "that rubber ring has
+kept 'em as dry as chips. I'm mighty glad of it, for I had trouble
+enough gettin' this jar into my pocket, and gettin' it out, too, for
+that matter."
+
+Floating thus, with our hands and shoulders above the water, we made a
+very good meal from the sausages and soft biscuit.
+
+"Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, as her friend proceeded to cut the
+second sausage, "don't you lay that knife down, when you've done with
+it, as if 't was an oar; for if you do it'll sink, as like as not, about
+six miles. I've read that the ocean is as deep as that in some places."
+
+"Goodness gracious me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "I hope we are not over
+one of them deep spots."
+
+"There's no knowin'," said Mrs. Lecks, "but if it's more comfortin' to
+think it's shallerer, we'll make up our minds that way. Now, then," she
+continued, "we'll finish off this meal with a little somethin' to drink.
+I'm not given to takin' spirits, but I never travel without a little
+whisky, ready mixed with water, to take if it should be needed."
+
+So saying, she produced from one of her pockets a whisky-flask tightly
+corked, and of its contents we each took a sip, Mrs. Aleshine remarking
+that, leaving out being chilled or colicky, we were never likely to need
+it more than now.
+
+Thus refreshed and strengthened, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine took up
+their oars, while I swam slightly in advance, as before. When, with
+occasional intermissions of rest, and a good deal of desultory
+conversation, we had swept and swam for about an hour, Mrs. Lecks
+suddenly exclaimed: "I can see that thing ever so much plainer now, and
+I don't believe it's a ship at all. To me it looks like bushes."
+
+"You're mighty long-sighted without your specs," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"and I'm not sure but what you're right."
+
+For ten minutes or more I had been puzzling over the shape of the dark
+spot, which was now nearly all the time in sight. Its peculiar form had
+filled me with a dreadful fear that it was the steamer, bottom upward,
+although I knew enough about nautical matters to have no good reason to
+suppose that this could be the case. I am not far-sighted, but when Mrs.
+Lecks suggested bushes, I gazed at the distant object with totally
+different ideas, and soon began to believe that it was not a ship,
+either right side up or wrong side up, but that it might be an island.
+This belief I proclaimed to my companions, and for some time we all
+worked with increased energy in the desire to get near enough to make
+ourselves certain in regard to this point.
+
+"As true as I'm standin' here," said Mrs. Lecks, who, although she could
+not read without spectacles, had remarkably good sight at long range,
+"them is trees and bushes that I see before me, though they do seem to
+be growin' right out of the water."
+
+"There's an island under them; you may be sure of that!" I cried. "Isn't
+this ever so much better than a sinking ship!"
+
+"I'm not so sure about that," said Mrs. Aleshine. "I'm used to the ship,
+and as long as it didn't sink I'd prefer it. There's plenty to eat on
+board of it, and good beds to sleep on, which is more than can be
+expected on a little bushy place like that ahead of us. But then, the
+ship might sink all of a suddint, beds, vittles, and all."
+
+"Do you suppose that is the island the other boats went to?" asked Mrs.
+Lecks.
+
+This question I had already asked of myself. I had been told that the
+island to which the captain intended to take his boats lay about thirty
+miles south of the point where we left the steamer. Now I knew very
+well that we had not come thirty miles, and had reason to believe,
+moreover, that the greater part of the progress we had made had been
+toward the north. It was not at all probable that the position of this
+island was unknown to our captain; and it must, therefore, have been
+considered by him as an unsuitable place for the landing of his
+passengers. There might be many reasons for this unsuitableness: the
+island might be totally barren and desolate; it might be the abode of
+unpleasant natives; and, more important than anything else, it was, in
+all probability, a spot where steamers never touched.
+
+But, whatever its disadvantages, I was most wildly desirous to reach it;
+more so, I believe, than either of my companions. I do not mean that
+they were not sensible of their danger, and desirous to be freed from
+it; but they were women who had probably had a rough time of it during a
+great part of their lives, and on emerging from their little circle of
+rural experiences, accepted with equanimity, and almost as a matter of
+course, the rough times which come to people in the great outside world.
+
+"I do not believe," I said, in answer to Mrs. Lecks, "that that is the
+island to which the captain would have taken us; but, whatever it is, it
+is dry land, and we must get there as soon as we can."
+
+"That's true," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for I'd like to have ground nearer
+to my feet than six miles; and if we don't find anything to eat and any
+place to sleep when we get there, it's no more than can be said of the
+place where we are now."
+
+"You're too particular, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "about your
+comforts. If you find the ground too hard to sleep on, when you get
+there, you can put on your life-preserver, and go to bed in the water."
+
+"Very good," said Mrs. Aleshine; "and if these islands are made of
+coral, as I've heard they are, and if they're as full of small p'ints as
+some coral I've got at home, you'll be glad to take a berth by me, Mrs.
+Lecks."
+
+I counseled my companions to follow me as rapidly as possible, and we
+all pushed vigorously forward. When we had approached near enough to the
+island to see what sort of place it really was, we perceived that it was
+a low-lying spot, apparently covered with verdure, and surrounded, as
+far as we could see as we rose on the swells, by a rocky reef, against
+which a tolerably high surf was running.
+
+I knew enough of the formation of these coral islands to suppose that
+within this reef was a lagoon of smooth water, into which there were
+openings through the rocky barrier. It was necessary to try to find one
+of these, for it would be difficult and perhaps dangerous to attempt to
+land through the surf.
+
+Before us we could see a continuous line of white-capped breakers, and
+so I led my little party to the right, hoping that we would soon see
+signs of an opening in the reef.
+
+We swam and paddled, however, for a long time, and still the surf rolled
+menacingly on the rocks before us. We were now as close to the island as
+we could approach with safety, and I determined to circumnavigate it,
+if necessary, before I would attempt, with these two women, to land upon
+that jagged reef. At last we perceived, at no great distance before us,
+a spot where there seemed to be no breakers; and when we reached it we
+found, to our unutterable delight, that here was smooth water flowing
+through a wide opening in the reef. The rocks were piled up quite high,
+and the reef, at this point at least, was a wide one, but as we neared
+the opening we found that it narrowed very soon, and made a turn to the
+left, so that from the outside we could not see into the lagoon.
+
+I swam into this smooth water, followed closely by Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine, who, however, soon became unable to use their oars, owing to
+the proximity of the rocks. Dropping these useful implements, they
+managed to paddle after me with their hands, and they were as much
+astonished as I was when, just after making the slight turn, we found
+stretched across the narrow passage a great iron bar about eight or ten
+inches above the water. A little farther on, and two or three feet above
+the water, another iron bar extended from one rocky wall to the other.
+Without uttering a word I examined the lower bar, and found one end of
+it fastened by means of a huge padlock to a great staple driven into the
+rock. The lock was securely wrapped in what appeared to be tarred
+canvas. A staple through an eyehole in the bar secured the other end of
+it to the rocks.
+
+"These bars were put here," I exclaimed, "to keep out boats, whether at
+high or low water. You see they can only be thrown out of the way by
+taking off the padlocks."
+
+"They won't keep us out," said Mrs. Lecks, "for we can duck under. I
+suppose whoever put 'em here didn't expect anybody to arrive on
+life-preservers."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+PART II
+
+
+Adopting Mrs. Lecks's suggestion, I "ducked" my head under the bar, and
+passed to the other side of it. Mrs. Lecks, with but little trouble,
+followed my example; but Mrs. Aleshine, who, by reason of her stoutness,
+floated so much higher out of the water than her friend and I, found it
+impossible to get herself under the bar. In whatever manner she made the
+attempt, her head or her shoulders were sure to bump and arrest her
+progress.
+
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, who had been watching her, "if
+you ever want to get out of this salt water, you've got to make up your
+mind to take some of it into your mouth and into your eyes, that is, if
+you don't keep 'em shut. Get yourself as close to that bar as you can,
+and I'll come and put you under." So saying, Mrs. Lecks returned to the
+other side of the bar, and having made Mrs. Aleshine bow down her head
+and close her eyes and mouth, she placed both hands upon her companion's
+broad shoulders, and threw as much weight as possible upon them. Mrs.
+Aleshine almost disappeared beneath the water, but she came up
+sputtering and blinking on the other side of the bar, where she was
+quickly joined by Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"Merciful me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, wiping her wet face with her
+still wetter sleeve, "I never supposed the heathens would be up to such
+tricks as makin' us do that!"
+
+I had waited to give any assistance that might be required, and, while
+doing so, had discovered another bar under the water, which proved that
+entrance at almost any stage of the tide had been guarded against.
+Warning my companions not to strike their feet against this submerged
+bar, we paddled and pushed ourselves around the turn in the rocky
+passage, and emerged into the open lagoon.
+
+This smooth stretch of water, which separated the island from its
+encircling reef, was here about a hundred feet wide; and the first thing
+that arrested our attention as we gazed across it was a little wharf or
+landing-stage, erected upon the narrow beach of the island, almost
+opposite to us.
+
+"As sure as I stand here," exclaimed Mrs. Lecks, who never seemed to
+forget her upright position, "somebody lives in this place!"
+
+"And it isn't a stickery coral island, either," cried Mrs. Aleshine,
+"for that sand's as smooth as any I ever saw."
+
+"Whoever does live here," resumed Mrs. Lecks, "has got to take us in,
+whether they like it or not, and the sooner we get over there, the
+better."
+
+Mrs. Aleshine now regretted the loss of her oar, and suggested that some
+one of us who could get under bars easily should go back after it. But
+Mrs. Lecks would listen to no such proposition.
+
+"Let the oars go," she said. "We won't want 'em again, for I'll never
+leave this place if I have to scoop myself out to sea with an oar."
+
+I told the two women that I could easily tow them across this narrow
+piece of water; and instructing Mrs. Lecks to take hold of the tail of
+my coat, while Mrs. Aleshine grasped her companion's dress, I began to
+swim slowly toward the beach, towing my companions behind me.
+
+"Goodnessful gracious me!" suddenly exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, with a
+great bounce and a splash, "look at the fishes!"
+
+The water in the lagoon was so clear that it was almost transparent, and
+beneath us and around us we could see fish, some large and some small,
+swimming about as if they were floating in the air, while down below the
+white sandy bottom seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.
+
+"Now don't jerk my skeert off on account of the fishes," said Mrs.
+Lecks. "I expect there was just as many outside, though we couldn't see
+'em. But I must say that this water looks as if it had been boiled and
+filtered."
+
+If any inhabitant of the island had then been standing on the wharf, he
+would have beheld on the surface of the lagoon the peculiar spectacle of
+a man's head surmounted by a wet and misshapen straw hat, and followed
+by two other heads, each wearing a dripping and bedraggled bonnet, while
+beneath, among the ripples of the clear water, would have been seen the
+figures belonging to these three heads, each dressed in the clothes
+ordinarily worn on land.
+
+As I swam I could see before me, on the island, nothing but a mass of
+low-growing, tropical vegetation, behind which rose some palms and other
+trees. I made for the little wharf, from which steps came down into the
+water, and as soon as we reached it we all clambered rapidly up, and
+stood dripping upon the narrow platform, stamping our feet and shaking
+our clothes.
+
+"Do you see that house?" said Mrs. Lecks. "That's where they live, and I
+wonder which way we must go to get there."
+
+From this somewhat elevated position I could plainly see, over the tops
+of the bushes and low trees, the upper part of the roof of a house. When
+I found the bars across the passage in the reef, I had easily come to
+the conclusion that the inhabitants of this island were not savages; and
+now since I had seen the wharf and the roof of this house, I felt quite
+convinced that we had reached the abode of civilized beings. They might
+be pirates or some other sort of sea miscreants, but they were certainly
+not savages or cannibals.
+
+Leaving the wharf, we soon found a broad path through the bushes, and
+in a few moments reached a wide, open space, in which stood a handsome
+modern-built house. It was constructed after the fashion of tropical
+houses belonging to Europeans, with jalousied porches and shaded
+balconies; the grounds about it were neatly laid out, and behind it was
+a walled inclosure, probably a garden.
+
+"Upon my word," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "I'd like to be less drippin'
+before I make a call on genteel folks!"
+
+"Genteel folks!" exclaimed Mrs. Lecks, indignantly. "If you're too proud
+to go in as you are, Barb'ry Aleshine, you can go set in the sun till
+you're dry. As for me, I'm goin' to ask for the lady of the house, and
+if she don't like me she can lump me, so long as she gives me somethin'
+to eat and a dry bed to get into."
+
+I was too much amazed to speak, but my companions took everything as a
+matter of course. They had expected to see strange things in the outer
+world, and they were not surprised when they saw them. My mind was not
+capable of understanding the existence of an establishment like this on
+a little island in mid-ocean. But it was useless for me to attempt to
+reason on this apparent phenomenon; and, indeed, there was no time for
+it, for Mrs. Lecks walked boldly up to the front door and plied the
+knocker, stepping back immediately, so that she might not drip too much
+water on the porch.
+
+"When they come," she said, "we'll ask 'em to let us in the back way, so
+that we sha'n't slop up their floors any more than we can help."
+
+We waited for a couple of minutes, and then I, as the member of the
+party who dripped the least, went up on the porch and knocked again.
+
+"It's my belief they're not at home," said Mrs. Lecks, after we had
+waited some time longer, "but perhaps we'll find some of the servants
+in," and she led the way to the back part of the house.
+
+As we passed the side of the mansion I noticed that all the
+window-shutters were closed, and my growing belief that the place was
+deserted became a conviction after we had knocked several times at a
+door at the back of the building without receiving any answer.
+
+"Well, they're all gone out, that's certain!" said Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"Yes, and they barred up the entrance to the island when they left," I
+added.
+
+"I wonder if there's another house in the neighborhood?" asked Mrs.
+Aleshine.
+
+"I don't believe," said I, "that the neighborhood is very thickly
+settled; but if you will wait here a few minutes, I will run around this
+wall and see what there is beyond. I may find the huts of some natives
+or work-people."
+
+I followed a path by the side of the garden wall, but when I reached the
+end of the inclosure I could see nothing before me but jungle and
+forest, with paths running in several directions. I followed one of
+these, and very soon came out upon an open beach, with the reef lying
+beyond it. From the form of the beach and the reef, and from the
+appearance of things generally, I began to think that this was probably
+a very small island, and that the house we had seen was the only one
+on it. I returned and reported this belief to my companions.
+
+[Illustration: "MRS. LECKS WALKED BOLDLY UP TO THE FRONT DOOR AND PLIED
+THE KNOCKER."]
+
+Now that Mrs. Aleshine had no fear of appearing in an untidy condition
+before "genteel folks," her manner changed very much. "If the family has
+gone into the country," said she, "or whatever else they've done, I want
+to get into this house as soon as I can. I expect we can find something
+to eat. At any rate, we can get ourselves dry, and lay down somewhere to
+rest, for not a wink has one of us slept since night before last."
+
+"I should think," said Mrs. Lecks, addressing me, "that if you could
+manage to climb up to them second-story windows, you might find one of
+them that you could get in, and then come down and open the door for us.
+Everybody is likely to forget to fasten some of the windows on the upper
+floors. I know it isn't right to force our way into other people's
+houses, but there's nothin' else to be done, and there's no need of our
+talkin' about it."
+
+I agreed with her perfectly, and taking off my coat and shoes, I climbed
+up one of the columns of the veranda, and got upon its roof. This
+extended nearly the whole length of two sides of the house. I walked
+along it and tried all the shutters, and I soon came to one in which
+some of the movable slats had been broken. Thrusting my hand and arm
+through the aperture thus formed, I unhooked the shutters and opened
+them. The sash was fastened down by one of the ordinary contrivances
+used for such purposes, but with the blade of my jack-knife I easily
+pushed the bolt aside, raised the sash, and entered. I found myself in
+a small hall at the head of a flight of stairs. Down these I hurried,
+and, groping my way through the semi-darkness of the lower story, I
+reached a side door. This was fastened by two bolts and a bar, and I
+quickly had it open.
+
+Stepping outside, I called Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"Well," said the latter, "I'm sure I'll be glad to get in, and as we've
+squeezed most of the water out of our clothes, we won't make so much of
+a mess, after all."
+
+We now entered, and I opened one of the shutters.
+
+"Let's go right into the kitchen," said Mrs. Lecks, "and make a fire.
+That's the first thing to do."
+
+[Illustration: "I CLIMBED UP ONE OF THE COLUMNS."]
+
+But Mrs. Lecks soon discovered that this mansion was very different from
+a country dwelling in one of our Middle States. Externally, and as far
+as I had been able to observe its internal arrangements, it resembled
+the houses built by English residents which I had seen in the West
+Indies. It was a dwelling in which modern ideas in regard to
+construction and furnishing adapted themselves to the requirements of a
+tropical climate. Apparently there was no kitchen. There were no stairs
+leading to a lower floor, and the darkened rooms into which my
+companions peered were certainly not used for culinary purposes.
+
+In the meantime I had gone out of the door by which we had entered, and
+soon discovered, on the other side of the house, a small building with a
+chimney to it, which I felt sure must be the kitchen. The door and
+shutters were fastened, but before making any attempt to open them I
+returned to announce my discovery.
+
+"Door locked, is it?" said Mrs. Aleshine. "Just wait a minute."
+
+She then disappeared, but in a very short time came out, carrying a
+bunch of large keys.
+
+"It's always the way," said she, as the two followed me round the back
+of the house, "when people shut up a house and leave it, to put all the
+door-keys in the back corner of some drawer in the hall, and to take
+only the front-door key with them. So, you see, I knew just where to go
+for these."
+
+"It's a poor hen," said Mrs. Lecks, "that begins to cackle when she's
+goin' to her nest; the wise ones wait till they're comin' away. Now
+we'll see if one of them keys fit."
+
+Greatly to the triumph of Mrs. Aleshine, the second or third key I tried
+unlocked the door. Entering, we found ourselves in a good-sized kitchen,
+with a great fireplace at one end of it. A door opened from the room
+into a shed where there was a pile of dry twigs and fire-wood.
+
+"Let's have a fire as quick as we can," said Mrs. Lecks, "for since I
+went into that shet-up house I've been chilled to the bones."
+
+"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "and now I know how a fish keeps
+comfortable in the water, and how dreadfully wet and flabby it must feel
+when it's taken out."
+
+I brought in a quantity of wood and kindling, and finding matches in a
+tin box on the wall, I went to work to make a fire, and was soon
+rewarded by a crackling blaze. Turning around, I was amazed at the
+actions of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine. I had expected to see them
+standing shivering behind me, waiting for the fire to be made; but
+instead of that, they were moving rapidly here and there, saying not a
+word, but going as straight to cupboard, closet, and pantry as the hound
+follows the track of the hare. From a wild chaos of uncongenial
+surroundings, these two women had dropped into a sphere in which they
+were perfectly at home. The kitchen was not altogether like those to
+which they had been accustomed, but it was a well-appointed one, and
+their instincts and practice made them quickly understand where they
+would find what they wanted. I gazed on them with delight while one
+filled a kettle from a little pump in the corner which brought water
+from a cistern, and the other appeared from the pantry, carrying a
+tea-caddy and a tin biscuit-box.
+
+"Now, then," said Mrs. Lecks, hanging the kettle on a crane over the
+fire, and drawing up a chair, "by the time we've got a little dried off
+the kettle will bile, and we'll have some hot tea, and then the best
+thing to do is to go to bed."
+
+"We'll take time to have a bite first," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for I was
+never so near famished in my life. I brought out a box nearly full of
+biscuits, and there's sardines in this, Mr. Craig, which you can easy
+open with your knife."
+
+I piled on more wood, and we gathered close around the genial heat. The
+sunshine was hot outside, but that did not prevent the fire from being
+most comforting and refreshing to us.
+
+As soon as the kettle began to simmer, up jumped Mrs. Aleshine. A
+sugar-bowl and some cups were placed upon a table, and in a short time
+we were cheered and invigorated by hot tea, biscuits, and sardines.
+
+"This isn't much of a meal," said Mrs. Aleshine, apologetically, "but
+there's no time to cook nothin', and the sooner we get off our wet
+things and find some beds, the better."
+
+"If I can once get into bed," said Mrs. Lecks, "all I ask is that the
+family will not come back till I have had a good long nap. After that,
+they can do what they please."
+
+We now went back to the house, and ascended the main stairway, which led
+up to a large central hall.
+
+"We won't go into the front rooms," said Mrs. Lecks, "for we don't want
+to make no more disturbance than we can help; but if we can find the
+smallest kind of rooms in the back, with beds in 'em, it is all we can
+ask."
+
+The first chamber we entered was a good-sized one, neatly furnished,
+containing a bedstead with uncovered mattress and pillows. Opening a
+closet door, Mrs. Lecks exclaimed: "This is a man's room, Mr. Craig, and
+you'd better take it. Look at the trousers and coats! There's no
+bedclothes in here, but I'll see if I can't find some."
+
+In a few minutes she returned, bearing blankets, sheets, and a
+pillow-case. With Mrs. Aleshine on one side of the bedstead and Mrs.
+Lecks on the other, the sheets and blankets were laid with surprising
+deftness and rapidity, and in a few moments I saw before me a most
+inviting bed.
+
+While Mrs. Aleshine held a pillow in her teeth as she pulled on the
+pillow-case with both hands, Mrs. Lecks looked around the room with the
+air of an attentive hostess. "I guess you'll be comfortable, Mr. Craig,"
+she said, "and I advise you to sleep just as long as you can. We'll take
+the room on the other side of the hall; but I'm first goin' down to see
+if the kitchen fire is safe, and to fasten the doors."
+
+[Illustration: "'I GUESS YOU'LL BE COMFORTABLE, MR. CRAIG.'"]
+
+I offered to relieve her of this trouble, but she promptly declined my
+services. "When it's rowin' or swimmin', you can do it, Mr. Craig, but
+when it's lockin' up and lookin' to fires, I'll attend to that myself."
+
+My watch had stopped, but I suppose it was the middle of the afternoon
+when I went to bed, and I slept steadily until some hours after sunrise
+the next morning, when I was awakened by a loud knock at the door.
+
+"It's time to get up," said the voice of Mrs. Lecks, "and if your
+clothes are not entirely dry, you'd better see if there isn't somethin'
+in that closet you can put on. After a while I'll make a big fire in the
+kitchen, and dry all our things."
+
+I found my clothes were still very damp, and after investigating the
+contents of the closet and bureau, I was able to supply myself with
+linen and a light summer suit which fitted me fairly well. I even found
+socks and a pair of slippers.
+
+When I entered the kitchen, I first opened wide my eyes with delight,
+and then I burst out laughing. Before me was a table covered with a
+white cloth, with plates, cups, and everything necessary upon it; at one
+end was a steaming tea-pot, and at the other a dish of some kind of hot
+meat, and Mrs. Aleshine was just taking a pan of newly baked biscuits
+from a small iron oven.
+
+"I don't wonder you laugh," said Mrs. Lecks, "but our clothes was still
+wet, and we had to take just what we could find. I'm not in the habit of
+goin' about in a white muslin wrapper with blue-ribbon trimmin's, and as
+for Mrs. Aleshine, I did think we'd never find anything that she could
+get into; but there must be one stout woman in the family, for that
+yeller frock with black buttons fits her well enough, though I must say
+it's a good deal short."
+
+"I never thought," said Mrs. Aleshine, as she sat down at the tea-pot,
+"that the heathens had so many conveniences, specially bakin'-powders
+and Dutch ovens. For my part, I always supposed that they used their
+altars for bakin', when they wasn't offerin' up victims on 'em."
+
+"Have you got it into your head, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks,
+looking up from the dish of potted beef she was serving, "that this
+house belongs to common heathen? I expect that most of the savages who
+live on these desert islands has been converted by the missionaries, but
+they'd have to take 'em from Genesis to Revelations a good many times
+before they'd get 'em to the p'int of havin' force-pumps in their
+kitchens and spring-mattresses on their beds. As far as I've seen this
+house, it looks as if the family had always been Christians, and
+probably either Catholics or Episcopalians."
+
+"On account of the cross on the mantelpiece in our room, I suppose,"
+said Mrs. Aleshine. "But whether they're given to idols or prayer-books,
+I know they've got a mighty nice house; and considerin' the distance
+from stores, there's a good deal more in that pantry than you'd expect
+to find in any house I know of, when the family is away."
+
+"It is my opinion," said I, "that this house belongs to some rich man,
+probably an American or European merchant, who lives on one of the large
+islands not far away, and who uses this as a sort of summer residence."
+
+"I thought it was always summer in this part of the world," said Mrs.
+Lecks.
+
+"So it is in effect," I replied, "but there are some seasons when it is
+very unpleasant to remain in one of those towns which are found on the
+larger islands, and so the owner of this house may come up here
+sometimes for fresh sea air."
+
+"Or it's just as like," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that he lives somewhere up
+in the iceberg regions, and comes here to spend his winters. It would do
+just as well. But, whichever way it is, I can't help thinkin' it's
+careless not to leave somebody in the house to take care of it. Why, for
+all the family would know about it, tramps might break in and stay as
+long as they like."
+
+"That's just what's happenin' now," said Mrs. Lecks, "and for my part I
+ain't goin' to find no fault. I don't suppose the people would have been
+so hard-hearted as to turn us away from their doors, but I've seen
+enough of folks in this world not to be too sure about that."
+
+[Illustration: "THAT YELLER FROCK."]
+
+"How do you suppose," said Mrs. Aleshine, addressing me, "that the
+family gets here and goes back? Do they keep a private steamboat?"
+
+"Of course they have a private vessel of some kind," I answered,
+"probably a yacht. It is quite certain that ordinary steamers never
+touch here."
+
+"If that's the case," said Mrs. Lecks, "all we can do is to wait here
+till they come, and get them to send us away in their ship. But whether
+they've just gone or are just a-comin' back depends, I suppose, on
+whether they live in a freezin' or a burnin' country; and if they don't
+like our bein' here when they come back, there's one thing they can make
+up their minds to, and that is that I'm never goin' to leave this place
+on a life-preserver."
+
+"Nor me nuther," said Mrs. Aleshine, finishing, with much complacency,
+her third cup of tea.
+
+When breakfast was over, Mrs. Lecks pushed back her chair, but did not
+immediately rise. With an expression of severe thought upon her face,
+she gazed steadfastly before her for a minute, and then she addressed
+Mrs. Aleshine, who had begun to gather together the cups and the plates.
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said she, "don't you begin to clear off the
+table, nor touch a single thing to wash it up, till we've been over this
+house. I want to do it now, before Mr. Craig goes out to prospect around
+and see what else is on the island, which, I suppose, he'll be wantin'
+to do."
+
+I replied that I had that intention, but I was quite willing to go over
+the house first.
+
+"It's come to me," said Mrs. Lecks, speaking very gravely, "that it's no
+use for us to talk of the family bein' here, or bein' there, till we've
+gone over this house. If we find that they have, as far as we know, gone
+away in good health and spirits, that's all well enough; but if
+anything's happened in this house, I don't want to be here with what's
+happened—at least, without knowin' it, and when we do go over the
+house, I want a man to go with us."
+
+"If you'd talked that way last night, Mrs. Lecks," exclaimed Mrs.
+Aleshine, "I'd never slept till after sun-up, and then got up and gone
+huntin' round among them frocks and petticoats to find somethin' that
+would fit me, with the quiet pulse I did have, Mrs. Lecks!"
+
+To this remark Mrs. Lecks made no reply, but, rising, she led the way
+out of the kitchen and into the house.
+
+The rooms on the first floor were very well furnished. There was a large
+parlor, and back of it a study or library, while on the other side of
+the hall was a dining-room and an apartment probably used as a family
+room. We found nothing in these which would indicate that anything
+untoward had happened in them. Then we went up-stairs, I leading the
+way, Mrs. Lecks following, and Mrs. Aleshine in the rear. We first
+entered one of the front chambers, which was quite dark, but Mrs. Lecks
+unfastened and threw open a shutter. Then, with a rigid countenance and
+determined mien, she examined every part of the room, looked into every
+closet, and even under the bed. It was quite plain that it was in one of
+the chambers that she expected to find what had happened, if anything
+had happened.
+
+The room on the other side of the hall was very like the one we first
+examined, except that it had two beds in it. We next visited the chamber
+recently occupied by my two companions, which was now undergoing the
+process of "airing."
+
+"We needn't stop here," remarked Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+But Mrs. Lecks instantly replied: "Indeed, we will stop; I'm going to
+look under the bed."
+
+"Merciful me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, putting her hand on her friend's
+shoulder. "Supposin' you should find somethin', and we sleepin' here
+last night! It curdles me to think of it!"
+
+"It's my duty," said Mrs. Lecks, severely, "and I shall do it."
+
+And do it she did, rising from the task with a sigh of relief.
+
+My room was subjected to the same scrutiny as the others, and then we
+visited some smaller rooms at the extreme back of the house, which we
+had not before noticed. A garret, or loft, was reached by a steep
+stairway in one of these rooms, and into its dusky gloom I ventured by
+myself.
+
+"Now, don't come down, Mr. Craig," said Mrs. Lecks, "till you're sure
+there's nothin' there. Of all places in the house, that cockloft, after
+all, is the most likely."
+
+I had none of the fears which seemed to actuate the two women, but I had
+a very unpleasant time of it groping about in the darkness and heat,
+and, as the place was only partly floored, running the continual risk of
+crashing down through the lath and plaster. I made myself quite sure,
+however, that nothing had happened in that loft, unless some one had
+suffocated there, and had dried up and become the dust which I raised at
+every step.
+
+"Now, then," said Mrs. Lecks, when I descended, "as there is no cellar,
+we'll go wash up the breakfast things; and if you want to take a walk,
+to see if there's any genuwine heathens or anybody else a-livin' in this
+island, we're not afraid to be left alone."
+
+For the whole of the rest of the morning I wandered about the island. I
+investigated the paths that I had before noticed, and found that each of
+them led, after a moderate walk, to some wide and pleasant part of the
+beach. At one of these points I found a rustic bench; and, stuffed in
+between two of the slats which formed the seat, I found a book. It had
+been sadly wet and discolored by rain, and dried and curled up by the
+wind and sun. I pulled it out, and found it to be a novel in French. On
+one of the fly-leaves was written "Emily." Reasoning from the
+dilapidated appearance of this book, I began to believe that the family
+must have left this place some time ago, and that, therefore, their
+return might be expected at a proportionately early period. On second
+thoughts, however, I considered that the state of this book was of
+little value as testimony. A few hours of storm, wind, and sun might
+have inflicted all the damage it had sustained. The two women would be
+better able to judge by the state of the house and the condition of the
+provisions how long the family had been away.
+
+I then started out on a walk along the beach, and in little more than an
+hour I had gone entirely around the island. Nowhere did I see any sign
+of habitation or occupation except at the house which had given us
+shelter, nor any opening through the surrounding reef except the barred
+passageway through which we had come.
+
+When I returned to the house, I found that Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+had been hard at work all the morning. They had, so to speak, gone
+regularly and systematically to housekeeping, and had already divided
+the labors of the establishment between them. Mrs. Aleshine, who prided
+herself on her skill in culinary matters, was to take charge of the
+cooking, while Mrs. Lecks assumed the care of the various rooms and the
+general management of the household. This arrangement was explained to
+me at length, and when I remarked that all this seemed to indicate that
+they expected to remain here for a long time, Mrs. Lecks replied:
+
+"In my part of the country I could tell pretty close, by the dust on the
+tables and on the top of the pianner, how long a family had been out of
+a house; but dust in Pennsylvany and dust on a sea island, where there's
+no wagons nor carriages, is quite different. This house has been left in
+very good order, and though the windows wants washin', and the floors
+and stairs brushin',—which will be easy considerin' that none of 'em
+has carpets,—and everything in the house a reg'lar cleanin' up and
+airin', it may be that the family hasn't been gone away very long, and
+so it may be a good while before they come back again. Mrs. Aleshine and
+me has talked it over, and we've made up our minds that the right thing
+to do is just to go along and attend to things as if we was a-goin' to
+stay here for a month or two; and it may be even longer than that before
+the people come back. And I don't think they'll have anything to
+complain of when they find their house in apple-pie order, their windows
+washed, their floors clean, and not a speck of dust anywhere."
+
+"For my part," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I don't see what they've got to find
+fault with, anyway. I look on this as part of the passage. To be sure,
+we ain't movin' a bit on our way to Japan, but that's not my fault, nor
+yet yours, Mrs. Lecks, nor yours, Mr. Craig. We paid our passage to go
+to Japan, and if the ship was steered wrong and got sunk, we hadn't
+anything to do with it. We didn't want to come here, but here we are,
+and I'd like to know who's got any right to find fault with us."
+
+[Illustration: "MRS. ALESHINE HAD BEEN HARD AT WORK ALL THE MORNING."]
+
+"And bein' here," said Mrs. Lecks, "we'll take care of the things."
+
+"As far as I'm concerned," added Mrs. Aleshine, "if this island was
+movin' on to Japan, I'd a great deal rather be on it than on that ship,
+where, to my way of thinkin', they didn't know much more about
+housekeepin' than they did about steerin'."
+
+"I think your plans and arrangements are very good," I said. "But how
+about the provisions? Are there enough to hold out for any time?"
+
+"There's pretty nigh a barrel of flour," said Mrs. Aleshine, "a good
+deal of tea and coffee and sugar, and lots of things in tins and jars.
+There's a kind of cellar outside where they keep things cool, and
+there's more than half a keg of butter down there. It's too strong to
+use, but I can take that butter and wash it out, and work it over, and
+salt it, and make it just as good butter as any we got on board the
+ship."
+
+"But," said I, "you have given me nothing to do. I shall not be content
+to stand about idle and see you do all the work."
+
+"There's nothin' in the house," said Mrs. Lecks, "which you need put
+your hand to; but, if you choose to go out into that garden, and see if
+there's anything can be done in it, or got out of it,—that is, if you
+know anything about garden work,—I'm sure we'd be very glad of any
+fresh vegetables we could get."
+
+I replied that I had been accustomed to garden work in an amateur way,
+and would be glad to do anything that was possible in that direction.
+
+"I never seed into that garden," said Mrs. Aleshine, "but of all the
+foolish things that ever came under my eye, the buildin' a wall around a
+garden, when a picket fence would do just as well, is the foolishest."
+
+I explained that in these countries it was the fashion to use walls
+instead of fences.
+
+"If it's the fashion," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I suppose there's no use
+sayin' anything ag'in' it; but if the fashion should happen to change,
+they'd find it a good deal easier to take down a barbed-wire fence than
+a stone wall."
+
+This conversation took place in the large lower hall, which Mrs. Lecks
+had been "putting to rights," and where Mrs. Aleshine had just entered
+from the kitchen. Mrs. Lecks now sat down upon a chair, and, dust-cloth
+in hand, she thus addressed me:
+
+"There's another thing, Mr. Craig, that me and Mrs. Aleshine has been
+talkin' about. We haven't made up our minds about it, because we didn't
+think it was fair and right to do that before speakin' to you and
+hearin' what you had to say on one side or another of it. Mrs. Aleshine
+and me has had to bow our heads to afflictions, and to walk sometimes in
+roads we didn't want to; but we've remembered the ways in which we was
+brought up, and have kept in them as far as we've been able. When our
+husbands died, leavin' Mrs. Aleshine with a son, and me without any,
+which, perhaps, is just as well, for there's no knowin' how he might
+have turned out—"
+
+"That's so," interrupted Mrs. Aleshine, "for he might have gone as a
+clerk to Roosher, and then you and me would 'a' had to travel different
+ways."
+
+"And when our husbands died," continued Mrs. Lecks, "they left us
+enough, and plenty, to live on, and we wasn't the women to forget them
+and their ways of thinkin', any more than we'd forget the ways of our
+fathers and mothers before us."
+
+"That's so!" said Mrs. Aleshine, fervently.
+
+"And now, Mr. Craig," continued Mrs. Lecks, "we don't know how you've
+been brought up, nor anything about you, in fact, except that you've
+been as kind to us as if you was some sort of kin, and that we never
+would have thought of comin' here without you, and so me and Mrs.
+Aleshine has agreed to leave this whole matter to you, and to do just as
+you say. When us two started out on this long journey, we didn't expect
+to find it what you call the path of roses, and, dear only knows, we
+haven't found it so."
+
+"That's true!" ejaculated Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"And what we've had to put up with," continued Mrs. Lecks, "we have put
+up with. So, Mr. Craig, whether you say dinner in the middle of the day
+at twelve, as we've always been used to, or at six o'clock in the
+afternoon, as they had it on board that ship,—and how people ever come
+to turn their meals hind part foremost in that way, I can't say,—we are
+goin' to do it; if you've been brought up to six o'clock, you won't hear
+no complainin' from us, think what we may."
+
+I was on the point of laughing aloud at the conclusion of this speech,
+but a glance at the serious faces of the two women, who, with so much
+earnest solicitude, awaited my reply, stopped me, and I hastened to
+assure them that dinner in the middle of the day would be entirely in
+accordance with my every wish.
+
+"Good!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, her eyes sparkling amid the plumpness
+of her face, while an expression of calm relief passed over the features
+of Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"And now I'll be off and get us somethin' to eat in less than no time,"
+said Mrs. Aleshine. "We didn't know whether to make it lunch or dinner
+till we had seen you, so you can't expect much to-day, but to-morrow
+we'll begin, and have everything straight and comfortable. I'm goin' to
+get up early in the mornin' and bake a batch of bread, and you needn't
+be afraid, Mr. Craig, but what I'll have you a bit of hot meat every
+night for your supper."
+
+In the afternoon we all visited the garden, which, although a good deal
+overgrown with luxuriant weeds, showed marks of fair cultivation. Some
+of the beds had been cleared out and left to the weeds, and we found
+some "garden truck," as my companions called it, with which we were not
+familiar. But there were tomato-vines loaded with fruit, plenty of beans
+of various kinds, and a large patch of potatoes, many of which had been
+dug.
+
+From the lower end of the garden, Mrs. Aleshine gave a shout of delight.
+We went to her, and found her standing before a long asparagus bed.
+
+"Well!" she exclaimed. "If there's anything that settles it firm in my
+mind that these people is Christians, it's this bed of grass. I don't
+believe there ever was heathens that growed grass."
+
+"I thought that was all settled when we found the bakin'-powders," said
+Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"But this clinches it," answered her companion. "I can't tell from a
+sparrowgrass bed what church they belong to, but they're no idolaters."
+
+The next morning I delivered to the genial Mrs. Aleshine a large basket
+full of fresh vegetables, and we had a most excellent dinner. Somewhat
+to my surprise, the table was not set in the kitchen, but in the
+dining-room.
+
+"Me and Mrs. Aleshine have made up our minds," said Mrs. Lecks, in
+explanation, "that it's not the proper thing for you to be eatin' in the
+kitchen, nor for us neither. Here's table-cloths, and good glass and
+china, and spoons and forks, which, although they're not solid silver,
+are plated good enough for anybody. Neither you nor us is servants, and
+a kitchen is no place for us."
+
+"That's so!" said Mrs. Aleshine. "We paid our money for first-class
+passages, and it was understood that we'd have everything as good as
+anybody."
+
+"Which I don't see as that has anything to do with it, Barb'ry
+Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "for the steamship people don't generally
+throw in desert islands as part of the accommodation."
+
+"We didn't ask for the island," retorted Mrs. Aleshine, "and if they'd
+steered the ship right we shouldn't have wanted it."
+
+When we had finished our dinner, Mrs. Lecks pushed back her chair, and
+sat for a few moments in thought, as was her wont before saying anything
+of importance.
+
+"There's another thing," said she, "that I've been thinkin' about,
+though I haven't spoke of it yet, even to Mrs. Aleshine. We haven't no
+right to come here and eat up the victuals and use the things of the
+people that own this house, without payin' for 'em. Of course, we're not
+goin' to sleep on the bare ground and starve to death while there's beds
+and food close to our hands. But if we use 'em and take it, we ought to
+pay the people that the place belongs to—that is, if we've got the
+money to do it with—and Mrs. Aleshine and me has got the money. When we
+went down into our cabin to get ready to leave the ship, the first thing
+we did was to put our purses in our pockets, and we've both got drafts
+wrapped up in oil silk, and sewed inside our frock-bodies; and if you
+didn't think to bring your money along with you, Mr. Craig, we can lend
+you all you need."
+
+I thanked her for her offer, but stated that I had brought with me all
+my money.
+
+"Now," continued Mrs. Lecks, "it's my opinion that we ought to pay our
+board regular every week. I don't know what is commonly charged in a
+place like this, but I know you can get very good board where I come
+from for six dollars a week."
+
+[Illustration: "'THERE'S ANOTHER THING,' SAID SHE, 'THAT I'VE BEEN
+THINKIN' ABOUT.'"]
+
+"That is for two in a room," said Mrs. Aleshine; "but havin' a room to
+himself would make it more for Mr. Craig."
+
+"It ain't his fault," said Mrs. Lecks, somewhat severely, "that he
+ain't got a brother or some friend to take part of the room and pay part
+of the expense. But, anyway, the room isn't a large one, and I don't
+think he ought to pay much more for having a room to himself. Seven
+dollars is quite enough."
+
+"But then you've got to consider," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that we do the
+cookin' and housework, and that ought to be counted."
+
+"I was comin' to that," said Mrs. Lecks. "Now, if me and Mrs. Aleshine
+was to go out to service, which you may be sure we wouldn't do unless
+circumstances was very different from what they are now—"
+
+"That's true!" earnestly ejaculated Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"But if we was to do it," continued Mrs. Lecks, "we wouldn't go into
+anybody's family for less than two dollars a week. Now, I've always
+heard that wages is low in this part of the world, and the work isn't
+heavy for two of us; so, considering the family isn't here to make their
+own bargain, I think we'd better put our wages at that, so that'll make
+four dollars a week for each of us two to pay."
+
+"But how about Mr. Craig?" said Mrs. Aleshine. "He oughtn't to work in
+that garden for nothin'."
+
+"Fifty cents a day," said Mrs. Lecks, "is as little as any man would
+work for, and then it oughtn't to take all his time. That will make
+three dollars to take out of Mr. Craig's board, and leave it four
+dollars a week, the same as ours."
+
+I declared myself perfectly satisfied with these arrangements, but Mrs.
+Aleshine did not seem to be altogether convinced that they were just.
+
+"When a woman goes out to service," said she, "she gets her board and
+is paid wages besides, and it's the same for gardeners."
+
+"Then I suppose, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "that we ought to
+charge these people with our wages, and make 'em pay it when they come
+back!"
+
+This remark apparently disposed of Mrs. Aleshine's objections, and her
+friend continued: "There's a jar on the mantelpiece there, of the kind
+the East Indy ginger comes in. It's got nothin' in it now but some brown
+paper in which fish-hooks is wrapped. We came here on a Wednesday, and
+so every Tuesday night we'll each put four dollars in that jar, under
+the fish-hook paper; then if, by night or by day, the family comes back
+and makes a fuss about our bein' here, all we have to say is, 'The board
+money's in the ginger-jar,' and our consciences is free."
+
+Mrs. Lecks's plan was adopted as a very just and proper one, and at the
+expiration of the week we each deposited four dollars in the ginger-jar.
+
+While occupying this house I do not think that any of us endeavored to
+pry into the private concerns of the family who owned it, although we
+each had a very natural curiosity to know something about said family.
+Opportunities of acquiring such knowledge, however, were exceedingly
+scarce. Even if we had been willing to look into such receptacles, the
+several desks and secretaries that the house contained were all locked,
+and nowhere could Mrs. Lecks or Mrs. Aleshine find an old letter or
+piece of wrapping-paper with an address on it. I explained to my
+companions that letters and packages were not likely to come to a place
+like this, but they kept a sharp lookout for anything of the kind,
+asserting that there could be no possible harm in reading the names of
+the people whose house they were in.
+
+In some of the books in the library, which were English and French in
+about equal proportions, with a few volumes in German, I found written
+on the blank pages the names "Emily" and "Lucille," and across the
+title-pages of some French histories was inscribed, in a man's hand, "A.
+Dusante." We discussed these names, but could not make up our minds
+whether the family were French or English. For instance, there was no
+reason why an Englishwoman might not be called Lucille, and even such a
+surname as Dusante was not uncommon either among English or Americans.
+The labels on the boxes and tins of provisions showed that most of them
+came from San Francisco, but this was likely to be the case, no matter
+what the nationality of the family.
+
+The question of the relationship of the three persons, of whose
+existence we had discovered traces, was a very interesting one to Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"I can't make up my mind," said the latter, "whether Emily is the mother
+of Lucille or her daughter, or whether they are both children of Mr.
+Dusante, or whether he's married to Lucille and Emily is his
+sister-in-law, or whether she's his sister and not hers, or whether he's
+the uncle and they're his nieces, or whether Emily is an old lady and
+Mr. Dusante and Lucille are both her children, or whether they are two
+maiden ladies and Mr. Dusante is their brother, or whether Mr. Dusante
+is only a friend of the family, and boards here because no two women
+ought to live in such a lonely place without a man in the house."
+
+"Well," said Mrs. Lecks, "whether Mr. Dusante comes back with two
+nieces, or a wife and daughter, or Mrs. Dusante and a mother-in-law, or
+a pair of sisters, all we've got to say is, 'The board money's in the
+ginger-jar,' and let 'em do their worst."
+
+In my capacity as gardener I do not think I earned the wages which my
+companions had allotted to me, for I merely gathered and brought in such
+fruits and vegetables as I found in proper condition for use. In other
+ways, however, I made my services valuable to our little family. In a
+closet in my chamber I found guns and ammunition, and frequently I was
+able to bring in a few birds. Some of these were pronounced by Mrs.
+Aleshine unsuitable for the table, but others she cooked with much
+skill, and they were found to be very good eating.
+
+Not far from the little wharf which has been mentioned there stood,
+concealed by a mass of low-growing palms, a boat-house in which was a
+little skiff hung up near the roof. This I let down and launched, and
+found great pleasure in rowing it about the lagoon. There was
+fishing-tackle in the boat-house, which I used with success, the lagoon
+abounding in fish. Offerings of this kind were much more acceptable to
+Mrs. Aleshine than birds.
+
+"There's some kinds of fishes that's better than others," said she,
+"but, as a gen'ral rule, a fish is a fish, and if you catch 'em you can
+eat 'em; but it's a very different thing with birds. When you've never
+seen 'em before, how are you goin' to tell but what they're some kin to
+an owl, a pigeon-hawk, or a crow? And if I once get it into my head that
+there's any of that kind of family blood in 'em, they disagree with me
+just the same as if there really was."
+
+One afternoon, as I was returning in the boat from the point on the
+other side of the island where I had found the rustic seat and Emily's
+book, I was surprised to see Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine standing on
+the end of the little wharf. This was an unusual thing for them to do,
+as they were very industrious women and seldom had an idle moment, and
+it seemed to be one of their greatest pleasures to discuss the work they
+were going to do when they had finished that on which they were then
+engaged. I was curious, therefore, to know why they should be standing
+thus idly on the wharf, and pulled toward them as rapidly as possible.
+
+[Illustration: "MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE STANDING ON THE END OF THE
+LITTLE WHARF."]
+
+When I had rowed near enough to hear them, Mrs. Aleshine remarked with
+cheerful placidity:
+
+"The Dusantes are comin'."
+
+The tide was quite low, and I could not see over the reef; but in a few
+moments I had grounded the skiff and had sprung upon the wharf. Out on
+the ocean, about a mile away, I saw a boat, apparently a large one,
+approaching the island.
+
+"Now, then, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "you'll soon see whether
+it's his two nieces, or his daughters, wife and sister-in-law, or
+whatever of them other relationships which you've got so pat."
+
+"Yes," said Mrs. Aleshine; "but, what's more, we'll find out if he's
+goin' to be satisfied with the board money we've put in the ginger-jar."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+PART III
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+When the boat which we saw approaching the island had come near enough
+for us to distinguish its occupants, we found that it contained five
+persons. Three sat in the stern, and two were rowing. Of those in the
+stern, we soon made out one to be a woman, and after putting our
+eyesight to its very best efforts, we were obliged to admit that there
+was only one female on board.
+
+"Now, that's disapp'intin'," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for I've wondered and
+wondered which I should like best, Emily or Lucille, and now that only
+one of 'em has come, of course I can't tell."
+
+The boat came on, almost directly toward the passageway in the reef, and
+it was not long before the two women had been able to decide that Mr.
+Dusante was an elderly man, and that the lady was moderately young, and
+in all probability his daughter.
+
+"It may be," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that the mother, whether she was
+Emily, or whether she was Lucille, has died, and for that reason they
+are comin' back sooner than they expected."
+
+"Well, I hope you're wrong there, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks,
+"for they'll see lots of things here that will freshen up their
+affliction, and that won't make 'em any too lively people to be with."
+
+"On the other hand," said Mrs. Aleshine, "it may be that Emily, or else
+Lucille, has got married, and has gone away with her husband to travel,
+and by the time she's got a little baby she'll come here to live on
+account of the sea air for the child, and that'll make the house
+pleasant, Mrs. Lecks."
+
+"I'd like to know how long you expect to live here," said Mrs. Lecks,
+regarding her friend with some severity.
+
+"That's not for me to say," replied Mrs. Aleshine, "knowin' nothin'
+about it. But this I will say, that I hope they have brought along with
+them some indigo blue, for I nearly used up all there was the last time
+I washed."
+
+During this dialogue I had been thinking that it was a very strange
+thing for the owners of this place to visit their island in such a
+fashion. Why should they be in an open boat? And where did they come
+from? Wherever they might live, it was not at all probable that they
+would choose to be rowed from that point to this. From the general
+character and appointments of the house in which we had found a refuge,
+it was quite plain that its owners were people in good circumstances,
+who were in the habit of attending to their domestic affairs in a very
+orderly and proper way. It was to be presumed that it was their custom
+to come here in a suitable vessel, and to bring with them the stores
+needed during their intended stay. Now, there could be little or nothing
+in that boat, and, on the whole, I did not believe it contained the
+owners of this island.
+
+It would not do, however, to assume anything of the kind. There might
+have been a disaster; in fact, I know nothing about it, but it was my
+immediate duty to go and meet these people at the passage, for, if they
+were unable to unlock the bars, their boat could not enter, and I must
+ferry them across the lagoon. Without communicating my doubts to my
+companions, I hurried into the skiff, and pulled as far as possible into
+the passage through the reef. The bars, of which there were more than I
+at first supposed, were so arranged that it was impossible for a boat to
+go in or out at any stage of the tide.
+
+I had been there but a few minutes when the boat from without came
+slowly in between the rocks; and almost as soon as I saw it, its
+progress was suddenly stopped by a sunken bar.
+
+"Hello!" cried several men at once.
+
+"Hello!" cried I, in return. "Have you the key to these bars?"
+
+A stout man with a red beard stood up in the stern. "Key?" said he,
+"what key?"
+
+"Then you do not belong here?" said I. "Who are you?"
+
+At this, the gentleman who was sitting by the lady arose to his feet. He
+was a man past middle age, rather tall and slim, and when he stood up
+the slight rolling of the boat made him stagger, and he came near
+falling.
+
+"You'd better sit down, sir," said the man with the red beard, who I saw
+was a sailor. "You can talk better that way."
+
+The gentleman now seated himself, and thus addressed me:
+
+"I am, sir, the Reverend Mr. Enderton, lately missionary to Nanfouchong,
+China, and this is my daughter, Miss Enderton. We are returning to the
+United States by way of the Sandwich Islands, and took passage in a
+sailing-vessel for Honolulu. About two weeks ago this vessel, in some
+way which I do not understand, became disabled—"
+
+"Rotten forem'st," interrupted the man with the red beard, "which give
+way in a gale; strained and leaky, besides."
+
+"I did not know the mast was rotten," said the gentleman, "but, since
+the occasion of our first really serviceable wind, she has been making
+very unsatisfactory progress. And, more than that, the whole force of
+seamen was employed night and day in endeavoring to keep the water out
+of the tea, thereby causing such a thumping and pounding that sleep was
+out of the question. Add to this the fact that our meals became very
+irregular, and were sometimes entirely overlooked—"
+
+"Prog was gettin' mighty short," interpolated the red-bearded man.
+
+"You can easily discern, sir," continued the gentleman, "that it was
+impossible for myself and my daughter to remain longer on that vessel,
+on which we were the only passengers. I therefore requested the captain
+to put us ashore at the nearest land, and, after more than a week of
+delay and demur, he consented to do so."
+
+"Couldn't do it," said the man, "till there was land nigh enough."
+
+"The captain informed me," continued the gentleman, "that this island
+was inhabited, and that I could here find shelter and repose until a
+vessel could be sent from Honolulu to take me off. He furnished me with
+this boat and three seamen, one of whom," pointing to the red-bearded
+man, "is a coxswain. We have been rowing ever since early this morning,
+with but a very moderate quantity of food and much discomfort. Now, sir,
+you have heard my story; and I ask you, as one man to another, if you
+still intend to bar your water-gates against us?"
+
+"I did not bar the gates," I said, "and I would gladly unlock them if I
+could. I belong to a shipwrecked party who took refuge here some two
+weeks ago."
+
+"And how did you get in?" hastily inquired the red-bearded coxswain.
+
+"Our boat sunk when we were within sight of the island, and we came here
+on life-preservers, and so got under the bars."
+
+The two men who had been rowing now turned suddenly and looked at me.
+They both had black beards, and they both exclaimed at the same moment,
+"By George!"
+
+"I won't stop here to tell any more of our story," said I. "The great
+point now is to get you all ashore, and have you cared for."
+
+"That's so!" said the coxswain. And the two sailors murmured, "Aye, aye,
+sir."
+
+The bar which stopped the progress of the larger boat was just under the
+surface of the water, while another a foot above the water kept my skiff
+about six feet distant from the other boat. There was some loose
+flooring in the bottom of the coxswain's boat, and he ordered two of the
+boards taken out, and with them a bridge was made, one end resting on
+the bow of the larger boat, and the other on the iron bar by my skiff.
+
+"Now," said the coxswain, "let the lady go first."
+
+The elderly gentleman arose, as if he would prefer to take the lead, but
+his daughter, who had not yet spoken a word, was passed forward by the
+coxswain, steadied over the bridge by one of the sailors, and assisted
+by me into the skiff. Then her father came aboard, and I rowed with them
+to the wharf.
+
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine came forward most cordially to meet them.
+
+"Mr. Dusante, I suppose?" said Mrs. Lecks, while Mrs. Aleshine hurriedly
+whispered in my ear, "Is it Lucille or Emily?"
+
+As quickly as possible I explained the situation. For a few moments Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine stood speechless. Nothing which had happened to
+them, the wreck of the steamer, the sinking of the boat, or our
+experience with life-preservers, affected them so much as this
+disappointment in regard to the problem of the Dusante family. Travel by
+sea was all novel and strange to them, and they had expected all sorts
+of things to which they were not accustomed, but they had never
+imagined that Fate would be so hard upon them as to snatch away the
+solution of this mystery just as they were about to put their hands upon
+it. But, in spite of this sudden blow, the two good women quickly
+recovered themselves, and with hearty and kindly words hurried the
+missionary and his daughter to the house, while I went to bring over the
+men.
+
+I found the three sailors busy in securing their boat so that it would
+not be injured by the rocks during the rising and falling of the tide.
+When they had finished this job, they had to do a good deal of
+scrambling before they reached my skiff.
+
+"We thought at first, sir," said the coxswain, as I rowed them across
+the lagoon, "that it was all gammon about your not livin' here, and
+havin' no keys to them bars; but we've come to the 'pinion that if you'd
+been able to unlock 'em you'd have done it sooner than take all this
+trouble."
+
+I now related my story more fully, and the men were greatly astonished
+when they heard that my companions in this adventure were two women.
+Upon my asking the coxswain why he had come to this island, he replied
+that his captain had heard that people lived on it, although he knew
+nothing about them; and that, as it would be almost impossible to get
+his brig here with the wind that was then prevailing, and as he did not
+wish to go out of his course anyway, he made up his mind that he would
+rather lose the services of three men than keep that missionary on board
+a day longer.
+
+"You see, sir," said the coxswain, as we went ashore, "the parson
+wouldn't never take it into account that we were short of prog, and
+leakin' like Sam Hill; and because things were uncomfortable he growled
+up and he growled down, till he was wuss for the spirits of the men than
+the salt water comin' in or the hard-tack givin' out, and there was
+danger, if he wasn't got rid of, that he'd be pitched overboard and left
+to take his chances for a whale. And then, by sendin' us along, that
+give the crew three half-rations a day extry, and that'll count for a
+good deal in the fix they're in."
+
+When I reached the house I took the men into the kitchen, where Mrs.
+Aleshine already had the table spread. There were bread and cold meat,
+while the tea-kettle steamed by the fire. In a very short time three
+happy mariners sat round that table, while Mrs. Aleshine, with beaming
+face, attended to their wants, and plied them with innumerable
+questions. They had not finished eating when Mrs. Lecks entered the
+kitchen.
+
+"I put that minister and his daughter in the two front bedrooms," said
+she to me, after hospitably greeting the three men, "which me and Mrs.
+Aleshine had run and got ready for the Dusantes, as soon as you went in
+your boat to meet 'em. The young lady was mighty nigh worn out, and glad
+enough of the tea and things, and to get into bed. But the gentleman he
+wanted a soft-boiled egg, and when I told him I hadn't come across no
+hen-house yet on this island, he looked at me as if he didn't half
+believe me, and thought I was keepin' the eggs to sell."
+
+"Which it would be ridiculous to do," said Mrs. Aleshine, "in the middle
+of an ocean like this."
+
+"If he lets you off with soft-b'iled eggs, ma'am," said the coxswain,
+very respectfully, "I think you may bless your stars."
+
+"Aye, aye, sir," said the two sailors with black beards.
+
+Miss Ruth Enderton and her father did not make their appearance until
+the next morning at breakfast-time. I found the young lady a very
+pleasant person. She was rather slight in figure, inclined to be pretty,
+and was what might be called a warm-colored blonde. Her disposition was
+quite sociable, and she almost immediately stepped into the favor of
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+Mr. Enderton, however, was a person of another sort. He was a prim and
+somewhat formal man, and appeared to be entirely self-engrossed, with
+very vague notions in regard to his surroundings. He was not by any
+means an ill-tempered man, being rather inclined to be placid than
+otherwise; but he gave so little attention to circumstances and events
+that he did not appear to understand why he should be incommoded by the
+happenings of life. I have no doubt that he made existence on board the
+disabled brig a hundred times more unsatisfactory than it would
+otherwise have been. With his present condition he seemed very well
+satisfied, and it was quite plain that he looked upon Mrs. Lecks, Mrs.
+Aleshine, and myself as the proprietors of the establishment, having
+forgotten, or paid no attention to, my statement in regard to our coming
+here.
+
+As soon as she thought it fit and proper—and this moment arrived in the
+course of the first forenoon—Mrs. Lecks spoke to Mr. Enderton on the
+subject of the board which should be paid to the Dusantes. She stated
+the arrangements we had made in the matter, and then told him that as he
+and his daughter had the best accommodations in the house, each
+occupying a large, handsome room, she thought that he should pay fifteen
+dollars a week for the two.
+
+"Now, if your daughter," she continued, "can do anything about the house
+which will be of real help, though for the life of me I don't see what
+she can find to do, with me and Mrs. Aleshine here, somethin' might be
+took off on account of her services; but of course you, sir, can't do
+nothin', unless you was to preach on Sundays, and not knowin' what
+denomination the Dusantes belong to, it wouldn't be fair to take their
+money to pay for the preachin' of doctrines which, perhaps, they don't
+believe in."
+
+[Illustration: "MR. ENDERTON WAS A PERSON OF ANOTHER SORT."]
+
+This financial proposal aroused Mr. Enderton's opposition. "When I came
+here, madam," he said, "I did not expect to pay any board whatever, and
+I think, moreover, that your rates are exorbitant. In Nanfouchong, if I
+remember rightly, the best of board did not cost more than two or three
+dollars a week."
+
+"I don't want to say anything, sir," said Mrs. Lecks, "which might look
+disrespectful, but as long as I've got a conscience inside of me I'm
+not goin' to stay here and see the Dusantes lose money by Chinese
+cheapness."
+
+"I don't know anything about the Dusantes," said Mr. Enderton, "but I am
+not going to pay fifteen dollars a week for board for myself and
+daughter."
+
+The discussion lasted for some time, with considerable warmth on each
+side, and was at last ended by Mr. Enderton agreeing to pay board at the
+same rate as the two women and myself, and each week to deposit in the
+ginger-jar eight dollars for himself and daughter.
+
+"You may not care to remember, sir," said Mrs. Lecks, with cold
+severity, "that Mr. Craig and me and Mrs. Aleshine puts in services
+besides, although, to be sure, they don't go into the jar."
+
+"I only remember," said Mr. Enderton, "that I am paying an unjustifiable
+price as it is."
+
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, however, were not at all of this opinion,
+and they agreed that, if it should be in their power, they would see to
+it that the Dusantes lost nothing by this close-fisted missionary.
+
+After dinner—and I may remark that the newcomers were not consulted in
+regard to the hours for meals—Mrs. Lecks had an interview with the
+coxswain on the subject of board for himself and his two companions.
+This affair, however, was very quickly settled, for the three mariners
+had among them only one dollar and forty-three cents, and this, the
+coxswain explained, they would like to keep for tobacco. It was
+therefore settled that, as the three sailors could pay no money, as much
+work as possible should be got out of them, and to this plan they
+agreed heartily and cheerfully.
+
+"There's only one thing we'll ask, ma'am," said the coxswain to Mrs.
+Lecks, "and that is that we be put in a different mess from the parson.
+We've now eat two meals with the passengers, and me and my mates is
+agreed that that's about as much as we can go."
+
+After this, therefore, the three men had their meals in the kitchen,
+where they were generally joined by Mrs. Aleshine, who much delighted in
+their company. But she made it a point sometimes to sit down with us in
+the dining-room, merely to show that she had as much right there as
+anybody.
+
+"As to the work for them sailormen," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I don't see
+what they're goin' to do. Of course they don't know nothin' about
+gardenin', and it seems to me that the best thing to be done is to put
+'em to fishin'."
+
+Mrs. Lecks considered this a good suggestion, and accordingly the
+coxswain and his companions were told that thereafter they would be
+expected to fish for eight hours a day, Sundays excepted. This plan,
+however, did not work very well. During the first two days the sailors
+caught so many fish that, although the fishermen themselves had
+excellent appetites for such food, it was found utterly impossible to
+consume what they brought in. Consequently, it was ordered that
+thereafter they should catch only as many fish as should be needed, and
+then make themselves useful by assisting Mrs. Aleshine and Mrs. Lecks in
+any manner they might direct.
+
+I found it quite easy to become acquainted with Miss Ruth Enderton, as
+she was very much inclined to conversation. "It's ever so long," she
+said, "since I've had anybody to talk to."
+
+She had left the United States when she was quite a little girl, and had
+since seen nothing of her native land. She was, consequently, full of
+questions about America, although quite willing to talk of her life in
+China. Society, at least such kind as she had ever cared for, had been
+extremely scarce in the little missionary station at which she had lived
+so long, and now, coming from a wearisome sojourn on a disabled
+sailing-vessel, with no company but the crew and a preoccupied father,
+she naturally was delighted to get among people she could talk to. With
+Mrs. Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine, and myself she soon became very friendly, and
+showed herself to be a most lively and interesting young person.
+
+I did all that I could to make Miss Ruth's time pass agreeably. I rowed
+with her on the lagoon, taught her to fish, and showed her all the
+pleasant points on the island which could be easily reached by walking.
+Mr. Enderton gave us very little of his company, for, having discovered
+that there was a library in the house, he passed most of his time in
+that room.
+
+"You have made a very fair selection of books, sir," he remarked to me,
+"but it may readily be conceived, from the character of the works, that
+your tastes are neither ecclesiastic nor scientific."
+
+Several times I explained to him the ownership of the library and the
+house, but he immediately forgot what I had said, or paid no attention
+to it. When he paid his board at the end of the week, he handed the
+money to Mrs. Lecks; and although before his eyes she put it into the
+ginger-jar, beneath the paper of fish-hooks, I know very well that he
+considered he was paying it to her for her own use and behoof. He was
+comfortably lodged, he had all that he needed—and very nearly all that
+he wanted—to eat, and I do not know that I ever saw a man more
+contented with his lot.
+
+[Illustration: "I DID ALL THAT I COULD TO MAKE MISS RUTH'S TIME PASS
+AGREEABLY."]
+
+As for the coxswain and the two sailors, they had a very pleasant time
+of it, but Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine would not think of such a thing
+as allowing them to eat in idleness the bread of the Dusantes. After
+they had been with us a few days, Mrs. Lecks told me that she thought
+she could show the coxswain and his mates how to dig and gather the
+garden-stuff which was daily needed.
+
+"To be sure," said she, "that work goes ag'in' part of your board, but
+fishin' and bringin' in fire-wood don't take up quarter of the time of
+them sailors, and so that the garden work is done, I don't suppose it
+matters to the Dusantes who does it. And that'll give you more time to
+make things pleasant for Miss Ruth, for, as far as I can see, there
+isn't a thing for her to do, even if she knows how to do it."
+
+The three mariners were more than willing to do anything desired by Mrs.
+Lecks or Mrs. Aleshine, to whom they looked up with great admiration and
+respect. The latter was their favorite, not only because she was with
+them a great deal during their meals and at other times, but because of
+her genial nature and easy sociability. The men were always trying to
+lighten her labors, and to do something that would please her.
+
+One of them climbed to the top of what she called a "palm-leaf-fan
+tree," and brought therefrom some broad leaves, which he cut and trimmed
+and sewed, in true nautical fashion, until he made some fans which were
+heavy and clumsy, but, as he said, they would stand half a gale of wind
+if she chose to raise it. The coxswain caught or trapped two sea-birds,
+and, having clipped their wings, he spent days in endeavoring to tame
+them, hoping to induce them, as far as the power in them lay, to take
+the place of the barn-yard fowls whose absence Mrs. Aleshine continually
+deplored. Every evening the two black-bearded sailors would dance
+hornpipes for her, much to her diversion and delight.
+
+"I've often heard," she remarked, "that in these hot cocoanut countries
+the tricks of the monkeys was enough to keep everybody on a steady
+laugh, but I'm sure sailormen is a great deal better. When you get tired
+of their pranks and their tomfooleries you can tell 'em to stop, which
+with monkeys you can't."
+
+It was about ten days after the arrival of the missionary's party that,
+as I was going to get ready the boat in which Miss Ruth and myself
+generally rowed in the cool of the evening, I saw Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine sitting on the beach in the shade of some low-growing trees.
+They were evidently waiting for me, and as soon as I appeared Mrs. Lecks
+beckoned to me; whereupon I joined them.
+
+"Sit down," said Mrs. Lecks; "there's somethin' I want to talk to you
+about. Mrs. Aleshine and me have made up our minds that you ought to be
+hurried up a little about poppin' the question to Miss Ruth."
+
+This remark astounded me. "Popping the question!" I exclaimed.
+
+"Yes," continued Mrs. Lecks, "and me and Mrs. Aleshine know very well
+that you haven't done it yet, for both of us havin' been through that
+sort of thing ourselves, we know the signs of it after it has
+happened."
+
+"And we wouldn't say nothin' to hurry you," added Mrs. Aleshine, "if it
+wasn't that the groceries, especially the flour, is a-gettin' low. We've
+been talkin' to them sailormen, and they're pretty well agreed that
+there's no use now in expectin' their captain to send for 'em; for if he
+was a-goin' to do it at all, he'd 'a' done it before this. And perhaps
+he never got nowhere himself, in which case he couldn't. And they say
+the best thing we can all do when the victuals has nearly give out,
+provided the Dusantes don't come back in time, is to take what's left,
+and all get into their big boat, and row away to that island, which I
+don't know just how far it is, that the captain of our ship was goin'
+to. There we can stay pretty comfortable till a ship comes along and
+takes us off."
+
+"But what has all that to do," I asked, "with Miss Ruth and me?"
+
+"Do?" cried Mrs. Lecks. "It has everythin' to do. When it's all settled
+and fixed between you and Miss Ruth, there'll be nothin' to hinder us
+from gettin' ready to start when we please."
+
+"But, my dear friends," I said with much earnestness, "I have not the
+slightest idea of proposing to Miss Enderton."
+
+"That's just what I said to Mrs. Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "and that's
+the reason we let our irons cool, and come out here to talk to you. It's
+just like a young man to keep puttin' off that sort of thing, but this
+can't be put off."
+
+"That's so!" cried Mrs. Aleshine; "and I'll just let you see how the
+matter stands. There is housekeepers who allows a pint of flour a day to
+each person, but this is for farm-hands and people who works hard and
+eats hearty, and I've found that three quarters of a pint will do very
+well, if the dough is kneaded conscientious and made up light, so that
+it'll rise well when it's put into the oven. Now I've measured all the
+flour that's left, and me and Mrs. Lecks we've calculated that, allowin'
+three quarters of a pint of flour a day to each one of us, there's just
+eight days more that we can stay here—that is, if the Dusantes don't
+come back before that time, which, of course, can't be counted on. So
+you can see for yourself, Mr. Craig, there's no time to be lost, even
+considerin' that she hasn't to make up anything to be married in."
+
+[Illustration: "THEY WERE EVIDENTLY WAITING FOR ME."]
+
+"No," said Mrs. Lecks; "just for us and three sailors, that wouldn't be
+needed."
+
+I looked from one to the other in dumb astonishment. Mrs. Lecks gave me
+no time to say anything.
+
+"In common cases," said she, "this might all be put off till we got
+somewhere; but it won't do now. Here you are, with everythin' in your
+own hands, but just get away from here, and there's an end of that.
+She's as pretty a girl as you'll see in a month of Sundays, and if she
+leaves here without your gettin' her, there's no knowing who'll snap her
+up. When we've got to that island, you may see her once a week, but
+maybe you won't. She may go away in one ship, and you in another, and
+there may be somebody right there—a missionary, for all I know—who'll
+have her before you have a chance to put in a word."
+
+"And that's not the worst of it," said Mrs. Aleshine. "Supposin' them
+Dusantes come back before we go. There's no knowin' what that Mr.
+Dusante is. He may be a brother of Emily and Lucille. And what sort of a
+chance would you have then, I'd like to know, with Miss Ruth right here
+in his own house, and he ownin' the rowboat, and everythin'? Or it may
+be he's a widower, and that'll be a mighty sight worse, I can tell you."
+
+"No matter whether they're widowers or never been married," said Mrs.
+Lecks, "there'll be plenty that'll want her as soon as they see her; and
+if it isn't for the girl's own pretty face, it'll be for her father's
+money."
+
+"Her father's money!" I exclaimed. "What are you talking of?"
+
+"There's no good tellin' me anything about that," said Mrs. Lecks, very
+decidedly. "There never was a man as close-fisted as Mr. Enderton who
+hadn't money."
+
+"And you know as well as we do," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that in them
+countries where he's been the heathens worship idols of silver and idols
+of gold, and when them heathens is converted, don't you suppose the
+missionaries get any of that? I expect that Mr. Enderton has converted
+thousands of heathens."
+
+At this suggestion I laughed outright. But Mrs. Lecks reproved me.
+
+"Now, Mr. Craig," said she, "this is no laughin' matter. What me and
+Mrs. Aleshine is sayin' is for your good, and for the good of Miss Ruth
+along with you. I haven't much opinion of her father, but his money is
+as good as anybody else's, and though they had to leave their trunks on
+board their ship, what little they brought with them shows that they've
+been used to havin' the best there is. Mrs. Aleshine and me has set up
+till late into the night talkin' over this thing, and we are both of one
+mind that you two need never expect to have the same chance again that
+you've got now. The very fact that the old gentleman is a preacher, and
+can marry you on the spot, ought to make you tremble when you think of
+the risks you are runnin' by puttin' it off."
+
+"I've got to go into the house now to see about supper," said Mrs.
+Aleshine, rising, "and I hope you'll remember, Mr. Craig, when your
+bread is on your plate, and Miss Ruth is sittin' opposite to you, that
+three quarters of a pint of flour a day is about as little as anybody
+can live on, and that time is flyin'."
+
+Mrs. Lecks now also rose. But I detained the two for a moment.
+
+"I hope you have not said anything to Miss Enderton on this subject," I
+said.
+
+"No," replied Mrs. Aleshine, "we haven't. We are both agreed that as
+you're the one that's to do what's to be done, you are the one that's to
+be spoke to. And havin' been through it ourselves, we understand well
+enough that the more a woman don't know nothin' about it, the more
+likely she is to be ketched if she wants to be."
+
+The two women left me in an amused but also somewhat annoyed state of
+mind. I had no intention whatever of proposing to Miss Ruth Enderton.
+She was a charming girl, very bright and lively, and withal, I had
+reason to believe, very sensible. But it was not yet a fortnight since I
+first saw her, and no thought of marrying her had entered into my head.
+Had Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, or, more important than all, had Miss
+Enderton, any reason to believe that I was acting the part of a lover?
+
+The latter portion of this question was almost immediately answered to
+my satisfaction by the appearance of Miss Ruth, who came skipping down
+to me and calling out to me in that free and hearty manner with which a
+woman addresses a friend or near acquaintance, but never a suspected
+lover. She betrayed no more notion of the Lecks and Aleshine scheme than
+on the day I first met her.
+
+But, as I was rowing her over the lagoon, I felt a certain constraint
+which I had not known before. There was no ground whatever for the wild
+imaginings of the two women, but the fact that they had imagined
+interfered very much with the careless freedom with which I had
+previously talked to Miss Ruth. I do not think, however, that she
+noticed any change in me, for she chatted and laughed, and showed, as
+she had done from the first, the rare delight which she took in this
+novel island life.
+
+When we returned to the house, we were met by Mrs. Aleshine. "I am goin'
+to give you two your supper," she said, "on that table there under the
+tree. We all had ours a little earlier than common, as the sailormen
+seemed hungry; and I took your father's to him in the libr'ry, where I
+expect he's a-sittin' yet, holdin' a book in one hand and stirrin' his
+tea with the other, till he's stirred out nearly every drop on the
+floor; which, however, won't matter at all, for in the mornin' I'll rub
+up that floor till it's as bright as new."
+
+This plan delighted Miss Ruth, but I saw in it the beginning of the
+workings of a deep-laid scheme. I was just about to sit down when Mrs.
+Aleshine said to me in a low voice, as she left us:
+
+"Remember that the first three quarters of a pint apiece begins now!"
+
+"Don't you think that Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine are perfectly
+charming?" said Miss Ruth, as she poured out the tea. "They always seem
+to be trying to think of some kind thing to do for other people."
+
+I agreed entirely with Miss Enderton's remark, but I could not help
+thinking of the surprise she would feel if she knew of the kind thing
+that these two women were trying to do for her.
+
+"Have you taken any steps yet?" asked Mrs. Lecks of me, the next day. On
+my replying that I had taken no steps of the kind to which I supposed
+she alluded, she walked away with a very grave and serious face.
+
+A few hours later Mrs. Aleshine came to me. "There's another reason for
+hurryin' up," said she. "Them sailormen seems able to do without 'most
+anything in this world except tobacco, and Mrs. Lecks has been sellin'
+it to 'em out of a big box she found in a closet up-stairs, at five
+cents a teacupful,—which I think is awful cheap, but she says prices in
+islands is always low,—and wrapping the money up in a paper, with 'Cash
+paid by sailormen for tobacco' written on it, and puttin' it into the
+ginger-jar with the board money. But their dollar and forty-three cents
+is nearly gone, and Mrs. Lecks she says that not a whiff of Mr.
+Dusante's tobacco shall they have if they can't pay for it. And when
+they have nothin' to smoke they'll be wantin' to leave this island just
+as quick as they can, without waitin' for the flour to give out."
+
+Here was another pressure brought to bear upon me. Not only the waning
+flour, but the rapidly disappearing tobacco money was used as a weapon
+to urge me forward to the love-making which Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+had set their hearts upon.
+
+I was in no hurry to leave the island, and hoped very much that when we
+did go we should depart in some craft more comfortable than a ship's
+boat. In order, therefore, to prevent any undue desire to leave on the
+part of the sailors, I gave them money enough to buy a good many teacups
+full of tobacco. By this act I think I wounded the feelings of Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, although I had no idea that such would be the
+effect of my little gift. They said nothing to me on the subject, but
+their looks and manners indicated that they thought I had not been
+acting honorably. For two days they had very little to say to me, and
+then Mrs. Aleshine came to me to make what, I suppose, was their supreme
+effort.
+
+"Mrs. Lecks and me is a-goin' to try," she said,—and as she spoke she
+looked at me with a very sad expression and a watery appearance about
+the eyes,—"to stretch out the time for you a little longer. We are
+goin' to make them sailormen eat more fish; and as for me and her, we'll
+go pretty much without bread, and make it up, as well as we can, on
+other things. You and Miss Ruth and the parson can each have your three
+quarters of a pint of flour a day, just the same as ever, and what we
+save ought to give you three or four days longer."
+
+This speech moved me deeply. I could not allow these two kind-hearted
+women to half starve themselves in order that I might have more time to
+woo, and I spoke very earnestly on the subject to Mrs. Aleshine, urging
+her to give up the fanciful plans which she and Mrs. Lecks had
+concocted.
+
+"Let us drop this idea of love-making," I said, "which is the wildest
+kind of vagary, and all live happily together, as we did before. If the
+provisions give out before the Dusantes come back, I suppose we shall
+have to leave in the boat; but, until that time comes, let us enjoy life
+here as much as we can, and be the good friends that we used to be."
+
+I might as well have talked to one of the palm-trees which waved over
+us.
+
+"As I said before," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "what is saved from Mrs.
+Lecks's and mine and the three sailormen's three quarters of a pint
+apiece ought to give you four days more." And she went into the house.
+
+All this time the Reverend Mr. Enderton had sat and read in the library,
+or meditatively had walked the beach with a book in his hand; while the
+three mariners had caught fish, performed their other work, and lain in
+the shade, smoking their pipes in peace. Miss Ruth and I had taken our
+daily rows and walks, and had enjoyed our usual hours of pleasant
+converse, and all the members of the little colony seemed happy and
+contented except Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine. These two went gravely
+and sadly about their work, and the latter asked no more for the
+hornpipes and the sea-songs of her sailormen.
+
+But, for some unaccountable reason, Mr. Enderton's condition of tranquil
+abstraction did not continue. He began to be fretful and discontented.
+He found fault with his food and his accommodations, and instead of
+spending the greater part of the day in the library, as had been his
+wont, he took to wandering about the island, generally with two or three
+books under his arm, sometimes sitting down in one place, and sometimes
+in another, and then rising suddenly to go grumbling into the house.
+
+One afternoon, as Miss Ruth and I were in the skiff in the lagoon, we
+saw Mr. Enderton approaching us, walking on the beach. As soon as he was
+near enough for us to hear him, he shouted to his daughter:
+
+"Ruth, come out of that boat! If you want to take the air, I should
+think you might as well walk with me as to go rowing round with—with
+anybody."
+
+This rude and heartless speech made my blood boil, while my companion
+turned pale with mortification. The man had never made the slightest
+objection to our friendly intercourse, and this unexpected attack was
+entirely indefensible.
+
+"Please put me ashore," said Miss Ruth, and without a word, for I could
+not trust myself to speak, I landed her; and, petulantly complaining
+that she never gave him one moment of her society, her father led her
+away.
+
+[Illustration: "SMOKING THEIR PIPES IN PEACE."]
+
+An hour later, my soul still in a state of turmoil, but with the
+violence of its tossings somewhat abated, I entered one of the paths
+which led through the woods. After a few turns, I reached a point where
+I could see for quite a long distance to the other end of the path,
+which opened out upon the beach. There I perceived Mr. Enderton sitting
+upon the little bench on which I had found Emily's book. His back was
+toward me, and he seemed to be busily reading. About midway between him
+and myself I saw Miss Ruth slowly walking toward me. Her eyes were fixed
+upon the ground, and she had not seen me.
+
+Stepping to one side, I awaited her approach. When she came near I
+accosted her.
+
+"Miss Ruth," said I, "has your father been talking to you of me?"
+
+She looked up quickly, evidently surprised at my being there. "Yes," she
+said, "he has told me that it is not—suitable that I should be with you
+as much as I have been since we came here."
+
+There was something in this remark that roused again the turmoil which
+had begun to subside within me. There was so much that was unjust and
+tyrannical, and—what perhaps touched me still deeper—there was such a
+want of consideration and respect in this behavior of Mr. Enderton's,
+that it brought to the front some very incongruous emotions. I had been
+superciliously pushed aside, and I found I was angry. Something was
+about to be torn from me, and I found I loved it.
+
+"Ruth," said I, stepping up close to her, "do you like to be with me as
+you have been?"
+
+If Miss Ruth had not spent such a large portion of her life in the
+out-of-the-world village of Nanfouchong, if she had not lived among
+those simple-hearted missionaries, where it was never necessary to
+conceal her emotions or her sentiments, if it had not been that she
+never had had emotions or sentiments that it was necessary to conceal, I
+do not believe that when she answered me she would have raised her eyes
+to me with a look in them of a deep-blue sky seen through a sort of
+Indian-summer mist, and that, gazing thus, she would have said:
+
+"Of course I like it."
+
+"Then let us make it suitable," I said, taking both her hands in mine.
+
+There was another look, in which the skies shone clear and bright, and
+then, in a moment, it was all done.
+
+About five minutes after this I said to her, "Ruth, shall we go to your
+father?"
+
+"Certainly," she answered. And together we walked along the thickly
+shaded path.
+
+The missionary still sat with his back toward us, and, being so intent
+upon his book, I found that by keeping my eyes upon him it was perfectly
+safe to walk with my arm around Ruth until we had nearly reached him.
+Then I took her hand in mine, and we stepped in front of him.
+
+"Father," said Ruth, "Mr. Craig and I are going to be married."
+
+There was something very plump about this remark, and Mr. Enderton
+immediately raised his eyes from his book and fixed them first upon his
+daughter and then upon me; then he let them drop, and through the narrow
+space between us he gazed out over the sea.
+
+"Well, father," said Ruth, a little impatiently, "what do you think of
+it?"
+
+Mr. Enderton leaned forward and picked up a leaf from the ground. This
+he placed between the open pages of his book, and closed it.
+
+"It seems to me," he said, "that on many accounts the arrangement you
+propose may be an excellent one. Yes," he added more decidedly; "I think
+it will do very well indeed. I shall not be at all surprised if we are
+obliged to remain on this island for a considerable time, and, for my
+part, I have no desire to leave it at present. And when you shall place
+yourself, Ruth, in a position in which you will direct the domestic
+economies of the establishment, I hope that you will see to it that
+things generally are made more compatible with comfort and gentility,
+and, as regards the table, I may add with palatability."
+
+[Illustration: "IT WAS PERFECTLY SAFE."]
+
+Ruth and I looked at each other, and then together we promised that as
+far as in us lay we would try to make the life of Mr. Enderton a happy
+one, not only while we were on the island, but ever afterward.
+
+We were promising a great deal, but at that moment we felt very
+grateful.
+
+Then he stood up, shook us both by the hands, and we left him to his
+book.
+
+When Ruth and I came walking out of the woods and approached the house,
+Mrs. Aleshine was standing outside, not far from the kitchen. When she
+saw us she gazed steadily at us for a few moments, a strange expression
+coming over her face. Then she threw up both her hands, and without a
+word she turned and rushed indoors.
+
+We had not reached the house before Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine came
+hurrying out together. Running up to us with a haste and an excitement I
+had never seen in either of them, first one and then the other took Ruth
+into her arms and kissed her with much earnestness. Then they turned
+upon me and shook my hands with hearty vigor, expressing, more by their
+looks and actions than their words, a triumphant approbation of what I
+had done.
+
+"The minute I laid eyes on you," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I knowed it was
+all right. There wasn't no need of askin' questions."
+
+I now became fearful lest, in the exuberance of their satisfaction,
+these good women might reveal to Ruth the plans they had laid for our
+matrimonial future, and the reluctance I had shown in entering into
+them. My countenance must have expressed my apprehensions, for Mrs.
+Aleshine, her ruddy face glowing with warmth, both mental and physical,
+gave me a little wink, and drew me to one side.
+
+"You needn't suppose that we've ever said anything to Miss Ruth, or that
+we're goin' to. It's a great deal better to let her think you did it all
+yourself."
+
+I felt like resenting this imputation upon the independence of my
+love-making, but at this happy moment I did not want to enter into a
+discussion, and therefore merely smiled.
+
+"I'm so glad, I don't know how to tell it," continued Mrs. Aleshine, as
+Mrs. Lecks and Ruth walked toward the house.
+
+I was about to follow, but my companion detained me.
+
+"Have you spoke to the parson?" she asked.
+
+"Oh, yes," said I, "and he seems perfectly satisfied. I am rather
+surprised at this, because of late he has been in such a remarkably bad
+humor."
+
+"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "there's no gettin' round the fact that
+he's been a good deal crosser than two sticks. You see, Mr. Craig, that
+Mrs. Lecks and me we made up our minds that it wasn't fair to the
+Dusantes to let that rich missionary go on payin' nothin' but four
+dollars a week apiece for him and his daughter, and if we couldn't get
+no more out of him one way, we'd do it another. It was fair enough that
+if he didn't pay more he ought to get less; and so we gave him more fish
+and not so much bread, the same as we did the sailormen; and we weakened
+his tea, and sent him just so much sugar, and no more; and as for
+openin' boxes of sardines for him, which there was no reason why they
+shouldn't be left here for the Dusantes, I just wouldn't do it, though
+he said he'd got all the fresh fish he wanted when he was in China. And
+then we agreed that it was high time that that libr'ry should be cleaned
+up, and we went to work at it, not mindin' what he said; for it's no use
+tellin' me that four dollars a week will pay for a front room and good
+board, and the use of a libr'ry all day. And as there wasn't no need of
+both of us cleanin' one room, Mrs. Lecks she went into the parlor,
+where he'd took his books, and begun there. And then, again, we shut
+down on Mr. Dusante's dressing-gown. There was no sense includin' the
+use of that in his four dollars a week, so we brushed it up, and
+camphored it, and put it away. We just wanted to let him know that if he
+undertook to be skinflinty, he'd better try it on somebody else besides
+us. We could see that he was a good deal upset, for if ever a man liked
+to have things quiet and comfortable around him, and everything his own
+way, that man is that missionary. But we didn't care if we did prod him
+up a little. Mrs. Lecks and me we both agreed that it would do him good.
+Why, he'd got into such a way of shettin' himself up in himself that he
+didn't even see that his daughter was goin' about with a young man, and
+fixin' her affections on him more and more every day, when he never had
+no idea, as could be proved by witnesses, of marryin' her."
+
+[Illustration: "'I KNOWED IT WAS ALL RIGHT.'"]
+
+"Mrs. Aleshine," said I, looking at her very steadfastly, "I believe,
+after all, that you and Mrs. Lecks had your own way in regard to
+hurrying up this matter."
+
+"Yes," said she, with happy complacency; "I shouldn't wonder if we had.
+Stirrin' up the parson was our last chance, and it wasn't much trouble
+to do it."
+
+Mrs. Lecks, whose manner toward me for the last few days had been
+characterized by cold severity, now resumed her former friendly
+demeanor, although she was not willing to let the affair pass over
+without some words of reproach.
+
+"I must say, Mr. Craig," she remarked the next morning, "that I was
+gettin' pretty well outdone with you. I was beginnin' to think that a
+young man that couldn't see and wouldn't see what was good for him
+didn't deserve to have it; and if Miss Ruth's father had just come down
+with a heavy foot and put an end to the whole business, I'm not sure I'd
+been sorry for you. But it's all right at last, and bygones is bygones.
+And now, what we've got to do is to get ready for the weddin'."
+
+"The wedding!" I exclaimed.
+
+Mrs. Lecks regarded me with an expression in which there was something
+of virtuous indignation and something of pity. "Mr. Craig," said she,
+"if there ever was anybody that wanted a guardeen, it's you. Now, just
+let me tell you this. That Mr. Enderton ain't to be trusted no further
+than you can see him, and not so fur, neither, if it can be helped. He's
+willin' for you to have Miss Ruth now, because he's pretty much made up
+his mind that we're goin' to stay here, and as he considers you the
+master of this island, of course he thinks it'll be for his good for his
+daughter to be mistress of it. For one thing, he wouldn't expect to pay
+no board then. But just let him get away from this island, and just let
+him set his eyes on some smooth-faced young fellow that'll agree to take
+him into the concern and keep him for nothin' on books and tea, he'll
+just throw you over without winkin'. And Miss Ruth is not the girl to
+marry you against his will, if he opens the Bible and piles texts on
+her, which he is capable of doin'. If in any way you two should get
+separated when you leave here, there's no knowin' when you'd ever see
+each other again, for where he'll take her nobody can tell. He's more
+willin' to set down and stay where he finds himself comfortable than
+anybody I've met yet."
+
+"Of course," I said, "I'm ready to be married at any moment; but I don't
+believe Miss Ruth and her father would consent to anything so speedy."
+
+"Don't you get into the way," said Mrs. Lecks, "of beforehand believin'
+this or that. It don't pay. Just you go to her father and talk to him
+about it, and if you and him agree, it'll be easy enough to make her
+see the sense of it. You attend to them, and I'll see that everythin' is
+got ready. And you'd better fix the day for to-morrow, for we can't stay
+here much longer, and there's a lot of house-cleanin' and bakin' and
+cookin' to be done before we go."
+
+I took this advice, and broached the subject to Mr. Enderton.
+
+"Well, sir," said he, laying down his book, "your proposition is
+decidedly odd; I may say, very odd, indeed. But it is, perhaps, after
+all, no odder than many things I have seen. Among the various
+denominational sects I have noticed occurrences quite as odd; quite as
+odd, sir. For my part, I have no desire to object to an early
+celebration of the matrimonial rites. I may say, indeed, that I am of
+the opinion that a certain amount of celerity in this matter will
+conduce to the comfort of all concerned. It has been a very
+unsatisfactory thing to me to see my daughter occupying a subordinate
+position in our little family, where she has not even the power to turn
+household affairs into the channels of my comfort. To-morrow, I think,
+will do very well indeed. Even if it should rain, I see no reason why
+the ceremony should be postponed."
+
+The proposition of a wedding on the morrow was not received by Ruth with
+favor. She was unprepared for such precipitancy. But she finally yielded
+to arguments; not so much to mine, I fear, as to those offered by Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+For the rest of that day the three mariners were kept very busy,
+bringing in green things to deck the parlor, and doing every imaginable
+kind of work necessary to a wedding which Mrs. Aleshine was willing to
+give into their hands. As for herself and her good friend, they put
+themselves upon their mettle as providers of festivals. They made cakes,
+pies, and I never knew half so well as the three sailors how many other
+kinds of good things. Besides all this, they assisted Ruth to array
+herself in some degree in a manner becoming a bride. Some light and
+pretty adornments of dress were borrowed from Emily or Lucille, they
+knew not which, and, after having been "done up" and fluted and crimped
+by Mrs. Lecks, were incorporated by Ruth into her costume with so much
+taste that on the wedding morning she appeared to me to be dressed more
+charmingly than any bride I had ever seen.
+
+The three sailors had done their own washing and ironing, and appeared
+in cleanly garb, and with hair and beards well wet and brushed. Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine put on their best bibs and tuckers, and Mr.
+Enderton assumed his most clerical air as he stood behind a table in the
+parlor and married Ruth and me.
+
+"This," said Mr. Enderton, as we were seated at the wedding-feast, "is a
+most creditable display of attractive viands, but I may say, my dear
+Ruth, that I think I perceived the influence of the happy event of
+to-day even before it took place. I have lately had a better appetite
+for my food, and have experienced a greater enjoyment of my
+surroundings."
+
+"I should think so," murmured Mrs. Aleshine in my ear, "for we'd no
+sooner knowed that you two were to make a match of it than we put an
+extry spoonful of tea into his pot, and stopped scrubbin' the libr'ry."
+
+For the next two days all was bustle and work on the island. Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine would not consent to depart without leaving everything
+in the best possible order, so that the Dusantes might not be
+dissatisfied with the condition of their house when they returned. It
+was, in fact, the evident desire of the two women to gratify their pride
+in their house-wifely abilities by leaving everything better than they
+found it.
+
+Mr. Enderton was much surprised at these preparations for immediate
+departure. He was very well satisfied with his life on the island, and
+had prepared his mind for an indefinite continuance of it, with the
+position of that annoying and obdurate Mrs. Lecks filled by a compliant
+and affectionate daughter. He had no reasonable cause for complaint, for
+the whole subject of the exhaustion of our supply of provisions, and the
+necessity of an open-boat trip to an inhabited island, had been fully
+discussed before him; but he was so entirely engrossed in the
+consideration of his own well-being that this discussion of our plans
+had made no impression upon him. He now became convinced that a
+conspiracy had been entered into against him, and fell into an
+unpleasant humor. This, however, produced very little effect upon any of
+us, for we were all too busy to notice his whims. But his sudden change
+of disposition made me understand how correct were the opinions of Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine concerning him. If I had left that island
+with my marriage with Ruth depending upon Mr. Enderton's coöperation, my
+prospects of future happiness would have been at the mercy of his
+caprices.
+
+[Illustration: "THEY ASSISTED RUTH TO ARRAY HERSELF."]
+
+Very early on a beautiful morning Ruth and I started out on our wedding
+journey in the long-boat. Mr. Enderton was made as comfortable as
+possible in the stern, with Ruth near him. Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+sat facing each other, each with a brown-paper package by her side,
+containing the life-preserver on which she had arrived. These were to be
+ever cherished as memorials of a wonderful experience. The three sailors
+and I took turns at the oars. The sea was smooth, and there was every
+reason to believe that we should arrive at our destination before the
+end of the day. Mrs. Aleshine had supplied us with an abundance of
+provisions, and, with the exception of Mr. Enderton, who had not been
+permitted to take away any of the Dusante books, we were a contented
+party.
+
+"As long as the flour held out," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "I'd never been
+willin' to leave that island till the Dusantes came back, and we could
+have took Emily or Lucille, whichever it was that kept house, and showed
+her everythin', and told her just what we had done. But when they do
+come back," she added, "and read that letter which Mr. Craig wrote and
+left for them, and find out all that happened in their country-place
+while they was away; and how two of us was made happy for life; and how
+two more of us, meanin' Mrs. Lecks and me, have give up goin' to Japan,
+intendin', instid of that, writin' to my son to come home to America and
+settle down in the country he ought to live in,—why, then, if them
+Dusantes ain't satisfied, it's no use for anybody to ever try to satisfy
+'em."
+
+"I should think not," said Mrs. Lecks, "with the weddin'-cards on the
+parlor table, not a speck of dust in any corner, and the board money in
+the ginger-jar."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+PART IV
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+When the little party, consisting of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, Mr.
+Enderton, my newly made wife, and myself, with the red-bearded coxswain
+and the two sailormen, bade farewell to that island in the Pacific where
+so many happy hours had been passed, where such pleasant friendships had
+been formed, and where I had met my Ruth and made her my wife, we rowed
+away with a bright sky over our heads, a pleasant wind behind us, and a
+smooth sea beneath us. The long-boat was comfortable and well appointed,
+and there was even room enough in it for Mr. Enderton to stretch himself
+out and take a noonday nap. We gave him every advantage of this kind,
+for we had found by experience that our party was happiest when my
+father-in-law was best contented.
+
+Early in the forenoon the coxswain rigged a small sail in the bow of the
+boat, and with this aid to our steady and systematic work at the oars
+we reached, just before nightfall, the large island whither we were
+bound, and to which, by means of the coxswain's pocket-compass, we had
+steered a direct course. Our arrival on this island, which was inhabited
+by some white traders and a moderate population of natives, occasioned
+great surprise; for when the boats containing the crew and passengers of
+our unfortunate steamer had reached the island, it was found that Mrs.
+Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine, and myself were missing. There were many
+suppositions as to our fate. Some persons thought we had been afraid to
+leave the steamer, and, having secreted ourselves on board, had gone
+down with her. Others conjectured that in the darkness we had fallen
+overboard, either from the steamer or from one of the boats; and there
+was even a surmise that we might have embarked in the leaky small
+boat—in which we really did leave the steamer—and so had been lost. At
+any rate, we had disappeared, and our loss was a good deal talked about
+and, in a manner, mourned. In less than a week after their arrival the
+people from the steamer had been taken on board a sailing-vessel and
+carried westward to their destination.
+
+We, however, were not so fortunate, for we remained on this island for
+more than a month. During this time but one ship touched there, and she
+was western bound and of no use to us, for we had determined to return
+to America. Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine had given up their journey to
+Japan, and were anxious to reach once more their country homes, while my
+dear Ruth and I were filled with a desire to found a home on some
+pleasant portion of the Atlantic seaboard. What Mr. Enderton intended to
+do we did not know. He was on his way to the United States when he left
+the leaking ship on which he and his daughter were passengers, and his
+intentions regarding his journey did not appear to have been altered by
+his mishaps.
+
+By the western-bound vessel, however, Mrs. Aleshine sent a letter to her
+son.
+
+Our life on this island was monotonous and to the majority of the party
+uninteresting; but as it was the scene of our honeymoon, Mrs. Craig and
+I will always look back to it with the most pleasurable recollections.
+We were comfortably lodged in a house belonging to one of the traders,
+and although Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine had no household duties to
+occupy their time, they managed to supply themselves with
+knitting-materials from the stores on the island, and filled up their
+hours of waiting with chatty industry. The pipes of our sailor friends
+were always well filled, while the sands of the island were warm and
+pleasant for their backs, and it was only Mr. Enderton who showed any
+signs of impatient repining at our enforced stay. He growled, he
+grumbled, and he inveighed against the criminal neglect of steamship
+companies and the owners of sailing-craft in not making it compulsory in
+every one of their vessels to stop on every voyage at this island,
+where, at any time, intelligent and important personages might be
+stranded.
+
+At last, however, we were taken off by a three-masted schooner bound for
+San Francisco, at which city we arrived in due time and in good health
+and condition.
+
+We did not remain long in this city, but soon started on our way across
+the continent, leaving behind us our three sailor companions, who
+intended to ship from this port as soon as an advantageous opportunity
+offered itself. These men heard no news of their vessel, although they
+felt quite sure that she had reached Honolulu, where she had probably
+been condemned and the crew scattered. As some baggage belonging to my
+wife and my father-in-law had been left on board this vessel, I had
+hopes that Mr. Enderton would remain in San Francisco and order it
+forwarded to him there; or that he would even take a trip to Honolulu to
+attend to the matter personally. But in this I was disappointed. He
+seemed to take very little interest in his missing trunks, and wished
+only to press on to the East. I wrote to Honolulu, desiring the
+necessary steps to be taken to forward the baggage in case it had
+arrived there; and soon afterward our party of five started eastward.
+
+It was now autumn, but, although we desired to reach the end of our
+journey before winter set in, we felt that we had time enough to visit
+some of the natural wonders of the California country before taking up
+our direct course to the East. Therefore, in spite of some petulant
+remonstrances on the part of Mr. Enderton, we made several trips to
+points of interest.
+
+From the last of these excursions we set out in a stage-coach, of which
+we were the only occupants, toward a point on the railroad where we
+expected to take a train. On the way we stopped to change horses at a
+small stage-station at the foot of a range of mountains; and when I
+descended from the coach I found the driver and some of the men at the
+station discussing the subject of our route. It appeared that there were
+two roads, one of which gradually ascended the mountain for several
+miles, and then descended to the level of the railroad, by the side of
+which it ran until it reached the station where we wished to take the
+train. The other road pursued its way along a valley or notch in the
+mountain for a considerable distance, and then, by a short but somewhat
+steep ascending grade, joined the upper road.
+
+It was growing quite cold, and the sky and the wind indicated that bad
+weather might be expected; and as the upper road was considered the
+better one at such a time, our driver concluded to take it. Six horses,
+instead of four, were now attached to our stage; and as two of these
+animals were young and unruly, and promised to be unusually difficult to
+drive in the ordinary way, our driver concluded to ride one of the
+wheel-horses, postilion fashion, and to put a boy on one of the leaders.
+Mr. Enderton was very much afraid of horses, and objected strongly to
+the young animals in our new team. But there were no others to take
+their places, and his protests were disregarded.
+
+My wife and I occupied a back seat, having been ordered to take this
+comfortable position by Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, who had
+constituted themselves a board of instruction and admonition to Mrs.
+Craig, and incidentally to myself. They fancied that my wife's health
+was not vigorous, and that she needed coddling, and if she had had two
+mothers she could not have been more tenderly cared for than by these
+good women. They sat upon the middle seat with their faces toward the
+horses, while Mr. Enderton had the front seat all to himself. He was,
+however, so nervous and fidgety, continually twisting himself about
+endeavoring to get a view of the horses or of the bad places on the
+road, that Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine found that a position facing him
+and in close juxtaposition was entirely too uncomfortable; and
+consequently, the back of their seat being adjustable, they turned
+themselves about and faced us.
+
+The ascent of the mountain was slow and tedious, and it was late in the
+afternoon when we reached the highest point in our route, from which the
+road descended for some eight miles to the level of the railroad. Now
+our pace became rapid, and Mr. Enderton grew wildly excited. He threw
+open the window, and shouted to the driver to go more slowly; but Mrs.
+Lecks seized him by the coat and jerked him back on his seat before he
+could get any answer to his appeals.
+
+"If you want your daughter to ketch her death o' cold you'll keep that
+window open!" As she said this, she leaned back and pulled the window
+down with her own strong right arm. "I guess the driver knows what he is
+about," she continued, "this not bein' the first time he's gone over the
+road."
+
+"Am I to understand, madam," said Mr. Enderton, "that I am not to speak
+to my driver when I wish him to know my will?"
+
+To this question Mrs. Lecks made no answer, but sat up very straight and
+stiff, with her back square upon the speaker. For some time she and Mr.
+Enderton had been "out," and she made no effort to conceal the fact.
+
+Mr. Enderton's condition now became pitiable, for our rapid speed and
+the bumping over rough places in the road seemed almost to deprive him
+of his wits, notwithstanding my assurance that stage-coaches were
+generally driven at a rapid rate down long inclines. In a short time,
+however, we reached a level spot in the road, and the team was drawn up
+and stopped. Mr. Enderton popped out in a moment, and I also got down to
+have a talk with the driver.
+
+[Illustration: "THE ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN WAS SLOW AND TEDIOUS."]
+
+"These hosses won't do much at holdin' back," he said, "and it worries
+'em less to let 'em go ahead with the wheels locked. You needn't be
+afraid. If nothin' breaks, we're all right."
+
+Mr. Enderton seemed endeavoring to satisfy himself that everything about
+the running-gear of the coach was in a safe condition. He examined the
+wheels, the axles, and the whiffletrees, much to the amusement of the
+driver, who remarked to me that the old chap probably knew as much now
+as he did before. I was rather surprised that my father-in-law subjected
+the driver to no further condemnation. On the contrary, he said nothing
+except that for the rest of this downhill drive he should take his place
+on the driver's unoccupied seat. Nobody offered any objection to this,
+and up he climbed.
+
+When we started again, Ruth seemed disturbed that her father should be
+in such an exposed position, but I assured her that he would be
+perfectly safe, and would be much better satisfied at being able to see
+for himself what was going on.
+
+We now began to go downhill again at a rate as rapid as before. Our
+speed, however, was not equal. Sometimes it would slacken a little where
+the road was heavy or more upon a level, and then we would go jolting
+and rattling over some long downward stretch. After a particularly
+unpleasant descent of this kind the coach seemed suddenly to change its
+direction, and with a twist and an uplifting of one side it bumped
+heavily against something, and stopped. I heard a great shout outside,
+and from a window which now commanded a view of the road I saw our team
+of six horses, with the drivers pulling and tugging at the two they
+rode, madly running away at the top of their speed.
+
+Ruth, who had been thrown by the shock into the arms of Mrs. Aleshine,
+was dreadfully frightened, and screamed for her father. I had been
+pitched forward upon Mrs. Lecks, but I quickly recovered myself, and as
+soon as I found that none of the occupants of the coach had been hurt, I
+opened the door and sprang out.
+
+In the middle of the road stood Mr. Enderton, entirely uninjured, with a
+jubilant expression on his face, and in one hand a large closed
+umbrella.
+
+"What has happened?" I exclaimed, hurrying around to the front of the
+coach, where I saw that the pole had been broken off about the middle of
+its length.
+
+"Nothing has happened, sir," replied Mr. Enderton. "You cannot speak of
+a wise and discreet act, determinately performed, as a thing which has
+happened. We have been saved, sir, from being dashed to pieces behind
+that wild and unmanageable team of horses; and I will add that we have
+been saved by my forethought and prompt action."
+
+[Illustration: "'WHAT HAS HAPPENED?' I EXCLAIMED."]
+
+I turned and looked at him in astonishment. "What do you mean?" I said.
+"What could you have had to do with this accident?"
+
+"Allow me to repeat," said Mr. Enderton, "that it was not an accident.
+The moment that we began to go downhill I perceived that we were in a
+position of the greatest danger. The driver was reckless, the boy
+incompetent, and the horses unmanageable. As my remonstrances and
+counsels had no effect upon the man, and as you seemed to have no desire
+to join me in efforts to restrain him to a more prudent rate of speed, I
+determined to take the affair into my own hands. I knew that the first
+thing to be done was to rid ourselves of those horses. So long as we
+were connected with them disaster was imminent. I knew exactly what
+ought to be done. The horses must be detached from the coach. I had
+read, sir, of inventions especially intended to detach runaway horses
+from a vehicle. To all intents and purposes our horses were runaways, or
+would have become so in a very short time. I now made it my object to
+free ourselves from those horses."
+
+"What!" I exclaimed. "You freed us?"
+
+"Yes, sir," he answered; "I did. I got out at our first stop, and
+thoroughly examined the carriage attachments. I found that the movable
+bar to which the whiffletrees were attached was connected to the vehicle
+by two straps and a bolt, the latter having a ring at the top and an
+iron nut at the bottom. While you and that reckless driver were talking
+together, and paying no attention to me, the only person in the party
+who thoroughly comprehended our danger, I unbuckled those straps, and
+with my strong, nervous fingers, without the aid of implements, I
+unscrewed the nut from the bolt. Then, sir, I took my seat on the
+outside of the coach, and felt that I held our safety in my own hands.
+For a time I allowed our vehicle to proceed; but when we approached
+this long slope which stretches before us, and our horses showed signs
+of increasing impetuosity, I leaned forward, hooked the handle of my
+umbrella in the ring of the bolt, and with a mighty effort jerked it
+out. I admit to you, sir, that I had overlooked the fact that the horses
+were also attached to the end of the pole, but I have often noticed that
+when we are discreet in judgment and prompt in action we are also
+fortunate. Thus was I fortunate. The hindermost horses, suddenly
+released, rushed upon those in front of them, and, in a manner, jumbled
+up the whole team, which seemed to throw the animals into such terror
+that they dashed to one side and snapped off the pole, after which they
+went madly tearing down the road, entirely beyond the control of the two
+riders. Our coach turned and ran into the side of the road with but a
+moderate concussion, and as I looked at those flying steeds, with their
+riders vainly endeavoring to restrain them, I could not, sir, keep down
+an emotion of pride that I had been instrumental in freeing myself, my
+daughter, and my traveling companions from their dangerous proximity."
+
+The speaker ceased, a smile of conscious merit upon his face. For the
+moment I could not say a word to him, I was so angry. But had I been
+able to say or do anything to indicate the wild indignation that filled
+my brain, I should have had no opportunity, for Mrs. Lecks stepped up to
+me and took me by the arm. Her face was very stern, and her expression
+gave one the idea of the rigidity of Bessemer steel.
+
+"I've heard what has been said," she remarked, "and I wish to talk to
+this man. Your wife is over there with Mrs. Aleshine. Will you please
+take a walk with her along the road? You may stay away for a quarter of
+an hour."
+
+"Madam," said Mr. Enderton, "I do not wish to talk to you."
+
+"I didn't ask you whether you did or not," said Mrs. Lecks. "Mr. Craig,
+will you please get your wife away as quick and as far as you can?"
+
+I took the hint, and, with Ruth on my arm, walked rapidly down the road.
+She was very glad to go, for she had been much frightened, and wanted to
+be alone with me to have me explain to her what had occurred. Mrs.
+Lecks, imagining from the expression of his countenance that Mr.
+Enderton had, in some way, been at the bottom of the trouble, and
+fearing that she should not be able to restrain her indignation when she
+found how he had done it, had ordered Mrs. Aleshine to keep Ruth away
+from her father. This action had increased the poor girl's anxiety, and
+she was glad enough to have me take her away and tell her all about our
+accident.
+
+I did tell her all that had happened, speaking as mildly as I could of
+Mr. Enderton's conduct. Poor Ruth burst into tears.
+
+"I do wish," she exclaimed, "that father would travel by himself! He is
+so nervous, and so easily frightened, that I am sure he would be happier
+when he could attend to his safety in his own way; and I know, too, that
+we should be happier without him."
+
+I agreed most heartily with these sentiments, although I did not deem it
+necessary to say so, and Ruth now asked me what I supposed would become
+of us.
+
+"If nothing happens to the driver and the boy," I replied, "I suppose
+they will go on until they get to the station to which we were bound,
+and there they will procure a pole, if such a thing can be found, or,
+perhaps, get another coach, and come back for us. It would be useless
+for them to return to our coach in its present condition."
+
+"And how soon do you think they will come back?" she said.
+
+"Not for some hours," I replied. "The driver told me there were no
+houses between the place where we last stopped and the railroad-station,
+and I am sure he will not turn back until he reaches a place where he
+can get either a new pole or another vehicle."
+
+Ruth and I walked to a turn at the bottom of the long hill down which
+our runaway steeds had sped. At this point we had an extended view of
+the road as it wound along the mountain-side, but we could see no signs
+of our horses, nor of any living thing. I did not, in fact, expect to
+see our team, for it would be foolish in the driver to come back until
+he was prepared to do something for us, and even if he had succeeded in
+controlling the runaway beasts, the quicker he got down the mountain the
+better.
+
+By the time we had returned we had taken quite a long walk, but we were
+glad of it, for the exercise tranquilized us both. On our way back we
+noticed that a road which seemed to come up from below us joined the one
+we were on a short distance from the place where our accident occurred.
+This, probably, was the lower road which had been spoken of when we
+changed horses.
+
+We found Mr. Enderton standing by himself. His face was of the hue of
+wood-ashes, his expression haggard. He reminded me of a man who had
+fallen from a considerable height, and who had been frightened and
+stupefied by the shock. I comprehended the situation without difficulty,
+and felt quite sure that had he had the choice he would have much
+preferred a thrashing to the plain talk he had heard from Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"What is the matter, father?" exclaimed Ruth. "Were you hurt?"
+
+Mr. Enderton looked in a dazed way at his daughter, and it was some
+moments before he appeared to have heard what she said. Then he answered
+abruptly: "Hurt? Oh, no! I am not hurt in the least. I was just thinking
+of something. I shall walk on to the village or town, whichever it is,
+to which that man was taking us. It cannot be more than seven or eight
+miles away, if that. The road is downhill, and I can easily reach the
+place before nightfall. I will then personally attend to your rescue,
+and will see that a vehicle is immediately sent to you. There is no
+trusting these ignorant drivers. No," he continued, deprecatingly
+raising his hand; "do not attempt to dissuade me. Your safety and that
+of others is always my first care. Exertion is nothing."
+
+Without further words, and paying no attention to the remonstrances of
+his daughter, he strode off down the road.
+
+I was very glad to see him go. At any time his presence was undesirable
+to me, and under the present circumstances it would be more
+objectionable than ever. He was a good walker, and there was no doubt he
+would easily reach the station, where he might possibly be of some use
+to us.
+
+Mrs. Lecks was sitting on a stone by the roadside. Her face was still
+stern and rigid, but there was an expression of satisfaction upon it
+which had not been there when I left her. Ruth went to the coach to get
+a shawl, and I said to Mrs. Lecks:
+
+"I suppose you had your talk with Mr. Enderton?"
+
+[Illustration: "MRS. LECKS WAS SITTING ON A STONE."]
+
+"Talk!" she replied. "I should say so! If ever a man understands what
+people think of him, and knows what he is, from his crown to his feet,
+inside and outside, soul, body, bones, and skin, and what he may expect
+in this world and the next, he knows it. I didn't keep to what he has
+done for us this day. I went back to the first moment when he began to
+growl at payin' his honest board on the island, and I didn't let him
+off for a single sin that he has committed since. And now I feel that
+I've done my duty as far as he is concerned; and havin' got through with
+that, it's time we were lookin' about to see what we can do for
+ourselves."
+
+It was indeed time, for the day was drawing toward its close. For a
+moment I had thought we would give Mr. Enderton a good start, and then
+follow him down the mountain to the station. But a little reflection
+showed me that this plan would not answer. Ruth was not strong enough to
+walk so far, and although Mrs. Aleshine had plenty of vigor, she was too
+plump to attempt such a tramp. Besides, the sky was so heavily overcast
+that it was not safe to leave the shelter of the coach.
+
+As might have been expected, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine took immediate
+charge of the personal comfort of the party, and the first thing they
+did was to make preparations for a meal. Fortunately, we had plenty of
+provisions. Mrs. Aleshine had had charge of what she called our
+lunch-baskets,—which were, indeed, much more like market-baskets than
+anything else,—and having small faith in the resources of roadside
+taverns, and great faith in the unlimited capabilities of Mr. Enderton
+in the matter of consuming food on a journey, she had provided
+bounteously and even extravagantly.
+
+One side of the road was bordered by a forest, and on the ground was an
+abundance of dead wood. I gathered a quantity of this, and made a fire,
+which was very grateful to us, for the air was growing colder and
+colder. When we had eaten a substantial supper and had thoroughly
+warmed ourselves at the fire, we got into the coach to sit there and
+wait until relief should come. We sat for a long time—all night, in
+fact. We were not uncomfortable, for we each had a corner of the coach,
+and we were plentifully provided with wraps and rugs.
+
+Contrary to their usual habit, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine did not talk
+much. When subjected to the annoyances of an ordinary accident, even if
+it should have been the result of carelessness, their disposition would
+have prompted them to take events as they came, and to make the best of
+whatever might happen to them. But this case was entirely different. We
+were stranded and abandoned on the road, on the side of a lonely,
+desolate mountain, on a cold, bleak night; and all this was the result
+of what they considered the deliberate and fiendish act of a man who was
+afraid of horses, and who cared for no one in the world but himself.
+Their minds were in such a condition that if they said anything they
+must vituperate, and they were so kindly disposed toward my wife, and
+had such a tender regard for her feelings, that they would not, in her
+presence, vituperate her father. So they said very little, and, nestling
+into their corners, were soon asleep.
+
+After a time Ruth followed their example, and, though I was very
+anxiously watching out of the window for an approaching light, and
+listening for the sound of wheels, I, too, fell into a doze. It must
+have been ten or eleven o'clock when I was awakened by some delicate but
+cold touches on my face, the nature of which, when I first opened my
+eyes, I could not comprehend. But I soon understood what these cold
+touches meant. The window in the door of the coach on my side had been
+slightly lowered from the top to give us air, and through the narrow
+aperture the cold particles had come floating in. I looked through the
+window. The night was not very dark, for, although the sky was overcast,
+the moon was in its second quarter, and I could plainly see that it was
+snowing, and that the ground was already white.
+
+This discovery sent a chill into my soul, for I was not unfamiliar with
+snows in mountain regions, and knew well what this might mean to us. But
+there was nothing that we could now do, and it would be useless and
+foolish to awaken my companions and distress them with this new
+disaster. Besides, I thought our situation might not be so very bad,
+after all. It was not yet winter, and the snowfall might prove to be but
+a light one. I gently closed the window, and made my body comfortable in
+its corner; but my mind continued very uncomfortable for I do not know
+how long.
+
+When I awoke I found that there had been a heavy fall of snow in the
+night, and that the flakes were still coming down thick and fast. When
+Ruth first looked out upon the scene she was startled and dismayed. She
+was not accustomed to storms of this kind, and the snow frightened her.
+Upon Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine the sight of the storm produced an
+entirely different effect. Here was a difficulty, a discomfort, a
+hardship; but it came in a natural way, and not by the hand of a
+dastardly coward of a man. With natural-happening difficulties they were
+accustomed to combat without fear or repining. They knew all about
+snow, and were not frightened by this storm. The difficulties which it
+presented to their minds actually raised their spirits, and from the
+grim and quiet beings of the last evening they became the same cheerful,
+dauntless, ready women that I had known before.
+
+"Upon my word," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, as she clapped her face to a
+window of the coach, "if this isn't a reg'lar old-fashioned snow-storm!
+I've shoveled my own way through many a one like it to git to the barn
+to do my milkin' afore the men-folks had begun makin' paths, and I feel
+jus' like as though I could do it ag'in."
+
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "if you're thinkin' of
+shovelin' your way from this place to where your cows is, you'd better
+step right out and get at it, and I really do think that if you felt
+they were sufferin' for want of milkin' you'd make a start."
+
+"I don't say," answered Mrs. Aleshine, with an illuminating grin, "that
+if the case was that way I mightn't have the hankerin', though not the
+capableness; but I don't know that there's any place to shovel our way
+to, jus' now."
+
+Mrs. Lecks and I thought differently. Across the road, under the great
+trees, the ground was comparatively free from snow, and in some places,
+owing to the heavy evergreen foliage, it was entirely bare. It was very
+desirable that we should get to one of these spots and build a fire,
+for, though we had been well wrapped up, we all felt numbed and cold. In
+the boot at the back of the coach I knew that there was an ax, and I
+thought I might possibly find there a shovel. I opened the coach door,
+and saw that the snow was already above the lower step. By standing on
+the spokes of the back wheel I could easily get at the boot, and I soon
+pulled out the ax, but found no shovel. But this did not deter me. I
+made my way to the front wheel, and climbed up to the driver's box,
+where I knocked off one of the thin planks of the foot-board, and this,
+with the ax, I shaped into a rude shovel, with a handle rather too wide,
+but serviceable. With this I went vigorously to work, and soon had made
+a pathway across the road. Here I chopped off some low dead branches,
+picked up others, and soon had a crackling fire, around which my three
+companions gathered with delight.
+
+A strong wind was now blowing, and the snow began to form into heavy
+drifts. The fire was very cheery and pleasant, but the wind was cutting,
+and we soon returned to the shelter of the coach, where we had our
+breakfast. This was not altogether a cold meal, for Mrs. Aleshine had
+provided a little tea-kettle, and, with some snow-water which I brought
+in boiling from the fire in the woods, we had all the hot and comforting
+tea we wanted.
+
+We passed the morning waiting and looking out, and wondering what sort
+of conveyance would be sent for us. It was generally agreed that nothing
+on wheels could now be got over the road, and that we must be taken away
+in a sleigh.
+
+"I like sleigh-ridin'," said Mrs. Aleshine, "if you're well wrapped up,
+with good hosses, and a hot brick for your feet; but I must say I don't
+know but what I'm goin' to be a little skeery goin' down these long
+hills. If we git fairly slidin', hosses, sleigh, and all together,
+there's no knowin' where we'll fetch up."
+
+[Illustration: "I SOON HAD A CRACKLING FIRE."]
+
+"There's one comfort, Barb'ry," remarked Mrs. Lecks, "and that is that
+when we do fetch up it'll be at the bottom of the hills, and not at the
+top; and as the bottom is what we want to get to, we oughtn't to
+complain."
+
+"That depends a good deal whether we come down hind part foremost, or
+fore part front. But nobody's complainin' so fur, 'specially as the
+sleigh isn't here."
+
+I joined in the outlooking and the conjectures, but I could not keep up
+the cheerful courage which animated my companions; for not only were the
+two elder women bright and cheery, but Ruth seemed to be animated and
+encouraged by their example, and showed herself as brave and contented
+as either of them. She was convinced that her father must have reached
+the railroad-station before it began to snow, and therefore she was
+troubled by no fears for his safety. But my mind was filled with many
+fears.
+
+The snow was still coming down thick and fast, and the wind was piling
+it into great drifts, one of which was forming between the coach and a
+low embankment on that side of the road near which it stood.
+
+About every half-hour I took my shovel and cleared out the path across
+the road from the other side of the coach to the woods. Several times
+after doing this I made my way among the trees, where the snow did not
+impede my progress, to points from which I had a view some distance down
+the mountain; and I could plainly see that there were several places
+where the road was blocked up by huge snow-drifts. It would be a slow,
+laborious, and difficult undertaking for any relief-party to come to us
+from the station; and who was there at that place to come? This was the
+question which most troubled me. The settlement at the station was
+probably a very small one, and that there should be found at that place
+a sleigh or a sled with enough men to form a party sufficiently strong
+to open a road up the mountain-side was scarcely to be expected. Men and
+vehicles might be obtained at some point farther along the railroad, but
+action of this kind would require time, and it was not unlikely that the
+railroad itself was blocked up with snow. I could form no idea
+satisfactory to myself of any plan by which relief could come to us that
+day. Even the advent of a messenger on horseback was not to be expected.
+Such an adventurer would be lost in the storm and among the drifts. On
+the morrow relief might come, but I did not like to think too much about
+the morrow; and of any of my thoughts and fears I said nothing to my
+companions.
+
+At intervals, after I had freshly cleared out the pathway, the three
+women, well bundled up, ran across the road to the fire under the trees.
+This was the only way in which they could keep themselves warm, for the
+coach, although it protected us from the storm, was a very cold place to
+sit in. But the wind and the snow which frequently drove in under the
+trees made it impossible to stay very long by the fire, and the frequent
+passages to and from the coach were attended with much exposure and
+wetting of feet. I therefore determined that some better way must be
+devised for keeping ourselves warm; and, shortly after our noonday meal,
+I thought of a plan, and immediately set to work to carry it out.
+
+The drift between the coach and the embankment had now risen higher than
+the top of the vehicle, against one side of which it was tightly packed.
+I dug a path around the back of the coach, and then began to tunnel into
+the huge bank of snow. In about an hour I had made an excavation nearly
+high enough for me to stand in, and close to the stage door on that
+side; and I cleared away the snow so that this door could open into the
+cavern I had formed. At the end opposite the entrance of my cave, I
+worked a hole upward until I reached the outer air. This hole was, about
+a foot in diameter, and for some time the light, unpacked snow from
+above kept falling and filling it up; but I managed, by packing and
+beating the sides with my shovel, to get the whole into a condition in
+which it would retain the form of a rude chimney.
+
+Now I hurried to bring wood and twigs, and having made a hearth of green
+sticks, which I cut with my ax, I built a fire in this snowy fireplace.
+Mrs. Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine, and Ruth had been watching my proceedings
+with great interest; and when the fire began to burn, and the smoke to
+go out of my chimney, the coach door was opened, and the genial heat
+gradually pervaded the vehicle.
+
+"Upon my word," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "if that isn't one of the
+brightest ideas I ever heard of! A fire in the middle of a snowbank,
+with a man there attendin' to it, an' a chimney! 'T isn't every day that
+you can see a thing like that!"
+
+"I should hope not," remarked Mrs. Lecks, "for if the snow drifted this
+way every day, I'd be ready to give up the seein' business out and out!
+But I think, Mr. Craig, you ought to pass that shovel in to us so that
+we can dig you out when the fire begins to melt your little house and it
+all caves in on you."
+
+"You can have the shovel," said I, "but I don't believe this snowbank
+will cave in on me. Of course the heat will melt the snow, but I think
+it will dissolve gradually, so that the caving in, if there is any,
+won't be of much account, and then we shall have a big open space here
+in which we can keep up our fire."
+
+"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Ruth, "you talk as if you expected to stay here
+ever so long, and we certainly can't do that. We should starve to death,
+for one thing."
+
+"Don't be afraid of that," said Mrs. Aleshine. "There's plenty of
+victuals to last till the people come for us. When I pack baskets for
+travelin' or picnickin', I don't do no scrimpin'. An' we've got to keep
+up a fire, you know, for it wouldn't be pleasant for those men, when
+they've cut a way up the mountain to git at us, to find us all froze
+stiff."
+
+Mrs. Lecks smiled. "You're awful tender of the feelin's of other people,
+Barb'ry," she said, "and a heart as warm as yourn ought to keep from
+freezin'."
+
+"Which it has done, so far," said Mrs. Aleshine, complacently.
+
+As I had expected, the water soon began to drip from the top and the
+sides of my cavern, and the chimney rapidly enlarged its dimensions. I
+made a passage for the melted snow to run off into a hollow, back of the
+coach; and as I kept up a good strong fire, the drops of water and
+occasional pieces of snow which fell into it were not able to extinguish
+it. The cavern enlarged rapidly, and in a little more than an hour the
+roof became so thin that while I was outside collecting wood it fell in
+and extinguished the fire. This accident, however, interrupted my
+operations but for a short time. I cleared away the snow at the bottom
+of the excavation, and rebuilt my fire on the bare ground. The high snow
+walls on three sides of it protected it from the wind, so that there was
+no danger of the flames being blown against the stage-coach, while the
+large open space above allowed a free vent for the smoke.
+
+About the middle of the afternoon, to the great delight of us all, it
+stopped snowing, and when I had freshly shoveled out the path across
+the road, my companions gladly embraced the opportunity of walking over
+to the comparatively protected ground under the trees and giving
+themselves a little exercise. During their absence I was busily engaged
+in arranging the fire, when I heard a low crunching sound on one side of
+me, and, turning my head, I saw in the wall of my excavation opposite to
+the stage-coach, and at a distance of four or five feet from the ground,
+an irregular hole in the snow, about a foot in diameter, from which
+protruded the head of a man. This head was wrapped, with the exception
+of the face, in a brown woolen comforter. The features were those of a
+man of about fifty, a little sallow and thin, without beard, whiskers,
+or mustache, although the cheeks and chin were darkened with a recent
+growth.
+
+The astounding apparition of this head projecting itself from the snow
+wall of my cabin utterly paralyzed me, so that I neither moved nor
+spoke, but remained crouching by the fire, my eyes fixed upon the head.
+It smiled a little, and then spoke.
+
+"Could you lend me a small iron pot?" it said.
+
+I rose to my feet, almost ready to run away. Was this a dream? Or was it
+possible that there was a race of beings who inhabited snowbanks?
+
+The face smiled again very pleasantly. "Do not be frightened," it said.
+"I saw you were startled, and spoke first of a familiar pot in order to
+reassure you."
+
+"Who, in the name of Heaven, are you?" I gasped.
+
+"I am only a traveler, sir," said the head, "who has met with an
+accident similar, I imagine, to that which has befallen you. But I
+cannot further converse with you in this position. Lying thus on my
+breast in a tunnel of snow will injuriously chill me. Could you
+conveniently lend me an iron pot?"
+
+[Illustration: "'COULD YOU LEND ME A SMALL IRON POT?'"]
+
+I was now convinced that this was an ordinary human being, and my
+courage and senses returned to me; but my astonishment remained
+boundless. "Before we talk of pots," I said, "I must know who you are,
+and how you got into that snowbank."
+
+"I do not believe," said my visitor, "that I can get down, head
+foremost, to your level. I will therefore retire to my place of refuge,
+and perhaps we can communicate with each other through this aperture."
+
+"Can I get through to your place of refuge?" I asked.
+
+"Certainly," was the answer. "You are young and active, and the descent
+will not be so deep on my side. But I will first retire, and will then
+project toward you this sheepskin rug, which, if kept under you as you
+move forward, will protect your breast and arms from direct contact with
+the snow."
+
+It was difficult to scramble up into the hole, but I succeeded in doing
+it, and found awaiting me the sheepskin rug, which, by the aid of an
+umbrella, the man had pushed toward me for my use. I was in a horizontal
+tunnel barely large enough for the passage of my body, and about six
+feet in length. When I had worked my way through this, and had put my
+head out of the other end, I looked into a small wooden shed, into which
+light entered only through a pane of glass set in a rude door opposite
+to me. I immediately perceived that the whole place was filled with the
+odor of spirituous liquors. The man stood awaiting me, and by his
+assistance I descended to the floor. As I did so I heard something
+which sounded like a titter, and looking around I saw in a corner a
+bundle of clothes and traveling-rugs, near the top of which appeared a
+pair of eyes. Turning again, I could discern in another corner a second
+bundle, similar to, but somewhat larger than, the other.
+
+"These ladies are traveling with me," said the man, who was now wrapping
+about him a large cloak, and who appeared to be of a tall though rather
+slender figure. His manner and voice were those of a gentleman,
+extremely courteous and considerate. "As I am sure you are curious—and
+this I regard as quite natural, sir—to know why we are here, I will at
+once proceed to inform you. We started yesterday in a carriage for the
+railway-station, which is, I believe, some miles beyond this point.
+There were two roads from the last place at which we stopped, and we
+chose the one which ran along a valley, and which we supposed would be
+the pleasanter of the two. We there engaged a pair of horses which did
+not prove very serviceable animals, and, at a point about a hundred
+yards from where we now are, one of them gave out entirely. The driver
+declared that the only thing to be done was to turn loose the disabled
+horse, which would be certain, in time, to find his way back to his
+stable, and for him to proceed on the other animal to the station to
+which we were going, where he would procure some fresh horses and return
+as speedily as possible. To this plan we were obliged to consent, as
+there was no alternative. He told us that if we did not care to remain
+in the carriage, there was a shed by the side of the road, a little
+farther on, which was erected for the accommodation of men who are
+sometimes here in charge of relays of horses. After assuring us that he
+would not be absent more than three hours, he rode away, and we have not
+seen him since.
+
+"Soon after he left us I came to this shed, and finding it tight and
+comparatively comfortable, I concluded it would give us relief from our
+somewhat cramped position in the carriage, and so conducted the ladies
+here. As night drew on it became very cold, and I determined to make a
+fire, a proceeding which, of course, would have been impossible in a
+vehicle. Fortunately I had with me, at the back of the carriage, a case
+of California brandy. By the aid of a stone I knocked the top off this
+case, and brought hither several of the bottles. I found in the shed an
+old tin pan, which I filled with the straw coverings of the bottles, and
+on this I poured brandy, which, being ignited, produced a fire without
+smoke, but which, as we gathered around it, gave out considerable heat."
+
+As the speaker thus referred to his fuel, I understood the reason of the
+strong odor of spirits which filled the shed, and I experienced a
+certain relief in my mind.
+
+The gentleman continued: "At first I attributed the delay of the
+driver's return to those ordinary hindrances which so frequently occur
+in rural and out-of-the-way places; but after a time I could not imagine
+any reasonable cause for his delay. As it began to grow dark I brought
+here our provision-baskets, and we partook of a slight repast. I then
+made the ladies as comfortable as possible, and awaited with much
+anxiety the return of the driver.
+
+"After a time it began to snow, and feeling that the storm might
+interrupt communication with the carriage, I brought hither, making many
+trips for the purpose, the rest of the brandy, our wraps and rugs, and
+the cushions of the carriage. I did not believe that we should be left
+here all night, but thought it prudent to take all precautions, and to
+prepare for remaining in a place where we could have a fire. The morning
+showed me that I had acted wisely. As you know, sir, I found the road in
+each direction completely blocked up by snow, and I have since been
+unable to visit the carriage."
+
+"Have you not all suffered from cold?" I inquired. "Have you food
+enough?"
+
+"I will not say," replied the gentleman, "that in addition to our
+anxiety we have not suffered somewhat from cold, but for the greater
+part of this day I have adopted a plan which has resulted in
+considerable comfort to my companions. I have wrapped them up very
+closely and warmly, and they hold in each hand a hard-boiled egg. I
+thought it better to keep these for purposes of warmth than to eat them.
+About every half-hour I reboil the eggs in a little traveling tea-pot
+which we have. They retain their warmth for a considerable period, and
+this warmth in a moderate degree is communicated through the hands to
+the entire person."
+
+As he said this a low laugh again burst forth from the bundle in one
+corner of the room, and I could not help smiling at this odd way of
+keeping warm. I looked toward the jocose bundle, and remarked that the
+eggs must be pretty hard by this time.
+
+"These ladies," said the gentleman, "are not accustomed to the cold
+atmosphere of this region, and I have therefore forbidden them to talk,
+hoping thus to prevent injury from the inhalation of frosty air. So far
+we have not suffered, and we still have some food left. About noon I
+noticed smoke floating over this shed, and I forced open the door and
+made my way for some little distance outside, hoping to discover whence
+it came. I then heard voices on the other side of the enormous
+snow-drift behind us; but I could see no possible way of getting over
+the drift. Feeling that I must, without fail, open communication with
+any human beings who might be near us, I attempted to shout; but the
+cold had so affected my voice that I could not do so. I thereupon set my
+wits to work. At the back of this shed is a small window closed by a
+wooden shutter. I opened this shutter, and found outside a wall of snow
+packed closely against it. The snow was not very hard, and I believed
+that it would not be difficult to tunnel a way through it to the place
+where the voices seemed to be. I immediately set to work, for I feared
+that if we were obliged to remain here another night without assistance
+we should be compelled to-morrow morning to eat those four hard-boiled
+eggs which the ladies are holding, and which, very shortly, I must boil
+again."
+
+"How did you manage to cut through the snow?" I asked. "Had you a
+shovel?"
+
+"Oh, no," replied the other. "I used the tin pan. I found it answered
+very well as a scoop. Each time that I filled it I threw the contents
+out of our door."
+
+"It must have been slow and difficult work," I said.
+
+"Indeed it was," he replied. "The labor was arduous, and occupied me
+several hours. But when I saw a respectable man at a fire, and a
+stage-coach near by, I felt rewarded for all my trouble. May I ask you,
+sir, how you came to be thus snow-bound?"
+
+I then briefly related the circumstances of our mishap, and had scarcely
+finished when a shrill sound came through the tunnel into the shed. It
+was the voice of Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"Hello!" she screamed, "are you in there? An' you don't mean to tell me
+there are other people in that hole?"
+
+Feeling quite certain that my wife and her companions were in a state of
+mental agitation on the other side of the drift, I called back that I
+would be with them in a moment, and then explained to the gentleman why
+I could not remain with him longer. "But before I go," I said, "is there
+anything I can do for you? Do you really want an iron pot?"
+
+"The food that remains to us," he answered, "is fragmentary and rather
+distasteful to the ladies, and I thought if I could make a little stew
+of it, it might prove more acceptable to them. But do not let me detain
+you another instant from your friends, and I advise you to go through
+that tunnel feet foremost, for you might, otherwise, experience
+difficulties in getting out at the other end."
+
+I accepted his suggestion, and by his assistance and the help of the
+rough window-frame, I got into the hole feet first, and soon ejected
+myself into the midst of my alarmed companions. When they heard where I
+had been, and what I had seen, they were naturally astounded.
+
+"Another party deserted at this very point!" exclaimed Ruth, who was
+both excitable and imaginative. "This looks like a conspiracy! Are we to
+be robbed and murdered?"
+
+At these words Mrs. Aleshine sprang toward me. "Mr. Craig," she
+exclaimed, "if it's robbers, don't lose a minute! Never let 'em get
+ahead of you! Pull out your pistol and fire through the hole!"
+
+"Gracious me! Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "you don't suppose the
+robbers is them poor unfortunates on the other side of the drift! And I
+must say, Mrs. Craig, that if there was any such thing as a conspiracy,
+your father must have been in it, for it was him who landed us just
+here. But of course none of us supposes nothin' of that kind, and the
+first thing we've got to think of is what we can do for them poor
+people."
+
+"They seem to have some food left, but not much," I said, "and I fear
+they must be suffering from cold."
+
+"Couldn't we poke some wood to them through this hole?" said Mrs.
+Aleshine, whose combative feelings had changed to the deepest
+compassion. "I should think they must be nearly froze, with nothin' to
+warm 'em but hard-b'iled eggs."
+
+I explained that there was no place in their shed where they could build
+a fire, and proposed that we should give them some hot tea and some of
+our provisions.
+
+"That's so!" said Mrs. Aleshine. "Just shout in to them that if they'll
+shove them eggs through the hole, I'll bile 'em fur 'em as often as they
+want 'em."
+
+"I've just got to say this," ejaculated Mrs. Lecks, as she and Mrs.
+Aleshine were busily placing a portion of our now very much reduced
+stock of provisions in the smallest of our baskets: "this is the first
+time in my life that I ever heard of people warmin' themselves up with
+hens' eggs and spirits, excep' when mixed up into egg-nog; and that they
+resisted that temptation and contented themselves with plain honest
+heat, though very little of it, shows what kind of people they must be.
+And now, do you suppose we could slide this basket in without upsettin'
+the little kittle?"
+
+[Illustration: "WE WERE ABOUT TO SEND HIM A BASKET."]
+
+I called to the gentleman that we were about to send him a basket, and
+then, by the aid of an umbrella, I gently pushed it through the snow
+tunnel to a point where he could reach it. Hearty thanks came back to us
+through the hole, and when the basket and kettle were returned, we
+prepared our own evening meal.
+
+"For the life of me," said Mrs. Lecks, as she sipped a cup of tea, "I
+can't imagine, if there was a shed so near us, why we didn't know it."
+
+"That has been puzzling me," I replied; "but the other road, on which
+the shed is built, is probably lower than this one, so that the upper
+part of the shed could not have projected far above the embankment
+between the two roads, and if there were weeds and dead grasses on the
+bank, as there probably were, they would have prevented us from noticing
+the top of a weather-worn shed."
+
+"Especially," said Mrs. Lecks, "as we wasn't lookin' for sheds, and, as
+far as I know, we wasn't lookin' for anything on that side of the coach,
+for all my eyes was busy starin' about on the side we got in and out of,
+and down the road."
+
+"Which mine was too," added Mrs. Aleshine. "An' after it begun to snow
+we couldn't see nothin' anyhow, partic'larly when everything was all
+covered up."
+
+"Well," added Mrs. Lecks, in conclusion, "as we didn't see the shed,
+it's a comfort to think there was reasons for it, and that we are not
+born fools."
+
+It was now growing dark, and but few further communications took place
+through the little tunnel.
+
+"Before we get ready to go to sleep," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for, havin'
+no candles, I guess we won't sit up late, hadn't we better rig up some
+kind of a little sled to put in that hole, with strings at both ends, so
+that we kin send in mustard-plasters and peppermint to them poor people
+if they happen to be sick in the night?"
+
+This little project was not considered necessary, and after receiving
+assurances from the gentleman on the other side that he would be able to
+keep his party warm until morning, we bade each other good night; and,
+after having replenished the fire, I got into the stage, where my
+companions had already established themselves in their corners. I slept
+very little, while I frequently went out to attend to the fire, and my
+mind was racked by the most serious apprehensions. Our food was nearly
+gone, and if relief did not come to us very soon I could see nothing but
+a slow death before us, and, so far as I could imagine, there was no
+more reason to expect succor on the following day than there had been on
+the one just passed. Where were the men to be found who could cut a road
+to us through those miles of snow-drifts?
+
+Very little was said during the night by my companions, but I am sure
+that they felt the seriousness of our situation, and that their slumbers
+were broken and unrefreshing. If there had been anything to do, Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine would have been cheered up by the prospect of
+doing it; but we all felt that there was nothing we could do.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+PART V
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+After a second night spent in the stage-coach on that lonely and
+desolate mountain road where we were now snow-bound, I arose early in
+the morning, and went into the forest to collect some fuel; and while
+thus engaged I made the discovery that the snow was covered with a hard
+crust which would bear my weight. After the storm had ceased the day
+before, the sun had shone brightly and the temperature had moderated
+very much, so that the surface of the snow had slightly thawed. During
+the night it became cold again, and this surface froze into a hard
+coating of ice. When I found I could walk where I pleased, my spirits
+rose, and I immediately set out to view the situation. The aspect of the
+road gave me no encouragement. The snowfall had been a heavy one, but
+had it not been for the high wind which accompanied it, it would have
+thrown but moderate difficulties in the way of our rescue. Reaching a
+point which commanded a considerable view along the side of the
+mountain, I could see that in many places the road was completely lost
+to sight on account of the great snow-drifts piled up on it. I then
+walked to the point where the two roads met, and crossing over, I
+climbed a slight rise in the ground which had cut off my view in this
+direction, and found myself in a position from which I could look
+directly down the side of the mountain below the road.
+
+Here, the mountain-side, which I had supposed to be very steep and
+rugged, descended in a long and gradual slope to the plains below, and
+for the greater part of the distance was covered by a smooth, shining
+surface of frozen snow, unbroken by rock or tree. This snowy slope
+apparently extended for a mile or more, and then I could see that it
+gradually blended itself into the greenish-brown turf of the lower
+country. Down in the valley there still were leaves upon the trees, and
+there were patches of verdure over the land. The storm which had piled
+its snows up here had given them rain down there and had freshened
+everything. It was like looking down into another climate and on another
+land. I saw a little smoke coming up behind a patch of trees. It must be
+that there was a house there! Could it be possible that we were within a
+mile or two of a human habitation? Yet, what comfort was there in that
+thought? The people in that house could not get to us, nor we to them,
+nor could they have heard of our situation, for the point where our road
+reached the lower country was miles farther on.
+
+As I stood thus and gazed, it seemed to me that I could make a run and
+slide down the mountain-side into green fields, into safety, into life.
+I remembered those savage warriors who, looking from the summits of the
+Alps upon the fertile plains of Italy, seated themselves upon their
+shields and slid down to conquest and rich spoils.
+
+An idea came into my mind, and I gave it glad welcome. There was no time
+to be lost. The sun was not yet high, but it was mounting in a clear
+sky, and should its rays become warm enough to melt the crust on which I
+stood, our last chance of escape would be gone. To plow our way to any
+place through deep, soft snow would be impossible. I hurried back to our
+coach, and found three very grave women standing around the fire. They
+were looking at a small quantity of food at the bottom of a large
+basket.
+
+"That's every crumb there is left," said Mrs. Aleshine to me, "and when
+we pass in some to them unfortunates on the other side of the
+drift,—which, of course, we're bound to do,—we'll have what I call a
+skimpy meal. And that's not the worst of it. Until somebody gets up to
+us, it will be our last meal."
+
+I took my poor Ruth by the hand, for she was looking very pale and
+troubled, and I said: "My dear friends, nobody can get up to this place
+for a long, long time; and before help could possibly reach us we should
+all be dead. But do not be frightened. It is not necessary to wait for
+any one to come to us. The snow is now covered with a crust which will
+bear our weight. I have thought of a way in which we can slide down the
+mountain-side, which, from a spot where I have been standing this
+morning, is no steeper than some coasting-hills, though very much
+longer. In a few minutes we can pass from this region of snow, where
+death from cold and starvation must soon overtake us, to a grassy valley
+where there is no snow, and where we shall be within walking distance of
+a house in which people are living."
+
+Ruth grasped my arm. "Will it be safe?" she exclaimed.
+
+"I think so," I answered. "I see no reason why we should meet with any
+accident. At any rate, it is much safer than remaining here for another
+hour; for if the crust melts, our last chance is gone."
+
+"Mr. Craig," said Mrs. Lecks, "me and Mrs. Aleshine is no hands at
+coastin' downhill, havin' given up that sort of thing since we was
+little girls with short frocks and it didn't make no matter anyway. But
+you know more about these things than we do; and if you say we can get
+out of this dreadful place by slidin' downhill, we're ready to follow,
+if you'll just go ahead. We followed you through the ocean, with nothin'
+between our feet and the bottom but miles o' water and nobody knows what
+sorts of dreadful fish; and when you say it's the right way to save our
+lives, we're ready to follow you again. And as for you, Mrs. Ruth, don't
+you be frightened. I don't know what we're goin' to slide on, but,
+whatever it is, even if it's our own selves, me and Mrs. Aleshine will
+take you between us, and if anything is run against, we'll get the
+bumps, and not you."
+
+I was delighted to see how rapidly my proposition was accepted, and we
+made a hasty breakfast, first sending in some of our food to the other
+party. The gentleman reported through the hole of communication that
+they were all fairly well, but a good deal stiffened by cold and want of
+exercise. He inquired, in a very anxious voice, if I had discovered any
+signs of approaching relief. To this I replied that I had devised a plan
+by which we could get ourselves out of our present dangerous situation,
+and that in a very short time I would come round to the door of his
+shed—for I could now walk on the crusted snow—and tell him about it.
+He answered that these words cheered his heart, and that he would do
+everything possible to coöperate with me.
+
+I now went to work vigorously. I took the cushions from the coach, four
+of them all together, and carried them to the brink of the slope down
+which I purposed to make our descent. I also conveyed thither a long
+coil of rawhide rope which I had previously discovered in the boot of
+the coach. I then hurried along the other road, which, as has been said
+before, lay at a somewhat lower level than the one we were on, and when
+I reached the shed I found the door had been opened, and the gentleman,
+with his tin pan, had scooped away a good deal of the snow about it, so
+as to admit of a moderately easy passage in and out. He met me outside,
+and grasped my hand.
+
+"Sir, if you have a plan to propose," he said, "state it quickly. We are
+in a position of great danger. Those two ladies inside the shed cannot
+much longer endure this exposure, and I presume that the ladies in your
+party—although their voices, which I occasionally hear, do not seem to
+indicate it—must be in a like condition."
+
+I replied that, so far, my companions had borne up very well, and
+without further waste of words proceeded to unfold my plan of escape.
+
+When he had heard it the gentleman put on a very serious expression. "It
+seems hazardous," he said, "but it may be the only way out of our
+danger. Will you show me the point from which you took your
+observations?"
+
+"Yes," said I; "but we must be in haste. The sun is getting up in the
+sky, and this crust may soon begin to melt. It is not yet really winter,
+you know."
+
+We stepped quickly to the spot where I had carried the cushions. The
+gentleman stood and silently gazed first at the blocked-up roadway, then
+at the long, smooth slope of the mountain-side directly beneath us, and
+then at the verdure of the plain below, which had grown greener under
+the increasing brightness of the day. "Sir," said he, turning to me,
+"there is nothing to be done but to adopt your plan, or to remain here
+and die. We will accompany you in the descent, and I place myself under
+your orders."
+
+"The first thing," said I, "is to bring here your carriage cushions, and
+help me to arrange them."
+
+When he had brought the three cushions from the shed, the gentleman and
+I proceeded to place them with the others on the snow, so that the whole
+formed a sort of wide and nearly square mattress. Then, with the rawhide
+rope, we bound them together in a rough but secure network of cordage.
+In this part of the work I found my companion very apt and skilful.
+
+When this rude mattress was completed, I requested the gentleman to
+bring his ladies to the place, while I went for mine.
+
+"What are we to pack up to take with us?" said Mrs. Aleshine, when I
+reached our coach.
+
+"We take nothing at all," said I, "but the money in our pockets, and our
+rugs and wraps. Everything else must be left in the coach, to be brought
+down to us when the roads shall be cleared out."
+
+With our rugs and shawls on our arms, we left the coach, and as we were
+crossing the other road we saw the gentleman and his companions
+approaching. These ladies were very much wrapped up, but one of them
+seemed to step along lightly and without difficulty, while the other
+moved slowly and was at times assisted by the gentleman.
+
+A breeze had sprung up which filled the air with fine frozen particles
+blown from the uncrusted beds of snow along the edge of the forest, and
+I counseled Ruth to cover up her mouth and breathe as little of this
+snow powder as possible.
+
+"If I'm to go coastin' at all," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I'd as lief do it
+with strangers as friends; and a little liefer, for that matter, if
+there's any bones to be broken. But I must say that I'd like to make the
+acquaintance of them ladies afore I git on to the sled, which"—at that
+moment catching sight of the mattress—"you don't mean to say that
+that's it?"
+
+"Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, from underneath her great woolen
+comforter, "if you want to get your lungs friz, you'd better go on
+talkin'. Manners is manners, but they can wait till we get to the
+bottom of the hill."
+
+Notwithstanding this admonition, I noticed that as soon as the two
+parties met, both Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine advanced and shook hands
+with the ladies who had been their neighbors under such peculiar
+circumstances, and that Mrs. Lecks herself expressed a muffled hope that
+they might all get down safely.
+
+I now pushed the mattress which was to serve as our sled as close as was
+prudent to the edge of the descent, and requested the party to seat
+themselves upon it. Without hesitation Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine sat
+down, taking Ruth between them, as they had promised to do. My young
+wife was very nervous, but the cool demeanor of her companions, and my
+evident belief in the practicability of the plan, gave her courage, and
+she quietly took her seat. The younger of the two strange ladies stepped
+lightly on the cushions, and before seating herself stood up for a good
+look at the far-extending bed of snow over which we were to take our
+way. The prospect did not appear to deter her, and she sat down promptly
+and with an air that seemed to say that she anticipated a certain
+enjoyment from the adventure. The elder lady, however, exhibited very
+different emotions. She shrank back from the cushions toward which the
+gentleman was conducting her, and turned her face away from the
+declivity. Her companion assured her that it was absolutely necessary
+that we should descend from the mountain in this way, for there was no
+other; and asserting his belief that our slide would be a perfectly
+safe one, he gently drew her to the mattress and induced her to sit
+down.
+
+I now noticed, for the first time, that the gentleman carried under one
+arm, and covered by his long cloak, a large package of some sort, and I
+immediately said to him: "It will be very imprudent for us to attempt to
+carry any of our property except what we can put in our pockets or wrap
+around us. Everything else should be left here, either in your carriage
+or our coach, and I have no fear that anything will be lost. But even if
+our luggage were in danger of being molested, we cannot afford to
+consider it under circumstances such as these."
+
+"My dear sir," said the gentleman, speaking very gravely, "I appreciate
+the hazards of our position as keenly as yourself. Our valises, and all
+the light luggage which we had with us in our carriage, I have left
+there, and shall not give them another thought. But with the parcel I
+hold under this arm I cannot part, and if I go down the mountain-side on
+these cushions, it must go with me. If you refuse in such a case to
+allow me to be one of your party, I must remain behind, and endeavor to
+find a board or something else on which I can make the descent of the
+mountain."
+
+He spoke courteously, but with an air of decision which showed me that
+it would be of no use to argue with him. Besides, there was no time for
+parleying, and if this gentleman chose to take his chances with but one
+arm at liberty, it was no longer my affair. I therefore desired him to
+sit down, and I arranged the company so that they sat back to back,
+their feet drawn up to the edge of the mattress. I then took the place
+which had been reserved for me as steersman, and having tied several
+shawls together, end to end, I passed them around the whole of us under
+our arms, thus binding us all firmly together. I felt that one of our
+greatest dangers would be that one or more of the party might slip from
+the mattress during the descent.
+
+When all was ready I asked the gentleman, who, with the elder lady, sat
+near me at the back of the mattress, to assist in giving us a start by
+pushing outward with his heels while I thrust the handle of my wooden
+shovel into the crust and thus pushed the mattress forward. The starting
+was a little difficult, but in a minute or two we had pushed the
+mattress partly over the brink, and then, after a few more efforts, we
+began to slide downward.
+
+The motion, at first slow, suddenly became quite rapid, and I heard
+behind me a cry or exclamation, from whom I knew not, but I felt quite
+sure it did not come from any of my party. I hoped to be able to make
+some use of my shovel in the guidance of our unwieldy raft or
+mattress-sled, but I soon found this impossible, and down we went over
+the smooth, hard-frozen slope, with nothing to direct our course but the
+varying undulations of the mountain-side. Every moment we seemed to go
+faster and faster, and soon we began to revolve, so that sometimes I was
+in front and sometimes behind. Once, when passing over a very smooth
+sheet of snow, we fairly spun around, so that in every direction feet
+were flying out from a common center and heels grating on the frozen
+crust. But there were no more cries or exclamations. Each one of us
+grasped the cordage which held the cushions together, and the rapidity
+of the motion forced us almost to hold our breath.
+
+Down the smooth, white slope we sped, as a bird skims through the air.
+It seemed to me as if we passed over miles and miles of snow. Sometimes
+my face was turned down the mountain, where the snow-surface seemed to
+stretch out illimitably, and then it was turned upward toward the
+apparently illimitable slopes over which we had passed.
+
+[Illustration: "WE BEGAN TO SLIDE DOWNWARD."]
+
+Presently, my position now being in front of the little group that
+glanced along its glittering way, I saw at some distance below me a long
+rise or terrace, which ran along the mountain-side for a considerable
+distance, and which cut off our view of everything below us. As we
+approached this hillock the descent became much more gradual and our
+progress slower, and at last I began to fear that our acquired velocity
+would not be sufficient to carry us up the side of this elevation and so
+enable us to continue our descent. I therefore called to everybody in
+the rear to kick out vigorously, and with my shovel I endeavored to
+assist our progress. As we approached the summit of the elevation we
+moved slower and slower. I became very anxious, for, should we slide
+backward, we might find it difficult or impossible to get ourselves and
+the mattress up this little hill. But the gentleman and myself worked
+valiantly, and as for Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, they kicked their
+heels through the frozen crust with such energy that we moved sidewise
+almost as much as upward. But in a moment the anxious suspense was over,
+and we rested on the ridge of the long hillock, with the mountain-side
+stretching down to the plain, which lay not very far below us.
+
+I should have been glad to remain here a few minutes to regain breath,
+and give some consideration to the rest of our descent, but as some of
+those behind continued to push, the mattress slid over the edge of the
+terrace, and down again we went. Our progress now was not so rapid, but
+it was very much more unpleasant. The snow was thinner; there was little
+or no crust upon it, and we very soon reached a wide extent of exposed
+turf, over which we slid, but not without a good deal of bumping against
+stones and protuberances. Then there was another sheet of snow, which
+quickened our downward impetus; and, after that, the snow was seen only
+in occasional patches, and our progress continued over a long slope of
+short, partly dried grass, which was very slippery, and over which we
+passed with considerable quickness.
+
+I wished now to bring our uncouth sled to a stop, and to endeavor to
+make the rest of the descent on foot. But although I stuck out my
+heels, and tried to thrust the handle of my shovel into the ground, it
+was of no use. On we went, and the inequalities of the surface gave an
+irregularity of motion which was uncomfortable and alarming. We turned
+to this side and that; we bounced and bumped; and the rawhide ropes,
+which must have been greatly frayed and cut by the snow-crust, now gave
+way in several places, and I knew that the mattress would soon separate
+into its original cushions, if indeed they still could be called
+cushions. Fearing increased danger should we now continue bound together
+in a bunch, I jerked apart the shawl-knot under my arms, and the next
+moment, it seemed to me, there was a general dissolution of our
+connection with each other. Fortunately, we were now near the bottom of
+the slope, for while some of us stuck fast to the cushions, others
+rolled over, or slid, independent of any projection, while I, being
+thrown forward on my feet, actually ran downhill! I had just succeeded
+in stopping myself when down upon me came the rest of the company, all
+prostrate in some position or other.
+
+Now from an unwieldy mass of shawls came a cry:
+
+"Oh, Albert Dusante! Where are you? Lucille! Lucille!"
+
+Instantly sprang to one foot good Mrs. Aleshine, her other foot being
+entangled in a mass of shawls which dragged behind her. Her bonnet was
+split open and mashed down over her eyes. In her left hand she waved a
+piece of yellow flannel, which in her last mad descent she had torn from
+some part of the person of Mrs. Lecks, and in the other a bunch of stout
+dead weeds, which she had seized and pulled up by the roots as she had
+passed them. Her dress was ripped open down her rotund back, and the
+earth from the weed roots had bespattered her face. From the midst of
+this dilapidation her round eyes sparkled with excitement. Hopping on
+one foot, the shawls and a part of a cushion dragging behind her, she
+shouted:
+
+"The Dusantes! They are the Dusantes!"
+
+Then, pitching forward on her knees before the two strange ladies, who
+had now tumbled into each other's arms, she cried:
+
+"Oh, which is Emily, and which is Lucille?"
+
+I had rushed toward Ruth, who had clung to a cushion and was now sitting
+upon it, when Mrs. Lecks, who was close beside her, arose to her feet
+and stood upright. One foot was thrust through her own bonnet, and her
+clothes gave evidence of the frenzy and power of Mrs. Aleshine's grasp,
+but her mien was dignified and her aspect stately.
+
+"Barb'ry Aleshine!" she exclaimed, "if them Dusantes has dropped down
+from heaven at your very feet, can't you give 'em a minute to feel their
+ribs and see if their legs and arms is broken?"
+
+The younger lady now turned her head toward Mrs. Aleshine. "I am
+Lucille," she said.
+
+In a moment the good woman's arms were around her neck. "I always liked
+you the best of the two," she whispered into the ear of the astonished
+young lady.
+
+Having found that Ruth was unhurt, I ran to the assistance of the
+others. The gentleman had just arisen from a cushion, upon which, lying
+flat on his back, he had slid over the grass, still holding under one
+arm the package from which he had refused to part. I helped him to raise
+the elder lady to her feet. She had been a good deal shaken, and much
+frightened, but although a little bruised, she had received no important
+injury.
+
+[Illustration: "'OH, WHICH IS EMILY, AND WHICH IS LUCILLE?'"]
+
+I went to fill a leather pocket-cup from a brook nearby, and when I
+returned I found the gentleman standing, confronted by Mrs. Lecks, Mrs.
+Aleshine, and Ruth, while his own companions were regarding the group
+with eager interest.
+
+"Yes," he was saying, "my name is Dusante. But why do you ask at this
+moment? Why do you show such excited concern on the subject?"
+
+"Why?" exclaimed Mrs. Lecks. "I will tell you why, sir. My name is Mrs.
+Lecks, and this is Mrs. Aleshine, and if you are the Mr. Dusante with
+the house on the desert island, this is the Mrs. Craig who was married
+in that very house, and the gentleman here with the water is Mr. Craig,
+who wrote you the letter, which I hope you got. And if that isn't reason
+enough for our wanting to know if you are Mr. Dusante, I'd like to be
+told what more there could be!"
+
+"It's them! Of course it's them!" cried Mrs. Aleshine. "I had a feelin'
+while we were scootin' downhill that they was near and dear to us,
+though exactly why and how, I didn't know. And she's told me she's
+Lucille, and of course the other must be Emily, though what relations—"
+
+"Am I to understand," interrupted the gentleman, looking with earnest
+animation from one to the other of us, "that these are the good people
+who inhabited my house on the island?"
+
+"The very ones!" cried Mrs. Aleshine. "And what relation are you to
+Emily? and Lucille to her?"
+
+The gentleman stepped backward and laid down the package which he had
+held under his arm, and advancing toward me with outstretched hands, and
+with tears starting to his eyes, he exclaimed:
+
+"And this man, then, to whom I owe so much, is Mr. Craig!"
+
+"Owe me!" I said. "It is to you that we owe our very lives, and our
+escape from death in mid-ocean."
+
+"Do not speak of it," he said, shaking his head, with a sorrowful
+expression on his face. "You owe me nothing. I would to Heaven it were
+not so! But we will not talk of that now. And this is Mrs. Craig," he
+continued, taking Ruth by the hand, "the fair lady whose nuptials were
+celebrated in my house. And Mrs. Lecks, and Mrs. Aleshine." As he spoke
+he shook hands with each. "How I have longed to meet you! I have thought
+of you every day since I returned to my island and discovered that you
+had been—I wish I could say—my guests. And where is the reverend
+gentleman? and the three mariners? I hope that nothing has befallen
+them!"
+
+"Alas!—for three of them at least," ejaculated Mrs. Aleshine; "they
+have left us, but they are all right. And now, sir, if you could tell us
+what relation you are to Emily, and what Lucille—"
+
+"Barb'ry!" cried Mrs. Lecks, making a dash toward her friend, "can't you
+give the man a minute to breathe? Don't you see he's so dumflustered
+that he hardly knows who he is himself! If them two women was to sink
+down dead with hunger and hard slidin' right afore your very eyes while
+you was askin' what relation they was to each other and to him, it would
+no more'n serve you right! We'd better be seem' if anythin' 's the
+matter with 'em, and what we can do for 'em."
+
+At this moment the younger of Mr. Dusante's ladies quickly stepped
+forward. "Oh, Mrs. Craig, Mrs. Lecks, and Mrs. Aleshine!" she exclaimed,
+"I'm just dying to know all about you!"
+
+"And which, contrariwise," cried Mrs. Aleshine, "is the same with us,
+exactly."
+
+"And of all places in the world," continued the young lady, "that we
+should meet here!"
+
+No one could have been more desirous than I was to know all about these
+Dusantes, and to discuss the strange manner of our meeting; but I saw
+that Ruth was looking very pale and faint, and that the elder Dusante
+lady had sat down again upon the ground as though obliged to do so by
+sheer exhaustion, and I therefore hailed with a double delight the
+interruption of further explanations by the appearance of two men on
+horseback who came galloping toward us.
+
+They belonged to the house which I had noticed from the road above, and
+one of them had seen our swift descent down the mountain-side. At first
+he had thought the black object he saw sliding over the snow-slopes was
+a rock or a mass of underbrush, but his keen eye soon told him that it
+was a group of human beings, and summoning a companion, he had set out
+for the foot of the mountain as soon as horses could be caught and
+saddled.
+
+The men were much surprised when they heard the details of our
+adventure, but as it was quite plain that some members of our party
+needed immediate nourishment and attention, the questions and
+explanations were made very short. The men dismounted from their horses,
+and the elder Dusante lady was placed upon one of them, one man leading
+the animal and the other supporting the lady. Ruth mounted the other
+horse, and I walked by her to assist her in keeping her seat; but she
+held fast to the high pommel of the saddle, and got on very well. Mr.
+Dusante took his younger companion on one arm, and his package under the
+other, while Mrs. Lecks, having relieved her foot from the encircling
+bonnet, and Mrs. Aleshine, now free from the entangling shawls, followed
+in the rear. The men offered to come back with the horses for them, if
+they would wait; but the two women declared that they were quite able to
+walk, and intended to do no waiting, and they trudged vigorously after
+us. The sun was now high, and the air down here was quite different from
+that of the mountain-side, being pleasant and almost warm. The men said
+that the snows above would probably soon melt, as it was much too early
+in the season for snow to lie long on these lower sides of the
+mountains.
+
+Our way lay over an almost level plain for about a mile. A portion of it
+was somewhat rough, so that when we reached the low house to which we
+were bound, we were all very glad indeed to get there. The house
+belonged to the two men, who owned a small ranch here. One of them was
+married, and his wife immediately set herself to work to attend to our
+needs. Her home was small, its rooms few, and her larder very plain in
+quality; but everything she had was placed at our disposal. Her own bed
+was given to the elder Dusante lady, who took immediate possession of
+it; and after a quickly prepared but plentiful meal of fried pork,
+corn-bread, and coffee, the rest of us stretched ourselves out to rest
+wherever we could find a place. Before lying down, however, I had, at
+Ruth's earnest solicitation, engaged one of the men to ride to the
+railroad-station to inquire about Mr. Enderton, and to inform him of our
+safety. By taking a route which ran parallel with the mountain-chain,
+but at some distance from it, the station, the man said, could be
+reached without encountering snow.
+
+None of us had had proper rest during the past two nights, and we slept
+soundly until dark, when we were aroused to partake of supper. All of
+us, except the elder Dusante lady, who preferred to remain in bed,
+gathered around the table. After supper a large fire, principally of
+brushwood, was built upon the hearth; and with the bright blaze, two
+candles, and a lamp, the low room appeared light and cheery. We drew up
+about the fire—for the night was cool—on whatever chairs, stools, or
+boxes we could find, and no sooner had we all seated ourselves than Mrs.
+Aleshine exclaimed:
+
+"Now, Mr. Dusante, it ain't in the power of mortal man, nor woman
+neither,—an' if put the other way it might be stronger,—to wait any
+longer before knowin' what relation Lucille is to Emily, an' you to
+them, an' all about that house of yours on the island. If I'd blown up
+into bits this day through holdin' in my wantin' to know, I shouldn't
+have wondered! An' if it hadn't been for hard sleep, I don't believe I
+could have held in, nohow!"
+
+[Illustration: "WE DREW UP ABOUT THE FIRE."]
+
+"That's my mind exactly," said Mrs. Lecks; "and though I know there's a
+time for all things, and don't believe in crowdin' questions on
+played-out people, I do think, Mr. Dusante, that if I could have caught
+up with you when we was comin' over here, I'd have asked you to speak
+out on these p'ints. But you're a long-legged walker, which Mrs.
+Aleshine is not, and it wouldn't have done to leave her behind."
+
+"Which she wouldn't 'a' been," said Mrs. Aleshine, "long legs or short."
+
+Ruth and I added our entreaties that Mr. Dusante should tell his story,
+and the good ranchman and his wife said that if there was anything to
+be done in the story-telling line they were in for it, strong; and
+quitting their work of clearing away supper things, they brought an old
+hair trunk from another room, and sat down just behind Mrs. Lecks.
+
+The younger Dusante lady, who, having been divested of her wraps, her
+veil, and the woolen shawl that had been tied over her head, had proved
+to be a very pretty girl with black eyes, here declared that it had been
+her intention at the first opportunity to get us to tell our story, but
+as we had asked first, she supposed we ought to be satisfied first.
+
+"I do not wish, my good friends," said Mr. Dusante, "to delay for a
+moment longer than necessary your very pardonable curiosity concerning
+me and my family; and I must say at the same time that, although your
+letter, sir, gave me a very clear account of your visit to my island,
+there are many things which naturally could not be contained within the
+limits of a letter, and about which I am most anxious to make inquiries.
+But these I will reserve until my own narration is finished.
+
+"My name is Albert Dusante. It may interest you to know that my father
+was a Frenchman and my mother an American lady from New England. I was
+born in France, but have lived very little in that country, and for a
+great part of my life have been a merchant in Honolulu. For the past few
+years, however, I have been enabled to free myself in a great degree
+from the trammels of business, and to devote myself to the pursuits of a
+man of leisure. I have never married, and this young lady is my
+sister."
+
+"Then what relation," began Mrs. Aleshine, "is she to—?"
+
+At this moment the hand of Mrs. Lecks, falling heavily into the lap of
+the speaker, stopped this question, and Mr. Dusante proceeded:
+
+"Our parents died when Lucille was an infant, and we have no near blood
+relations."
+
+At this the faces of both Mrs. Aleshine and Mrs. Lecks assumed
+expressions as if they had each just received a letter superscribed in
+an unknown hand, and were wondering who it could possibly be from.
+
+"The lady who is now resting in the adjoining room," continued Mr.
+Dusante, "is a dear friend who has been adopted by me as a mother."
+
+"Upon my word!" burst from Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, in as much
+unison of time and tone as if the words had been a response in a church
+service, while Miss Lucille leaned back against the wall near which she
+sat, and laughed gleefully. Mr. Dusante, however, continued his
+statements with the same quiet gravity with which he had begun.
+
+"This lady was a dear friend of my mother, although younger than she. I
+adopted her as a mother to my little orphan sister, and, consequently,
+placed her in the same maternal relation to myself, doing this with much
+earnest satisfaction, for I hoped to be able to return, as a son,
+something of the tender care and affection which she would bestow on
+Lucille as a daughter."
+
+"And she is Emily?" cried Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"She adopted our name," answered the speaker, "and she is Mrs. Emily
+Dusante."
+
+"And she is your adopted _mother?_" said Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"Adopted mother!" ejaculated Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"Yes," answered Mr. Dusante.
+
+"And that is the only relation she is to you two?" said Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"And you to her?" added Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"Most assuredly," answered Mr. Dusante.
+
+Here Mrs. Lecks leaned back in her chair, folded her hands in her lap,
+and ejaculated, "Well, well!" and then allowed her face to assume a
+rigid intention of having nothing more to say at the present moment.
+
+"One thing is certain," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, in a tone which
+indicated that she did not care who heard her; "I always liked Lucille
+the best!"
+
+At this Ruth and I exchanged smiles with Miss Lucille, and Mr. Dusante
+proceeded:
+
+"I do not wish to occupy too much of your time with our personal
+affairs, and will therefore state that the island on which you found
+refuge, and where I wish most heartily I had been present to act as
+host, was bought by me as a retreat from the annoyances of business and
+the exactions of society. I built there a good house—"
+
+"Which it truly was," said Mrs. Aleshine, "with fixtures in it for
+water, and letting it off, which I never saw in a house so far out of
+town."
+
+"I furnished it suitably," said Mr. Dusante. "We had books and music,
+and for several years we passed vacations there which were both
+enjoyable and profitable. But of late my sister has found the place
+lonely, and we have traveled a good deal, making intermittent and often
+short visits to the island.
+
+"As I never cared to leave any one on that lonely spot during our
+absences from it, I arranged a gateway of bars across the only opening
+in the reef, with the intention of preventing marauding visits from
+fishing-boats or other small craft which might be passing that way. As
+the island was out of the ordinary track of vessels, I did not imagine
+that my bars would ever prove an obstacle to unfortunate castaways who
+might seek a refuge there."
+
+"Which they didn't," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "for under we bobbed."
+
+"I never exactly understood," said Mr. Dusante, "and I hope to have it
+explained to me in due time, how you passed my bars without removing
+them; and I have had a sore weight upon my conscience since I discovered
+that shipwrecked persons, fleeing to my house from the perils of the
+sea, should have found those inhospitable bars in their way—"
+
+"Which is a weight you might as well cast off, and be done with it,"
+said Mrs. Lecks, her deep-set notions on the rights of property obliging
+her to speak; "for if a man hasn't a right to lock up his house when he
+goes away and leaves it, I don't know what rights anybody has about
+anything. Me, or Mrs. Aleshine, or anybody else here who has a house,
+might just as well go off travelin', or to town visitin', and leave our
+front door unlocked, and the yard gate swingin' on its hinges, because
+we was afraid that some tramp or other body with no house or home might
+come along and not be able to get in and make himself comfortable. Your
+business, sir, when you left that house and all your belongin's on that
+island, was to leave everything tight and safe; and the business of
+people sailin' in ships was to go on their proper way, and not be
+runnin' into each other. And if these last mentioned didn't see fit to
+do that, and so got into trouble, they should have gone to some island
+where there were people to attend to 'em, just as the tramps should go
+to the poorhouse. And this is what we would have done—not meanin' the
+poorhouse—if we hadn't been so over long-headed as to get into a leaky
+boat, which, I wish it understood, is sayin' nothin' against Mr. Craig."
+
+"That's true," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for nobody has got a right to
+complain that a fellow-bein' locks his own door after him. But it does
+seem to me, sir, that in such scattered neighborhoods as your island is
+in, it might be a good thing to leave something to eat an'
+drink—perhaps in a bottle or in a tin pail—at the outside of your bars
+for them as might come along shipwrecked, an' not be able to get inside
+on account of bein' obliged to come in a boat, an' not as we did; an'
+so, when they found they'd have to go on, they might have somethin' to
+keep up their strength till they got to another house."
+
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "when you start off on a
+journey to Japan or any other place, an' leave mince-pies and buttered
+toast a-stickin' on the p'ints of your pickets for tramps that might
+come along and need 'em, you can do that kind of talkin'. But as that
+time hasn't come, let's hear the rest of Mr. Dusante's story."
+
+"When I first visited my island this year," continued the narrator, "we
+made but a short stay, as we were all desirous of taking a somewhat
+extended sea-voyage in my steam-yacht. We visited several places of
+interest, and when we returned, just six weeks ago to-day—"
+
+"Just one week, lackin' a day," exclaimed Mrs. Lecks, "after we left
+that spot!"
+
+"If I'd 'a' knowed," said Mrs. Aleshine, rising to her feet, "that you'd
+be back so soon, I'd 'a' made them sailormen live on fish, I'd 'a' eat
+garden-truck myself, and I'd be bound I'd 'a' made the flour hold out
+for six days more for the rest of 'em, if I'd 'a' had to work my fingers
+to the skin and bone to do it!" Then she sat down solemnly.
+
+"When we returned," continued Mr. Dusante, "I was pleased to find my
+bars intact; and when these were unlocked, and the boat from our yacht
+went through with ourselves and our servants, it was very agreeable to
+notice the good order which seemed to prevail everywhere. As we passed
+from the wharf to the house, not even fallen boughs or weeds were seen
+to indicate that we had been away from the place for more than two
+months. When we entered the house, my mother and sister immediately
+ascended to their chambers, and when the windows had been opened I heard
+them from above calling to each other and remarking upon the freshness
+and cleanliness of the rooms. I went to my library, and when I had
+thrown open the window I was struck with the somewhat peculiar air of
+order which seemed to obtain in the room. The books stood upon their
+shelves with a remarkable regularity, and the chairs and other
+furniture were arranged with a precision which impressed me as unusual.
+In a moment, sir, I saw your letter upon the table addressed to me.
+Greatly astonished, I opened and read it.
+
+"When I had finished it my amazement was great indeed; but obeying an
+instant impulse, I stepped into the dining-room, which a servant had
+opened, and took the ginger-jar from the mantelpiece. When I lifted from
+it the little brown-paper parcel, and beneath it saw the money which had
+been mentioned in the letter, you may imagine the condition of my mind.
+I did not take out the money, nor count it; but covering it again with
+the paper parcel, which I believed contained fish-hooks, and with the
+jar in my hands, I returned to the library, where I sat down to ponder
+upon these most astounding revelations. While so doing my mother and
+sister hastily entered the room. Lucille declared in an excited manner
+that she believed that the brownies or some other fairies had been there
+while we were away and had kept the house in order. The whole place was
+actually cleaner, she said, than when we left it. She had taken down a
+thin dress from her closet, and it looked as if it had just come from
+the hand of a laundress, with the ruffles ironed smoother and more
+evenly than they had ever been since it was first stitched together.
+'Albert,' said my mother, her face pale, 'there has been somebody in
+this house!' Then she went on to say that the windows, which were left
+unwashed because we went away in somewhat of a hurry, were as bright and
+clean as if the maids had just been rubbing them; the floors and
+furniture were cleaner and freer from dust than they had ever been
+before; and the whole house looked as if we had just left it yesterday.
+'In fact,' she said, 'it is unnaturally clean!'"
+
+During this part of Mr. Dusante's story Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine sat
+very quiet, with an air of sedate humility upon their faces; but I could
+see by the proud light in their eyes that they felt their superiority to
+ordinary women, although they were properly resolved not to show such
+feeling.
+
+"At that moment," continued Mr. Dusante, "a servant came hurrying into
+the room, and informed us that the flour was all gone, and that there
+was scarcely anything in the pantries to eat. At this my mother and my
+sister, who knew that an abundance of provisions had been left in the
+house, looked at each other aghast. But before they could express their
+consternation in words, I addressed them. 'My dear mother,' said I, 'and
+Lucille, there truly has been some one in this house. By this letter I
+am informed that for several weeks eight persons have lived here under
+this roof; a marriage has been solemnized, and the happy couple have
+gone forth from our doors. These persons have eaten our food, they have
+made use of our property, and this has been their temporary home. But
+they are good people, honest and true-hearted, for they have left the
+house in better order than they found it, and more than the price of all
+they have consumed is in that ginger-jar.' And thereupon I read them
+your letter, sir.
+
+"I cannot undertake to describe the wonder and absorbing interest with
+which this letter filled our minds. All needful stores were brought
+ashore from the yacht, which lay outside the reef, and we began our
+usual life on the island; but none of the occupations or recreations in
+which we formerly employed our time now possessed any attractions for
+us. Our minds were filled with thoughts of the persons who had been so
+strangely living in our house; and our conversation was mainly made up
+of surmises as to what sort of people they were, whether or not we
+should ever see them, and similar suppositions."
+
+"Yes, indeed!" exclaimed Miss Lucille. "I thought of you by day and by
+night, and pictured you all in various ways, but never as you really
+are. Sometimes I used to think that the boat in which you went away had
+been sunk in a storm in which you were all drowned, and that perhaps
+your ghosts would come back and live in our house, and sleep in our
+beds, and clean our windows, and wash and iron our clothes, and do all
+sorts of things in the night."
+
+"Goodnessful, gracious me!" cried Mrs. Aleshine, "don't talk that way!
+The idea of bein' a cold ghost, goin' about in the dark, is worse than
+slidin' down a snow-mountain, even if you had to do it on the bare of
+your back."
+
+"Barb'ry!" said Mrs. Lecks, severely.
+
+"The idea is jus' as chillin'," replied her undaunted friend.
+
+"Two things connected with this matter," continued Mr. Dusante, "weighed
+heavily on my mind. One of these I have already mentioned—the cruel
+inhospitality of the barred entrance."
+
+I had refrained from adding to the interruptions to Mr. Dusante's
+narrative, but I now felt impelled to assure the gentleman, on behalf of
+myself and wife, that we shared the opinions of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine, and felt that he could in no way be blamed for thus protecting
+his private property.
+
+"You are very good," said Mr. Dusante, "but I will say here that there
+are now no bars to that entrance. I have left some people on the island,
+who will take care of my property and succor any unfortunate castaways
+who may arrive there. The other matter to which I alluded was, however,
+the heavier load which oppressed me. This was the money in the
+ginger-jar. I could not endure to reflect that I had been paid actual
+money for the hospitality I would have been so glad to offer to you poor
+shipwrecked people. Every sentiment of my being rebelled against such a
+thing. I was grieved. I was ashamed. At last I determined I would bear
+no longer the ignominy of this brand of inhospitality, and that, with
+the ginger-jar in my hand, I would search over the world, if necessary,
+for the persons who in my absence had paid board to me, and return to
+them the jar with its contents uncounted and untouched. Your letter
+informed me of the island to which you were bound, and if I did not find
+you there I could discover to what port you had taken your departure.
+There I could make further inquiries, and so follow you. When I proposed
+this plan to my family they agreed to it instantly, for their interest
+in the matter was almost as great as mine; and in a day or two we
+started on our quest.
+
+"I easily traced you to San Francisco, and found the hotel at which you
+had stopped. Here I obtained fresh news of you, and learned that you
+had started East, and that the destination of the party was believed to
+be Philadelphia. I had hoped that I should meet with you before you left
+California; but supposing that by that time you had reached your
+destination, or were, at least, far on your way, I yielded to the
+solicitations of my sister and made some excursions in California,
+intending then to follow you to Philadelphia, and there to advertise for
+Mr. Craig, if he could not otherwise be found. However, by the rarest
+and most fortunate of chances, we have met thus early, and for this I
+can never be too devoutly thankful."
+
+"Nor we," said I, earnestly; "for our greatly desired acquaintance with
+you and your family could not have begun too soon."
+
+"Now," said Mr. Dusante, "I will perform the duty for which my journey
+was undertaken, and I assure you it is a great pleasure to me to be able
+so soon to carry out this cherished purpose."
+
+He then took up from the floor by his side the package which he had so
+safely guarded during his swift and perilous descent of the
+mountain-side, and which he had since kept close by him. Placing this
+upon his knee, he removed the light shawl in which it had been rolled,
+and then several pieces of wrapping-paper, revealing to our eyes the
+familiar fat little ginger-jar which had stood on the mantelpiece of the
+dining-room in the house on the island, and in which we had deposited
+our board money.
+
+"It would be simply impossible for me," said Mr. Dusante, "to consent to
+retain in my possession money paid for the aid which I involuntarily
+rendered to shipwrecked people. Had I been present on the island, that
+aid would have been most heartily and freely given, and the fact of my
+absence makes no difference whatever in regard to my feelings on the
+subject of your paying for the food and shelter you found at my house.
+Having understood from Mr. Craig's letter that it was Mrs. Lecks who
+superintended the collection and depositing of the money, I now return
+to you, madam, this jar with its contents."
+
+"And which," said Mrs. Lecks, sitting up very rigidly, with her hands
+clasped behind her, "I don't take. If it had been a day and a night, or
+even two nights and over a Sunday, it wouldn't have mattered; but when
+me and Mrs. Aleshine—and the rest of the party can speak for
+themselves—stays for weeks and weeks, without leave or license, in a
+man's house, we pay our board—of course deductin' services. Good
+night."
+
+[Illustration: "REVEALING THE FAMILIAR FAT LITTLE GINGER-JAR."]
+
+With that she arose, and walked, very erect, into the adjoining room.
+
+"It was all very well, Mr. Dusante," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for you to try
+to carry out what you thought was right; but we have our ideas as to
+what our duty is, an' you have your ideas as to what your duty is, an'
+consciences is even."
+
+Having said this, she followed her friend.
+
+Mr. Dusante looked surprised and troubled, and he turned toward me. "My
+dear sir," said I, "those two good women are very sensitive in regard to
+right and justice, and I think it will be well not to press this subject
+upon them. As for my wife and me, neither of us would consent to touch
+money which was placed in that jar by Mrs. Lecks with the expectation
+that no one but you or one of your family would take it out."
+
+"Very well, sir," said Mr. Dusante, replacing the wrapping-paper around
+the jar; "I will drop the subject for the present. But you will allow me
+to say, sir, that I also am very sensitive in regard to right and
+justice."
+
+Early the next morning the man who had been sent to the railroad-station
+came back, bringing news that a four-horse wagon would shortly be sent
+for us, and also bearing a letter from Mr. Enderton to Ruth. In this
+that gentleman informed his daughter that he was quite well, but that he
+had suffered anxiety on account of her probable hardships in the
+abandoned stage-coach. He had hoped, however, that the snow which had
+precluded his return with assistance had fallen lightly in the elevated
+position in which she had been left; and he had trusted also that Mr.
+Craig had bethought himself to build a fire somewhere near the coach,
+where his daughter might be warmed; and that the provisions, of which he
+knew an ample quantity had been packed for the trip, had been properly
+heated for her and given to her at suitable intervals. This anxiety, he
+said, had added very much to his own mental disquietude occasioned by
+the violent vituperations and unjust demands of the driver of the
+stage-coach, who had seen fit to attack him with all manner of abuse,
+and might even have resorted to personal violence had it not been for
+the interference of by-standers and the locking of his room door. He was
+now, however, much relieved by the departure of this driver, and by the
+news that his daughter had reached a place of safety, which, of course,
+he had supposed she would do, her detention having occurred on an
+ordinary route of travel.
+
+While waiting for the arrival of the wagon, the adventures of Mrs.
+Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine, and myself, as well as those of Ruth and her
+father, from the time the one party left America and the other China,
+were related at length to the Dusantes, who showed a deep interest in
+every detail, and asked many questions.
+
+Mrs. Dusante, whose nervous equilibrium had been fully restored by her
+night's rest, and who, although feeling a little stiff and bruised, now
+declared herself quite well, proved to be a very pleasant lady of
+fifty-five or thereabouts. She was of a quiet disposition, but her
+speech and manner showed that in former years, at least, she had been a
+woman of society, and I soon found out that she was much interested in
+the study of character. This interest was principally shown in the
+direction of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, whom she evidently looked
+upon as most remarkable women. If any of her sentiments were those of
+admiration, however, they were not returned in kind; Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine had but a small opinion of her.
+
+"There's mother-in-laws, and stepmothers, and real mothers, and
+grandmothers, and sometimes great-grandmothers livin'," said Mrs. Lecks
+to me, apart; "but though Mr. Dusante may be a well-meanin' man,—and I
+don't doubt he is,—and wishin', I haven't the least reason to
+disbelieve, to do his whole duty by his fellow-men, still I must say,
+bein' brought up as I was, he hasn't any right to make a new kind of
+mother. To be sure, a man can adopt children, but that isn't goin'
+backward, like this is, which is ag'in' nat'ral law and gospel."
+
+"I expect," said Mrs. Aleshine, who was with us, "that them French has
+got fashions that we don't know about, and thankful we ought to be that
+we don't! I never had no patience with French heels an' French
+arsenic-green beans; an' now, if there's to be adoptin' of mothers in
+this country, the next thing will be gullotynes."
+
+"I don't see," said I, "why you look upon the Dusantes as French people.
+They are just as much American as French."
+
+"Well," said Mrs. Lecks, "it's not for me and Mrs. Aleshine to set
+ourselves up to judge other people. In our part of the country we don't
+adopt mothers; but if they do it in France, or the Sandwich Islands, or
+down East, I don't know that we ought to have anything to say."
+
+"He might as well have adopted a father at the same time," said Mrs.
+Aleshine, "although, to be sure, he would 'a' had to been particular to
+take one that was acquainted with Mrs. Dusante, and not had 'em
+strangers to each other, though parents to him."
+
+"If I was you, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "I'd adopt some sort
+of rag to the top of my head to serve for a bonnet; for here comes the
+wagon, and I suppose now we'll be off."
+
+We took leave of the kind-hearted ranch people, who looked upon us as a
+godsend into their lonely life, and disposed ourselves as comfortably as
+we could in the large wagon. Our journey of seven or eight miles to the
+railroad-station was slow, and over ways that were rough. Mrs. Dusante
+was a delicate woman and not used to hardship, whereas Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine were exceedingly vigorous and tough. The consequence of
+this difference was that the kindly hearts of the latter prompted them
+to do everything they could to prevent Mrs. Dusante feeling the bumps
+and jolts, and to give her such advantages of wraps and position as
+would help her to bear better the fatigues of the journey.
+
+In doing this these good women gradually forgot the adopted mother, and
+came to think only of the very pleasant lady who needed their
+attentions, and who took such a lively and agreeable interest in their
+family histories, their homes, their manner of living, and everything
+that pertained to them; and before we reached the end of our trip these
+three were talking together like old friends. Ruth and Miss Lucille had
+also struck up a warm acquaintance, while I found Mr. Dusante a very
+entertaining man—of sedate and careful speech, ingenious ideas, and of
+a very courteous disposition.
+
+When we arrived at the railroad-station we were met by Mr. Enderton, who
+showed a moderate degree of pleasure at seeing us, and an immoderate
+amount of annoyance, exhibited principally to me, in being obliged to
+give up to the women of our party the large room he had occupied in the
+only lodging-house in the little settlement.
+
+[Illustration: "RUTH AND MISS LUCILLE STRUCK UP A WARM ACQUAINTANCE."]
+
+When I informed him that the strangers with us were the Dusantes, on
+whose island we had been staying, he at first listened vaguely. He had
+always looked upon the Dusante family as a sort of fable used by Mrs.
+Lecks to countenance her exactions of money from the unfortunate
+sojourners on the island. But when I told him what Mr. Dusante had done,
+and related how he had brought the board money with him, and had offered
+to pay it back to us, an eager interest was aroused in him.
+
+"I do not wonder," he exclaimed, "that the conscience-stricken man
+wishes to give the money back, but that any one should refuse what
+actually belongs to him or her is beyond my comprehension! One thing is
+certain—I shall receive my portion. Fifteen dollars a week for my
+daughter and myself that woman charged me, and I will have it back."
+
+"My dear sir," I said, "your board was reduced to the same sum as that
+paid by the rest of us—four dollars a week each."
+
+"I call to mind no reduction," said Mr. Enderton. "I remember distinctly
+the exorbitant sum charged me for board on a desert island. It made a
+deep impression upon me."
+
+"I do not care to talk any further on this subject," I said. "You must
+settle it with Mrs. Lecks."
+
+Mr. Enderton gave a great sniff, and walked away with dignity. I could
+not but laugh as I imagined his condition two minutes after he had
+stated his opinions on this subject to Mrs. Lecks.
+
+When Mr. Dusante had started from San Francisco on his search for us, he
+had sent his heavy baggage ahead of him to Ogden City, where he purposed
+to make his first stop. He supposed that we might possibly here diverge
+from our homeward-bound route in order to visit the Mormon metropolis;
+and, if we had done so, he did not wish to pass us. It was therefore now
+agreed that we should all go to Ogden City, and there await the arrival
+of our effects left in the snowed-up vehicles on the mountain-side. We
+made arrangements with the station-master that these should be forwarded
+to us as soon as the stage-coach and the carriage could be brought down.
+All the baggage of my party was on the coach, and it consisted only of a
+few valises bought in San Francisco, and a package containing two
+life-preservers, which Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine said they would
+take home with them, if they took nothing else.
+
+On the morning after our arrival at Ogden City, Mr. Dusante took me
+aside. "Sir," he said, "I wish to confide to you my intentions regarding
+the jar containing the money left by your party in my house, and I trust
+you will do nothing to thwart them. When your baggage arrives, you, with
+your party, will doubtless continue your eastern way, and we shall
+return to San Francisco. But the jar, with its contents, shall be left
+behind to be delivered to Mrs. Lecks. If you will take charge of the
+jar, and hand it to her, sir, I shall be obliged greatly."
+
+I promised Mr. Dusante that I would not interfere with his intentions,
+but asserted that I could, on no account, take charge of the jar. The
+possession of that piece of pottery, with its contents, was now a matter
+of dispute between him and Mrs. Lecks, and must be settled by them.
+
+"Very well, then, sir," he said. "I shall arrange to depart before you
+and your company, and I shall leave the jar, suitably packed, in the
+care of the clerk of this hotel, with directions to hand it to Mrs.
+Lecks after I am gone. Thus there will be nothing for her to do but to
+receive it."
+
+Some one now came into the smoking-room, where we were sitting, and no
+more was said on this subject. Mr. Dusante's statement of his intention
+very much amused me, for Mrs. Lecks had previously taken me into her
+confidence in regard to her intentions in this matter. "Mr. Dusante,"
+she had said, "hasn't dropped a word more about the money in that
+ginger-jar, but I know just as well as he does what he's goin' to do
+about it. When the time comes to go, he's goin' to slip off quietly,
+leavin' that jar behind him, thinkin' then I'll be obliged to take it,
+there bein' nobody to give it back to. But he'll find me just as sharp
+as he is. I've got the street and number of his business place in
+Honolulu from his sister,—askin' about it in an offhand way, as if it
+didn't mean anything,—an' if that jar is left for me, I'll pack it in a
+box, money and all, and I'll express it to Mr. Dusante; and when he gets
+to Honolulu he'll find it there, and then he'll know that two can play
+at that sort of game."
+
+Knowing Mr. Dusante, and knowing Mrs. Lecks, I pictured to myself a box
+containing a ginger-jar, and covered with numerous half-obliterated
+addresses, traveling backward and forward between the Sandwich Islands
+and Pennsylvania during the lifetime of the contestants, and, probably,
+if testamentary desires should be regarded, during a great part of the
+lifetime of their heirs. That the wear and tear of the box might make it
+necessary to inclose it in a keg, and that, eventually, the keg might
+have to be placed in a barrel, and that, after a time, in a hogshead,
+seemed to me as likely as any other contingencies which might befall
+this peregrinating ginger-jar.
+
+We spent three days in Ogden City, and then, the weather having
+moderated very much, and the snow on the mountains having melted
+sufficiently to allow the vehicles to be brought down, our effects were
+forwarded to us, and my party and that of Mr. Dusante prepared to
+proceed on our different ways. An eastward-bound train left that
+evening an hour after we received our baggage, but we did not care to
+depart upon such short notice, and so determined to remain until the
+next day.
+
+In the evening Mr. Dusante came to me to say that he was very glad to
+find that the westward train would leave Ogden City early in the
+morning, so that he and his family would start on their journey some
+hours before we should leave. "This suits my plans exactly," he said. "I
+have left the ginger-jar, securely wrapped, and addressed to Mrs. Lecks,
+with the clerk of the hotel, who will deliver it to-morrow immediately
+after my departure. All our preparations are made, and we purpose this
+evening to bid farewell to you and our other kind friends, from whom, I
+assure you, we are most deeply grieved to part."
+
+I had just replied that we also regretted extremely the necessity for
+this separation, when a boy brought me a letter. I opened it, and found
+it was from Mr. Enderton. It read as follows:
+
+     DEAR SIR: I have determined not to wait here until to-morrow,
+     but to proceed eastward by this evening's train. I desire to
+     spend a day in Chicago, and as you and the others will probably
+     not wish to stop there, I shall, by this means, attain my
+     object without detaining you. My sudden resolution will not
+     give me time to see you all before I start, but I have taken a
+     hurried leave of my daughter, and this letter will explain
+     my departure to the rest.
+
+     I will also mention that I have thought it proper, as the
+     natural head of our party both by age and position, to settle
+     the amicable dispute in regard to the reception and disposition
+     of the money paid, under an excusable misapprehension, for our
+     board and lodging upon a desert island. I discovered that the
+     receptacle of this money had been left in the custody of the
+     clerk, addressed to Mrs. Lecks, who has not only already
+     refused to receive it, and would probably do so again, but who
+     is, in my opinion, in no wise entitled to hold, possess, or
+     dispose of it. I therefore, without making any disturbance
+     whatever, have taken charge of the package, and shall convey it
+     with me to Chicago. When you arrive there, I will apportion the
+     contents among us according to our several claims. This I
+     regard as a very sensible and prudent solution of the little
+     difficulty which has confronted us in regard to the disposition
+     of this money. Yours hurriedly,
+
+                                                   DAVID J. ENDERTON.
+
+     P.S. I shall stop at Brandiger's Hotel, where I shall await
+     you.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+PART VI
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Mr. Enderton's letter astonished and angered me, but in spite of my
+indignation, I could not help smiling at the unexpected way in which he
+had put a stop to the probable perpetual peregrinations of the
+ginger-jar. I handed the letter to Mr. Dusante, and when he had read it
+his face flushed, and I could see that he was very angry, although he
+kept his temper under excellent control.
+
+"Sir," he said presently, "this shall not be allowed. That jar, with its
+contents, is my property until Mrs. Lecks has consented to receive it.
+It is of my own option that I return it at all, and I have decided to
+return it to Mrs. Lecks. Any one interfering with my intentions steps
+entirely beyond the line of just and warrantable procedure. Sir, I shall
+not go westward to-morrow morning, but, with my family, will accompany
+you to Chicago, where I shall require Mr. Enderton to return to me my
+property, which I shall then dispose of as I see fit. You must excuse
+me, sir, if anything I have said regarding this gentleman with whom you
+are connected has wounded your sensibilities."
+
+"Oh, don't think of that," I exclaimed. "Pitch into Enderton as much as
+you please, and you may be sure that I shall not object. When I took the
+daughter to wife, I did not marry the father. But, of course, for my
+wife's sake I hope this matter will not be made the subject of public
+comment."
+
+"You need have no fear of that," said Mr. Dusante; "and you will allow
+me to remark that Mr. Enderton's wife must have been a most charming
+lady."
+
+"Why do you think so?" I asked.
+
+"I judge so," he answered, with a bow, "from my acquaintance with Mrs.
+Craig."
+
+I now went immediately to Ruth, who, I found, knew nothing of what had
+occurred, except that her father had gone on to Chicago in advance of
+our party, and had had time only to bid her a hasty good-by. I made no
+remarks on this haste, which would not allow Mr. Enderton to take leave
+of us, but which gave him time to write a letter of some length; and as
+Ruth knew nothing of this letter, I determined not to mention it to her.
+Her father's sudden departure surprised her but little, for she told me
+that he always liked to get to places before the rest of the party with
+whom he might be journeying.
+
+"Even when we go to church," she said, "he always walks ahead of the
+rest of us. I don't understand why he likes to do so, but this is one of
+his habits."
+
+When I informed Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine of what had happened, they
+fairly blazed.
+
+"I don't know what Mr. Dusante calls it," exclaimed Mrs. Lecks, "but I
+know what I call it."
+
+"Yes, indeed!" cried Mrs. Aleshine, her round eyes sparkling with
+excitement; "if that isn't ex-honesty, then he ain't no ex-missionary! I
+pity the heathen he converted!"
+
+"I'll convert him," said Mrs. Lecks, "if ever I lay eyes on him! Walkin'
+away with a package with my name on it! He might as well take my gold
+spectacles or my tortoise-shell comb!, I suppose there's no such thing
+as ketchin' up with him, but I'll telegraph after him; an' I'll let him
+know that if he dares to open a package of mine, I'll put the law on
+him!"
+
+"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine. "You kin send telegraphs all along the
+line to one station an' another for conductors to give to him in the
+cars, an' directed to Mr. Enderton, a tall man with gray-mixed hair an'
+a stolen bundle. That's the way they did in our place when Abram Marly's
+wife fell into the cistern, an' he'd jus' took the cars to the city, an'
+they telegraphed to him at five different stations to know where he'd
+left the ladder."
+
+"Which ain't a bad idea," said Mrs. Lecks, "though his name will be
+enough on it without no description; an' I'll do that this minute, an'
+find out about the stations from the clerk."
+
+"You must be very careful," I said, "about anything of that kind, for
+the telegrams will be read at the stations, and Mr. Enderton might be
+brought into trouble in a way which we all should regret; but a
+despatch may be worded so that he, and no one else, would understand
+it."
+
+"Very well," said Mrs. Lecks, "an' let's get at it; but I must say that
+he don't deserve bein' saved no trouble, for I'm as sure as that I'm a
+livin' woman that he never saved nobody else no trouble sence the first
+minute he was born."
+
+The following despatch was concocted and sent on to Bridger, to be
+delivered to Mr. Enderton on the train:
+
+     The package you know of has been stolen. You will recognize the
+     thief. If he leaves it at Chicago hotel, let him go. If he
+     opens it, clap him in jail.
+
+                                                         MRS. LECKS.
+
+"I think that will make him keep his fingers off it," said Mrs. Lecks;
+"an' if Mr. Dusante chooses to send somethin' of the same kind to some
+other station, it won't do no harm. An' if that Enderton gets so skeered
+that he keeps out of sight and hearin' of all of us, it'll be the best
+thing that's happened yet. An' I want you to understan', Mr. Craig, that
+nothin' 's goin' to be said or done to make your wife feel bad; an'
+there's no need of her hearin' about what's been done or what's goin' to
+be done. But I'll say for her that though, of course, Mr. Enderton is
+her father, and she looks up to him as such, she's a mighty deal
+livelier and gayer-hearted when he's away than when he's with her. An'
+as for the rest of us, there's no use sayin' anything about our
+resignedness to the loss of his company."
+
+"I should say so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "for if there ever was a man who
+thought of himself ninety-nine times before he thought of anybody else
+once, an' then as like as not to forgit that once, he's the man. An'
+it's not, by no means, that I'm down on missionaries, for it's many a
+box I've made up for 'em, an' never begrudged neither money nor trouble,
+an' will do it ag'in many times, I hope. But he oughtn't to be called
+one, havin' given it up,—unless they gave him up, which there's no
+knowin' which it was,—for if there's anything which shows the good in a
+man, it's his bein' willin' to give up the comforts of a Christian land
+an' go an' convert heathens; though bein' willin' to give up the
+heathens an' go for the comforts shows him quite different, besides, as
+like as not, chargin' double, an' only half convertin'."
+
+Mr. Dusante was fully determined to go on with us until he had recovered
+possession of the ginger-jar. His courteous feelings toward Mrs. Craig
+and myself prevented his saying much about Mr. Enderton, but I had good
+reason to believe that his opinions in regard to my father-in-law were
+not very different from those of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine. Ever
+since Mr. Enderton had shown his petulant selfishness, when obliged to
+give up his room at the railroad-station for the use of the women of his
+party, Mr. Dusante had looked upon him coldly, and the two had had but
+little to say to each other.
+
+We were all very glad that our pleasant party was not to be broken up;
+and although there was no resignation at the absence of the ginger-jar,
+we started on our journey the next day in a pleasanter mood for the
+absence of Mr. Enderton. Before we left, Mr. Dusante sent a telegram to
+Kearney Junction, to be delivered to Mr. Enderton when he arrived
+there. What this message was I do not know, but I imagine its tone was
+decided.
+
+Our journey to Chicago was a pleasant one. We had now all become very
+well acquainted with each other, and there was no discordant element in
+the combined party. Some of us were a little apprehensive of trouble, or
+annoyance at least, awaiting us in Chicago, but we did not speak of it;
+and while Ruth knew nothing of her father's misbehavior, it might have
+been supposed that the rest had forgotten it.
+
+At Chicago we went at once to Brandiger's Hotel, and there we found,
+instead of Mr. Enderton, a letter from him to Ruth. It read as follows:
+
+     MY DEAR DAUGHTER: I have determined not to wait here, as
+     originally intended, but to go on by myself. I am sorry not to
+     meet you here, but it will not be long before we are together
+     again, and you know I do not like to travel with a party. Its
+     various members always incommode me in one way or another. I
+     had proposed to go to Philadelphia and wait for you there, but
+     have since concluded to stop at Meadowville, a village in the
+     interior of Pennsylvania, where, as they have informed me, the
+     two women, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, reside. I wish to see
+     the party all together before I take final leave of them, and I
+     suppose the two women will not consent to go any farther than
+     the country town in which they live. Inclosed is a note to your
+     husband relating to business matters. I hope that he will take
+     the best of care of you during the rest of the journey, and
+     thus very much oblige
+
+                                         YOUR AFFECTIONATE FATHER.
+
+This was my note:
+
+     MR. CRAIG. SIR: I should have supposed that you would have been
+     able to prevent the insolent messages which have been
+     telegraphed to me from some members of your party, but it is
+     my lot to be disappointed in those in whom I trust. I shall
+     make no answer to these messages, but will say to you that I am
+     not to be browbeaten in my intention to divide among its
+     rightful claimants the money now in my possession. It is not
+     that I care for the comparatively paltry sum that will fall to
+     myself and my daughter, but it is the principle of the matter
+     for which I am contending. It was due to me that the amount
+     should have been returned to me, and to no other, that I might
+     make the proper division. I therefore rest upon my principles
+     and my rights; and, desiring to avoid needless altercations,
+     shall proceed to Meadowville, where, when the rest of my party
+     arrive, I shall justly apportion the money. I suppose the man
+     Dusante will not be foolish enough to protract his useless
+     journey farther than Chicago. It is your duty to make him see
+     the impropriety of so doing. Yours, etc.,
+
+                                                   D. J. ENDERTON.
+
+Ruth's letter was shown to all the party, and mine in private to Mr.
+Dusante, Mrs. Lecks, and Mrs. Aleshine. When the first moments of
+astonishment were over, Mrs. Lecks exclaimed:
+
+"Well, after all, I don't know that I'm so very sorry that the old sneak
+has done this, for now we're rid of him for the rest of the trip; and
+I'm pretty certain, from the way he writes, that he hasn't dipped into
+that jar yet. We've skeered him from doin' that."
+
+"But the impidence of him!" said Mrs. Aleshine. "Think of his goin' to
+the very town where we live an' gittin' there fust! He'll be settin' on
+that tavern porch, with every loafer in the place about him, an' tellin'
+'em the whole story of what happened to us from beginnin' to end, till
+by the time we git there it'll be all over the place an' as stale as
+last week's bread."
+
+"'The man Dusante,'" quietly remarked that individual, "will not
+abandon the purpose of his journey. He left his island to place in the
+hands of Mrs. Lecks, on behalf of her party, the ginger-jar with the
+money inclosed. He will therefore go on with you to Meadowville, and
+will there make formal demand, and, if necessary, legal requisition, for
+the possession of that jar and that money; after which he will proceed
+to carry out his original intentions."
+
+[Illustration: "'THE IMPIDENCE OF HIM!'"]
+
+We all expressed our pleasure at having him, with his ladies, as
+companions for the remainder of our journey, and Mrs. Lecks immediately
+offered them the hospitalities of her house for as long a time as they
+might wish to stay with her.
+
+"The weather there," she said, "is often splendid till past Thanksgivin'
+day, an' nobody could be welcomer than you."
+
+"I'd have asked you myself," said Mrs. Aleshine, "if Mrs. Lecks hadn't
+done it,—which of course she would, bein' alive,—but I'm goin' to have
+Mr. Craig an' his wife, an' as our houses is near, we'll see each other
+all the time. An' if Mr. Enderton chooses to stay awhile at the tavern,
+he can come over to see his daughter whenever he likes. I'll go as fur
+as that, though no further can I go. I'm not the one to turn anybody
+from my door, be he heathen, or jus' as bad, or wuss. But tea once, or
+perhaps twice, is all that I can find it in my heart to offer that man
+after what he's done."
+
+As the Dusantes and Ruth expressed a desire to see something of Chicago,
+where they had never been before, we remained in this city for two days,
+feeling that, as Mr. Enderton would await our coming, there was no
+necessity for haste.
+
+Early in the afternoon of the second day I went into the parlor of the
+hotel, where I expected to find our party prepared for a sight-seeing
+excursion; but I found the room tenanted only by Mrs. Aleshine, who was
+sitting with her bonnet and wraps on, ready to start forth. I had said
+but a few words to her when Mrs. Lecks entered, without bonnet or shawl,
+and with her knitting in her hand. She took a seat in a large
+easy-chair, put on her spectacles, and proceeded to knit.
+
+"Mrs. Lecks!" exclaimed her friend, in surprise, "don't you intend goin'
+out this afternoon?"
+
+"No," said Mrs. Lecks. "I've seen all I want to see, an' I'm goin' to
+stay in the house an' keep quiet."
+
+"Isn't Mr. Dusante goin' out this afternoon?" asked Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+Mrs. Lecks laid her knitting in her lap; then she took off her
+spectacles, folded them, and placed them beside the ball of yarn, and,
+turning her chair around, she faced her friend. "Barb'ry Aleshine," said
+she, speaking very deliberately, "has any such a thing got into your
+mind as that I'm settin' my cap at Mr. Dusante?"
+
+"I don't say you have, an' I don't say you haven't," answered Mrs.
+Aleshine, her fat hands folded on her knees, and her round face shining
+from under her new bonnet with an expression of hearty good will; "but
+this I will say,—an' I don't care who hears it,—that if you was to set
+your cap at Mr. Dusante, there needn't nobody say anythin' ag'in' it, so
+long as you are content. He isn't what I'd choose for you, if I had the
+choosin', for I'd git one with an American name an' no islands. But
+that's neither here nor there, for you're a grown woman an' can do your
+own choosin'. An' whether there's any choosin' to be done is your own
+business, too, for it's full eleven years sence you've been done with
+widder fixin's; an' if Mr. Lecks was to rise up out of his grave this
+minute, he couldn't put his hand on his heart an' say that you hadn't
+done your full duty by him, both before an' after he was laid away. An'
+so, if you did want to do choosin', an' made up your mind to set your
+cap at Mr. Dusante, there's no word to be said. Both of you is ripe-aged
+an' qualified to know your own minds, an' both of you is well off
+enough, to all intents an' purposes, to settle down together, if so
+inclined. An' as to his sister, I don't expect she will be on his hands
+for long. An' if you can put up with an adopted mother-in-law, that's
+your business, not mine; though I allus did say, Mrs. Lecks, that if
+you'd been 'Piscopalian, you'd been Low-church."
+
+"Is that all?" said Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"Yes," replied the other; "it's all I have to say jus' now, though more
+might come to me if I gave my mind to it."
+
+"Well, then," said Mrs. Lecks, "I've somethin' to say on this p'int, and
+I'm very glad Mr. Craig is here to hear it. If I had a feelin' in the
+direction of Mr. Dusante that he was a man, though not exactly what I
+might wish, havin' somethin' of foreign manners, with ties in the
+Sandwich Islands, which I shouldn't have had so if I'd had the orderin'
+of it, who was still a Christian gentleman,—as showed by his acts, not
+his words,—a lovin' brother, an' a kind an' attentive son by his own
+adoption, and who would make me a good husband for the rest of our two
+lives, then I'd go and I'd set my cap at him—not bold nor flauntin' nor
+unbecomin' to a woman of my age, but just so much settin' of it at him
+that if he had any feelin's in my direction, and thought, although it
+was rather late in life for him to make a change, that if he was goin'
+to do it he'd rather make that change with a woman who had age enough,
+and experience enough, in downs as well as ups, and in married life as
+well as single, to make him feel that as he got her so he'd always find
+her, then I say all he'd have to do would be to come to me an' say what
+he thought, an' I'd say what I thought, an' the thing would be settled,
+an' nobody in this world need have one word to say, except to wish us
+joy, an' then go along and attend to their own business.
+
+"But now I say to you, Barb'ry Aleshine, an' just the same to you, Mr.
+Craig, that I haven't got no such feelin's in the direction of Mr.
+Dusante, an' I don't intend to set my cap at him; an' if he wore such a
+thing, and set it at me, I'd say to him, kind, though firm, that he
+could put it straight again as far as I was concerned, an' that if he
+chose to set it at any other woman, if the nearest an' dearest friend I
+have on earth, I'd do what I could to make their married lives as happy
+as they could be under the circumstances, and no matter what happened, I
+wouldn't say one word, though I might think what I pleased. An' now you
+have it, all straight and plain: if I wanted to set caps, I'd set 'em;
+and if I didn't want to set 'em, I wouldn't. I don't want to, and I
+don't."
+
+And, putting on her spectacles, she resumed her knitting.
+
+Mrs. Aleshine turned upon her friend a beaming face.
+
+"Mrs. Lecks," she said, "your words has lifted a load from off my mind.
+It wouldn't ha' broke me down, an' you wouldn't never have knowed I
+carried it; but it's gone, an' I'm mighty glad of it. An' as for me an'
+my cap,—an' when you spoke of nearest and dearest friends you couldn't
+mean nobody but me,—you needn't be afraid. No matter what I was, nor
+what he was, nor what I thought of him, nor what he thought of me, I
+couldn't never say to my son, when he comes to his mother's arms all the
+way from Japan: 'George, here's a Frenchman who I give to you for a
+father!'"
+
+Here I burst out laughing; but Mrs. Lecks gravely remarked: "Now I hope
+this business of cap-settin' is settled an' done with."
+
+"Which it is," said Mrs. Aleshine, as she rose to meet the rest of our
+party as they entered the room.
+
+For several days I could not look upon the dignified and almost courtly
+Mr. Dusante without laughing internally, and wondering what he would
+think if he knew how, without the slightest provocation on his side, a
+matrimonial connection with him had been discussed by these good women,
+and how the matter had been finally settled. I think he would have
+considered this the most surprising incident in the whole series of his
+adventures.
+
+On our journey from Chicago to the little country town in the interior
+of Pennsylvania we made a few stops at points of interest for the sake
+of Ruth and the Dusante ladies, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine generously
+consenting to these delays, although I knew they felt impatient to reach
+their homes. They were now on most social terms with Mrs. Dusante, and
+the three chatted together like old friends.
+
+"I asked her if we might call her Emily," said Mrs. Aleshine in
+confidence to me, "an' she said yes, an' we're goin' to do it. I've all
+along wanted to, because it seemed to come nat'ral, considerin' we
+knowed 'em as Emily and Lucille before we set eyes on 'em. But as long
+as I had that load on my mind about Mrs. Lecks and Mr. Dusante I
+couldn't 'Emily' his adopted mother. My feelin's wouldn't ha' stood it.
+But now it's all right; an' though Emily isn't the woman I expected her
+to be, Lucille is the very picter of what I thought she was. And as for
+Emily, I never knowed a nicer-mannered lady, an' more willin' to learn
+from people that's had experience, than she is."
+
+We arrived at Meadowville early in the afternoon, and when our party
+alighted from the train we were surprised not to see Mr. Enderton on the
+platform of the little station. Instead of him, there stood three
+persons whose appearance amazed and delighted us. They were the
+red-bearded coxswain and the two sailormen, all in neat new clothes, and
+with their hands raised in maritime salute.
+
+There was a cry of joy. Mrs. Aleshine dropped her bag and umbrella, and
+rushed toward them with outstretched hands. In a moment Mrs. Lecks,
+Ruth, and myself joined the group, and greeted warmly our nautical
+companions of the island.
+
+The Dusante party, when they were made acquainted with the mariners,
+were almost as much delighted as we were, and Mr. Dusante expressed in
+cordial words his pleasure in meeting the other members of the party to
+whom his island had given refuge.
+
+"I am so glad to see you," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that I don't know my
+bonnet from my shoes! But how, in the name of all that's wonderful, did
+you get here?"
+
+"'T ain't much of a story," said the coxswain, "an' this is just the
+whole of it. When you left us at 'Frisco we felt pretty downsome, an'
+the more that way because we couldn't find no vessel that we cared to
+ship on; an' then there come to town the agent of the house that owned
+our brig, and we was paid off for our last v'yage. Then, when we had
+fitted ourselves out with new togs, we began to think different about
+this shippin' on board a merchant-vessel, an' gettin' cussed at, an'
+livin' on hard-tack an' salt prog, an' jus' as like as not the ship
+springin' a leak an' all hands pumpin' night an' day, an' goin' to Davy
+Jones, after all. An' after talkin' this all over, we was struck hard on
+the weather-bow with a feelin' that it was a blamed sight
+better—beggin' your pardon, ma'am—to dig garden-beds in nice soft
+dirt, an' plant peas, an' ketch fish, an' all that kind of shore work,
+an' eatin' them good things you used to cook for us, Mrs. Aleshine, and
+dancin' hornpipes for ye, and tamin' birds when our watch was off.
+Wasn't that so, Jim an' Bill?"
+
+"Aye, aye, sir!" said the black-bearded sailormen.
+
+"Then says I, 'Now look here, mates; don't let's go and lark away all
+this money, but take it an' make a land trip to where Mrs. Aleshine
+lives'—which port I had the name of on a piece of paper which you gave
+me, ma'am."
+
+And here Mrs. Aleshine nodded vigorously, not being willing to interrupt
+this entrancing story.
+
+"'An' if she's got another garden, an' wants it dug in, an' things
+planted, an' fish caught, an' any other kind of shore work done, why,
+we're the men for her; an' we'll sign the papers for as long a v'yage as
+she likes, and stick by her in fair weather or foul, bein' good for day
+work an' night work, an' allus ready to fall in when she passes the
+word.' Ain't that so, Jim an' Bill?"
+
+"Aye, aye, sir!" returned the sailormen, with sonorous earnestness.
+
+"Upon my word!" cried Mrs. Aleshine, tears of joy running down her
+cheeks, "them papers shall be signed, if I have to work night an' day to
+find somethin' for you to do. I've got a man takin' keer of my place
+now; but many a time have I said to myself that if I had anybody I could
+trust to do the work right, I'd buy them two fields of Squire Ramsey's,
+an' go into the onion business. An' now you sailormen has come like
+three sea angels, an' if it suits you we'll go into the onion business
+on sheers."
+
+"That suits us tiptop, ma'am," said the coxswain; "an' we'll plant
+inyans for ye on the shears, on the stocks, or in the dry-dock. It don't
+make no dif'rence to us where you have 'em; just pass the word."
+
+"Well, well," said Mrs. Lecks, "I don't know how that's goin' to work,
+but we won't talk about it now. An' so you came straight on to this
+place?"
+
+"That did we, ma'am," said the coxswain. "An' when we got here we found
+the parson, but none of you folks. That took us aback a little at fust,
+but he said he didn't live here, an' you was comin' pretty soon. An' so
+we took lodgin's at the tavern, an' for three days we've been down here
+to meet every train, expectin' you might be on it."
+
+Our baggage had been put on the platform, the train had moved on, and we
+had stood engrossed in the coxswain's narrative; but now I thought it
+necessary to make a move. There was but one small vehicle to hire at the
+station. This would hold but two persons, and in it I placed Mrs.
+Dusante and Ruth, the first being not accustomed to walking, and the
+latter very anxious to meet her father. I ordered the man to drive them
+to the inn, where we would stay until Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine'
+should get their houses properly aired and ready for our reception.
+
+"Mrs. Craig will be glad to get to the tavern and see her father," said
+Mrs. Aleshine. "I expect he forgot all about its bein' time for the
+train to come."
+
+"Bless you, ma'am!" exclaimed the coxswain, "is she gone to the tavern?
+The parson's not there!"
+
+"Where is he, then?" asked Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"He's at your house, ma'am," replied the coxswain.
+
+"An' what, in the name of common sense, is he doin' at my house?"
+exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, her eyes sparkling with amazement and
+indignation.
+
+"Well, ma'am, for one thing," said the coxswain, "he's had the front
+door painted."
+
+"What!" cried Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, in one breath.
+
+"Yes," continued the coxswain; "the parson said he hated to see men
+hangin' around doin' nothin'. An' then he looked about, an' said the
+paint was all wore off the front door, an' we might as well go to work
+an' paint that; an' he sent Jim to a shop to git the paint an'
+brushes—"
+
+"An' have 'em charged to me?" cried Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"Yes, ma'am," continued the coxswain. "An' Jim an' Bill holystoned all
+the old paint off the door, an' I painted it, havin' done lots of that
+sort of thing on shipboard; an' I think it's a pretty good job,
+ma'am—red at top and bottom, an' white in the middle, like a steamer's
+smoke-stack."
+
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine looked at each other. "An' he told you to
+do that?" said Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"Yes, ma'am," answered the coxswain. "The parson said he never liked to
+be nowhere without doin' what good he could. An' there was some other
+paintin' he talked of havin' done, but we ain't got at it yet. I s'posed
+he was actin' under your orders, an' I hope I haven't done no wrong,
+ma'am."
+
+"You're not a bit to blame," said Mrs. Aleshine; "but I'll look into
+this thing. No fear about that! An' how did he come to go to my house?
+An' how did he get in, I'd like to know?"
+
+"All I know about that," said the coxswain, "is what the gal that's
+livin' there told me, which she did along of askin' us if we was comin'
+to live there too, an' if she should rig up beds for us somewhere in the
+top-loft; but we told her no, not havin' no orders, an' payin' our own
+way at the tavern. She said, said she, that the parson come there, an'
+'lowed he was a friend of Mrs. Aleshine's an' travelin' with her, an'
+that if she was at home she wouldn't let him stay at no tavern; an'
+that, knowin' her wishes, he'd come right there, an' 'spected to be took
+care of till she come. She said she felt uncertain about it, but she
+tuck him in till she could think it over, an' then we come an' certified
+that he was the parson who'd been along with Mrs. Aleshine an' the rest
+of us. Arter that she thought it was all right, an', beggin' your pardon
+if we was wrong, so did Jim an' Bill an' me, ma'am."
+
+"Now," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "if that isn't exactly like Elizabeth
+Grootenheimer! To think of Elizabeth Grootenheimer thinkin'! The
+Grootenheimers always was the dumbest family in the township, an'
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer is the dumbest of 'em all! I did say to myself,
+when I went away: 'Now, Elizabeth Grootenheimer is so stone dumb that
+she'll jus' stay here an' do the little I tell her to do, an' hasn't
+sense enough to get into no mischief.' An' now, look at her!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+She waved her hand in the direction of the invisible Elizabeth
+Grootenheimer.
+
+Mrs. Lecks had said very little during this startling communication, but
+her face had assumed a stern and determined expression. Now she spoke:
+
+"I guess we've heard about enough, an' we'd better be steppin' along an'
+see what else Mr. Enderton an' Elizabeth Grootenheimer is doin'."
+
+The homes of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine were not far from each other,
+and were situated about midway between the station and the village inn,
+and in the direction of these our party now started. Mrs. Aleshine,
+contrary to her custom, took the lead, and walked away with strides of
+unusual length. Mrs. Lecks was close behind her, followed by the two
+Dusantes and myself, while the three mariners, who insisted upon
+carrying all the hand-baggage, brought up the rear. We stepped quickly,
+for we were all much interested in what might happen next; and very soon
+we reached Mrs. Aleshine's house. It was a good-sized and
+pleasant-looking dwelling, painted white, with green shutters, and with
+a long covered piazza at the front. Between the road and the house was a
+neat yard with grass and flower-beds, and from the gate of the
+picket-fence in front of the yard a brick-paved path led up to the
+house.
+
+Our approach had been perceived, for on the piazza, in front of the
+gaily painted door, stood Mr. Enderton, erect, and with a bland and
+benignant smile upon his face. One hand was stretched out as if in
+welcome, and with the other he gracefully held the ginger-jar, now
+divested of its wrappings.
+
+At this sight Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine made a simultaneous dash at
+the gate; but it was locked. The two women stamped their feet in fury.
+
+"Put down that jar!" shouted Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"Elizabeth Grootenheimer! Elizabeth Grootenheimer!" screamed Mrs.
+Aleshine. "Come here and open this gate."
+
+"Break it down!" said Mrs. Lecks, turning to the sailors.
+
+"Don't you do it!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, throwing herself in front of
+it. "Don't you break my gate! Elizabeth Grootenheimer!"
+
+"My friends," said Mr. Enderton, in clear, distinct tones, "be calm. I
+have the key of that gate in my pocket. I locked it because I feared
+that on your first arrival you would hurry up to the house in a
+promiscuous way, and give heed to irrelevant matters. I wished to
+address you in a body, and in a position where your attention would not
+be diverted from me. I hold here, my friends, the receptacle containing
+the money which, under a misapprehension, was paid for our board while
+on a desert island. This money I have taken care of, and have carefully
+guarded for the benefit of us all. Unfortunately, objections have arisen
+to this guardianship, which were forwarded to me by telegraph; but I
+have not heeded them. If you cannot see for yourselves the propriety of
+my assumption of this trust, I will not now undertake to enlighten you.
+But I hope there is no necessity for this, for, having had time to give
+the matter your fullest attention, I doubt not that you entirely agree
+with me. I will merely add, for I see you are impatient, that the sum
+which will fall to the share of each of us is comparatively
+insignificant and in itself not worth striving for; but what I have done
+has been for the sake of principle. For the sake of principle I have
+insisted that this money should be received by its rightful owners; for
+the sake of principle I assumed the custody of it; and for the sake of
+principle I shall now empty the contents of this jar—which by me has
+not been examined or touched—upon the floor of this piazza, and I shall
+then proceed to divide said contents into five suitable portions—the
+three mariners, as I understand, having paid no board. The gate can then
+be opened, and each one can come forward and take the portion which
+belongs to him or to her. The portion of my daughter, whom I saw pass
+here in a carriage, going, doubtless, to the inn, will be taken charge
+of by myself."
+
+"You man!" shrieked Mrs. Lecks, shaking her fist over the fence, "if you
+as much as lift that paper of fish-hooks from out the top of that
+ginger-jar, I'll—"
+
+Here she was interrupted by the loud, clear voice of Mr. Dusante, who
+called out: "Sir, I require you to put down that jar, which is my
+property."
+
+"I'll let you know," said Mrs. Lecks, "that other people have
+principles!"
+
+But what more she said was drowned by the voice of Mrs. Aleshine, who
+screamed for Elizabeth Grootenheimer, and who was now so much excited
+that she was actually trying to break open her own gate.
+
+I called out to Mr. Enderton not to make trouble by disturbing the
+contents of the jar; and even Miss Lucille, who was intensely amused at
+the scene, could be heard joining her voice to the general clamor.
+
+But the threats and demands of our united party had no effect upon Mr.
+Enderton. He stood up, serene and bland, fully appreciating the
+advantage of having the key of the gate's padlock in his pocket and the
+ginger-jar in his hand.
+
+[Illustration: "'YOU MAN!' SHRIEKED MRS. LECKS."]
+
+"I will now proceed," said he. But at that moment his attention was
+attracted by the three mariners, who had clambered over the pointed
+pales of the fence, and who now appeared on the piazza, Bill to the
+right hand of Mr. Enderton, Jim to the left, and the red-bearded
+coxswain at his back. They all seemed to speak at once, though what they
+said we could not hear, nothing but a few hoarse mutterings coming down
+to us.
+
+But in consequence of what Bill said, Mr. Enderton handed him the key of
+the gate; and in consequence of what Jim said, Mr. Enderton delivered to
+him the ginger-jar; and in consequence of what the coxswain said, he and
+Mr. Enderton walked off the piazza; and the two proceeded to a distant
+corner of the yard, where they stood out of the way, as it were, while
+the gate was opened. Bill bungled a little, but the padlock was soon
+removed, and we all hurried through the gate and up to the piazza, where
+Jim still stood, the ginger-jar held reverently in his hands.
+
+The coxswain now left Mr. Enderton, and that gentleman proceeded to the
+open gate, through which he passed into the road, and then turned, and
+in a loud and severe tone addressed Mrs. Aleshine:
+
+"I leave your inhospitable house, and go to join my daughter at the inn,
+where I request you to send my valise and umbrella as soon as possible."
+
+Mrs. Aleshine's indignation at this invasion of her home and this
+trampling on her right to open her own gate had entirely driven away her
+accustomed geniality, and in angry tones she cried:
+
+"Jus' you stop at that paint-shop, when you git to the village, an' pay
+for the paint you had charged to me; an' when you've done that you can
+send for your things."
+
+"Come, now, Barb'ry," said Mrs. Lecks, "don't let your feelin's run away
+with you. You ought to be thankful that he's let you off so easy, an'
+that he's gone."
+
+"I'm all that," said Mrs. Aleshine; "an', on second thoughts, every
+whip-stitch of his bag and baggage shall be trundled after him as soon
+as I kin git it away."
+
+We all now stood upon the piazza, and Mrs. Aleshine, in calmer tones,
+but with her face still flushed from her recent excitement, turned to us
+and said: "Now, isn't this a pretty comin' home? My front gate fastened
+in my very face; my front door painted red and white; the inside of the
+house, as like as not, turned upside down by that man jus' as much as
+the outside; an' where in the world, I'd like to know, is Elizabeth
+Grootenheimer?"
+
+"Now don't you be too hard on her," said Mrs. Lecks, "after havin' been
+away from her so long. I haven't a doubt she's feedin' the pigs; and you
+know very well she never would leave them as long as she felt they
+needed her. You needn't mind if your house is upset, for none of us is
+comin' in, havin' only intended to see you to your door, which I must
+say is a pretty blazin' one."
+
+"And now, Mrs. Lecks," said Mr. Dusante, taking, as he spoke, the
+ginger-jar from the hand of Jim, "I think this is a suitable opportunity
+for me to accomplish the object for which my present journey was
+undertaken, and to return to you the contents of this jar."
+
+"Which," said Mrs. Lecks, in a very decided tone, "I don't take now no
+more'n I did before."
+
+Mr. Dusante looked surprised and troubled. After all the dangers and
+adventures through which that ginger-jar had gone, I believe that he
+expected Mrs. Lecks would at last relent and consent to accept it from
+him.
+
+"Now, look here," said Mrs. Aleshine, "don't let us have any more fuss
+about the ginger-jar, or anything else. Let's put off talkin' about that
+till we're all settled and fixed. It won't do for you to take the jar to
+the tavern with you, Mr. Dusante, for like as not Mr. Enderton will git
+hold of it ag'in, an' I know Mrs. Lecks won't let it come into her
+house; so, if you like, you may jus' leave it here for the present, and
+you may make up your minds nobody'll touch it while I'm about. An' about
+I intend to be."
+
+This arrangement was gladly agreed upon, and the jar being delivered to
+Mrs. Aleshine, we took our leave of her.
+
+Mrs. Lecks found no difficulty in entering her gate, where she was duly
+welcomed by a man and his wife she had left in charge, while the
+Dusantes and myself walked on to the inn, or "Hotel," as its sign
+imported, about which the greater part of the little town clustered. The
+three mariners remained behind to await further orders from Mrs.
+Aleshine.
+
+By the afternoon of the next day the abodes of those two most energetic
+and capable housewives, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, were fully
+prepared for the reception of their visitors, and the Dusante family
+were ensconced beneath the roof of the one, while my wife and I were
+most warmly welcomed at the gaily adorned door of the other.
+
+Mr. Enderton remained at the inn, where he found very comfortable
+quarters, an arrangement satisfactory to all parties.
+
+In Mrs. Aleshine's dwelling, where, from the very first, Lucille took
+her position as a most constant visitor, being equally welcomed by Ruth
+and the mistress of the house, all was satisfaction and high good humor.
+The ceaseless activity and cheerful spirits of our hostess seemed to
+animate us all. At Mrs. Lecks's home the case was different. There, I
+could plainly see, there was a certain uneasiness amounting almost to
+stiffness between Mrs. Lecks and Mr. Dusante. The latter had not
+accomplished the purpose for which he had made this long journey; and
+though, if things had turned out as he wished, he would have been very
+glad to be the guest of Mrs. Lecks, still, under the present
+circumstances, the situation did not suit him. Mrs. Lecks, too,
+possessed an unsettled mind. She did not know when Mr. Dusante would
+again endeavor to force back upon her the board money in the ginger-jar,
+and in this state of uneasy expectancy she was not at her best.
+
+"He's not satisfied," said she to me, on the morning after the Dusantes
+had come to her; "he wants to do somethin', or else to go away. I wish
+that ginger-jar had dropped into the bottom of the sea while he was
+bringin' it, or else had smashed itself into a thousand bits while he
+was slidin' down the mountain, and the money had melted itself into the
+snow. S'posin' at the end of the week he was to come to me and offer to
+pay me board for himself and his family, sayin' that was no more than
+I'd done to him! Of course the two cases are not a bit alike; for we
+went to his house strangers, without leave or license, while he comes to
+mine as a friend, bein' fully invited and pressed. But I don't suppose I
+could make him see it in that light, and it worries me."
+
+I was convinced that something ought to be done to end this unpleasant
+state of affairs, and I took my wife and Miss Lucille into council on
+the subject. After we had deliberated a little while an idea came to
+Ruth.
+
+"In my opinion," said she, "the best thing we can do with that board
+money is to give it to those three sailors. They are poor and will be
+glad to get it; Mr. Dusante and Mrs. Lecks ought to be fully satisfied,
+for the one doesn't keep it and the other doesn't take it back; and I'm
+sure that this plan will please all the rest of us."
+
+This proposition was agreed to by the council, and I was appointed to go
+immediately and lay it before the parties interested.
+
+Mr. Dusante gave his ready consent to this proposal. "It is not what I
+intended to do," said he, "but it amounts to almost the same thing. The
+money is in fact restored to its owners, and they agree to make a
+certain disposition of it. I am satisfied."
+
+Mrs. Lecks hesitated a little. "All right," said she. "He takes the
+money and gives it to who he chooses. I've nothin' to say against it."
+
+Of course no opposition to the plan was to be expected from anybody
+else, except Mr. Enderton. But when I mentioned it to him, I found, to
+my surprise, that he was not unwilling to agree to it. Half closing the
+book he had been reading, he said: "What I have done was on behalf of
+principle. I did not believe, and do not believe, that upon an entirely
+deserted island money should be paid for board. I paid it under protest,
+and I do not withdraw that protest. According to all the laws of justice
+and hospitality, the man who owned that island should not retain that
+money, and Mrs. Lecks had no right to insist upon such retention. But if
+it is proposed to give the sum total to three mariners who paid no
+board, and to whom the gift is an absolute charity, I am content. To be
+sure, they interfered with me at a moment when I was about to make a
+suitable settlement of the matter, but I have no doubt they were told to
+do so; and I must admit that while they carried out their orders with a
+certain firmness, characteristic of persons accustomed to unreasoning
+obedience, they treated me with entire respect. If equal respect had
+been shown to me at the beginning of these disputes, it would have been
+much better for all concerned."
+
+And opening his book, he recommenced his reading.
+
+That afternoon all of us, except Mr. Enderton, assembled on Mrs.
+Aleshine's piazza to witness the presentation of the board money. The
+three sailors, who had been informed of the nature of the proceedings,
+stood in line on the second step of the piazza, clad in their best
+toggery, and with their new tarpaulin hats in their hands. Mrs. Aleshine
+went into the house, and soon reappeared carrying the ginger-jar, which
+she presented to Mr. Dusante. That gentleman took it, and stood holding
+it for a moment as if he were about to speak; but even if he had
+intended to say anything, he had no further opportunity, for Mrs. Lecks
+now stepped forward and addressed him.
+
+"Mr. Dusante," said she, "from what I have seen of you myself and heard
+tell of you from others, I believe you are a man who tries to do his
+duty, as he sees it, with a single heart and no turnin' from one side to
+the other. You made up your mind that you'd travel over the whole world,
+if it had to be done, with that ginger-jar and the board money inside of
+it, till you'd found the people who'd been livin' in your house; and
+then that you'd give back that jar, jus' as you'd found it, to the
+person who took upon herself the overseein' of the reg'lar payin' of the
+money and the puttin' of it therein. With that purpose in your mind you
+carried that jar over the ocean; you wandered with it up and down
+California; and holdin' it tight fast in your arms, you slid down the
+slipperiest mountain that was ever made yet, I believe, and if it had
+been your only infant child, you couldn't have held it firmer, nor
+regarded it more careful. Through ups and downs, and thicks and smooths,
+you carried that jar or followed it, and for the sake of doin' what
+you'd set your mind on you came all the way to this place; to which, if
+it hadn't been for that one idea, it isn't likely you'd ever dreamed of
+comin'. Now, Mr. Dusante, we've all agreed on what we think is the right
+thing to do, and you agreed with us, but I can see by your face that
+you're disapp'inted. The thing you set out to do you haven't done; and
+I'm not goin' to have it to say to myself that you was the only one of
+all of us that wasn't satisfied, and that I was the stumblin'-block
+that stood in your way. So I'll back down from sayin' that I'd never
+touch that jar again, and you can put it into my hands, as you set out
+to do."
+
+Mr. Dusante made no answer, but stepped forward, and taking Mrs. Lecks's
+large brown and work-worn hand, he respectfully touched it with his
+lips. It is not probable that Mrs. Lecks's hand had ever before been
+kissed. It is not probable that she had ever seen any one kiss the hand
+of another. But the hard sense and keen insight of that independent
+countrywoman made her instantly aware of what was meant by that
+old-fashioned act of courteous homage. Her tall form grew more erect;
+she slightly bowed her head, and received the salute with a quiet
+dignity which would have become a duchess.
+
+This little scene touched us all, and Mrs. Aleshine afterward informed
+me that for a moment she hadn't a dry eye in her head.
+
+Mr. Dusante now handed the ginger-jar to Mrs. Lecks, who immediately
+stepped toward Ruth and Lucille.
+
+"You two young ones," she said, "can jus' take this jar, an' your hands
+can be the first to lift off that paper of fish-hooks and take out the
+money, which you will then divide among our good friends, these
+sailormen."
+
+Ruth and Lucille immediately sat down on the floor of the piazza, and
+the one emptied the board money into the lap of the other, where it was
+speedily divided into three equal portions, one of which was placed in
+the hands of each mariner.
+
+The men stood motionless, each holding his money in his open right
+hand, and then the red-bearded coxswain spoke.
+
+"It ain't for me, nor for Bill, nor for Jim nuther, to say a word ag'in'
+what you all think is right and square. We've stood by ye an' obeyed
+orders since we first shipped on that island, an' we intend to do so
+straight along. Don't we, Jim an' Bill?"
+
+[Illustration: "HE RESPECTFULLY TOUCHED IT WITH HIS LIPS."]
+
+"Aye, aye, sir!" said Jim and Bill, in hearty hoarse response.
+
+"There's some of ye, specially Mrs. Aleshine, though meanin' no
+disrespec' to anybody else, that we'd follow to the crosstrees of the
+topgallantmast of the tallest ship that ever floated in the middle of
+the ragin'est typhoon that ever blowed. Wouldn't we, Jim an' Bill?"
+
+"Aye, aye, sir!" sang out Jim and Bill.
+
+"But though we stand ready to obey orders," said the coxswain, "we made
+up our minds, when we heard what was goin' to be done, that we'd listen
+keerful fer one thing, an' we have listened keerful, an' we haven't
+heard that one thing, an' that thing was what we should do with this
+money. An' not havin' heard it, an' so bein' under no orders as to the
+spendin' of it, we take the money, an' thank you kindly, one an' all.
+Don't we, Jim an' Bill?"
+
+"Aye, aye, sir!" said Jim and Bill.
+
+And into the pocket of each mariner clinked the money.
+
+Mr. Dusante now took up the ginger-jar, and approached Mrs. Lecks. "I
+hope, madam," he said, "that as the subject of our little differences
+has now been removed from this jar, you will consent to accept it from
+me as a memento of the somewhat remarkable experiences through which it
+has accompanied us."
+
+"Take it, sir?" said she. "To be sure I will. An' very glad am I to get
+it. As long as I live it shall stand on the mantelpiece in my parlor;
+an' when I die it shall be left to my heirs, to be taken care of as long
+as it holds together."
+
+Every reason for dissatisfaction having now been banished from our
+little company, we all settled down for a season of enjoyment. Even Mr.
+Enderton, who had found on the top shelf of a closet in his room at the
+inn a lot of old books, appeared to be in a state of perfect content. To
+the Dusantes a residence in this absolutely rural portion of our Middle
+States in the autumnal season was an entirely novel experience. The
+crisp and invigorating air, the mists and the glowing hues of the
+Indian-summer time, the softness of the sunshine, and even those masses
+of limbs and twigs which had already dropped their leaves and spread
+themselves in a delicate network against the clear blue sky, were all
+full of a novel beauty for these people who had lived so long in
+tropical lands and among perennial foliage, and had never known the
+delights of an American country life out of season. Having enjoyed Mrs.
+Lecks's hospitality for a suitable period, they proposed to that
+sensible woman that she should receive them as boarders until the winter
+should set in; and to this practical proposition she gave a ready
+assent, hoping that the really cold weather would long defer its coming.
+
+Ruth and I established ourselves on the same terms with Mrs. Aleshine. A
+prolonged holiday from the labors of my business had been the object of
+my attempted journey to Japan, and I could think of no place where it
+would better please my young wife and myself to rest for a time than
+here among these good friends.
+
+A continual source of amusement to us were the acts and doings of Mrs.
+Aleshine and her three sailormen. These bold mariners had enlisted, soul
+and body, into the service of the thrifty housewife; and as it was
+impossible to do anything in connection with the growing of the onions
+until the desired fields should be acquired and the spring should open,
+many and diverse were the labors at which the coxswain and those two
+able-bodied seamen Bill and Jim set themselves, or were set by Mrs.
+Aleshine.
+
+The brilliantly painted front door, which at first had excited the good
+woman's ire, gradually came to command her admiration; and when her
+sailormen had done everything else that they could in the barns, the
+fields, or at the woodpile, she gave them the privilege to paint various
+portions of her property, leaving designs and colors to their own taste
+and fancy. Whether they milked the cows, cut the wood, or painted the
+sides of the house, they always worked like good fellows, and in
+nautical costume. They holystoned the front deck, as they called the
+floor of the piazza, until it seemed sacrilegious to set foot upon it;
+and when the house and the pale-fence had been suitably painted, they
+allowed their fancies lofty flights in the decoration of the smaller
+outbuildings and various objects in the grounds. One of the men had a
+pocket-chart of the colors adopted by the different steamship companies
+all over the world, and now smoke-houses, corn-cribs, chicken-houses,
+and so on, down to pumps and hitching-posts, were painted in great bands
+of blue and red and white and black, arranged in alternating orders,
+until an observer might have supposed that a commercial navy had been
+sunk beneath Mrs. Aleshine's house grounds, leaving nothing but its
+smoke-stacks visible.
+
+The greatest work of decoration, however, was reserved by the
+red-bearded coxswain for himself, designed by his own brain, and
+executed by his own hands. This was the tattooing of the barn. Around
+this building, the sides of which were already of a color sufficiently
+resembling a well-tanned human skin, the coxswain painted, in blue spots
+resembling tattooing, an immense cable passing several times about the
+structure, a sea-serpent almost as long as the cable, eight anchors, two
+ships under full sail, with a variety of cannons and flags which filled
+up all the remaining spaces. This great work was a long time in
+execution, and before it was half finished its fame had spread over the
+surrounding country.
+
+[Illustration: "THE GREATEST WORK OF DECORATION WAS RESERVED BY THE
+RED-BEARDED COXSWAIN FOR HIMSELF."]
+
+The decoration of her premises was greatly enjoyed by Mrs. Aleshine. "It
+gives 'em somethin' to do," said she, "till the onion season comes on;
+it makes 'em happy; an' the leaves an' flowers bein' pretty nigh gone, I
+like to see the place blossomin' out as if it was a cold-weather
+garden."
+
+In the evenings, in the large kitchen, the sailormen danced their
+hornpipes, and around the great fireplace they spun long yarns of haps
+and mishaps on distant seas. Mrs. Aleshine always, and the rest of us
+often, sat by the fire and enjoyed these nautical recreations.
+
+"Havin' myself done housekeepin' in the torrid zone," she once said, "a
+lot of the things they tell come home to me quite nat'ral. An' I'd do
+anything in the world to make 'em content to live on dry land like
+common Christians, instead of cavortin' about on the pitchin' ocean,
+runnin' into each other, an' springin' leaks, with no likelihood of
+findin' a furnished island at every p'int where their ship happened to
+go down."
+
+On one subject only did any trouble now come into the mind of Mrs.
+Aleshine, and she once had a little talk with me in regard to it.
+
+"I've been afeard from the very beginnin'," she said, "an' after a while
+I more'n half believed it, that Elizabeth Grootenheimer was settin' her
+cap at the coxswain; so I just went to him an' I spoke to him plain.
+'This sort o' thing won't do at all,' says I; 'an' although I haven't a
+doubt you see it for yourself, I thought it my dooty to speak my mind
+about it. There's plenty of young women in this township that would make
+you sailormen fust-rate wives, an' glad enough I'd be to see you all
+married an' settled an' gone to farmin' right here amongst us; but
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer won't do. Settin' aside everythin' else, if
+there was to be any children, they might be little coxswains, but they'd
+be Grootenheimers too, stone-dumb Grootenheimers; an' I tell you plain
+that this county can't stand no more Grootenheimers!' To which he says,
+says he, 'I want you to understan', ma'am, that if ever me or Jim or
+Bill makes up our mind to set sail for any sort of a weddin' port, we
+won't weigh anchor till we've got our clearance papers from you.' By
+which he meant that he'd ask my advice about courtin'. An' now my mind
+is easy, an' I can look ahead with comfort to onion-time."
+
+I found it necessary to go to Philadelphia for a day or two to attend to
+some business matters; and, the evening before I started, the coxswain
+came to me and asked a favor for himself and his mates.
+
+"It mayn't have passed out of your mind, sir," said he, "that when me
+an' Jim an' Bill took that money that you all give us, which wasn't
+'zackly like prize-money, because the rest of the crew, to put it that
+way, didn't get any, we listened keerful to see if anything was said as
+to what we was to do with the money; an' nothin' bein' said, we took it,
+and we wasn't long makin' up our minds as to what we was goin' to do
+with it. What we wanted to do was to put up some sort of signal what
+couldn't get blowed away, or, more like, a kind of reg'lar moniment as
+would make them that looked at it remember the rough squalls and the
+jolly larks we've gone through with together; an' it was when we was
+talkin' about Mrs. Lecks bein' give' the ginger-jar to put on her
+mantelpiece an' keep forever that me an' Jim an' Bill we said, says we,
+that Mrs. Aleshine should have a ginger-jar too, havin' as much right to
+one as her mate, an' that that would be the signal-flag or the moniment
+that we'd put up. Now, sir, as you're goin' to town, we ask you to take
+this money, which is the whole lot that was give' us, an' have a
+ginger-jar built, jus' the size an' shape an' gen'ral trim of that other
+one, but of no pottery-stuff, for you kin buy 'em jus' like that, an'
+that ain't what we want. We want her built of good oak, stout an'
+strong, with live-oak knees inside to keep her stiff an' save her from
+bein' stove in, in case of a collision. We want her bottom coppered up
+above the water-line with real silver, an' we want a turtle-back deck
+with a round hatchway, with a tight-fittin' hatch, jus' like common
+jars. We want her sides calked with oakum, an' well scraped an' painted,
+so that with water inside of her or outside of her she won't leak. An'
+on the bottom of her, so they kin be seen if she keels over, we wants
+the names of me an' Jim an' Bill, which we've wrote on this piece of
+paper. An' on her sides, below the water-line, on the silver copperin',
+we want the names of all the rest of you, an' the latitood an'
+longitood of that island, an' anything out of the logs that might 'a'
+been kep' by any of you, as might help to be remembered the thing what
+happened. An' then, if there's any room left on the copperin', an' any
+money lef' to pay for 'em, you might have cut on as many anchors, an'
+hearts, an' bits of cable, an' such like suitable things as would fill
+up. An' that jar we're goin' to give to Mrs. Aleshine to put on her
+mantelpiece, to stay there as long as she lives, or anybody that belongs
+to her. An', by George, sir!" he added behind his hand, although there
+was nobody to hear, "if ever them two jars run into each other, it won't
+be Mrs. Aleshine's that'll go down!”"
+
+I undertook this commission, and in due course of time there came to the
+village the most astonishing ginger-jar that was ever built, and which
+satisfied the three mariners in every particular. When it was presented
+to Mrs. Aleshine, her admiration of this work of art, her delight in its
+ownership, and her gratitude to the donors were alike boundless.
+
+"However could I have had the idee," said she privately to me, "that any
+one of them noble sailormen could have brought himself down to marry
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer!"
+
+It was not long after this happy event that another great joy came to
+Mrs. Aleshine. Her son returned from Japan. He had heard of the loss of
+the steamer in which his mother and Mrs. Lecks had set sail, and was in
+great trouble of mind until he received a letter from his mother which
+brought him speedily home. He had no intention of settling in
+Meadowville, but it had been a long time since he had seen his mother.
+
+He was a fine young man, handsome and well educated, and we were all
+delighted with him; and in a very short time he and Lucille Dusante,
+being the only young bachelor and maiden of the company, became so
+intimate and super-friendly that it was easy to see that to Mrs.
+Aleshine might come the unexpected rapture of eventually being the
+mother of Lucille.
+
+We stayed much later at Meadowville than we had expected. Even after the
+little hills and vales had been well covered with snow, sleighing and
+coasting parties, led by the lively new-comer, offered attractions,
+especially to Lucille, which bound us to the cheery homes of Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine. But, after a time, the Dusantes considered it prudent
+to go to Florida for the rest of the winter; Mr. Enderton had long since
+read all the books on his closet shelf and departed for New York; and
+Ruth and I determined that we, too, must move eastward.
+
+But, before our little company separated, Mrs. Aleshine's son and
+Lucille Dusante had settled it between them that when the springtime
+came they would set sail for a wedding port. This match was a highly
+satisfactory one to all concerned, for Mr. Dusante could scarcely have
+found a young brother-in-law who would make his sister so happy, and who
+was, at the same time, so well fitted by disposition and previous
+occupation to assist in his increasing business cares.
+
+In the spring the Dusante family came North again, and Lucille and her
+lover were married; and then all of us, except Mr. Enderton, who had
+obtained a most congenial position as assistant librarian in a public
+institution seldom visited, gathered at Meadowville to spend a week or
+two together, after which Ruth and I would repair to the New England
+town which was to be our home, and the Dusante family, the young husband
+included, would set out on a tour, partly of business and partly of
+pleasure, through Canada and the far Northwest.
+
+It was arranged that, whenever it should be possible, Lucille and Mrs.
+Dusante should spend their summers at Meadowville; and as this would
+also give her much of the society of her son, the heart of Mrs. Aleshine
+could ask no more.
+
+This visit to Meadowville was in the onion season; and one morning Ruth
+and I sat upon a fence and watched the three sailormen busily at work.
+The soil looked so fine and smooth that one might almost have supposed
+that it had been holystoned; and the three nautical farmers, in their
+tight-waisted, loose-bottomed trousers, their tarpaulin hats, and their
+wide-collared shirts, were seated on the ground at different points,
+engrossed in the absorbing task of setting out young onions as onions
+had never been set out before. All the careful attention to patient
+minutiæ which nautical handiwork had taught them was now displayed in
+their new vocation. In a portion of the field which had been first
+planted the onions had sprouted, and we could see evidences of
+astonishing designs. Here were anchors in onions; hearts in onions;
+brigs, barks, and schooners in onions; and more things pertaining to
+ships, the heart's affections, and the raging main outlined in onions
+than Ruth and I could give names to.
+
+"It seems to me," said I, "that there must have been some sort of
+enchantment in that little island in the Pacific, for in one way or
+another it has made us all very happy."
+
+"That is true," answered Ruth, "and, do you know, I believe the cause of
+a great part of that happiness was the board money in the ginger-jar!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS. LECKS
+AND MRS. ALESHINE ***
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will
+be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
+law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
+so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the
+United States without permission and without paying copyright
+royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
+of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
+Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™
+concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
+and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following
+the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use
+of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for
+copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very
+easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation
+of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project
+Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may
+do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected
+by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark
+license, especially commercial redistribution.
+
+START: FULL LICENSE
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project
+Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
+Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at
+www.gutenberg.org/license.
+
+Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project
+Gutenberg™ electronic works
+
+1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
+destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your
+possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
+Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
+by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the
+person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph
+1.E.8.
+
+1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
+paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this
+agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™
+electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the
+Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
+of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual
+works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
+States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
+United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
+claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
+displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
+all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
+that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting
+free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™
+works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
+Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily
+comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
+same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when
+you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
+in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
+check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
+agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
+distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
+other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no
+representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
+country other than the United States.
+
+1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
+immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear
+prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work
+on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the
+phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed,
+performed, viewed, copied or distributed:
+
+  This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+  most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
+  restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
+  under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
+  eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
+  United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
+  you are located before using this eBook.
+
+1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is
+derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
+contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
+copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
+the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
+redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project
+Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
+either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
+obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™
+trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
+additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
+will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works
+posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
+beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.
+
+1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg™ License.
+
+1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
+any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
+to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format
+other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official
+version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website
+(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
+to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
+of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain
+Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the
+full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works
+provided that:
+
+• You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+  the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method
+  you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
+  to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has
+  agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
+  Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
+  within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
+  legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
+  payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
+  Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
+  Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
+  Literary Archive Foundation.”
+
+• You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+  you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+  does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™
+  License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
+  copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
+  all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™
+  works.
+
+• You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
+  any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+  electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
+  receipt of the work.
+
+• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+  distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.
+
+1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
+Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than
+are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
+from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of
+the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set
+forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
+Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™
+electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
+contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
+or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
+intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
+other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
+cannot be read by your equipment.
+
+1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right
+of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
+with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
+with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
+lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
+or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
+opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
+the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
+without further opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you “AS-IS”, WITH NO
+OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
+LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
+damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
+violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
+agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
+limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
+unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
+remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in
+accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
+production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™
+electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
+including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
+the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
+or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or
+additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any
+Defect you cause.
+
+Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™
+
+Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
+computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
+exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
+from people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™'s
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future
+generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
+Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at
+www.gutenberg.org
+
+Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
+U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West,
+Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up
+to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website
+and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
+
+Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without
+widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
+DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular
+state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
+donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate
+
+Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
+Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be
+freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
+distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of
+volunteer support.
+
+Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
+the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
+necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
+edition.
+
+Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
+facility: www.gutenberg.org
+
+This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
diff --git a/35570-0.zip b/35570-0.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5b3d0a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-0.zip
diff --git a/35570-h.zip b/35570-h.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d9f7423
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h.zip
diff --git a/35570-h/35570-h.htm b/35570-h/35570-h.htm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..054d74e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/35570-h.htm
@@ -0,0 +1,8761 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html>
+<html lang="en">
+<head>
+<meta charset="UTF-8">
+    <title>The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine | Project Gutenberg</title>
+<link rel="icon" href="images/cover.jpg" type="image/x-cover">
+<style> /* <![CDATA[ */
+
+body {
+    margin-left: 10%;
+    margin-right: 10%;
+}
+
+    h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {
+    text-align: center; /* all headings centered */
+    clear: both;
+}
+
+h1 {font-size: 200%;}
+
+h2 {font-size: 180%;}
+
+h3 {font-size: 120%;}
+
+p {
+    margin-top: .75em;
+    text-align: justify;
+    margin-bottom: .75em;
+}
+
+.p1b      {margin-top: 1em; text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: 120%;}
+.p1c       {margin-top: 1em; text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: 150%;}
+
+hr {
+    width: 33%;
+    margin-top: 2em;
+    margin-bottom: 2em;
+    margin-left: 33.5%;
+    margin-right: 33.5%;
+    clear: both;
+}
+
+hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%; clear: both;}
+
+table {
+    margin-left: auto;
+    margin-right: auto;
+}
+
+.tdl      {text-align: left; padding: 1em;}
+.tdc      {text-align: center; padding: 1em;}
+.tdr      {text-align: right; padding: 1em;}
+
+.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */
+    /*  visibility: hidden;  */
+    position: absolute;
+    left: 92%;
+    color: grey;
+    font-size: smaller;
+    text-align: right;
+    font-style: normal;
+    font-weight: normal;
+    font-variant: normal;
+} /* page numbers */
+
+.blockquote {
+    margin-left: 5%;
+    margin-right: 10%;
+}
+
+.br       {border-right: solid 2px;}
+
+.center   {text-align: center;}
+
+.smcapa   {font-size: 75%; font-weight: bold;}
+
+/* Figures */
+
+figure {max-width: 100%;}
+
+/* Images */
+
+img {
+    max-width: 100%;
+    height: auto;
+}
+img.w100 {width: 100%;}
+
+/* Illustration classes */
+.illowp100 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp15 {width: 15%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp15 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp22 {width: 22%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp22 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp27 {width: 27%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp27 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp34 {width: 34%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp34 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp35 {width: 35%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp35 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp41 {width: 41%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp41 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp44 {width: 44%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp44 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp46 {width: 46%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp46 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp48 {width: 48%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp48 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp49 {width: 49%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp49 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp50 {width: 50%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp50 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp51 {width: 51%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp51 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp53 {width: 53%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp53 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp54 {width: 54%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp54 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp57 {width: 57%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp57 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp59 {width: 59%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp59 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp65 {width: 65%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp65 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp67 {width: 67%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp67 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp69 {width: 69%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp69 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp71 {width: 71%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp71 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp75 {width: 75%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp75 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp76 {width: 76%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp76 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp77 {width: 77%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp77 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp78 {width: 78%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp78 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp82 {width: 82%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp82 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp84 {width: 84%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp84 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp84 {width: 85%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp85 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp93 {width: 93%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp93 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp94 {width: 94%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp94 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp95 {width: 95%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp95 {width: 100%;}
+.illowp97 {width: 97%;}
+.x-ebookmaker .illowp97 {width: 100%;}
+
+.figcenter {
+    margin: auto;
+    text-align: center;
+    page-break-inside: avoid;
+    max-width: 100%;
+}
+
+.figleft {
+    float: left;
+    clear: left;
+    margin-left: 0;
+    margin-bottom: 1em;
+    margin-top: 1em;
+    margin-right: 1em;
+    padding: 0;
+    text-align: center;
+    page-break-inside: avoid;
+    max-width: 100%;
+}
+
+.x-ebookmaker .figleft {float: left;}
+
+.figright {
+    float: right;
+    clear: right;
+    margin-left: 1em;
+    margin-bottom: 1em;
+    margin-top: 1em;
+    margin-right: 0;
+    padding: 0;
+    text-align: center;
+    page-break-inside: avoid;
+    max-width: 100%;
+}
+
+.x-ebookmaker .figright {float: right;}
+
+/* Captions */
+
+.caption  {font-weight: bold; font-size:small;}
+
+.caption p {
+    text-align: center;
+    text-indent: 0;
+    margin: 0.25em 0;
+    font-weight: bold;
+    font-size:small;
+}
+
+/* Transcriber's notes */
+.transnote {background-color: #E6E6FA;
+    color: black;
+     font-size:smaller;
+     padding:0.5em;
+     margin-bottom:5em;
+     font-family:sans-serif, serif; }
+/* ]]> */   </style>
+  </head>
+<body>
+<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, by Frank R. Stockton</p>
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
+of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
+at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you
+are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the
+country where you are located before using this eBook.
+</div>
+
+<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine</p>
+<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Frank R. Stockton</p>
+<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Illustrator: Frederic Dorr Steele</p>
+<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: July 10, 2023 [eBook #35570]</p>
+<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p>
+  <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Credits: Jane Robins, Suzanne Shell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net</p>
+<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE ***</div>
+
+<div class="transnote">
+<h3>Note:</h3>
+
+<p>This e-book has been updated to current html practice for e-books. No corrections in the text have been noted.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_ii"></span><span class="pagenum" id="Page_i"></span></p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp54" id="i_000a" style="max-width: 34em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_000a.png" alt="Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine on ship deck">
+</figure>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp85" id="i_000b" style="max-width: 6.25em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_000b.png" alt="A fan shell">
+</figure>
+
+
+<h1>T<span class="smcapa">HE</span> CASTING AWAY of Mrs. LECKS and Mrs. ALESHINE<br></h1>
+<p class="p1b">BY</p>
+<p class="p1c">FRANK R. STOCKTON</p>
+<p class="center"><b>WITH ILLUSTRATIONS B</b>Y<br>
+<b>FREDERIC DORR STEELE</b></p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp78" id="i_000c" style="max-width: 39.0625em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_000c.png" alt="Decorative pot">
+</figure>
+
+<p><br>
+<br></p>
+<p class="center"><b>NEW YORK</b><br>
+<b>THE CENTURY C</b><span class="smcapa">O.</span><br>
+<b>1903</b>
+<br><span class="pagenum" id="Page_iii"></span><span class="pagenum" id="Page_iv"></span></p>
+
+
+<p class="center"><b>C</b><span class="smcapa">OPYRIGHT</span><b>, 1886, 1892, 1898.</b><br>
+<b>B</b><span class="smcapa">Y</span> <b>T</b><span class="smcapa">HE</span> <b>C</b><span class="smcapa">ENTURY</span> <b>C</b><span class="smcapa">O.</span><br></p>
+<p><br>
+<br></p>
+<p class="center"><b>T</b><span class="smcapa">HE</span> <b>D</b><span class="smcapa">E</span><b>V</b><span class="smcapa">INNE</span> <b>P</b><span class="smcapa">RESS.</span></p>
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_vii">[vii]</span></p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp77" id="i_000d" style="max-width: 37.5em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_000d.png" alt="Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine">
+</figure>
+
+
+<hr class="chap">
+<h2 id="LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS">LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2>
+
+
+<div class="center">
+<table>
+<tr><td class="tdl" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_1"><b>PART I</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl">&#160;</td><td class="tdr"><span class="smcapa">PAGE</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>T</b><span class="smcapa">HESE</span> <b>T</b><span class="smcapa">WO</span> <b>W</b><span class="smcapa">ORTHY</span> <b>D</b><span class="smcapa">AMES</span> <b>S</b><span class="smcapa">PENT THE</span> <b>G</b><span class="smcapa">REATER</span> <b>P</b><span class="smcapa">ART OF THEIR</span> <b>T</b><span class="smcapa">IME ON</span> <b>D</b><span class="smcapa">ECK</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_ii"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>D</b><span class="smcapa">O</span> <b>Y</b><span class="smcapa">OU</span> <b>S</b><span class="smcapa">EE</span> <b>T</b><span class="smcapa">HAT</span> <b>B</b><span class="smcapa">OAT</span> <b>T</b><span class="smcapa">HERE</span><b>?</b></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_6">6</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>M</b><span class="smcapa">RS.</span> <b>A</b><span class="smcapa">LESHINE</span> <b>P</b><span class="smcapa">ROVED TO BE A</span> <b>M</b><span class="smcapa">ORE</span> <b>D</b><span class="smcapa">IFFICULT</span> <b>S</b><span class="smcapa">UBJECT</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_11">11</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>W</b><span class="smcapa">E</span> <b></b>W<span class="smcapa">ILL</span> <b>P</b><span class="smcapa">ULL</span> <b>A</b><span class="smcapa">FTER</span> <b>T</b><span class="smcapa">HEM</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_15">15</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>S</b><span class="smcapa">TAND UP</span> <b>S</b><span class="smcapa">TRAIGHT, AND</span> <b>D</b><span class="smcapa">ON'T</span> <b>T</b><span class="smcapa">ALK SO</span> <b>M</b><span class="smcapa">UCH</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_23">23</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>V</b><span class="smcapa">IGOROUSLY</span> <b>W</b><span class="smcapa">INKING AND</span> <b>B</b><span class="smcapa">LOWING</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>T</b><span class="smcapa">HEY GOT ON</span> <b>R</b><span class="smcapa">EMARKABLY</span> <b>W</b><span class="smcapa">ELL</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_27">27</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>T</b><span class="smcapa">HERE'S</span> <b>N</b><span class="smcapa">OTHIN' LIKE</span> <b>S</b><span class="smcapa">AUSAGES FOR</span> <b>S</b><span class="smcapa">HIPWRECK</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_31">31</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl" colspan="2">&#160;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_39"><b>PART II</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>M</b><span class="smcapa">RS.</span> L<span class="smcapa">ECKS</span> <b>W</b><span class="smcapa">ALKED</span> <b>B</b><span class="smcapa">OLDLY UP TO THE</span> <b>F</b><span class="smcapa">RONT</span> <b>D</b><span class="smcapa">OOR AND</span> <b>P</b><span class="smcapa">LIED THE</span> <b>K</b><span class="smcapa">NOCKER</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_45">45</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>I C</b><span class="smcapa">LIMBED UP</span> <b>O</b><span class="smcapa">NE OF THE</span> <b>C</b><span class="smcapa">OLUMNS</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_48">48</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>I G</b><span class="smcapa">UESS</span> <b>Y</b><span class="smcapa">OU'LL BE</span> <b>C</b><span class="smcapa">OMFORTABLE</span>, <b>M</b><span class="smcapa">R.</span> <b>C</b><span class="smcapa">RAIG</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_52">52</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>T</b><span class="smcapa">HAT</span> <b>Y</b><span class="smcapa">ELLER</span> <b>F</b><span class="smcapa">ROCK</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_55">55</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>M</b><span class="smcapa">RS.</span> <b>A</b><span class="smcapa">LESHINE HAD BEEN</span> <b>H</b><span class="smcapa">ARD AT</span> <b>W</b><span class="smcapa">ORK ALL THE</span> <b>M</b><span class="smcapa">ORNING</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_61">61</a><span class="pagenum" id="Page_viii">[viii]</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>"T</b><span class="smcapa">HERE'S</span> <b>A</b><span class="smcapa">NOTHER</span> <b>T</b><span class="smcapa">HING</span><b>," S</b><span class="smcapa">AID SHE</span><b>, "T</b><span class="smcapa">HAT I'VE</span> <b>T</b><span class="smcapa">HINKIN</span><b>' A</b><span class="smcapa">BOUT</span><b>"</b></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_67">67</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>M</b><span class="smcapa">RS.</span> <b>L</b><span class="smcapa">ECKS AND</span> <b>M</b><span class="smcapa">RS.</span> <b>A</b><span class="smcapa">LESHINE</span> <b>S</b><span class="smcapa">TANDING ON THE</span> <b>E</b><span class="smcapa">ND OF THE</span> <b>L</b><span class="smcapa">ITTLE</span> <b>W</b><span class="smcapa">HARF</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_72">72</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl" colspan="2">&#160;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_74"><b>PART III</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>M</b><span class="smcapa">R.</span> <b>E</b><span class="smcapa">NDERTON WAS A</span> <b>P</b><span class="smcapa">ERSON OF</span> <b>A</b><span class="smcapa">NOTHER</span> <b>S</b><span class="smcapa">ORT</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_83">83</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>I D</b><span class="smcapa">ID ALL THAT I</span> <b>C</b><span class="smcapa">OULD TO</span> <b>M</b><span class="smcapa">AKE</span> <b>M</b><span class="smcapa">ISS</span> <b>R</b><span class="smcapa">UTH'S</span> <b>T</b><span class="smcapa">IME</span> <b>P</b><span class="smcapa">ASS</span> <b>A</b><span class="smcapa">GREEABLY</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_87">87</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>T</b><span class="smcapa">HEY WERE</span> <b>E</b><span class="smcapa">VIDENTLY</span> <b>W</b><span class="smcapa">AITING FOR</span> <b>M</b><span class="smcapa">E</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_91">91</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>S</b><span class="smcapa">MOKING</span> <b>T</b><span class="smcapa">HEIR</span> <b>P</b><span class="smcapa">IPES IN</span> <b>P</b><span class="smcapa">EACE</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_99">99</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>I</b><span class="smcapa">T WAS</span> <b>P</b><span class="smcapa">ERFECTLY</span> <b>S</b><span class="smcapa">AFE</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_102">102</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>I K</b><span class="smcapa">NOWED</span> <b>I</b><span class="smcapa">T WAS ALL</span> <b>R</b><span class="smcapa">IGHT</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_105">105</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>T</b><span class="smcapa">HEY</span> <b>A</b><span class="smcapa">SSISTED</span> <b>R</b><span class="smcapa">UTH TO</span> <b>A</b><span class="smcapa">RRAY</span> <b>H</b><span class="smcapa">ERSELF</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_111">111</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl" colspan="2">&#160;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_115"><b>PART IV</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>T</b><span class="smcapa">HE</span> <b>A</b><span class="smcapa">SCENT OF THE</span> <b>M</b><span class="smcapa">OUNTAIN WAS</span> <b>S</b><span class="smcapa">LOW AND</span> <b>T</b><span class="smcapa">EDIOUS</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_121">121</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>"W</b><span class="smcapa">HAT HAS</span> <b>H</b><span class="smcapa">APPENED?"</span> <b>I E</b><span class="smcapa">XCLAIMED</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_123">123</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>M</b><span class="smcapa">RS.</span> <b>L</b><span class="smcapa">ECKS WAS</span> <b>S</b><span class="smcapa">ITTING ON A</span> <b>S</b><span class="smcapa">TONE</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_129">129</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>I S</b><span class="smcapa">OON HAD A</span> <b>C</b><span class="smcapa">RACKLING</span> <b>F</b><span class="smcapa">IRE</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_135">135</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>C</b><span class="smcapa">OULD</span> <b>Y</b><span class="smcapa">OU</span> <b>L</b><span class="smcapa">END</span> <b>M</b><span class="smcapa">E</span> <b>A S</b><span class="smcapa">MALL</span> <b>I</b><span class="smcapa">RON</span> <b>P</b><span class="smcapa">OT</span><b>?</b></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_141">141</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>W</b><span class="smcapa">E</span> <b>W</b><span class="smcapa">ERE</span> <b>A</b><span class="smcapa">BOUT TO</span> <b>S</b><span class="smcapa">END</span> H<span class="smcapa">IM</span> <b>A B</b><span class="smcapa">ASKET</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_150">150,</a> <a href="#Page_150a">150</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl" colspan="2">&#160;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_153"><b>PART V</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>W</b><span class="smcapa">E</span> <b>B</b><span class="smcapa">EGAN TO</span> <b>S</b><span class="smcapa">LIDE</span> <b>D</b><span class="smcapa">OWNWARD</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_163">163</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>O</b><span class="smcapa">H</span>, <b>W</b><span class="smcapa">HICH IS</span> <b>E</b><span class="smcapa">MILY, AND</span> <b>W</b><span class="smcapa">HICH IS</span> <b>L</b><span class="smcapa">UCILLE</span><b>?</b></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_167">167</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>W</b><span class="smcapa">E</span> <b>D</b><span class="smcapa">REW UP</span> <b>A</b><span class="smcapa">BOUT THE</span> <b>F</b><span class="smcapa">IRE</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_174">174</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>R</b><span class="smcapa">EVEALING THE</span> <b>F</b><span class="smcapa">AMILIAR</span> <b>F</b><span class="smcapa">AT</span> <b>L</b><span class="smcapa">ITTLE</span> <b>G</b><span class="smcapa">INGER</span><b>-J</b><span class="smcapa">AR</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_186">186</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>R</b><span class="smcapa">UTH AND</span> <b>M</b><span class="smcapa">ISS</span> <b>L</b><span class="smcapa">UCILLE</span> <b>S</b><span class="smcapa">TRUCK</span> <b>U</b><span class="smcapa">P</span> <b>A W</b><span class="smcapa">ARM</span> <b>A</b><span class="smcapa">CQUAINTANCE</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_191">191</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl" colspan="2">&#160;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_197"><b>PART VI</b></a><span class="pagenum" id="Page_ix">[ix]</span></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>T</b><span class="smcapa">HE</span> <b>I</b><span class="smcapa">MPIDENCE</span> <b>O</b><span class="smcapa">F</span> <b>H</b><span class="smcapa">IM</span><b>!</b></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_204">204</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>E</b><span class="smcapa">LIZABETH</span> <b>G</b><span class="smcapa">ROOTENHEIMER</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_215">215</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>"Y</b><span class="smcapa">OU</span> <b>M</b><span class="smcapa">AN</span><b>!" S</b><span class="smcapa">HRIEKED</span> <b>M</b><span class="smcapa">RS.</span> <b>L</b><span class="smcapa">ECKS</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_218">218</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>H</b><span class="smcapa">E</span> <b>R</b><span class="smcapa">ESPECTFULLY</span> <b>T</b><span class="smcapa">OUCHED IT WITH</span> <b>H</b><span class="smcapa">IS</span> <b>L</b><span class="smcapa">IPS</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_227">227</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdl"><b>T</b><span class="smcapa">HE</span> <b>G</b><span class="smcapa">REATEST</span> <b>W</b><span class="smcapa">ORK OF</span> <b>D</b><span class="smcapa">ECORATION WAS</span> <b>R</b><span class="smcapa">ESERVED BY THE</span> <b>R</b><span class="smcapa">ED</span><b>-B</b><span class="smcapa">EARDED</span> <b>C</b><span class="smcapa">OXSWAIN FOR</span> <b>H</b><span class="smcapa">IMSELF</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_231">231</a></td></tr>
+</table></div>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_000e" style="max-width: 56.0625em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_000e.png" alt="Sketch of a house in tropics">
+</figure>
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_1">[1]</span></p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+<h2 id="THE_CASTING_AWAY_OF_MRS">THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE</h2>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_001" style="max-width: 81.6875em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_001.png" alt="A night view of the boat at sea">
+</figure>
+
+
+
+<hr class="chap">
+<h2>THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<hr class="chap">
+<h2 id="PART_I">PART I</h2>
+
+
+<p>I was on my way from San Francisco to Yokohama,
+when in a very desultory and gradual
+manner I became acquainted with Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine. The steamer, on which I was making
+a moderately rapid passage toward the land of the
+legended fan and the lacquered box, carried a fair
+complement of passengers, most of whom were Americans;
+and, among these, my attention was attracted
+from the very first day of the voyage to two middle-aged
+women who appeared to me very unlike the ordinary
+traveler or tourist. At first sight they might<span class="pagenum" id="Page_2">[2]</span>
+have been taken for farmers' wives who, for some
+unusual reason, had determined to make a voyage
+across the Pacific; but, on closer observation, one
+would have been more apt to suppose that they
+belonged to the families of prosperous tradesmen
+in some little country town, where, besides the arts
+of rural housewifery, there would be opportunities
+of becoming acquainted in some degree with the
+ways and manners of the outside world. They
+were not of that order of persons who generally
+take first-class passages on steamships, but the stateroom
+occupied by Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine was
+one of the best in the vessel; and although they kept
+very much to themselves, and showed no desire for the
+company or notice of the other passengers, they evidently
+considered themselves quite as good as any
+one else, and with as much right to voyage to any
+part of the world in any manner or style which
+pleased them.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks was a rather tall woman, large-boned
+and muscular, and her well-browned countenance gave
+indications of that conviction of superiority which
+gradually grows up in the minds of those who for a
+long time have had absolute control of the destinies
+of a state, or the multifarious affairs of a country
+household. Mrs. Aleshine was somewhat younger
+than her friend, somewhat shorter, and a great deal
+fatter. She had the same air of reliance upon her
+individual worth that characterized Mrs. Lecks, but
+there was a certain geniality about her which indicated
+that she would have a good deal of forbearance
+for those who never had had the opportunity or the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_3">[3]</span>
+ability of becoming the thoroughly good housewife
+which she was herself.</p>
+
+<p>These two worthy dames spent the greater part of
+their time on deck, where they always sat together in
+a place at the stern of the vessel which was well sheltered
+from wind and weather. As they sat thus they
+were generally employed in knitting, although this
+occupation did not prevent them from keeping up
+what seemed to me, as I passed them in my walks
+about the deck, a continuous conversation. From
+a question which Mrs. Lecks once asked me about a
+distant sail, our acquaintance began. There was no
+one on board for whose society I particularly cared,
+and as there was something quaint and odd about
+these countrywomen on the ocean which interested
+me, I was glad to vary my solitary promenades by an
+occasional chat with them. They were not at all
+backward in giving me information about themselves.
+They were both widows, and Mrs. Aleshine was going
+out to Japan to visit a son who had a position there
+in a mercantile house. Mrs. Lecks had no children,
+and was accompanying her friend because, as she
+said, she would not allow Mrs. Aleshine to make such
+a voyage as that by herself, and because, being quite
+able to do so, she did not know why she should not
+see the world as well as other people.</p>
+
+<p>These two friends were not educated women. They
+made frequent mistakes in their grammar, and a good
+deal of Middle States provincialism showed itself in
+their pronunciation and expressions. But although
+they brought many of their rural ideas to sea with
+them, they possessed a large share of that common<span class="pagenum" id="Page_4">[4]</span>
+sense which is available anywhere, and they frequently
+made use of it in a manner which was very
+amusing to me. I think, also, that they found in me
+a quarry of information concerning nautical matters,
+foreign countries, and my own affairs, the working of
+which helped to make us very good ship friends.</p>
+
+<p>Our steamer touched at the Sandwich Islands; and
+it was a little more than two days after we left Honolulu
+that, about nine o'clock in the evening, we had
+the misfortune to come into collision with an eastern-bound
+vessel. The fault was entirely due to the other
+ship, the lookout on which, although the night was
+rather dark and foggy, could easily have seen our
+lights in time to avoid collision, if he had not been
+asleep or absent from his post. Be this as it may,
+this vessel, which appeared to be a small steamer,
+struck us with great force near our bows, and then,
+backing, disappeared into the fog, and we never saw
+or heard of her again. The general opinion was that
+she was injured very much more than we were, and
+that she probably sank not very long after the accident;
+for when the fog cleared away, about an hour
+afterward, nothing could be seen of her lights.</p>
+
+<p>As it usually happens on occasions of accidents at
+sea, the damage to our vessel was at first reported to
+be slight; but it was soon discovered that our injuries
+were serious and, indeed, disastrous. The hull of our
+steamer had been badly shattered on the port bow,
+and the water came in at a most alarming rate. For
+nearly two hours the crew and many of the passengers
+worked at the pumps, and everything possible was
+done to stop the enormous leak; but all labor to save<span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">[5]</span>
+the vessel was found to be utterly unavailing, and a
+little before midnight the captain announced that it
+was impossible to keep the steamer afloat, and that we
+must all take to the boats. The night was now clear,
+the stars were bright, and, as there was but little
+wind, the sea was comparatively smooth. With all
+these advantages, the captain assured us that there
+was no reason to apprehend danger, and he thought
+that by noon of the following day we could easily
+make a small inhabited island, where we could be
+sheltered and cared for until we should be taken off
+by some passing vessel.</p>
+
+<p>There was plenty of time for all necessary preparations,
+and these were made with much order and
+subordination. Some of the ladies among the cabin
+passengers were greatly frightened, and inclined to
+be hysterical. There were pale faces also among the
+gentlemen. But everybody obeyed the captain's
+orders, and all prepared themselves for the transfer
+to the boats. The first officer came among us, and
+told each of us what boats we were to take, and where
+we were to place ourselves on deck. I was assigned to
+a large boat which was to be principally occupied by
+steerage passengers; and as I came up from my stateroom,
+where I had gone to secure my money and some
+portable valuables, I met on the companionway Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, who expressed considerable
+dissatisfaction when they found that I was not going
+in the boat with them. They, however, hurried below,
+and I went on deck, where in about ten minutes I was
+joined by Mrs. Lecks, who apparently had been looking
+for me. She told me she had something very<span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">[6]</span>
+particular to say to me, and conducted me toward the
+stern of the vessel, where, behind one of the deck-houses,
+we found Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp82" id="i_006" style="max-width: 58.25em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_006.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;DO YOU SEE THAT BOAT THERE?&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>"Look here," said Mrs. Lecks, leading me to the
+rail, and pointing downward; "do you see that boat
+there? It has been let down, and there is nobody in
+it. The boat on the other side has just gone off, full
+to the brim. I never saw so many people crowded
+into a boat. The other ones will be just as packed, I
+expect. I don't see why we shouldn't take this empty
+boat, now we've got a chance, instead of squeezin'
+ourselves into those crowded ones. If any of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">[7]</span>
+other people come afterward, why, we shall have our
+choice of seats, and that's considerable of a p'int, I
+should say, in a time like this."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "and me and Mrs.
+Lecks would 'a' got right in when we saw the boat
+was empty, if we hadn't been afraid to be there without
+any man, for it might have floated off, and neither
+of us don't know nothin' about rowin'. And then Mrs.
+Lecks she thought of you, supposin' a young man who
+knew so much about the sea would know how to row."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, yes," said I; "but I cannot imagine why this
+boat should have been left empty. I see a keg of
+water in it, and the oars, and some tin cans, and so I
+suppose it has been made ready for somebody. Will
+you wait here a minute until I run forward and see
+how things are going on there?"</p>
+
+<p>Amidships and forward I saw that there was some
+confusion among the people who were not yet in their
+boats, and I found that there was to be rather more
+crowding than at first was expected. People who had
+supposed that they were to go in a certain boat found
+there no place, and were hurrying to other boats. It
+now became plain to me that no time should be lost
+in getting into the small boat which Mrs. Lecks had
+pointed out, and which was probably reserved for
+some favored persons, as the officers were keeping the
+people forward and amidships, the other stern-boat
+having already departed. But as I acknowledged no
+reason why any one should be regarded with more
+favor than myself and the two women who were
+waiting for me, I slipped quietly aft, and joined Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">[8]</span></p>
+
+<p>"We must get in as soon as we can," said I, in a
+low voice, "for this boat may be discovered, and then
+there will be a rush for it. I suspect it may have been
+reserved for the captain and some of the officers, but
+we have as much right in it as they."</p>
+
+<p>"And more too," replied Mrs. Lecks; "for we had
+nothin' to do with the steerin' and smashin'."</p>
+
+<p>"But how are we goin' to get down there?" said
+Mrs. Aleshine. "There's no steps."</p>
+
+<p>"That is true," said I. "I shouldn't wonder if this
+boat is to be taken forward when the others are filled.
+We must scramble down as well as we can by the
+tackle at the bow and stern. I'll get in first and
+keep her close to the ship's side."</p>
+
+<p>"That's goin' to be a scratchy business," said Mrs.
+Lecks, "and I'm of the opinion we ought to wait till
+the ship has sunk a little more, so we'll be nearer to
+the boat."</p>
+
+<p>"It won't do to wait," said I, "or we shall not get
+in it at all."</p>
+
+<p>"And goodness gracious!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine,
+"I can't stand here and feel the ship sinkin'
+cold-blooded under me, till we've got where we can
+make an easy jump!"</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, then," said Mrs. Lecks, "we won't wait.
+But the first thing to be done is for each one of us to
+put on one of these life-preservers. Two of them I
+brought from Mrs. Aleshine's and my cabin, and the
+other one I got next door, where the people had gone
+off and left it on the floor. I thought if anythin'
+happened on the way to the island, these would give
+us a chance to look about us; but it seems to me<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">[9]</span>
+we'll need 'em more gettin' down them ropes than
+anywhere else. I did intend puttin' on two myself to
+make up for Mrs. Aleshine's fat; but you must wear
+one of 'em, sir, now that you are goin' to join the party."</p>
+
+<p>As I knew that two life-preservers would not be
+needed by Mrs. Lecks, and would greatly inconvenience
+her, I accepted the one offered me, but declined
+to put it on until it should be necessary, as it would
+interfere with my movements.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," said Mrs. Lecks, "if you think you
+are safe in gettin' down without it. But Mrs. Aleshine
+and me will put ours on before we begin sailor-scramblin'.
+We know how to do it, for we tried 'em
+on soon after we started from San Francisco. And
+now, Barb'ry Aleshine, are you sure you've got everythin'
+you want? for it'll be no use thinkin' about
+anythin' you've forgot after the ship has sunk out of
+sight."</p>
+
+<p>"There's nothin' else I can think of," said Mrs.
+Aleshine; "at least, nothin' I can carry; and so I suppose
+we may as well begin, for your talk of the ship
+sinkin' under our feet gives me a sort o' feelin' like an
+oyster creepin' up and down my back."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks looked over the side at the boat, into
+which I had already descended. "I'll go first, Barb'ry
+Aleshine," said she, "and show you how."</p>
+
+<p>The sea was quiet, and the steamer had already
+sunk so much that Mrs. Lecks's voice sounded frightfully
+near me, although she spoke in a low tone.</p>
+
+<p>"Watch me," said she to her companion. "I'm
+goin' to do just as he did, and you must follow in the
+same way."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">[10]</span></p>
+
+<p>So saying, she stepped on a bench by the rail; then,
+with one foot on the rail itself, she seized the ropes
+which hung from one of the davits to the bow of the
+boat. She looked down for a moment, and then she
+drew back.</p>
+
+<p>"It's no use," she said. "We must wait until she
+sinks more, and I can get in easier."</p>
+
+<p>This remark made me feel nervous. I did not know
+at what moment there might be a rush for this boat,
+nor when, indeed, the steamer might go down. The
+boat amidships on our side had rowed away some
+minutes before, and through the darkness I could
+distinguish another boat, near the bows, pushing off.
+It would be too late now for us to try to get into any
+other boat, and I did not feel that there was time
+enough for me to take this one to a place where the
+two women could more easily descend to her. Standing
+upright, I urged them not to delay.</p>
+
+<p>"You see," said I, "I can reach you as soon as you
+swing yourself off the ropes, and I'll help you down."</p>
+
+<p>"If you're sure you can keep us from comin' down
+too sudden, we'll try it," said Mrs. Lecks; "but I'd
+as soon be drowned as to get to an island with a broken
+leg. And as to Mrs. Aleshine, if she was to slip she'd
+go slam through that boat to the bottom of the sea.
+Now, then, be ready! I'm comin' down."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">[11]</span></p>
+
+<figure class="figright illowp22" id="i_011" style="max-width: 14.8125em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_011.png" alt="Getting into a lifeboat">
+</figure>
+
+<p>So saying, she swung herself off, and she was then so near me that I
+was able to seize her and make the rest of her descent comparatively
+easy. Mrs. Aleshine proved to be a more difficult subject. Even after I
+had a firm grasp of her capacious waist she refused to let go the ropes,
+for fear that she might drop into the ocean instead of the boat. But the
+reproaches of Mrs. Lecks and the downward weight of myself made her
+loosen her nervous grip; and, although we came very near going overboard
+together, I safely placed her on one of the thwarts.</p>
+
+<p>I now unhooked the tackle from the stern; but before casting off at the
+bow I hesitated, for I did not wish to desert any of those who might be
+expecting to embark in this boat. But I could hear not approaching
+footsteps, and from my position, close to the side of the steamer, I
+could see nothing. Therefore I cast off, and, taking the oars, I pushed
+away and rowed to a little distance, where I could get whatever view was
+possible of the deck of the steamer. Seeing no forms moving about, I
+called out, and, receiving no answer, I shouted again at the top of my
+voice. I waited for nearly a minute, and, hearing nothing and seeing
+nothing, I became convinced that no one was left on the vessel.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">[12]</span></p>
+
+<p>"They are all gone," said I, "and we will pull after
+them as fast as we can."</p>
+
+<p>And I began to row toward the bow of the steamer,
+in the direction which the other boats had taken.</p>
+
+<p>"It's a good thing you can row," said Mrs. Lecks,
+settling herself comfortably in the stern-sheets, "for
+what Mrs. Aleshine and me would ha' done with them
+oars I am sure I don't know."</p>
+
+<p>"I'd never have got into this boat," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"if Mr. Craig hadn't been here."</p>
+
+<p>"No, indeed," replied her friend. "You'd ha' gone
+to the bottom, hangin' for dear life to them ropes."</p>
+
+<p>When I had rounded the bow of the steamer, which
+appeared to me to be rapidly settling in the water, I
+perceived at no great distance several lights, which of
+course belonged to the other boats, and I rowed as
+hard as I could, hoping to catch up with them, or at
+least to keep sufficiently near. It might be my duty
+to take off some of the people who had crowded into
+the other boats, probably supposing that this one had
+been loaded and gone. How such a mistake could
+have taken place I could not divine, and it was not
+my business to do so. Quite certain that no one was
+left on the sinking steamer, all I had to do was to row
+after the other boats, and to overtake them as soon
+as possible. I thought it would not take me very long
+to do this, but after rowing for half an hour, Mrs.
+Aleshine remarked that the lights seemed as far off,
+if not farther, than when we first started after them.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">[13]</span>
+Turning, I saw that this was the case, and was greatly
+surprised. With only two passengers I ought soon
+to have come up with those heavily laden boats. But
+after I had thought over it a little, I considered that
+as each of them was probably pulled by half a dozen
+stout sailors, it was not so very strange that they
+should make as good or better headway than I did.</p>
+
+<p>It was not very long after this that Mrs. Lecks said
+that she thought that the lights on the other boats
+must be going out, and that this, most probably, was
+due to the fact that the sailors had forgotten to fill
+their lanterns before they started. "That sort of
+thing often happens," she said, "when people leave a
+place in a hurry."</p>
+
+<p>But when I turned around, and peered over the
+dark waters, it was quite plain to me that it was not
+want of oil, but increased distance, which made those
+lights so dim. I could now perceive but three of them,
+and as the surface was agitated only by a gentle swell,
+I could not suppose that any of them were hidden
+from our view by waves. We were being left behind,
+that was certain, and all I could do was to row on as
+long and as well as I could in the direction which the
+other boats had taken. I had been used to rowing,
+and thought I pulled a good oar, and I certainly did
+not expect to be left behind in this way.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't believe this boat has been emptied out
+since the last rain," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for my feet
+are wet, though I didn't notice it before."</p>
+
+<p>At this I shipped my oars, and began to examine
+the boat. The bottom was covered with a movable
+floor of slats, and as I put my hand down I could feel<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">[14]</span>
+the water welling up between the slats. The flooring
+was in sections, and lifting the one beneath me, I felt
+under it, and put my hand into six or eight inches of
+water.</p>
+
+<p>The exact state of the case was now as plain to me
+as if it had been posted up on a bulletin-board. This
+boat had been found to be unseaworthy, and its use
+had been forbidden, all the people having been crowded
+into the others. This had caused confusion at the last
+moment, and, of course, we were supposed to be on
+some one of the other boats.</p>
+
+<p>And now here was I, in the middle of the Pacific
+Ocean, in a leaky boat, with two middle-aged women!</p>
+
+<p>"Anythin' the matter with the floor!" asked Mrs.
+Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>I let the section fall back into its place, and looked
+aft. By the starlight I could see that my two companions
+had each fixed upon me a steadfast gaze.
+They evidently felt that something was the matter,
+and wanted to know what it was. I did not hesitate
+for a moment to inform them. They appeared to me
+to be women whom it would be neither advisable nor
+possible to deceive in a case like this.</p>
+
+<p>"This boat has a leak in it," I said. "There is a lot
+of water in her already, and that is the reason we have
+got along so slowly."</p>
+
+<p>"And that is why," said Mrs. Aleshine, "it was left
+empty. We ought to have known better than to expect
+to have a whole boat just for three of us. It
+would have been much more sensible, I think, if we
+had tried to squeeze into one of the others."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "don't<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">[15]</span>
+you begin findin' fault with good fortune, when it
+comes to you. Here we've got a comfortable boat,
+with room enough to set easy and stretch out if we
+want to. If the water is comin' in, what we've got to
+do is to get it out again just as fast as we can. What's
+the best way to do that, Mr. Craig?"</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_015" style="max-width: 50em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_015.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;WE WILL PULL AFTER THEM.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>"We must bail her out, and lose no time about it,"
+said I. "If I can find the leak I may be able to stop
+it."</p>
+
+<p>I now looked about for something to bail with, and
+the two women aided actively in the search. I found
+one leather scoop in the bow; but as it was well that
+we should all go to work, I took two tin cans that had
+been put in by some one who had begun to provision
+the boat, and proceeded to cut the tops from them
+with my jack-knife.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't lose what's in 'em," said Mrs. Lecks; "that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">[16]</span>
+is, if it's anythin' we'd be likely to want to eat. If
+it's tomatoes, pour it into the sea, for nobody ought
+to eat tomatoes put up in tins."</p>
+
+<p>I hastily passed the cans to Mrs. Lecks, and I saw
+her empty the contents of one into the sea, and those
+of the other on a newspaper which she took from her
+pocket and placed in the stern.</p>
+
+<p>I pulled up the movable floor and threw it overboard,
+and then began to bail.</p>
+
+<p>"I thought," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that they always
+had pumps for leaks."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "just
+gether yourself up on one of them seats, and go to
+work. The less talkin' we do, and the more scoopin',
+the better it'll be for us."</p>
+
+<p>I soon perceived that it would have been difficult to
+find two more valuable assistants in the bailing of a
+boat than Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine. They were
+evidently used to work, and were able to accommodate
+themselves to the unusual circumstances in which they
+were placed. We threw out the water very rapidly,
+and every little while I stopped bailing and felt about
+to see if I could discover where it came in. As these
+attempts met with no success, I gave them up after a
+time, and set about bailing with new vigor, believing
+that if we could get the boat nearly dry I should
+surely be able to find the leak.</p>
+
+<p>But, after working half an hour more, I found that
+the job would be a long one; and if we all worked
+at once we would all be tired out at once, and that
+might be disastrous. Therefore I proposed that we
+should take turns in resting, and Mrs. Aleshine was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">[17]</span>
+ordered to stop work for a time. After this Mrs.
+Lecks took a rest, and when she went to work I
+stopped bailing and began again to search for the
+leak.</p>
+
+<p>For about two hours we worked in this way, and
+then I concluded it was useless to continue any longer
+this vain exertion. With three of us bailing we were
+able to keep the water at the level we first found it;
+but with only two at work, it slightly gained upon us,
+so that now there was more water in the boat than
+when we first discovered it. The boat was an iron
+one, and the leak in it I could neither find nor remedy.
+It had probably been caused by the warping of the
+metal under a hot sun, an accident which, I am told,
+frequently occurs to iron boats. The little craft,
+which would have been a life-boat had its air-boxes
+remained intact, was now probably leaking from stem
+to stern; and in searching for the leak without the
+protection of the flooring, my weight had doubtless
+assisted in opening the seams, for it was quite plain
+that the water was now coming in more rapidly than
+it did at first. We were very tired, and even Mrs.
+Lecks, who had all along counseled us to keep at work,
+and not to waste one breath in talking, now admitted
+that it was of no use to try to get the water out of
+that boat.</p>
+
+<p>It had been some hours since I had used the oars,
+but whether we had drifted, or remained where we
+were when I stopped rowing, of course I could not
+know; but this mattered very little; our boat was
+slowly sinking beneath us, and it could make no
+difference whether we went down in one spot or an<span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">[18]</span>
+other. I sat and racked my brain to think what
+could be done in this fearful emergency. To bail any
+longer was useless labor, and what else was there that
+we could do?</p>
+
+<p>"When will it be time," asked Mrs. Lecks, "for us
+to put on the life-preservers? When the water gets
+nearly to the seats?"</p>
+
+<p>I answered that we should not wait any longer than
+that, but in my own mind I could not see any advantage
+in putting them on at all. Why should we wish
+to lengthen our lives by a few hours of helpless floating
+upon the ocean?</p>
+
+<p>"Very good," said Mrs. Lecks; "I'll keep a watch
+on the water. One of them cans was filled with lobster,
+which would be more than likely to disagree
+with us, and I've throwed it out; but the other had
+baked beans in it, and the best thing we can do is to
+eat some of these right away. They are mighty
+nourishin', and will keep up strength as well as anythin',
+and then, as you said there's a keg of water in
+the boat, we can all take a drink of that, and it'll
+make us feel like new cre'tur's. You'll have to take
+the beans in your hands, for we've got no spoons nor
+forks."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine were each curled up
+out of reach of the water, the first in the stern, and
+the other on the aft thwart. The day was now beginning
+to break, and we could see about us very distinctly.
+Before reaching out her hands to receive
+her beans, Mrs. Aleshine washed them in the water in
+the boat, remarking at the same time that she might
+as well make use of it since it was there. Having<span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">[19]</span>
+then wiped her hands on some part of her apparel,
+they were filled with beans from the newspaper held
+by Mrs. Lecks, and these were passed over to me. I
+was very hungry, and when I had finished my beans
+I agreed with my companions that although they
+would have been a great deal better if heated up with
+butter, pepper, and salt, they were very comforting
+as they were. One of the empty cans was now passed
+to me, and after having been asked by Mrs. Lecks to
+rinse it out very carefully, we all satisfied our taste
+from the water in the keg.</p>
+
+<p>"Cold baked beans and lukewarm water ain't exactly
+company vittles," said Mrs. Aleshine, "but there's
+many a poor wretch would be glad to get 'em."</p>
+
+<p>I could not imagine any poor wretch who would be
+glad of the food together with the attending circumstances;
+but I did not say so.</p>
+
+<p>"The water is just one finger from the bottom of
+the seat," said Mrs. Lecks, who had been stooping
+over to measure, "and it's time to put on the life-preservers."</p>
+
+<p>"Very good," said Mrs. Aleshine; "hand me mine."</p>
+
+<p>Each of us now buckled on a life-preserver, and as
+I did so I stood up upon a thwart and looked about
+me. It was quite light now, and I could see for a
+long distance over the surface of the ocean, which
+was gently rolling in wide, smooth swells. As we
+rose upon the summit of one of these I saw a dark
+spot upon the water, just on the edge of our near
+horizon, "Is that the steamer?" I thought; "and
+has she not yet sunk?"</p>
+
+<p>At this there came to me a glimmering of courageous<span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">[20]</span>
+hope. If the steamer had remained afloat so long,
+it was probable that on account of water-tight compartments,
+or for some other reason, her sinking had
+reached its limit, and that if we could get back to her
+we might be saved. But, alas, how were we to get
+back to her? This boat would sink long, long before
+I could row that distance.</p>
+
+<p>However, I soon proclaimed the news to my companions,
+whereupon Mrs. Aleshine prepared to stand
+upon a thwart and see for herself. But Mrs. Lecks
+restrained her.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't make things worse, Barb'ry Aleshine," said
+she, "by tumblin' overboard. If we've got to go into
+the water, let us do it decently and in order. If that's
+the ship, Mr. Craig, don't you suppose we can float
+ourselves to it in some way?"</p>
+
+<p>I replied that by the help of a life-preserver a person
+who could swim might reach the ship.</p>
+
+<p>"But neither of us can swim," said Mrs. Lecks, "for
+we've lived where the water was never more'n a foot
+deep, except in time of freshets, when there's no
+swimmin' for man or beast. But if we see you swim,
+perhaps we can follow, after a fashion. At any rate,
+we must do the best we can, and that's all there is to
+be done."</p>
+
+<p>"The water now," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "is so
+near to the bottom of my seat that I've got to stand
+up, tumble overboard or no."</p>
+
+<p>"All right," remarked Mrs. Lecks; "we'd better
+all stand up, and let the boat sink under us. That
+will save our jumpin' overboard, or rollin' out any
+which way, which might be awkward."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">[21]</span></p>
+
+<p>"Goodness gracious me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine.
+"You set the oysters creepin' over me again!
+First you talk of the ship sinkin' under us, and now
+it's the boat goin' to the bottom under our feet. Before
+any sinkin' 's to be done I'd ruther get out."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "stand
+up straight, and don't talk so much. It'll be a great
+deal better to be let down gradual than to flop into
+the water all of a bunch."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," said Mrs. Aleshine; "it may be best
+to get used to it by degrees; but I must say I wish I
+was home."</p>
+
+<p>As for me, I would have much preferred to jump
+overboard at once, instead of waiting in this cold-blooded
+manner; but as my companions had so far
+preserved their presence of mind, I did not wish to do
+anything which might throw them into a panic. I
+believed there would be no danger from the suction
+caused by the sinking of a small boat like this, and if
+we took care not to entangle ourselves with it in any
+way, we might as well follow Mrs. Lecks's advice as
+not. So we all stood up, Mrs. Lecks in the stern, I
+in the bow, and Mrs. Aleshine on a thwart between
+us. The last did not appear to have quite room
+enough for a steady footing, but, as she remarked, it
+did not matter very much, as the footing, broad or
+narrow, would not be there very long.</p>
+
+<p>I am used to swimming, and have never hesitated
+to take a plunge into river or ocean, but I must admit
+that it was very trying to my nerves to stand up this
+way and wait for a boat to sink beneath me. How
+the two women were affected I do not know. They<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">[22]</span>
+said nothing, but their faces indicated that something
+disagreeable was about to happen, and that the less
+that was said about it the better.</p>
+
+<p>The boat had now sunk so much that the water
+was around Mrs. Aleshine's feet, her standing-place
+being rather lower than ours. I made myself certain
+that there were no ropes nor any other means of entanglement
+near my companions or myself, and then
+I waited. There seemed to be a good deal of buoyancy
+in the bow and stern of the boat, and it was a
+frightfully long time in sinking. The suspense became
+so utterly unendurable that I was tempted to
+put one foot on the edge of the boat, and, by tipping
+it, put an end to this nerve-rack; but I refrained, for
+I probably would throw the women off their balance,
+when they might fall against some part of the boat,
+and do themselves a hurt. I had just relinquished
+this intention, when two little waves seemed to rise
+one on each side of Mrs. Aleshine, and gently flowing
+over the side of the boat, they flooded her feet with
+water.</p>
+
+<p>"Hold your breaths!" I shouted. And now I experienced
+a sensation which must have been very like
+that which comes to a condemned criminal at the first
+indication of the pulling of the drop. Then there
+was a horrible sinking, a gurgle, and a swash, and the
+ocean over which I had been gazing appeared to rise
+up and envelop me.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">[23]</span></p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp49" id="i_023" style="max-width: 35.0625em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_023.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;STAND UP STRAIGHT, AND DONT TALK SO MUCH.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>In a moment, however, my head was out of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24"></span><span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">[25]</span>
+water, and, looking hastily about me, I saw, close by,
+the heads and shoulders of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.
+The latter was vigorously winking her eyes
+and blowing from her mouth some sea-water that had
+got into it; but as soon as her eyes fell upon me she
+exclaimed: "That was ever so much more suddint
+than I thought it was goin'
+to be!"</p>
+
+<figure class="figright illowp75" id="i_024" style="max-width: 28.125em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_024.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;VIGOROUSLY WINKING AND BLOWING.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>"Are you both all right?"</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose I am," said
+Mrs. Aleshine, "but I never
+thought that a person with
+a life-preserver on would go
+clean under the water."</p>
+
+<p>"But since you've come
+up again, you ought to be
+satisfied," said Mrs. Lecks.
+"And now," she added,
+turning her face toward me, "which way ought we
+to try to swim? and have we got everythin' we want
+to take with us?"</p>
+
+<p>"What we haven't got we can't get," remarked
+Mrs. Aleshine; "and as for swimmin', I expect I'm
+goin' to make a poor hand at it."</p>
+
+<p>I had a hope, which was not quite strong enough to
+be a belief, that, supported by their life-preservers,
+the two women might paddle themselves along; and
+that, by giving them in turn a helping hand, I might
+eventually get them to the steamer. There was a
+strong probability that I would not succeed, but I
+did not care to think of that.</p>
+
+<p>I now swam in front of my companions, and endeavored
+to instruct them in the best method of propelling
+themselves with their arms and their hands.
+If they succeeded in this, I thought I would give them
+some further lessons in striking out with their feet.
+After watching me attentively, Mrs. Lecks did manage
+to move herself slowly through the smooth water,
+but poor Mrs. Aleshine could do nothing but splash.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">[26]</span></p>
+
+<p>"If there was anythin' to take hold of," she said to
+me, "I might get along; but I can't get any grip on
+the water, though you seem to do it well enough.
+Look there!" she added in a higher voice. "Isn't
+that an oar floatin' over there? If you can get that
+for me, I believe I can row myself much better than
+I can swim."</p>
+
+<p>This seemed an odd idea, but I swam over to the
+floating oar, and brought it her. I was about to
+show her how she could best use it, but she declined
+my advice.</p>
+
+<p>"If I do it at all," she said, "I must do it in my own
+way." And taking the oar in her strong hands, she
+began to ply it on the water very much in the way in
+which she would handle a broom. At first she dipped
+the blade too deeply, but, correcting this error, she
+soon began to paddle herself along at a slow but
+steady rate.</p>
+
+<p>"Capital!" I cried. "You do that admirably!"</p>
+
+<p>"Anybody who's swept as many rooms as I have,"
+she said, "ought to be able to handle anythin' that
+can be used like a broom."</p>
+
+<p>"Isn't there another oar?" cried Mrs. Lecks, who
+had now been left a little distance behind us. "If
+there is, I want one."</p>
+
+<p>Looking about me, I soon discovered another floating
+oar, and brought it to Mrs. Lecks, who, after
+holding it in various positions, so as to get "the hang<span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">[27]</span>
+of it," as she said, soon began to use it with as much
+skill as that shown by her friend. If either of them
+had been obliged to use an oar in the ordinary way, I
+fear they would have had a bad time of it; but, considering
+the implement in the light of a broom, its
+use immediately became familiar to them, and they
+got on remarkably well.</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp65" id="i_027" style="max-width: 43.5625em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_027.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;THEY GOT ON REMARKABLY WELL.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">[28]</span></p>
+
+<p>I now took a position a little in advance of my
+companions, and as I swam slowly they were easily
+able to keep up with me. Mrs. Aleshine, being so
+stout, floated much higher out of the water than either
+Mrs. Lecks or I, and this permitted her to use her oar
+with a great deal of freedom. Sometimes she would
+give such a vigorous brush to the water that she
+would turn herself almost entirely around, but after
+a little practice she learned to avoid undue efforts
+of this kind.</p>
+
+<p>I was not positively sure that we were going in the
+right direction, for my position did not allow me to
+see very far over the water; but I remembered that
+when I was standing up in the boat, and made my
+discovery, the sun was just about to rise in front of
+me, while the dark spot on the ocean lay to my left.
+Judging, therefore, from the present position of the
+sun, which was not very high, I concluded that we
+were moving toward the north, and therefore in the
+right direction. How far off the steamer might be I
+had no idea, for I was not accustomed to judging
+distances at sea; but I believed that if we were careful
+of our strength, and if the ocean continued as
+smooth as it now was, we might eventually reach the
+vessel, provided she were yet afloat.</p>
+
+<p>"After you are fairly in the water," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+as she swept along, although without the velocity
+which that phrase usually implies, "it isn't half so
+bad as I thought it would be. For one thing, it don't
+feel a bit salt, although I must say it tasted horribly
+that way when I first went into it."</p>
+
+<p>"You didn't expect to find pickle-brine, did you?"<span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">[29]</span>
+said Mrs. Lecks. "Though, if it was, I suppose we
+could float on it settin'."</p>
+
+<p>"And as to bein' cold," said Mrs. Aleshine, "the
+part of me that's in is actually more comfortable than
+that which is out."</p>
+
+<p>"There's one thing I would have been afraid of,"
+said Mrs. Lecks, "if we hadn't made preparations for
+it, and that's sharks."</p>
+
+<p>"Preparations!" I exclaimed. "How in the world
+did you prepare for sharks?"</p>
+
+<p>"Easy enough," said Mrs. Lecks. "When we went
+down into our room to get ready to go away in the
+boats we both put on black stockin's. I've read that
+sharks never bite colored people, although if they see
+a white man in the water they'll snap him up as quick
+as lightnin'; and black stockin's was the nearest we
+could come to it. You see, I thought as like as not
+we'd have some sort of an upset before we got
+through."</p>
+
+<p>"It's a great comfort," remarked Mrs. Aleshine,
+"and I'm very glad you thought of it, Mrs. Lecks.
+After this I shall make it a rule: Black stockin's for
+sharks."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose in your case," said Mrs. Lecks, addressing
+me, "dark trousers will do as well."</p>
+
+<p>To which I answered that I sincerely hoped they would.</p>
+
+<p>"Another thing I'm thankful for," said Mrs. Aleshine, "is that I thought to put on a flannel skeert."</p>
+
+<p>"And what's the good of it," said Mrs. Lecks, "when it's soppin' wet?"</p>
+
+<p>"Flannel's flannel," replied her friend, "whether<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">[30]</span>
+it's wet or dry; and if you'd had the rheumatism as
+much as I have, you'd know it."</p>
+
+<p>To this Mrs. Lecks replied with a sniff, and asked
+me how soon I thought we would get sight of the
+ship; for if we were going the wrong way, and had to
+turn round and go back, it would certainly be very
+provoking.</p>
+
+<p>I should have been happy indeed to be able to give
+a satisfactory answer to this question. Every time
+that we rose upon a swell I threw a rapid glance
+around the whole circle of the horizon; and at last,
+not a quarter of an hour after Mrs. Lecks's question,
+I was rejoiced to see, almost in the direction in which
+I supposed it ought to be, the dark spot which I had
+before discovered. I shouted the glad news, and as
+we rose again my companions strained their eyes in
+the direction to which I pointed. They both saw it,
+and were greatly satisfied.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, then," said Mrs. Aleshine, "it seems as if
+there was somethin' to work for"; and she began to
+sweep her oar with great vigor.</p>
+
+<p>"If you want to tire yourself out before you get
+there, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "you'd
+better go on in that way. Now what I advise is
+that we stop rowin' altogether, and have somethin'
+to eat; for I'm sure we need it to keep up our
+strength."</p>
+
+<p>"Eat!" I cried. "What are you going to eat? Do
+you expect to catch fish?"</p>
+
+<p>"And eat 'em raw?" said Mrs. Lecks. "I should
+think not. But do you suppose, Mr. Craig, that Mrs.
+Aleshine and me would go off and leave that ship<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">[31]</span>
+without takin' somethin' to eat by the way? Let's
+all gether here in a bunch, and see what sort of a
+meal we can make. And now, Barb'ry Aleshine,
+if you lay your oar down there on the water, I
+recommend you to tie it to one of your bonnet-strings,
+or it'll be floatin' away, and you won't get
+it again."</p>
+
+<p>As she said this, Mrs. Lecks put her right hand
+down into the water, and fumbled about, apparently
+in search of a pocket. I could not but smile as I
+thought of the condition of food when, for an hour
+or more, it had been a couple of feet under the
+surface of the ocean; but my ideas on the subject
+were entirely changed when I saw Mrs. Lecks hold
+up in the air two German sausages, and shake the
+briny drops from their smooth and glittering surfaces.</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_031" style="max-width: 56.25em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_031.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;&#39;THERE&#39;S NOTHIN&#39; LIKE SAUSAGES FOR SHIPWRECK.&#39;&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>"There's nothin'," she said, "like sausages for
+shipwreck and that kind o' thing. They're very sustainin',
+and bein' covered with a tight skin, water can't<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">[32]</span>
+get at 'em, no matter how you carry 'em. I wouldn't
+bring these out in the boat, because, havin' the beans,
+we might as well eat them. Have you a knife about
+you, Mr. Craig?"</p>
+
+<p>I produced a dripping jack-knife, and after the open
+blade had been waved in the air to dry it a little, Mrs.
+Lecks proceeded to divide one of the sausages, handing
+the other to me to hold meanwhile.</p>
+
+<p>"Now don't go eatin' sausages without bread, if
+you don't want 'em to give you dyspepsy," said
+Mrs. Aleshine, who was tugging at a submarine
+pocket.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm very much afraid your bread is all soaked,"
+said Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>To which her friend replied that that remained to
+be seen, and forthwith produced, with a splash, a glass
+preserve-jar with a metal top.</p>
+
+<p>"I saw this nearly empty, as I looked into the ship's
+pantry, and I stuffed into it all the soft biscuits it
+would hold. There was some sort of jam left at the
+bottom, so that the one who gets the last biscuit will
+have somethin' of a little spread on it. And now,
+Mrs. Lecks," she continued triumphantly, as she unscrewed
+the top, "that rubber ring has kept 'em as
+dry as chips. I'm mighty glad of it, for I had trouble
+enough gettin' this jar into my pocket, and gettin' it
+out, too, for that matter."</p>
+
+<p>Floating thus, with our hands and shoulders above
+the water, we made a very good meal from the sausages
+and soft biscuit.</p>
+
+<p>"Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, as her friend
+proceeded to cut the second sausage, "don't you lay<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">[33]</span>
+that knife down, when you've done with it, as if
+'t was an oar; for if you do it'll sink, as like as not,
+about six miles. I've read that the ocean is as deep
+as that in some places."</p>
+
+<p>"Goodness gracious me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine,
+"I hope we are not over one of them deep spots."</p>
+
+<p>"There's no knowin'," said Mrs. Lecks, "but if it's
+more comfortin' to think it's shallerer, we'll make up
+our minds that way. Now, then," she continued,
+"we'll finish off this meal with a little somethin' to
+drink. I'm not given to takin' spirits, but I never
+travel without a little whisky, ready mixed with water,
+to take if it should be needed."</p>
+
+<p>So saying, she produced from one of her pockets a
+whisky-flask tightly corked, and of its contents we
+each took a sip, Mrs. Aleshine remarking that, leaving
+out being chilled or colicky, we were never likely to
+need it more than now.</p>
+
+<p>Thus refreshed and strengthened, Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine took up their oars, while I swam slightly
+in advance, as before. When, with occasional intermissions
+of rest, and a good deal of desultory conversation,
+we had swept and swam for about an hour,
+Mrs. Lecks suddenly exclaimed: "I can see that thing
+ever so much plainer now, and I don't believe it's a
+ship at all. To me it looks like bushes."</p>
+
+<p>"You're mighty long-sighted without your specs,"
+said Mrs. Aleshine, "and I'm not sure but what
+you're right."</p>
+
+<p>For ten minutes or more I had been puzzling over
+the shape of the dark spot, which was now nearly all
+the time in sight. Its peculiar form had filled me<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">[34]</span>
+with a dreadful fear that it was the steamer, bottom
+upward, although I knew enough about nautical
+matters to have no good reason to suppose that this
+could be the case. I am not far-sighted, but when
+Mrs. Lecks suggested bushes, I gazed at the distant
+object with totally different ideas, and soon began
+to believe that it was not a ship, either right side up
+or wrong side up, but that it might be an island.
+This belief I proclaimed to my companions, and for
+some time we all worked with increased energy in the
+desire to get near enough to make ourselves certain
+in regard to this point.</p>
+
+<p>"As true as I'm standin' here," said Mrs. Lecks,
+who, although she could not read without spectacles,
+had remarkably good sight at long range, "them is
+trees and bushes that I see before me, though they do
+seem to be growin' right out of the water."</p>
+
+<p>"There's an island under them; you may be sure
+of that!" I cried. "Isn't this ever so much better
+than a sinking ship!"</p>
+
+<p>"I'm not so sure about that," said Mrs. Aleshine.
+"I'm used to the ship, and as long as it didn't
+sink I'd prefer it. There's plenty to eat on board of
+it, and good beds to sleep on, which is more than can
+be expected on a little bushy place like that ahead of
+us. But then, the ship might sink all of a suddint,
+beds, vittles, and all."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you suppose that is the island the other boats
+went to?" asked Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>This question I had already asked of myself. I had
+been told that the island to which the captain intended
+to take his boats lay about thirty miles south of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">[35]</span>
+point where we left the steamer. Now I knew very
+well that we had not come thirty miles, and had reason
+to believe, moreover, that the greater part of the
+progress we had made had been toward the north. It
+was not at all probable that the position of this island
+was unknown to our captain; and it must, therefore,
+have been considered by him as an unsuitable place
+for the landing of his passengers. There might be
+many reasons for this unsuitableness: the island
+might be totally barren and desolate; it might be the
+abode of unpleasant natives; and, more important
+than anything else, it was, in all probability, a spot
+where steamers never touched.</p>
+
+<p>But, whatever its disadvantages, I was most wildly
+desirous to reach it; more so, I believe, than either of
+my companions. I do not mean that they were not
+sensible of their danger, and desirous to be freed from
+it; but they were women who had probably had a rough
+time of it during a great part of their lives, and on
+emerging from their little circle of rural experiences,
+accepted with equanimity, and almost as a matter of
+course, the rough times which come to people in the
+great outside world.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not believe," I said, in answer to Mrs. Lecks,
+"that that is the island to which the captain would
+have taken us; but, whatever it is, it is dry land, and
+we must get there as soon as we can."</p>
+
+<p>"That's true," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for I'd like to
+have ground nearer to my feet than six miles; and if
+we don't find anything to eat and any place to sleep
+when we get there, it's no more than can be said of
+the place where we are now."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">[36]</span></p>
+
+<p>"You're too particular, Barb'ry Aleshine," said
+Mrs. Lecks, "about your comforts. If you find the
+ground too hard to sleep on, when you get there, you
+can put on your life-preserver, and go to bed in the
+water."</p>
+
+<p>"Very good," said Mrs. Aleshine; "and if these
+islands are made of coral, as I've heard they are,
+and if they're as full of small p'ints as some coral
+I've got at home, you'll be glad to take a berth by
+me, Mrs. Lecks."</p>
+
+<p>I counseled my companions to follow me as rapidly
+as possible, and we all pushed vigorously forward.
+When we had approached near enough to the island
+to see what sort of place it really was, we perceived
+that it was a low-lying spot, apparently covered with
+verdure, and surrounded, as far as we could see as
+we rose on the swells, by a rocky reef, against which
+a tolerably high surf was running.</p>
+
+<p>I knew enough of the formation of these coral
+islands to suppose that within this reef was a lagoon
+of smooth water, into which there were openings
+through the rocky barrier. It was necessary
+to try to find one of these, for it would be difficult
+and perhaps dangerous to attempt to land through
+the surf.</p>
+
+<p>Before us we could see a continuous line of white-capped
+breakers, and so I led my little party to the
+right, hoping that we would soon see signs of an
+opening in the reef.</p>
+
+<p>We swam and paddled, however, for a long time,
+and still the surf rolled menacingly on the rocks before
+us. We were now as close to the island as we could<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">[37]</span>
+approach with safety, and I determined to circumnavigate
+it, if necessary, before I would attempt, with
+these two women, to land upon that jagged reef. At
+last we perceived, at no great distance before us, a
+spot where there seemed to be no breakers; and when
+we reached it we found, to our unutterable delight,
+that here was smooth water flowing through a wide
+opening in the reef. The rocks were piled up quite
+high, and the reef, at this point at least, was a wide
+one, but as we neared the opening we found that it
+narrowed very soon, and made a turn to the left,
+so that from the outside we could not see into the
+lagoon.</p>
+
+<p>I swam into this smooth water, followed closely by
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, who, however, soon became
+unable to use their oars, owing to the proximity
+of the rocks. Dropping these useful implements, they
+managed to paddle after me with their hands, and
+they were as much astonished as I was when, just after
+making the slight turn, we found stretched across the
+narrow passage a great iron bar about eight or ten
+inches above the water. A little farther on, and two
+or three feet above the water, another iron bar extended
+from one rocky wall to the other. Without
+uttering a word I examined the lower bar, and found
+one end of it fastened by means of a huge padlock to
+a great staple driven into the rock. The lock was
+securely wrapped in what appeared to be tarred canvas.
+A staple through an eyehole in the bar secured the
+other end of it to the rocks.</p>
+
+<p>"These bars were put here," I exclaimed, "to keep
+out boats, whether at high or low water. You see<span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">[38]</span>
+they can only be thrown out of the way by taking off
+the padlocks."</p>
+
+<p>"They won't keep us out," said Mrs. Lecks, "for
+we can duck under. I suppose whoever put 'em here
+didn't expect anybody to arrive on life-preservers."</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp76" id="i_038" style="max-width: 31.8125em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_038.png" alt="Two sharks looking up at debris">
+</figure>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">[39]</span></p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+<h2 id="PART_II">PART II</h2>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_039" style="max-width: 53.125em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_039.png" alt="Mrs. Aleshine almost disappeared beneath the water">
+</figure>
+
+<p>Adopting Mrs. Lecks's suggestion, I "ducked"
+my head under the bar, and passed to the
+other side of it. Mrs. Lecks, with but little trouble,
+followed my example; but Mrs. Aleshine, who, by
+reason of her stoutness, floated so much higher out
+of the water than her friend and I, found it impossible
+to get herself under the bar. In whatever manner
+she made the attempt, her head or her shoulders
+were sure to bump and arrest her progress.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, who had
+been watching her, "if you ever want to get out of
+this salt water, you've got to make up your mind to
+take some of it into your mouth and into your eyes,
+that is, if you don't keep 'em shut. Get yourself as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">[40]</span>
+close to that bar as you can, and I'll come and put
+you under." So saying, Mrs. Lecks returned to the
+other side of the bar, and having made Mrs. Aleshine
+bow down her head and close her eyes and mouth,
+she placed both hands upon her companion's broad
+shoulders, and threw as much weight as possible upon
+them. Mrs. Aleshine almost disappeared beneath the
+water, but she came up sputtering and blinking on
+the other side of the bar, where she was quickly joined
+by Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"Merciful me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, wiping
+her wet face with her still wetter sleeve, "I never
+supposed the heathens would be up to such tricks as
+makin' us do that!"</p>
+
+<p>I had waited to give any assistance that might be
+required, and, while doing so, had discovered another
+bar under the water, which proved that entrance at
+almost any stage of the tide had been guarded against.
+Warning my companions not to strike their feet
+against this submerged bar, we paddled and pushed
+ourselves around the turn in the rocky passage, and
+emerged into the open lagoon.</p>
+
+<p>This smooth stretch of water, which separated the
+island from its encircling reef, was here about a hundred
+feet wide; and the first thing that arrested our
+attention as we gazed across it was a little wharf or
+landing-stage, erected upon the narrow beach of the
+island, almost opposite to us.</p>
+
+<p>"As sure as I stand here," exclaimed Mrs. Lecks,
+who never seemed to forget her upright position,
+"somebody lives in this place!"</p>
+
+<p>"And it isn't a stickery coral island, either," cried<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">[41]</span>
+Mrs. Aleshine, "for that sand's as smooth as any I
+ever saw."</p>
+
+<p>"Whoever does live here," resumed Mrs. Lecks,
+"has got to take us in, whether they like it or not,
+and the sooner we get over there, the better."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Aleshine now regretted the loss of her oar,
+and suggested that some one of us who could get
+under bars easily should go back after it. But Mrs.
+Lecks would listen to no such proposition.</p>
+
+<p>"Let the oars go," she said. "We won't want 'em
+again, for I'll never leave this place if I have to scoop
+myself out to sea with an oar."</p>
+
+<p>I told the two women that I could easily tow them
+across this narrow piece of water; and instructing
+Mrs. Lecks to take hold of the tail of my coat, while
+Mrs. Aleshine grasped her companion's dress, I began
+to swim slowly toward the beach, towing my companions
+behind me.</p>
+
+<p>"Goodnessful gracious me!" suddenly exclaimed
+Mrs. Aleshine, with a great bounce and a splash,
+"look at the fishes!"</p>
+
+<p>The water in the lagoon was so clear that it was
+almost transparent, and beneath us and around us we
+could see fish, some large and some small, swimming
+about as if they were floating in the air, while down
+below the white sandy bottom seemed to sparkle in
+the sunlight.</p>
+
+<p>"Now don't jerk my skeert off on account of the
+fishes," said Mrs. Lecks. "I expect there was just as
+many outside, though we couldn't see 'em. But I
+must say that this water looks as if it had been boiled
+and filtered."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">[42]</span></p>
+
+<p>If any inhabitant of the island had then been
+standing on the wharf, he would have beheld on the
+surface of the lagoon the peculiar spectacle of a man's
+head surmounted by a wet and misshapen straw hat,
+and followed by two other heads, each wearing a
+dripping and bedraggled bonnet, while beneath,
+among the ripples of the clear water, would have
+been seen the figures belonging to these three heads,
+each dressed in the clothes ordinarily worn on land.</p>
+
+<p>As I swam I could see before me, on the island,
+nothing but a mass of low-growing, tropical vegetation,
+behind which rose some palms and other trees.
+I made for the little wharf, from which steps came
+down into the water, and as soon as we reached it we
+all clambered rapidly up, and stood dripping upon
+the narrow platform, stamping our feet and shaking
+our clothes.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you see that house?" said Mrs. Lecks. "That's
+where they live, and I wonder which way we must go
+to get there."</p>
+
+<p>From this somewhat elevated position I could
+plainly see, over the tops of the bushes and low trees,
+the upper part of the roof of a house. When I found
+the bars across the passage in the reef, I had easily
+come to the conclusion that the inhabitants of this
+island were not savages; and now since I had seen
+the wharf and the roof of this house, I felt quite convinced
+that we had reached the abode of civilized
+beings. They might be pirates or some other sort of
+sea miscreants, but they were certainly not savages or
+cannibals.</p>
+
+<p>Leaving the wharf, we soon found a broad path<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">[43]</span>
+through the bushes, and in a few moments reached a
+wide, open space, in which stood a handsome modern-built
+house. It was constructed after the fashion of
+tropical houses belonging to Europeans, with jalousied
+porches and shaded balconies; the grounds about it
+were neatly laid out, and behind it was a walled inclosure,
+probably a garden.</p>
+
+<p>"Upon my word," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "I'd
+like to be less drippin' before I make a call on genteel
+folks!"</p>
+
+<p>"Genteel folks!" exclaimed Mrs. Lecks, indignantly.
+"If you're too proud to go in as you are, Barb'ry
+Aleshine, you can go set in the sun till you're dry.
+As for me, I'm goin' to ask for the lady of the house,
+and if she don't like me she can lump me, so long as
+she gives me somethin' to eat and a dry bed to get
+into."</p>
+
+<p>I was too much amazed to speak, but my companions
+took everything as a matter of course. They had
+expected to see strange things in the outer world, and
+they were not surprised when they saw them. My
+mind was not capable of understanding the existence
+of an establishment like this on a little island in mid-ocean.
+But it was useless for me to attempt to reason
+on this apparent phenomenon; and, indeed, there was
+no time for it, for Mrs. Lecks walked boldly up to the
+front door and plied the knocker, stepping back immediately,
+so that she might not drip too much water
+on the porch.</p>
+
+<p>"When they come," she said, "we'll ask 'em to let
+us in the back way, so that we sha'n't slop up their
+floors any more than we can help."</p>
+
+<p>We waited for a couple of minutes, and then I, as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">[44]</span>
+the member of the party who dripped the least, went
+up on the porch and knocked again.</p>
+
+<p>"It's my belief they're not at home," said Mrs.
+Lecks, after we had waited some time longer, "but perhaps
+we'll find some of the servants in," and she led
+the way to the back part of the house.</p>
+
+<p>As we passed the side of the mansion I noticed that
+all the window-shutters were closed, and my growing
+belief that the place was deserted became a conviction
+after we had knocked several times at a door at the
+back of the building without receiving any answer.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, they're all gone out, that's certain!" said
+Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and they barred up the entrance to the island
+when they left," I added.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder if there's another house in the neighborhood?"
+asked Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't believe," said I, "that the neighborhood is
+very thickly settled; but if you will wait here a few
+minutes, I will run around this wall and see what
+there is beyond. I may find the huts of some natives
+or work-people."</p>
+
+<p>I followed a path by the side of the garden wall,
+but when I reached the end of the inclosure I could
+see nothing before me but jungle and forest, with
+paths running in several directions. I followed one
+of these, and very soon came out upon an open beach,
+with the reef lying beyond it. From the form of the
+beach and the reef, and from the appearance of things
+generally, I began to think that this was probably a
+very small island, and that the house we had seen
+was the only one on it. I returned and reported this
+belief to my companions.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">[45]</span></p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp48" id="i_045" style="max-width: 36.125em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_045.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;MRS. LECKS WALKED BOLDLY UP TO THE FRONT DOOR AND PLIED THE KNOCKER.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>Now that Mrs. Aleshine had no fear of appearing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">[47]</span><span class="pagenum" id="Page_46"></span>
+in an untidy condition before "genteel folks," her
+manner changed very much. "If the family has gone
+into the country," said she, "or whatever else they've
+done, I want to get into this house as soon as I can.
+I expect we can find something to eat. At any rate,
+we can get ourselves dry, and lay down somewhere
+to rest, for not a wink has one of us slept since night
+before last."</p>
+
+<p>"I should think," said Mrs. Lecks, addressing me,
+"that if you could manage to climb up to them second-story
+windows, you might find one of them that you
+could get in, and then come down and open the door
+for us. Everybody is likely to forget to fasten some
+of the windows on the upper floors. I know it isn't
+right to force our way into other people's houses, but
+there's nothin' else to be done, and there's no need
+of our talkin' about it."</p>
+
+<p>I agreed with her perfectly, and taking off my coat
+and shoes, I climbed up one of the columns of the
+veranda, and got upon its roof. This extended nearly
+the whole length of two sides of the house. I walked<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">[48]</span>
+along it and tried all the shutters, and I soon came to
+one in which some of the movable slats had been broken.</p>
+
+<figure class="figleft illowp27" id="i_048" style="max-width: 11.3125em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_048.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;I CLIMBED UP<br> ONE OF THE COLUMNS.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>Thrusting my hand and arm through the
+aperture thus formed, I unhooked the shutters and
+opened them. The sash was fastened down by one of
+the ordinary contrivances used for such purposes, but
+with the blade of my jack-knife I easily pushed the
+bolt aside, raised the sash, and entered. I found
+myself in a small hall at the head of a flight of stairs
+Down these I hurried, and, groping my way through
+the semi-darkness of the lower story,
+I reached a side door. This was fastened
+by two bolts and a bar, and I
+quickly had it open.</p>
+
+<p>Stepping outside, I called Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said the latter, "I'm sure
+I'll be glad to get in, and as we've
+squeezed most of the water out of
+our clothes, we won't make so much
+of a mess, after all."</p>
+
+<p>We now entered, and I opened one
+of the shutters.</p>
+
+<p>"Let's go right into the kitchen,"
+said Mrs. Lecks, "and make a fire.
+That's the first thing to do."</p>
+
+<p>But Mrs. Lecks soon discovered
+that this mansion was very different
+from a country dwelling in one of
+our Middle States. Externally, and as far as I had
+been able to observe its internal arrangements, it resembled
+the houses built by English residents which
+I had seen in the West Indies. It was a dwelling in
+which modern ideas in regard to construction and
+furnishing adapted themselves to the requirements of
+a tropical climate. Apparently there was no kitchen.
+There were no stairs leading to a lower floor, and the
+darkened rooms into which my companions peered
+were certainly not used for culinary purposes.</p>
+
+<p>In the meantime I had gone out of the door by
+which we had entered, and soon discovered, on the other
+side of the house, a small building with a chimney to
+it, which I felt sure must be the kitchen. The door and
+shutters were fastened, but before making any attempt
+to open them I returned to announce my discovery.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">[49]</span></p>
+
+<p>"Door locked, is it?" said Mrs. Aleshine. "Just
+wait a minute."</p>
+
+<p>She then disappeared, but in a very short time came
+out, carrying a bunch of large keys.</p>
+
+<p>"It's always the way," said she, as the two followed
+me round the back of the house, "when people shut
+up a house and leave it, to put all the door-keys in
+the back corner of some drawer in the hall, and to
+take only the front-door key with them. So, you see,
+I knew just where to go for these."</p>
+
+<p>"It's a poor hen," said Mrs. Lecks, "that begins to
+cackle when she's goin' to her nest; the wise ones
+wait till they're comin' away. Now we'll see if one
+of them keys fit."</p>
+
+<p>Greatly to the triumph of Mrs. Aleshine, the second
+or third key I tried unlocked the door. Entering, we
+found ourselves in a good-sized kitchen, with a great
+fireplace at one end of it. A door opened from the
+room into a shed where there was a pile of dry twigs
+and fire-wood.</p>
+
+<p>"Let's have a fire as quick as we can," said Mrs.
+Lecks, "for since I went into that shet-up house I've
+been chilled to the bones."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "and now I know
+how a fish keeps comfortable in the water, and how
+dreadfully wet and flabby it must feel when it's
+taken out."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">[50]</span></p>
+
+<p>I brought in a quantity of wood and kindling, and
+finding matches in a tin box on the wall, I went to
+work to make a fire, and was soon rewarded by a
+crackling blaze. Turning around, I was amazed at
+the actions of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine. I had
+expected to see them standing shivering behind me,
+waiting for the fire to be made; but instead of that,
+they were moving rapidly here and there, saying not
+a word, but going as straight to cupboard, closet, and
+pantry as the hound follows the track of the hare.
+From a wild chaos of uncongenial surroundings, these
+two women had dropped into a sphere in which they
+were perfectly at home. The kitchen was not altogether
+like those to which they had been accustomed,
+but it was a well-appointed one, and their instincts
+and practice made them quickly understand where
+they would find what they wanted. I gazed on them
+with delight while one filled a kettle from a little
+pump in the corner which brought water from a cistern,
+and the other appeared from the pantry, carrying
+a tea-caddy and a tin biscuit-box.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, then," said Mrs. Lecks, hanging the kettle
+on a crane over the fire, and drawing up a chair, "by
+the time we've got a little dried off the kettle will
+bile, and we'll have some hot tea, and then the best
+thing to do is to go to bed."</p>
+
+<p>"We'll take time to have a bite first," said Mrs.
+Aleshine, "for I was never so near famished in my
+life. I brought out a box nearly full of biscuits, and
+there's sardines in this, Mr. Craig, which you can
+easy open with your knife."</p>
+
+<p>I piled on more wood, and we gathered close around<span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">[51]</span>
+the genial heat. The sunshine was hot outside, but
+that did not prevent the fire from being most comforting
+and refreshing to us.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the kettle began to simmer, up jumped
+Mrs. Aleshine. A sugar-bowl and some cups were
+placed upon a table, and in a short time we were
+cheered and invigorated by hot tea, biscuits, and sardines.</p>
+
+<p>"This isn't much of a meal," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+apologetically, "but there's no time to cook nothin',
+and the sooner we get off our wet things and find some
+beds, the better."</p>
+
+<p>"If I can once get into bed," said Mrs. Lecks, "all
+I ask is that the family will not come back till I have
+had a good long nap. After that, they can do what
+they please."</p>
+
+<p>We now went back to the house, and ascended the
+main stairway, which led up to a large central hall.</p>
+
+<p>"We won't go into the front rooms," said Mrs.
+Lecks, "for we don't want to make no more disturbance
+than we can help; but if we can find the smallest
+kind of rooms in the back, with beds in 'em, it is
+all we can ask."</p>
+
+<p>The first chamber we entered was a good-sized one,
+neatly furnished, containing a bedstead with uncovered
+mattress and pillows. Opening a closet door, Mrs.
+Lecks exclaimed: "This is a man's room, Mr. Craig,
+and you'd better take it. Look at the trousers and
+coats! There's no bedclothes in here, but I'll see if
+I can't find some."</p>
+
+<p>In a few minutes she returned, bearing blankets,
+sheets, and a pillow-case. With Mrs. Aleshine on one<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">[52]</span>
+side of the bedstead and Mrs. Lecks on the other, the
+sheets and blankets were laid with surprising deftness
+and rapidity, and in a few moments I saw before me
+a most inviting bed.</p>
+
+<p>While Mrs. Aleshine held a pillow in her teeth as
+she pulled on the pillow-case with both hands, Mrs.
+Lecks looked around the room with the air of an
+attentive hostess. "I guess you'll be comfortable,
+Mr. Craig," she said, "and I advise you to sleep just
+as long as you can. We'll take the room on the other
+side of the hall; but I'm first goin' down to see if the
+kitchen fire is safe, and to fasten the doors."</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_052" style="max-width: 53.125em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_052.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;&#39;I GUESS YOU&#39;LL BE COMFORTABLE, MR. CRAIG.&#39;&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>I offered to relieve her of this trouble, but she
+promptly declined my services. "When it's rowin'
+or swimmin', you can do it, Mr. Craig, but when it's
+lockin' up and lookin' to fires, I'll attend to that
+myself."</p>
+
+<p>My watch had stopped, but I suppose it was the
+middle of the afternoon when I went to bed, and I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">[53]</span>
+slept steadily until some hours after sunrise the next
+morning, when I was awakened by a loud knock at
+the door.</p>
+
+<p>"It's time to get up," said the voice of Mrs. Lecks,
+"and if your clothes are not entirely dry, you'd better
+see if there isn't somethin' in that closet you can put
+on. After a while I'll make a big fire in the kitchen,
+and dry all our things."</p>
+
+<p>I found my clothes were still very damp, and after
+investigating the contents of the closet and bureau,
+I was able to supply myself with linen and a light
+summer suit which fitted me fairly well. I even found
+socks and a pair of slippers.</p>
+
+<p>When I entered the kitchen, I first opened wide
+my eyes with delight, and then I burst out laughing.
+Before me was a table covered with a white cloth,
+with plates, cups, and everything necessary upon it;
+at one end was a steaming tea-pot, and at the other a
+dish of some kind of hot meat, and Mrs. Aleshine
+was just taking a pan of newly baked biscuits from a
+small iron oven.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't wonder you laugh," said Mrs. Lecks, "but
+our clothes was still wet, and we had to take just
+what we could find. I'm not in the habit of goin'
+about in a white muslin wrapper with blue-ribbon
+trimmin's, and as for Mrs. Aleshine, I did think we'd
+never find anything that she could get into; but there
+must be one stout woman in the family, for that
+yeller frock with black buttons fits her well enough,
+though I must say it's a good deal short."</p>
+
+<p>"I never thought," said Mrs. Aleshine, as she sat
+down at the tea-pot, "that the heathens had so many<span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">[54]</span>
+conveniences, specially bakin'-powders and Dutch
+ovens. For my part, I always supposed that they
+used their altars for bakin', when they wasn't offerin'
+up victims on 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"Have you got it into your head, Barb'ry Aleshine,"
+said Mrs. Lecks, looking up from the dish of potted
+beef she was serving, "that this house belongs to
+common heathen? I expect that most of the savages
+who live on these desert islands has been converted
+by the missionaries, but they'd have to take 'em from
+Genesis to Revelations a good many times before
+they'd get 'em to the p'int of havin' force-pumps in
+their kitchens and spring-mattresses on their beds.
+As far as I've seen this house, it looks as if the family
+had always been Christians, and probably either
+Catholics or Episcopalians."</p>
+
+<p>"On account of the cross on the mantelpiece in our
+room, I suppose," said Mrs. Aleshine. "But whether
+they're given to idols or prayer-books, I know they've
+got a mighty nice house; and considerin' the distance
+from stores, there's a good deal more in that pantry
+than you'd expect to find in any house I know of,
+when the family is away."</p>
+
+<p>"It is my opinion," said I, "that this house belongs
+to some rich man, probably an American or European
+merchant, who lives on one of the large islands not
+far away, and who uses this as a sort of summer
+residence."</p>
+
+<p>"I thought it was always summer in this part of
+the world," said Mrs. Lecks.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">[55]</span></p>
+
+<figure class="figright illowp35" id="i_055" style="max-width: 13.25em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_055.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;THAT YELLER FROCK.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>"So it is in effect," I replied, "but there are some
+seasons when it is very unpleasant to remain in one
+of those towns which are found on the larger islands,
+and so the owner of this house may come up here
+sometimes for fresh sea air."</p>
+
+<p>"Or it's just as like," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that he
+lives somewhere up in the iceberg regions, and comes
+here to spend his winters.
+It would do just as well.
+But, whichever way it is,
+I can't help thinkin' it's
+careless not to leave somebody
+in the house to take
+care of it. Why, for all
+the family would know
+about it, tramps might
+break in and stay as long
+as they like."</p>
+
+<p>"That's just what's
+happenin' now," said Mrs.
+Lecks, "and for my part
+I ain't goin' to find no
+fault. I don't suppose
+the people would have
+been so hard-hearted as
+to turn us away from
+their doors, but I've seen
+enough of folks in this
+world not to be too sure
+about that."</p>
+
+<p>"How do you suppose," said Mrs. Aleshine, addressing
+me, "that the family gets here and goes back?
+Do they keep a private steamboat?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course they have a private vessel of some kind,"
+I answered, "probably a yacht. It is quite certain
+that ordinary steamers never touch here."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">[56]</span></p>
+
+<p>"If that's the case," said Mrs. Lecks, "all we can
+do is to wait here till they come, and get them to send
+us away in their ship. But whether they've just
+gone or are just a-comin' back depends, I suppose, on
+whether they live in a freezin' or a burnin' country;
+and if they don't like our bein' here when they come
+back, there's one thing they can make up their minds
+to, and that is that I'm never goin' to leave this place
+on a life-preserver."</p>
+
+<p>"Nor me nuther," said Mrs. Aleshine, finishing, with
+much complacency, her third cup of tea.</p>
+
+<p>When breakfast was over, Mrs. Lecks pushed back
+her chair, but did not immediately rise. With an
+expression of severe thought upon her face, she gazed
+steadfastly before her for a minute, and then she
+addressed Mrs. Aleshine, who had begun to gather
+together the cups and the plates. "Now, Barb'ry
+Aleshine," said she, "don't you begin to clear off the
+table, nor touch a single thing to wash it up, till
+we've been over this house. I want to do it now,
+before Mr. Craig goes out to prospect around and see
+what else is on the island, which, I suppose, he'll be
+wantin' to do."</p>
+
+<p>I replied that I had that intention, but I was quite
+willing to go over the house first.</p>
+
+<p>"It's come to me," said Mrs. Lecks, speaking very
+gravely, "that it's no use for us to talk of the family
+bein' here, or bein' there, till we've gone over this
+house. If we find that they have, as far as we know,
+gone away in good health and spirits, that's all well<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">[57]</span>
+enough; but if anything's happened in this house, I
+don't want to be here with what's happened—at least,
+without knowin' it, and when we do go over the
+house, I want a man to go with us."</p>
+
+<p>"If you'd talked that way last night, Mrs. Lecks,"
+exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "I'd never slept till after
+sun-up, and then got up and gone huntin' round
+among them frocks and petticoats to find somethin'
+that would fit me, with the quiet pulse I did have,
+Mrs. Lecks!"</p>
+
+<p>To this remark Mrs. Lecks made no reply, but, rising,
+she led the way out of the kitchen and into the
+house.</p>
+
+<p>The rooms on the first floor were very well furnished.
+There was a large parlor, and back of it a study or
+library, while on the other side of the hall was a dining-room
+and an apartment probably used as a family
+room. We found nothing in these which would indicate
+that anything untoward had happened in them.
+Then we went up-stairs, I leading the way, Mrs. Lecks
+following, and Mrs. Aleshine in the rear. We first
+entered one of the front chambers, which was quite
+dark, but Mrs. Lecks unfastened and threw open a
+shutter. Then, with a rigid countenance and determined
+mien, she examined every part of the room,
+looked into every closet, and even under the bed. It
+was quite plain that it was in one of the chambers
+that she expected to find what had happened, if anything
+had happened.</p>
+
+<p>The room on the other side of the hall was very
+like the one we first examined, except that it had two
+beds in it. We next visited the chamber recently<span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">[58]</span>
+occupied by my two companions, which was now
+undergoing the process of "airing."</p>
+
+<p>"We needn't stop here," remarked Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>But Mrs. Lecks instantly replied: "Indeed, we will
+stop; I'm going to look under the bed."</p>
+
+<p>"Merciful me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, putting
+her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Supposin' you
+should find somethin', and we sleepin' here last night!
+It curdles me to think of it!"</p>
+
+<p>"It's my duty," said Mrs. Lecks, severely, "and I
+shall do it."</p>
+
+<p>And do it she did, rising from the task with a sigh
+of relief.</p>
+
+<p>My room was subjected to the same scrutiny as the
+others, and then we visited some smaller rooms at the
+extreme back of the house, which we had not before
+noticed. A garret, or loft, was reached by a steep
+stairway in one of these rooms, and into its dusky
+gloom I ventured by myself.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, don't come down, Mr. Craig," said Mrs. Lecks,
+"till you're sure there's nothin' there. Of all places
+in the house, that cockloft, after all, is the most
+likely."</p>
+
+<p>I had none of the fears which seemed to actuate
+the two women, but I had a very unpleasant time of
+it groping about in the darkness and heat, and, as
+the place was only partly floored, running the continual
+risk of crashing down through the lath and
+plaster. I made myself quite sure, however, that
+nothing had happened in that loft, unless some one
+had suffocated there, and had dried up and become
+the dust which I raised at every step.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">[59]</span></p>
+
+<p>"Now, then," said Mrs. Lecks, when I descended,
+"as there is no cellar, we'll go wash up the breakfast
+things; and if you want to take a walk, to see if
+there's any genuwine heathens or anybody else a-livin'
+in this island, we're not afraid to be left alone."</p>
+
+<p>For the whole of the rest of the morning I wandered
+about the island. I investigated the paths that I had
+before noticed, and found that each of them led, after
+a moderate walk, to some wide and pleasant part of
+the beach. At one of these points I found a rustic
+bench; and, stuffed in between two of the slats which
+formed the seat, I found a book. It had been sadly
+wet and discolored by rain, and dried and curled up
+by the wind and sun. I pulled it out, and found it to
+be a novel in French. On one of the fly-leaves was
+written "Emily." Reasoning from the dilapidated
+appearance of this book, I began to believe that the
+family must have left this place some time ago, and
+that, therefore, their return might be expected at a
+proportionately early period. On second thoughts,
+however, I considered that the state of this book was
+of little value as testimony. A few hours of storm,
+wind, and sun might have inflicted all the damage it
+had sustained. The two women would be better able
+to judge by the state of the house and the condition
+of the provisions how long the family had been
+away.</p>
+
+<p>I then started out on a walk along the beach, and
+in little more than an hour I had gone entirely around
+the island. Nowhere did I see any sign of habitation
+or occupation except at the house which had given
+us shelter, nor any opening through the surrounding<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">[60]</span>
+reef except the barred passageway through which
+we had come.</p>
+
+<p>When I returned to the house, I found that Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine had been hard at work all
+the morning. They had, so to speak, gone regularly
+and systematically to housekeeping, and had already
+divided the labors of the establishment between them.
+Mrs. Aleshine, who prided herself on her skill in culinary
+matters, was to take charge of the cooking, while
+Mrs. Lecks assumed the care of the various rooms
+and the general management of the household. This
+arrangement was explained to me at length, and when
+I remarked that all this seemed to indicate that they
+expected to remain here for a long time, Mrs. Lecks
+replied:</p>
+
+<p>"In my part of the country I could tell pretty
+close, by the dust on the tables and on the top of the
+pianner, how long a family had been out of a house;
+but dust in Pennsylvany and dust on a sea island,
+where there's no wagons nor carriages, is quite different.
+This house has been left in very good order, and
+though the windows wants washin', and the floors and
+stairs brushin',—which will be easy considerin' that
+none of 'em has carpets,—and everything in the house
+a reg'lar cleanin' up and airin', it may be that the
+family hasn't been gone away very long, and so it
+may be a good while before they come back again.
+Mrs. Aleshine and me has talked it over, and we've
+made up our minds that the right thing to do is just
+to go along and attend to things as if we was a-goin'
+to stay here for a month or two; and it may be even
+longer than that before the people come back. And
+I don't think they'll have anything to complain of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">[61]</span>
+when they find their house in apple-pie order, their
+windows washed, their
+floors clean, and not
+a speck of dust anywhere."</p>
+
+<figure class="figright illowp34" id="i_061" style="max-width: 12.9375em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_061.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;MRS ALESHEIN<br> HAD BEEN HARD<br> AT WORK ALL<br> THE MORNING.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>"For my part," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I don't see what they've got to find
+fault with, anyway. I look on this as part of the passage. To be sure,
+we ain't movin' a bit on our way to Japan, but that's not my fault, nor
+yet yours, Mrs. Lecks, nor yours, Mr. Craig. We paid our passage to go
+to Japan, and if the ship was steered wrong and got sunk, we hadn't
+anything to do with it. We didn't want to come here, but here we are,
+and I'd like to know who's got any right to find fault with us."</p>
+
+<p>"And bein' here," said Mrs. Lecks, "we'll take care
+of the things."</p>
+
+<p>"As far as I'm concerned," added Mrs. Aleshine,
+"if this island was movin' on to Japan, I'd a great deal
+rather be on it than on that ship, where, to my way of
+thinkin', they didn't know much more about housekeepin'
+than they did about steerin'."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">[62]</span></p>
+
+<p>"I think your plans and arrangements are very
+good," I said. "But how about the provisions? Are
+there enough to hold out for any time?"</p>
+
+<p>"There's pretty nigh a barrel of flour," said Mrs.
+Aleshine, "a good deal of tea and coffee and sugar,
+and lots of things in tins and jars. There's a kind
+of cellar outside where they keep things cool, and
+there's more than half a keg of butter down there.
+It's too strong to use, but I can take that butter and
+wash it out, and work it over, and salt it, and make
+it just as good butter as any we got on board the
+ship."</p>
+
+<p>"But," said I, "you have given me nothing to do.
+I shall not be content to stand about idle and see you
+do all the work."</p>
+
+<p>"There's nothin' in the house," said Mrs. Lecks,
+"which you need put your hand to; but, if you choose
+to go out into that garden, and see if there's anything
+can be done in it, or got out of it,—that is, if you
+know anything about garden work,—I'm sure we'd
+be very glad of any fresh vegetables we could get."</p>
+
+<p>I replied that I had been accustomed to garden
+work in an amateur way, and would be glad to do
+anything that was possible in that direction.</p>
+
+<p>"I never seed into that garden," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"but of all the foolish things that ever came under
+my eye, the buildin' a wall around a garden, when a
+picket fence would do just as well, is the foolishest."</p>
+
+<p>I explained that in these countries it was the
+fashion to use walls instead of fences.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">[63]</span></p>
+
+<p>"If it's the fashion," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I suppose
+there's no use sayin' anything ag'in' it; but if the
+fashion should happen to change, they'd find it a good
+deal easier to take down a barbed-wire fence than a
+stone wall."</p>
+
+<p>This conversation took place in the large lower hall,
+which Mrs. Lecks had been "putting to rights," and
+where Mrs. Aleshine had just entered from the kitchen.
+Mrs. Lecks now sat down upon a chair, and, dust-cloth
+in hand, she thus addressed me:</p>
+
+<p>"There's another thing, Mr. Craig, that me and
+Mrs. Aleshine has been talkin' about. We haven't
+made up our minds about it, because we didn't think
+it was fair and right to do that before speakin' to you
+and hearin' what you had to say on one side or another
+of it. Mrs. Aleshine and me has had to bow our heads
+to afflictions, and to walk sometimes in roads we
+didn't want to; but we've remembered the ways in
+which we was brought up, and have kept in them as
+far as we've been able. When our husbands died,
+leavin' Mrs. Aleshine with a son, and me without any,
+which, perhaps, is just as well, for there's no knowin'
+how he might have turned out—"</p>
+
+<p>"That's so," interrupted Mrs. Aleshine, "for he
+might have gone as a clerk to Roosher, and then you
+and me would 'a' had to travel different ways."</p>
+
+<p>"And when our husbands died," continued Mrs.
+Lecks, "they left us enough, and plenty, to live on,
+and we wasn't the women to forget them and their
+ways of thinkin', any more than we'd forget the ways
+of our fathers and mothers before us."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so!" said Mrs. Aleshine, fervently.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">[64]</span></p>
+
+<p>"And now, Mr. Craig," continued Mrs. Lecks, "we
+don't know how you've been brought up, nor anything
+about you, in fact, except that you've been as kind to
+us as if you was some sort of kin, and that we never
+would have thought of comin' here without you, and
+so me and Mrs. Aleshine has agreed to leave this whole
+matter to you, and to do just as you say. When us
+two started out on this long journey, we didn't expect
+to find it what you call the path of roses, and, dear
+only knows, we haven't found it so."</p>
+
+<p>"That's true!" ejaculated Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"And what we've had to put up with," continued
+Mrs. Lecks, "we have put up with. So, Mr. Craig,
+whether you say dinner in the middle of the day at
+twelve, as we've always been used to, or at six o'clock
+in the afternoon, as they had it on board that ship,—and
+how people ever come to turn their meals hind
+part foremost in that way, I can't say,—we are goin'
+to do it; if you've been brought up to six o'clock,
+you won't hear no complainin' from us, think what
+we may."</p>
+
+<p>I was on the point of laughing aloud at the conclusion
+of this speech, but a glance at the serious faces
+of the two women, who, with so much earnest solicitude,
+awaited my reply, stopped me, and I hastened
+to assure them that dinner in the middle of the day
+would be entirely in accordance with my every wish.</p>
+
+<p>"Good!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, her eyes sparkling
+amid the plumpness of her face, while an expression
+of calm relief passed over the features of Mrs.
+Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"And now I'll be off and get us somethin' to eat in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">[65]</span>
+less than no time," said Mrs. Aleshine. "We didn't
+know whether to make it lunch or dinner till we had
+seen you, so you can't expect much to-day, but to-morrow
+we'll begin, and have everything straight and
+comfortable. I'm goin' to get up early in the mornin'
+and bake a batch of bread, and you needn't be afraid,
+Mr. Craig, but what I'll have you a bit of hot meat
+every night for your supper."</p>
+
+<p>In the afternoon we all visited the garden, which,
+although a good deal overgrown with luxuriant weeds,
+showed marks of fair cultivation. Some of the beds
+had been cleared out and left to the weeds, and we
+found some "garden truck," as my companions called
+it, with which we were not familiar. But there were
+tomato-vines loaded with fruit, plenty of beans of
+various kinds, and a large patch of potatoes, many of
+which had been dug.</p>
+
+<p>From the lower end of the garden, Mrs. Aleshine
+gave a shout of delight. We went to her, and found
+her standing before a long asparagus bed.</p>
+
+<p>"Well!" she exclaimed. "If there's anything that
+settles it firm in my mind that these people is Christians,
+it's this bed of grass. I don't believe there
+ever was heathens that growed grass."</p>
+
+<p>"I thought that was all settled when we found the
+bakin'-powders," said Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"But this clinches it," answered her companion. "I
+can't tell from a sparrowgrass bed what church they
+belong to, but they're no idolaters."</p>
+
+<p>The next morning I delivered to the genial Mrs.
+Aleshine a large basket full of fresh vegetables, and
+we had a most excellent dinner. Somewhat to my<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">[66]</span>
+surprise, the table was not set in the kitchen, but in
+the dining-room.</p>
+
+<p>"Me and Mrs. Aleshine have made up our minds,"
+said Mrs. Lecks, in explanation, "that it's not the
+proper thing for you to be eatin' in the kitchen, nor
+for us neither. Here's table-cloths, and good glass
+and china, and spoons and forks, which, although
+they're not solid silver, are plated good enough for
+anybody. Neither you nor us is servants, and a
+kitchen is no place for us."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so!" said Mrs. Aleshine. "We paid our
+money for first-class passages, and it was understood
+that we'd have everything as good as anybody."</p>
+
+<p>"Which I don't see as that has anything to do with
+it, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "for the steamship
+people don't generally throw in desert islands as
+part of the accommodation."</p>
+
+<p>"We didn't ask for the island," retorted Mrs.
+Aleshine, "and if they'd steered the ship right we
+shouldn't have wanted it."</p>
+
+<p>When we had finished our dinner, Mrs. Lecks pushed
+back her chair, and sat for a few moments in thought,
+as was her wont before saying anything of importance.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">[67]</span></p>
+
+<figure class="figright illowp41" id="i_067" style="max-width: 15.5em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_067.png" alt="">
+  <figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;&#39;THERE&#39;S ANOTHER THING&#39; SAID SHE &#39;THAT I&#39;V BEEN THINKIN&#39; ABOUT.&#39;&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>"There's another thing," said she, "that I've been
+thinkin' about, though I haven't spoke of it yet, even
+to Mrs. Aleshine. We haven't no right to come here
+and eat up the victuals and use the things of the
+people that own this house, without payin' for 'em.
+Of course, we're not goin' to sleep on the bare ground
+and starve to death while there's beds and food close
+to our hands. But if we use 'em and take it, we ought
+to pay the people that the place belongs to—that is, if
+we've got the money to do it with—and Mrs. Aleshine
+and me has got the money. When we went down
+into our cabin to get ready to leave the ship, the first
+thing we did was to
+put our purses in our
+pockets, and we've
+both got drafts
+wrapped up in oil silk,
+and sewed inside our
+frock-bodies; and if
+you didn't think to
+bring your money
+along with you, Mr.
+Craig, we can lend you
+all you need."</p>
+
+
+<p>I thanked her for
+her offer, but stated
+that I had brought
+with me all my money.</p>
+
+<p>"Now," continued
+Mrs. Lecks, "it's my
+opinion that we ought
+to pay our board regular
+every week. I
+don't know what is
+commonly charged in a place like this, but I know
+you can get very good board where I come from for
+six dollars a week."</p>
+
+<p>"That is for two in a room," said Mrs. Aleshine;
+"but havin' a room to himself would make it more
+for Mr. Craig."</p>
+
+<p>"It ain't his fault," said Mrs. Lecks, somewhat<span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">[68]</span>
+severely, "that he ain't got a brother or some friend
+to take part of the room and pay part of the expense.
+But, anyway, the room isn't a large one, and I don't
+think he ought to pay much more for having a room
+to himself. Seven dollars is quite enough."</p>
+
+<p>"But then you've got to consider," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"that we do the cookin' and housework, and
+that ought to be counted."</p>
+
+<p>"I was comin' to that," said Mrs. Lecks. "Now, if
+me and Mrs. Aleshine was to go out to service, which
+you may be sure we wouldn't do unless circumstances
+was very different from what they are now—"</p>
+
+<p>"That's true!" earnestly ejaculated Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"But if we was to do it," continued Mrs. Lecks,
+"we wouldn't go into anybody's family for less than
+two dollars a week. Now, I've always heard that
+wages is low in this part of the world, and the work
+isn't heavy for two of us; so, considering the family
+isn't here to make their own bargain, I think we'd
+better put our wages at that, so that'll make four
+dollars a week for each of us two to pay."</p>
+
+<p>"But how about Mr. Craig?" said Mrs. Aleshine.
+"He oughtn't to work in that garden for nothin'."</p>
+
+<p>"Fifty cents a day," said Mrs. Lecks, "is as little
+as any man would work for, and then it oughtn't to
+take all his time. That will make three dollars to
+take out of Mr. Craig's board, and leave it four dollars
+a week, the same as ours."</p>
+
+<p>I declared myself perfectly satisfied with these arrangements,
+but Mrs. Aleshine did not seem to be
+altogether convinced that they were just.</p>
+
+<p>"When a woman goes out to service," said she,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">[69]</span>
+"she gets her board and is paid wages besides, and
+it's the same for gardeners."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I suppose, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs.
+Lecks, "that we ought to charge these people with
+our wages, and make 'em pay it when they come
+back!"</p>
+
+<p>This remark apparently disposed of Mrs. Aleshine's
+objections, and her friend continued: "There's a jar
+on the mantelpiece there, of the kind the East Indy
+ginger comes in. It's got nothin' in it now but some
+brown paper in which fish-hooks is wrapped. We
+came here on a Wednesday, and so every Tuesday
+night we'll each put four dollars in that jar, under
+the fish-hook paper; then if, by night or by day,
+the family comes back and makes a fuss about our
+bein' here, all we have to say is, 'The board money's
+in the ginger-jar,' and our consciences is free."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks's plan was adopted as a very just and
+proper one, and at the expiration of the week we each
+deposited four dollars in the ginger-jar.</p>
+
+<p>While occupying this house I do not think that any
+of us endeavored to pry into the private concerns of
+the family who owned it, although we each had a very
+natural curiosity to know something about said family.
+Opportunities of acquiring such knowledge, however,
+were exceedingly scarce. Even if we had been willing
+to look into such receptacles, the several desks and
+secretaries that the house contained were all locked,
+and nowhere could Mrs. Lecks or Mrs. Aleshine find
+an old letter or piece of wrapping-paper with an
+address on it. I explained to my companions that
+letters and packages were not likely to come to a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">[70]</span>
+place like this, but they kept a sharp lookout for anything
+of the kind, asserting that there could be no
+possible harm in reading the names of the people
+whose house they were in.</p>
+
+<p>In some of the books in the library, which were
+English and French in about equal proportions, with
+a few volumes in German, I found written on the
+blank pages the names "Emily" and "Lucille," and
+across the title-pages of some French histories was
+inscribed, in a man's hand, "A. Dusante." We discussed
+these names, but could not make up our minds
+whether the family were French or English. For instance,
+there was no reason why an Englishwoman
+might not be called Lucille, and even such a surname
+as Dusante was not uncommon either among English
+or Americans. The labels on the boxes and tins of
+provisions showed that most of them came from San
+Francisco, but this was likely to be the case, no matter
+what the nationality of the family.</p>
+
+<p>The question of the relationship of the three persons,
+of whose existence we had discovered traces, was a very
+interesting one to Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"I can't make up my mind," said the latter, "whether
+Emily is the mother of Lucille or her daughter, or
+whether they are both children of Mr. Dusante, or
+whether he's married to Lucille and Emily is his sister-in-law,
+or whether she's his sister and not hers, or
+whether he's the uncle and they're his nieces, or
+whether Emily is an old lady and Mr. Dusante and
+Lucille are both her children, or whether they are two
+maiden ladies and Mr. Dusante is their brother, or
+whether Mr. Dusante is only a friend of the family,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">[71]</span>
+and boards here because no two women ought to live
+in such a lonely place without a man in the house."</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said Mrs. Lecks, "whether Mr. Dusante
+comes back with two nieces, or a wife and daughter,
+or Mrs. Dusante and a mother-in-law, or a pair of
+sisters, all we've got to say is, 'The board money's
+in the ginger-jar,' and let 'em do their worst."</p>
+
+<p>In my capacity as gardener I do not think I earned
+the wages which my companions had allotted to me,
+for I merely gathered and brought in such fruits and
+vegetables as I found in proper condition for use. In
+other ways, however, I made my services valuable to
+our little family. In a closet in my chamber I found
+guns and ammunition, and frequently I was able to
+bring in a few birds. Some of these were pronounced
+by Mrs. Aleshine unsuitable for the table, but others
+she cooked with much skill, and they were found to
+be very good eating.</p>
+
+<p>Not far from the little wharf which has been mentioned
+there stood, concealed by a mass of low-growing
+palms, a boat-house in which was a little skiff
+hung up near the roof. This I let down and launched,
+and found great pleasure in rowing it about the lagoon.
+There was fishing-tackle in the boat-house,
+which I used with success, the lagoon abounding in
+fish. Offerings of this kind were much more acceptable
+to Mrs. Aleshine than birds.</p>
+
+<p>"There's some kinds of fishes that's better than
+others," said she, "but, as a gen'ral rule, a fish is a
+fish, and if you catch 'em you can eat 'em; but it's a
+very different thing with birds. When you've never
+seen 'em before, how are you goin' to tell but what<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">[72]</span>
+they're some kin to an owl, a pigeon-hawk, or a crow?
+And if I once get it into my head that there's any of
+that kind of family blood in 'em, they disagree with me
+just the same as if there really was."</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp95" id="i_072" style="max-width: 46.875em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_072.png" alt="">
+  <figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE STANDING ON THE END OF THE LITTLE WHARF.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>One afternoon, as I was returning in the boat from
+the point on the other side of the island where I had
+found the rustic seat and Emily's book, I was surprised
+to see Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine standing
+on the end of the little wharf. This was an unusual
+thing for them to do, as they were very industrious
+women and seldom had an idle moment, and it
+seemed to be one of their greatest pleasures to discuss
+the work they were going to do when they had
+finished that on which they were then engaged. I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">[73]</span>
+was curious, therefore, to know why they should be
+standing thus idly on the wharf, and pulled toward
+them as rapidly as possible.</p>
+
+<p>When I had rowed near enough to hear them, Mrs.
+Aleshine remarked with cheerful placidity:</p>
+
+<p>"The Dusantes are comin'."</p>
+
+<p>The tide was quite low, and I could not see over the
+reef; but in a few moments I had grounded the skiff
+and had sprung upon the wharf. Out on the ocean,
+about a mile away, I saw a boat, apparently a large
+one, approaching the island.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, then, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks,
+"you'll soon see whether it's his two nieces, or his
+daughters, wife and sister-in-law, or whatever of them
+other relationships which you've got so pat."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said Mrs. Aleshine; "but, what's more, we'll
+find out if he's goin' to be satisfied with the board
+money we've put in the ginger-jar."</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_073" style="max-width: 43.75em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_073.png" alt="A house in the tropics sketch">
+</figure>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">[74]</span></p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr class="chap">
+<h2 id="PART_III">PART III</h2>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_074" style="max-width: 53.125em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_074.png" alt="Approaching boat with occupants">
+</figure>
+
+<p>When the boat which we saw approaching the
+island had come near enough for us to distinguish
+its occupants, we found that it contained five
+persons. Three sat in the stern, and two were rowing.
+Of those in the stern, we soon made out one to
+be a woman, and after putting our eyesight to its very
+best efforts, we were obliged to admit that there was
+only one female on board.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, that's disapp'intin'," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"for I've wondered and wondered which I should
+like best, Emily or Lucille, and now that only one of
+'em has come, of course I can't tell."</p>
+
+<p>The boat came on, almost directly toward the passageway
+in the reef, and it was not long before the
+two women had been able to decide that Mr. Dusante
+was an elderly man, and that the lady was moderately
+young, and in all probability his daughter.</p>
+
+<p>"It may be," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that the mother,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">[75]</span>
+whether she was Emily, or whether she was Lucille,
+has died, and for that reason they are comin' back
+sooner than they expected."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I hope you're wrong there, Barb'ry Aleshine,"
+said Mrs. Lecks, "for they'll see lots of things
+here that will freshen up their affliction, and that
+won't make 'em any too lively people to be with."</p>
+
+<p>"On the other hand," said Mrs. Aleshine, "it may
+be that Emily, or else Lucille, has got married, and
+has gone away with her husband to travel, and by
+the time she's got a little baby she'll come here to
+live on account of the sea air for the child, and that'll
+make the house pleasant, Mrs. Lecks."</p>
+
+<p>"I'd like to know how long you expect to live
+here," said Mrs. Lecks, regarding her friend with some
+severity.</p>
+
+<p>"That's not for me to say," replied Mrs. Aleshine,
+"knowin' nothin' about it. But this I will say, that
+I hope they have brought along with them some indigo
+blue, for I nearly used up all there was the last time
+I washed."</p>
+
+<p>During this dialogue I had been thinking that it
+was a very strange thing for the owners of this place
+to visit their island in such a fashion. Why should
+they be in an open boat? And where did they come
+from? Wherever they might live, it was not at all
+probable that they would choose to be rowed from
+that point to this. From the general character and
+appointments of the house in which we had found a
+refuge, it was quite plain that its owners were people
+in good circumstances, who were in the habit of attending
+to their domestic affairs in a very orderly and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">[76]</span>
+proper way. It was to be presumed that it was their
+custom to come here in a suitable vessel, and to bring
+with them the stores needed during their intended
+stay. Now, there could be little or nothing in that
+boat, and, on the whole, I did not believe it contained
+the owners of this island.</p>
+
+<p>It would not do, however, to assume anything of
+the kind. There might have been a disaster; in fact,
+I know nothing about it, but it was my immediate
+duty to go and meet these people at the passage, for,
+if they were unable to unlock the bars, their boat
+could not enter, and I must ferry them across the
+lagoon. Without communicating my doubts to my
+companions, I hurried into the skiff, and pulled as far
+as possible into the passage through the reef. The
+bars, of which there were more than I at first supposed,
+were so arranged that it was impossible for a boat to
+go in or out at any stage of the tide.</p>
+
+<p>I had been there but a few minutes when the boat
+from without came slowly in between the rocks; and
+almost as soon as I saw it, its progress was suddenly
+stopped by a sunken bar.</p>
+
+<p>"Hello!" cried several men at once.</p>
+
+<p>"Hello!" cried I, in return. "Have you the key
+to these bars?"</p>
+
+<p>A stout man with a red beard stood up in the stern.
+"Key?" said he, "what key?"</p>
+
+<p>"Then you do not belong here?" said I. "Who
+are you?"</p>
+
+<p>At this, the gentleman who was sitting by the lady
+arose to his feet. He was a man past middle age,
+rather tall and slim, and when he stood up the slight<span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">[77]</span>
+rolling of the boat made him stagger, and he came
+near falling.</p>
+
+<p>"You'd better sit down, sir," said the man with the
+red beard, who I saw was a sailor. "You can talk
+better that way."</p>
+
+<p>The gentleman now seated himself, and thus addressed
+me:</p>
+
+<p>"I am, sir, the Reverend Mr. Enderton, lately missionary
+to Nanfouchong, China, and this is my
+daughter, Miss Enderton. We are returning to the
+United States by way of the Sandwich Islands, and
+took passage in a sailing-vessel for Honolulu. About
+two weeks ago this vessel, in some way which I do
+not understand, became disabled—"</p>
+
+<p>"Rotten forem'st," interrupted the man with the
+red beard, "which give way in a gale; strained and
+leaky, besides."</p>
+
+<p>"I did not know the mast was rotten," said the
+gentleman, "but, since the occasion of our first really
+serviceable wind, she has been making very unsatisfactory
+progress. And, more than that, the whole
+force of seamen was employed night and day in endeavoring
+to keep the water out of the tea, thereby
+causing such a thumping and pounding that sleep
+was out of the question. Add to this the fact that
+our meals became very irregular, and were sometimes
+entirely overlooked—"</p>
+
+<p>"Prog was gettin' mighty short," interpolated the
+red-bearded man.</p>
+
+<p>"You can easily discern, sir," continued the gentleman,
+"that it was impossible for myself and my
+daughter to remain longer on that vessel, on which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">[78]</span>
+we were the only passengers. I therefore requested
+the captain to put us ashore at the nearest land, and,
+after more than a week of delay and demur, he consented
+to do so."</p>
+
+<p>"Couldn't do it," said the man, "till there was
+land nigh enough."</p>
+
+<p>"The captain informed me," continued the gentleman,
+"that this island was inhabited, and that I could
+here find shelter and repose until a vessel could be sent
+from Honolulu to take me off. He furnished me with
+this boat and three seamen, one of whom," pointing
+to the red-bearded man, "is a coxswain. We have
+been rowing ever since early this morning, with but
+a very moderate quantity of food and much discomfort.
+Now, sir, you have heard my story; and I ask
+you, as one man to another, if you still intend to bar
+your water-gates against us?"</p>
+
+<p>"I did not bar the gates," I said, "and I would gladly
+unlock them if I could. I belong to a shipwrecked
+party who took refuge here some two weeks ago."</p>
+
+<p>"And how did you get in?" hastily inquired the
+red-bearded coxswain.</p>
+
+<p>"Our boat sunk when we were within sight of the
+island, and we came here on life-preservers, and so
+got under the bars."</p>
+
+<p>The two men who had been rowing now turned
+suddenly and looked at me. They both had black
+beards, and they both exclaimed at the same moment,
+"By George!"</p>
+
+<p>"I won't stop here to tell any more of our story,"
+said I. "The great point now is to get you all ashore,
+and have you cared for."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">[79]</span></p>
+
+<p>"That's so!" said the coxswain. And the two
+sailors murmured, "Aye, aye, sir."</p>
+
+<p>The bar which stopped the progress of the larger
+boat was just under the surface of the water, while
+another a foot above the water kept my skiff about
+six feet distant from the other boat. There was some
+loose flooring in the bottom of the coxswain's boat,
+and he ordered two of the boards taken out, and with
+them a bridge was made, one end resting on the bow
+of the larger boat, and the other on the iron bar by
+my skiff.</p>
+
+<p>"Now," said the coxswain, "let the lady go first."</p>
+
+<p>The elderly gentleman arose, as if he would prefer
+to take the lead, but his daughter, who had not yet
+spoken a word, was passed forward by the coxswain,
+steadied over the bridge by one of the sailors, and
+assisted by me into the skiff. Then her father came
+aboard, and I rowed with them to the wharf.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine came forward most
+cordially to meet them.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Dusante, I suppose?" said Mrs. Lecks, while
+Mrs. Aleshine hurriedly whispered in my ear, "Is it
+Lucille or Emily?"</p>
+
+<p>As quickly as possible I explained the situation.
+For a few moments Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+stood speechless. Nothing which had happened to
+them, the wreck of the steamer, the sinking of the
+boat, or our experience with life-preservers, affected
+them so much as this disappointment in regard to the
+problem of the Dusante family. Travel by sea was
+all novel and strange to them, and they had expected
+all sorts of things to which they were not accustomed,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">[80]</span>
+but they had never imagined that Fate would be so
+hard upon them as to snatch away the solution of this
+mystery just as they were about to put their hands
+upon it. But, in spite of this sudden blow, the two
+good women quickly recovered themselves, and with
+hearty and kindly words hurried the missionary and
+his daughter to the house, while I went to bring over
+the men.</p>
+
+<p>I found the three sailors busy in securing their boat
+so that it would not be injured by the rocks during
+the rising and falling of the tide. When they had
+finished this job, they had to do a good deal of scrambling
+before they reached my skiff.</p>
+
+<p>"We thought at first, sir," said the coxswain, as I
+rowed them across the lagoon, "that it was all gammon
+about your not livin' here, and havin' no keys to
+them bars; but we've come to the 'pinion that if
+you'd been able to unlock 'em you'd have done it
+sooner than take all this trouble."</p>
+
+<p>I now related my story more fully, and the men
+were greatly astonished when they heard that my
+companions in this adventure were two women. Upon
+my asking the coxswain why he had come to this
+island, he replied that his captain had heard that
+people lived on it, although he knew nothing about
+them; and that, as it would be almost impossible to
+get his brig here with the wind that was then prevailing,
+and as he did not wish to go out of his course
+anyway, he made up his mind that he would rather
+lose the services of three men than keep that missionary
+on board a day longer.</p>
+
+<p>"You see, sir," said the coxswain, as we went<span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">[81]</span>
+ashore, "the parson wouldn't never take it into account
+that we were short of prog, and leakin' like
+Sam Hill; and because things were uncomfortable
+he growled up and he growled down, till he was wuss
+for the spirits of the men than the salt water comin'
+in or the hard-tack givin' out, and there was danger,
+if he wasn't got rid of, that he'd be pitched overboard
+and left to take his chances for a whale. And then,
+by sendin' us along, that give the crew three half-rations
+a day extry, and that'll count for a good deal
+in the fix they're in."</p>
+
+<p>When I reached the house I took the men into the
+kitchen, where Mrs. Aleshine already had the table
+spread. There were bread and cold meat, while the
+tea-kettle steamed by the fire. In a very short time
+three happy mariners sat round that table, while Mrs.
+Aleshine, with beaming face, attended to their wants,
+and plied them with innumerable questions. They had
+not finished eating when Mrs. Lecks entered the kitchen.</p>
+
+<p>"I put that minister and his daughter in the two
+front bedrooms," said she to me, after hospitably
+greeting the three men, "which me and Mrs. Aleshine
+had run and got ready for the Dusantes, as soon as
+you went in your boat to meet 'em. The young lady
+was mighty nigh worn out, and glad enough of the tea
+and things, and to get into bed. But the gentleman
+he wanted a soft-boiled egg, and when I told him I
+hadn't come across no hen-house yet on this island, he
+looked at me as if he didn't half believe me, and
+thought I was keepin' the eggs to sell."</p>
+
+<p>"Which it would be ridiculous to do," said Mrs.
+Aleshine, "in the middle of an ocean like this."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">[82]</span></p>
+
+<p>"If he lets you off with soft-b'iled eggs, ma'am,"
+said the coxswain, very respectfully, "I think you may
+bless your stars."</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, aye, sir," said the two sailors with black
+beards.</p>
+
+<p>Miss Ruth Enderton and her father did not make
+their appearance until the next morning at breakfast-time.
+I found the young lady a very pleasant person.
+She was rather slight in figure, inclined to be pretty,
+and was what might be called a warm-colored blonde.
+Her disposition was quite sociable, and she almost
+immediately stepped into the favor of Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Enderton, however, was a person of another
+sort. He was a prim and somewhat formal man, and
+appeared to be entirely self-engrossed, with very
+vague notions in regard to his surroundings. He
+was not by any means an ill-tempered man, being
+rather inclined to be placid than otherwise; but he
+gave so little attention to circumstances and events
+that he did not appear to understand why he should
+be incommoded by the happenings of life. I have no
+doubt that he made existence on board the disabled
+brig a hundred times more unsatisfactory than it
+would otherwise have been. With his present condition
+he seemed very well satisfied, and it was quite
+plain that he looked upon Mrs. Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine,;
+and myself as the proprietors of the establishment,
+having forgotten, or paid no attention to, my statement
+in regard to our coming here.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">[83]</span></p>
+
+<figure class="figright illowp84" id="i_083" style="max-width: 24.5em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_083.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;MR. ENDERTON WAS A PERSON OF ANOTHER SORT.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>As soon as she thought it fit and proper—and this
+moment arrived in the course of the first forenoon—Mrs.
+Lecks spoke to Mr. Enderton on the subject of
+the board which should be paid to the Dusantes. She
+stated the arrangements we had made in the matter,
+and then told him that as he and his daughter had
+the best accommodations in the house, each occupying
+a large, handsome
+room, she thought that he
+should pay fifteen dollars
+a week for the two.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, if your daughter,"
+she continued, "can
+do anything about the
+house which will be of
+real help, though for the
+life of me I don't see what
+she can find to do, with
+me and Mrs. Aleshine here, somethin' might be took
+off on account of her services; but of course you, sir,
+can't do nothin', unless you was to preach on Sundays,
+and not knowin' what denomination the Dusantes
+belong to, it wouldn't be fair to take their
+money to pay for the preachin' of doctrines which,
+perhaps, they don't believe in."</p>
+
+<p>This financial proposal aroused Mr. Enderton's opposition.
+"When I came here, madam," he said, "I
+did not expect to pay any board whatever, and I
+think, moreover, that your rates are exorbitant. In
+Nanfouchong, if I remember rightly, the best of
+board did not cost more than two or three dollars
+a week."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">[84]</span></p>
+
+<p>"I don't want to say anything, sir," said Mrs. Lecks,
+"which might look disrespectful, but as long as I've
+got a conscience inside of me I'm not goin' to stay
+here and see the Dusantes lose money by Chinese
+cheapness."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know anything about the Dusantes," said
+Mr. Enderton, "but I am not going to pay fifteen
+dollars a week for board for myself and daughter."</p>
+
+<p>The discussion lasted for some time, with considerable
+warmth on each side, and was at last ended by
+Mr. Enderton agreeing to pay board at the same rate
+as the two women and myself, and each week to deposit
+in the ginger-jar eight dollars for himself and
+daughter.</p>
+
+<p>"You may not care to remember, sir," said Mrs.
+Lecks, with cold severity, "that Mr. Craig and me
+and Mrs. Aleshine puts in services besides, although,
+to be sure, they don't go into the jar."</p>
+
+<p>"I only remember," said Mr. Enderton, "that I am
+paying an unjustifiable price as it is."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, however, were not
+at all of this opinion, and they agreed that, if it should
+be in their power, they would see to it that the Dusantes
+lost nothing by this close-fisted missionary.</p>
+
+<p>After dinner—and I may remark that the newcomers
+were not consulted in regard to the hours for meals—Mrs.
+Lecks had an interview with the coxswain on
+the subject of board for himself and his two companions.
+This affair, however, was very quickly settled,
+for the three mariners had among them only one dollar
+and forty-three cents, and this, the coxswain explained,
+they would like to keep for tobacco. It was
+therefore settled that, as the three sailors could pay
+no money, as much work as possible should be got out<span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">[85]</span>
+of them, and to this plan they agreed heartily and
+cheerfully.</p>
+
+<p>"There's only one thing we'll ask, ma'am," said
+the coxswain to Mrs. Lecks, "and that is that we be
+put in a different mess from the parson. We've now
+eat two meals with the passengers, and me and my
+mates is agreed that that's about as much as we
+can go."</p>
+
+<p>After this, therefore, the three men had their meals
+in the kitchen, where they were generally joined by
+Mrs. Aleshine, who much delighted in their company.
+But she made it a point sometimes to sit down with
+us in the dining-room, merely to show that she had as
+much right there as anybody.</p>
+
+<p>"As to the work for them sailormen," said Mrs.
+Aleshine, "I don't see what they're goin' to do. Of
+course they don't know nothin' about gardenin', and
+it seems to me that the best thing to be done is to put
+'em to fishin'."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks considered this a good suggestion, and
+accordingly the coxswain and his companions were
+told that thereafter they would be expected to fish
+for eight hours a day, Sundays excepted. This plan,
+however, did not work very well. During the first
+two days the sailors caught so many fish that, although
+the fishermen themselves had excellent appetites
+for such food, it was found utterly impossible to
+consume what they brought in. Consequently, it was
+ordered that thereafter they should catch only as
+many fish as should be needed, and then make themselves
+useful by assisting Mrs. Aleshine and Mrs.
+Lecks in any manner they might direct.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">[86]</span></p>
+
+<p>I found it quite easy to become acquainted with
+Miss Ruth Enderton, as she was very much inclined
+to conversation. "It's ever so long," she said, "since
+I've had anybody to talk to."</p>
+
+<p>She had left the United States when she was quite
+a little girl, and had since seen nothing of her native
+land. She was, consequently, full of questions about
+America, although quite willing to talk of her life in
+China. Society, at least such kind as she had ever
+cared for, had been extremely scarce in the little missionary
+station at which she had lived so long, and
+now, coming from a wearisome sojourn on a disabled
+sailing-vessel, with no company but the crew and a
+preoccupied father, she naturally was delighted to get
+among people she could talk to. With Mrs. Lecks,
+Mrs. Aleshine, and myself she soon became very
+friendly, and showed herself to be a most lively and
+interesting young person.</p>
+
+<p>I did all that I could to make Miss Ruth's time pass
+agreeably. I rowed with her on the lagoon, taught
+her to fish, and showed her all the pleasant points on
+the island which could be easily reached by walking.
+Mr. Enderton gave us very little of his company, for,
+having discovered that there was a library in the
+house, he passed most of his time in that room.</p>
+
+<p>"You have made a very fair selection of books, sir,"
+he remarked to me, "but it may readily be conceived,
+from the character of the works, that your tastes are
+neither ecclesiastic nor scientific."</p>
+
+<p>Several times I explained to him the ownership of
+the library and the house, but he immediately forgot
+what I had said, or paid no attention to it. When he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">[87]</span>
+paid his board at the end of the week, he handed the
+money to Mrs. Lecks; and although before his eyes
+she put it into the ginger-jar, beneath the paper of
+fish-hooks, I know very well that he considered he was
+paying it to her for her own use and behoof. He
+was comfortably lodged, he had all that he needed—and
+very nearly all that he wanted—to eat, and I do not
+know that I ever saw a man more contented with his lot.</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp69" id="i_087" style="max-width: 46.3125em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_087.png" alt="Lying on the beach under an umbrella">
+  <figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;I DID ALL THAT I COULD TO MAKE MISS RUTH&#39;S TIME PASS AGREEABLY.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>As for the coxswain and the two sailors, they had
+a very pleasant time of it, but Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine would not think of such a thing as allowing
+them to eat in idleness the bread of the Dusantes.
+After they had been with us a few days, Mrs. Lecks
+told me that she thought she could show the coxswain
+and his mates how to dig and gather the garden-stuff
+which was daily needed.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">[88]</span></p>
+
+<p>"To be sure," said she, "that work goes ag'in' part
+of your board, but fishin' and bringin' in fire-wood
+don't take up quarter of the time of them sailors, and
+so that the garden work is done, I don't suppose it
+matters to the Dusantes who does it. And that'll
+give you more time to make things pleasant for Miss
+Ruth, for, as far as I can see, there isn't a thing for
+her to do, even if she knows how to do it."</p>
+
+<p>The three mariners were more than willing to do
+anything desired by Mrs. Lecks or Mrs. Aleshine, to
+whom they looked up with great admiration and respect.
+The latter was their favorite, not only because
+she was with them a great deal during their meals
+and at other times, but because of her genial nature
+and easy sociability. The men were always trying to
+lighten her labors, and to do something that would
+please her.</p>
+
+<p>One of them climbed to the top of what she called
+a "palm-leaf-fan tree," and brought therefrom some
+broad leaves, which he cut and trimmed and sewed, in
+true nautical fashion, until he made some fans which
+were heavy and clumsy, but, as he said, they would
+stand half a gale of wind if she chose to raise it. The
+coxswain caught or trapped two sea-birds, and, having<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">[89]</span>
+clipped their wings, he spent days in endeavoring
+to tame them, hoping to induce them, as far as the
+power in them lay, to take the place of the barn-yard
+fowls whose absence Mrs. Aleshine continually deplored.
+Every evening the two black-bearded sailors
+would dance hornpipes for her, much to her diversion
+and delight.</p>
+
+<p>"I've often heard," she remarked, "that in these
+hot cocoanut countries the tricks of the monkeys was
+enough to keep everybody on a steady laugh, but I'm
+sure sailormen is a great deal better. When you get
+tired of their pranks and their tomfooleries you can
+tell 'em to stop, which with monkeys you can't."</p>
+
+<p>It was about ten days after the arrival of the missionary's
+party that, as I was going to get ready the
+boat in which Miss Ruth and myself generally rowed
+in the cool of the evening, I saw Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine sitting on the beach in the shade of some
+low-growing trees. They were evidently waiting for
+me, and as soon as I appeared Mrs. Lecks beckoned
+to me; whereupon I joined them.</p>
+
+<p>"Sit down," said Mrs. Lecks; "there's somethin' I
+want to talk to you about. Mrs. Aleshine and me
+have made up our minds that you ought to be hurried
+up a little about poppin' the question to Miss Ruth."</p>
+
+<p>This remark astounded me. "Popping the question!"
+I exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," continued Mrs. Lecks, "and me and Mrs.
+Aleshine know very well that you haven't done it
+yet, for both of us havin' been through that sort of
+thing ourselves, we know the signs of it after it has
+happened."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">[90]</span></p>
+
+<p>"And we wouldn't say nothin' to hurry you,"
+added Mrs. Aleshine, "if it wasn't that the groceries,
+especially the flour, is a-gettin' low. We've been
+talkin' to them sailormen, and they're pretty well
+agreed that there's no use now in expectin' their
+captain to send for 'em; for if he was a-goin' to do it at
+all, he'd 'a' done it before this. And perhaps he never
+got nowhere himself, in which case he couldn't. And
+they say the best thing we can all do when the victuals
+has nearly give out, provided the Dusantes don't
+come back in time, is to take what's left, and all get
+into their big boat, and row away to that island, which
+I don't know just how far it is, that the captain of our
+ship was goin' to. There we can stay pretty comfortable
+till a ship comes along and takes us off."</p>
+
+<p>"But what has all that to do," I asked, "with Miss
+Ruth and me?"</p>
+
+<p>"Do?" cried Mrs. Lecks. "It has everythin' to do.
+When it's all settled and fixed between you and Miss
+Ruth, there'll be nothin' to hinder us from gettin'
+ready to start when we please."</p>
+
+<p>"But, my dear friends," I said with much earnestness,
+"I have not the slightest idea of proposing to
+Miss Enderton."</p>
+
+<p>"That's just what I said to Mrs. Aleshine," said
+Mrs. Lecks, "and that's the reason we let our irons
+cool, and come out here to talk to you. It's just like
+a young man to keep puttin' off that sort of thing,
+but this can't be put off."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so!" cried Mrs. Aleshine; "and I'll just
+let you see how the matter stands. There is housekeepers
+who allows a pint of flour a day to each person,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">[91]</span>
+but this is for farm-hands and people who works
+hard and eats hearty, and I've found that three
+quarters of a pint will do very well, if the dough is
+kneaded conscientious and made up light, so that it'll
+rise well when it's put into the oven. Now I've
+measured all the flour that's left, and me and Mrs.
+Lecks we've calculated that, allowin' three quarters
+of a pint of flour a day to each one of us, there's just
+eight days more that we can stay here—that is, if the
+Dusantes don't come back before that time, which, of
+course, can't be counted on. So you can see for
+yourself, Mr. Craig, there's no time to be lost, even
+considerin' that she hasn't to make up anything to be
+married in."</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_091" style="max-width: 50em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_091.png" alt="">
+  <figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;THEY WERE EVIDENTLY WAITING FOR ME.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>"No," said Mrs. Lecks; "just for us and three
+sailors, that wouldn't be needed."</p>
+
+<p>I looked from one to the other in dumb astonishment.
+Mrs. Lecks gave me no time to say anything.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">[92]</span></p>
+
+<p>"In common cases," said she, "this might all be
+put off till we got somewhere; but it won't do now.
+Here you are, with everythin' in your own hands, but
+just get away from here, and there's an end of that.
+She's as pretty a girl as you'll see in a month of
+Sundays, and if she leaves here without your gettin'
+her, there's no knowing who'll snap her up. When
+we've got to that island, you may see her once a
+week, but maybe you won't. She may go away in one
+ship, and you in another, and there may be somebody
+right there—a missionary, for all I know—who'll
+have her before you have a chance to put in a word."</p>
+
+<p>"And that's not the worst of it," said Mrs. Aleshine.
+"Supposin' them Dusantes come back before
+we go. There's no knowin' what that Mr. Dusante
+is. He may be a brother of Emily and Lucille. And
+what sort of a chance would you have then, I'd like
+to know, with Miss Ruth right here in his own house,
+and he ownin' the rowboat, and everythin'? Or it
+may be he's a widower, and that'll be a mighty sight
+worse, I can tell you."</p>
+
+<p>"No matter whether they're widowers or never
+been married," said Mrs. Lecks, "there'll be plenty
+that'll want her as soon as they see her; and if it
+isn't for the girl's own pretty face, it'll be for her
+father's money."</p>
+
+<p>"Her father's money!" I exclaimed. "What are
+you talking of?"</p>
+
+<p>"There's no good tellin' me anything about that,"
+said Mrs. Lecks, very decidedly. "There never was
+a man as close-fisted as Mr. Enderton who hadn't
+money."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">[93]</span></p>
+
+<p>"And you know as well as we do," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"that in them countries where he's been the
+heathens worship idols of silver and idols of gold, and
+when them heathens is converted, don't you suppose
+the missionaries get any of that? I expect that Mr.
+Enderton has converted thousands of heathens."</p>
+
+<p>At this suggestion I laughed outright. But Mrs.
+Lecks reproved me.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Mr. Craig," said she, "this is no laughin'
+matter. What me and Mrs. Aleshine is sayin' is for
+your good, and for the good of Miss Ruth along with
+you. I haven't much opinion of her father, but his
+money is as good as anybody else's, and though they
+had to leave their trunks on board their ship, what
+little they brought with them shows that they've been
+used to havin' the best there is. Mrs. Aleshine and
+me has set up till late into the night talkin' over this
+thing, and we are both of one mind that you two need
+never expect to have the same chance again that you've
+got now. The very fact that the old gentleman is a
+preacher, and can marry you on the spot, ought to
+make you tremble when you think of the risks you
+are runnin' by puttin' it off."</p>
+
+<p>"I've got to go into the house now to see about
+supper," said Mrs. Aleshine, rising, "and I hope
+you'll remember, Mr. Craig, when your bread is on
+your plate, and Miss Ruth is sittin' opposite to you,
+that three quarters of a pint of flour a day is about
+as little as anybody can live on, and that time is
+flyin'."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks now also rose. But I detained the two
+for a moment.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">[94]</span></p>
+
+<p>"I hope you have not said anything to Miss Enderton
+on this subject," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"No," replied Mrs. Aleshine, "we haven't. We are
+both agreed that as you're the one that's to do what's
+to be done, you are the one that's to be spoke to.
+And havin' been through it ourselves, we understand
+well enough that the more a woman don't know
+nothin' about it, the more likely she is to be ketched
+if she wants to be."</p>
+
+<p>The two women left me in an amused but also
+somewhat annoyed state of mind. I had no intention
+whatever of proposing to Miss Ruth Enderton. She
+was a charming girl, very bright and lively, and
+withal, I had reason to believe, very sensible. But it
+was not yet a fortnight since I first saw her, and no
+thought of marrying her had entered into my head.
+Had Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, or, more important
+than all, had Miss Enderton, any reason to believe
+that I was acting the part of a lover?</p>
+
+<p>The latter portion of this question was almost immediately
+answered to my satisfaction by the appearance of Miss Ruth,
+who came skipping down to me and
+calling out to me in that free and hearty manner with
+which a woman addresses a friend or near acquaintance,
+but never a suspected lover. She betrayed no
+more notion of the Lecks and Aleshine scheme than
+on the day I first met her.</p>
+
+<p>But, as I was rowing her over the lagoon, I felt a
+certain constraint which I had not known before.
+There was no ground whatever for the wild imaginings
+of the two women, but the fact that they had
+imagined interfered very much with the careless<span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">[95]</span>
+freedom with which I had previously talked to Miss
+Ruth. I do not think, however, that she noticed any
+change in me, for she chatted and laughed, and showed,
+as she had done from the first, the rare delight which
+she took in this novel island life.</p>
+
+<p>When we returned to the house, we were met by
+Mrs. Aleshine. "I am goin' to give you two your
+supper," she said, "on that table there under the
+tree. We all had ours a little earlier than common,
+as the sailormen seemed hungry; and I took your
+father's to him in the libr'ry, where I expect he's
+a-sittin' yet, holdin' a book in one hand and stirrin'
+his tea with the other, till he's stirred out nearly
+every drop on the floor; which, however, won't
+matter at all, for in the mornin' I'll rub up that floor
+till it's as bright as new."</p>
+
+<p>This plan delighted Miss Ruth, but I saw in it the
+beginning of the workings of a deep-laid scheme. I
+was just about to sit down when Mrs. Aleshine said
+to me in a low voice, as she left us:</p>
+
+<p>"Remember that the first three quarters of a pint
+apiece begins now!"</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you think that Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+are perfectly charming?" said Miss Ruth, as she
+poured out the tea. "They always seem to be trying
+to think of some kind thing to do for other people."</p>
+
+<p>I agreed entirely with Miss Enderton's remark, but
+I could not help thinking of the surprise she would
+feel if she knew of the kind thing that these two
+women were trying to do for her.</p>
+
+<p>"Have you taken any steps yet?" asked Mrs. Lecks
+of me, the next day. On my replying that I had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">[96]</span>
+taken no steps of the kind to which I supposed she
+alluded, she walked away with a very grave and serious
+face.</p>
+
+<p>A few hours later Mrs. Aleshine came to me.
+"There's another reason for hurryin' up," said she.
+"Them sailormen seems able to do without 'most
+anything in this world except tobacco, and Mrs. Lecks
+has been sellin' it to 'em out of a big box she found in
+a closet up-stairs, at five cents a teacupful,—which I
+think is awful cheap, but she says prices in islands is
+always low,—and wrapping the money up in a paper,
+with 'Cash paid by sailormen for tobacco' written
+on it, and puttin' it into the ginger-jar with the
+board money. But their dollar and forty-three cents
+is nearly gone, and Mrs. Lecks she says that not a
+whiff of Mr. Dusante's tobacco shall they have if they
+can't pay for it. And when they have nothin' to smoke
+they'll be wantin' to leave this island just as quick as
+they can, without waitin' for the flour to give out."</p>
+
+<p>Here was another pressure brought to bear upon
+me. Not only the waning flour, but the rapidly disappearing
+tobacco money was used as a weapon to
+urge me forward to the love-making which Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine had set their hearts upon.</p>
+
+<p>I was in no hurry to leave the island, and hoped
+very much that when we did go we should depart in
+some craft more comfortable than a ship's boat. In
+order, therefore, to prevent any undue desire to leave
+on the part of the sailors, I gave them money enough
+to buy a good many teacups full of tobacco. By this
+act I think I wounded the feelings of Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine, although I had no idea that such would<span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">[97]</span>
+be the effect of my little gift. They said nothing to
+me on the subject, but their looks and manners indicated
+that they thought I had not been acting honorably.
+For two days they had very little to say to me,
+and then Mrs. Aleshine came to me to make what, I
+suppose, was their supreme effort.</p>
+
+<p>"Mrs. Lecks and me is a-goin' to try," she said,—and
+as she spoke she looked at me with a very sad expression
+and a watery appearance about the eyes,—"to
+stretch out the time for you a little longer.
+We are goin' to make them sailormen eat more fish;
+and as for me and her, we'll go pretty much without
+bread, and make it up, as well as we can, on other
+things. You and Miss Ruth and the parson can each
+have your three quarters of a pint of flour a day, just
+the same as ever, and what we save ought to give you
+three or four days longer."</p>
+
+<p>This speech moved me deeply. I could not allow
+these two kind-hearted women to half starve themselves
+in order that I might have more time to woo,
+and I spoke very earnestly on the subject to Mrs.
+Aleshine, urging her to give up the fanciful plans
+which she and Mrs. Lecks had concocted.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us drop this idea of love-making," I said,
+"which is the wildest kind of vagary, and all live
+happily together, as we did before. If the provisions
+give out before the Dusantes come back, I suppose we
+shall have to leave in the boat; but, until that time
+comes, let us enjoy life here as much as we can, and
+be the good friends that we used to be."</p>
+
+<p>I might as well have talked to one of the palm-trees
+which waved over us.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">[98]</span></p>
+
+<p>"As I said before," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "what
+is saved from Mrs. Lecks's and mine and the three
+sailormen's three quarters of a pint apiece ought to
+give you four days more." And she went into the
+house.</p>
+
+<p>All this time the Reverend Mr. Enderton had sat
+and read in the library, or meditatively had walked
+the beach with a book in his hand; while the three
+mariners had caught fish, performed their other work,
+and lain in the shade, smoking their pipes in peace.
+Miss Ruth and I had taken our daily rows and walks,
+and had enjoyed our usual hours of pleasant converse,
+and all the members of the little colony seemed happy
+and contented except Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.
+These two went gravely and sadly about their work,
+and the latter asked no more for the hornpipes and
+the sea-songs of her sailormen.</p>
+
+<p>But, for some unaccountable reason, Mr. Enderton's
+condition of tranquil abstraction did not continue.
+He began to be fretful and discontented. He found
+fault with his food and his accommodations, and instead
+of spending the greater part of the day in the
+library, as had been his wont, he took to wandering
+about the island, generally with two or three books
+under his arm, sometimes sitting down in one place,
+and sometimes in another, and then rising suddenly
+to go grumbling into the house.</p>
+
+<p>One afternoon, as Miss Ruth and I were in the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">[99]</span>
+skiff in the lagoon, we saw Mr. Enderton approaching
+us, walking on the beach. As soon as he was near
+enough for us to hear him, he shouted to his daughter:</p>
+
+<figure class="figright illowp57" id="i_099" style="max-width: 23.8125em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_099.png" alt="">
+  <figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;SMOKING THEIR PIPES IN PEACE.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>"Ruth, come out of that boat! If you want to take
+the air, I should think you might as well walk with me
+as to go rowing round with—with anybody."</p>
+
+<p>This rude and heartless speech made my blood boil,
+while my companion turned pale with mortification.
+The man had never made the slightest objection to
+our friendly intercourse,
+and this
+unexpected attack
+was entirely indefensible.</p>
+
+<p>"Please put me
+ashore," said Miss
+Ruth, and without
+a word, for I
+could not trust myself
+to speak, I
+landed her; and,
+petulantly complaining
+that she
+never gave him one
+moment of her society,
+her father led
+her away.</p>
+
+<p>An hour later, my soul still in a state of turmoil,
+but with the violence of its tossings somewhat abated,
+I entered one of the paths which led through the
+woods. After a few turns, I reached a point where I
+could see for quite a long distance to the other end of
+the path, which opened out upon the beach. There I
+perceived Mr. Enderton sitting upon the little bench
+on which I had found Emily's book. His back was
+toward me, and he seemed to be busily reading.
+About midway between him and myself I saw Miss
+Ruth slowly walking toward me. Her eyes were fixed
+upon the ground, and she had not seen me.</p>
+
+<p>Stepping to one side, I awaited her approach.
+When she came near I accosted her.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">[100]</span></p>
+
+<p>"Miss Ruth," said I, "has your father been talking
+to you of me?"</p>
+
+<p>She looked up quickly, evidently surprised at my
+being there. "Yes," she said, "he has told me that it
+is not—suitable that I should be with you as much as
+I have been since we came here."</p>
+
+<p>There was something in this remark that roused
+again the turmoil which had begun to subside within
+me. There was so much that was unjust and tyrannical,
+and—what perhaps touched me still deeper—there
+was such a want of consideration and respect in
+this behavior of Mr. Enderton's, that it brought to the
+front some very incongruous emotions. I had been
+superciliously pushed aside, and I found I was angry.
+Something was about to be torn from me, and I
+found I loved it.</p>
+
+<p>"Ruth," said I, stepping up close to her, "do you
+like to be with me as you have been?"</p>
+
+<p>If Miss Ruth had not spent such a large portion of
+her life in the out-of-the-world village of Nanfouchong,
+if she had not lived among those simple-hearted
+missionaries, where it was never necessary to
+conceal her emotions or her sentiments, if it had not
+been that she never had had emotions or sentiments
+that it was necessary to conceal, I do not believe that
+when she answered me she would have raised her
+eyes to me with a look in them of a deep-blue sky seen<span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">[101]</span>
+through a sort of Indian-summer mist, and that, gazing
+thus, she would have said:</p>
+
+<p>"Of course I like it."</p>
+
+<p>"Then let us make it suitable," I said, taking both
+her hands in mine.</p>
+
+<p>There was another look, in which the skies shone
+clear and bright, and then, in a moment, it was all
+done.</p>
+
+<p>About five minutes after this I said to her, "Ruth,
+shall we go to your father?"</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly," she answered. And together we
+walked along the thickly shaded path.</p>
+
+<p>The missionary still sat with his back toward us,
+and, being so intent upon his book, I found that by
+keeping my eyes upon him it was perfectly safe to
+walk with my arm around Ruth until we had nearly
+reached him. Then I took her hand in mine, and we
+stepped in front of him.</p>
+
+<p>"Father," said Ruth, "Mr. Craig and I are going to
+be married."</p>
+
+<p>There was something very plump about this remark,
+and Mr. Enderton immediately raised his eyes from
+his book and fixed them first upon his daughter and
+then upon me; then he let them drop, and through
+the narrow space between us he gazed out over the
+sea.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, father," said Ruth, a little impatiently,
+"what do you think of it?"<span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">[102]</span></p>
+
+<figure class="figleft illowp50" id="i_102" style="max-width: 18.8125em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_102.png" alt="">
+  <figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;IT WAS PERFECTLY SAFE.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>Mr. Enderton leaned forward and picked up a leaf
+from the ground. This he placed between the open
+pages of his book, and closed it.</p>
+
+<p>"It seems to me," he said, "that on many accounts
+the arrangement you propose may be an excellent one.
+Yes," he added more decidedly; "I think it will do
+very well indeed. I shall not be at all surprised if
+we are obliged to remain on this island for a considerable
+time, and, for my
+part, I have no desire
+to leave it at present.
+And when you shall
+place yourself, Ruth,
+in a position in which
+you will direct the domestic
+economies of
+the establishment, I
+hope that you will see
+to it that things generally
+are made more
+compatible with comfort
+and gentility, and,
+as regards the table, I
+may add with palatability."</p>
+
+<p>Ruth and I looked
+at each other, and then
+together we promised that as far as in us lay we would
+try to make the life of Mr. Enderton a happy one, not
+only while we were on the island, but ever afterward.</p>
+
+<p>We were promising a great deal, but at that moment
+we felt very grateful.</p>
+
+<p>Then he stood up, shook us both by the hands, and
+we left him to his book.</p>
+
+<p>When Ruth and I came walking out of the woods
+and approached the house, Mrs. Aleshine was standing
+outside, not far from the kitchen. When she saw
+us she gazed steadily at us for a few moments, a
+strange expression coming over her face. Then she
+threw up both her hands, and without a word she
+turned and rushed indoors.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">[103]</span></p>
+
+<p>We had not reached the house before Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine came hurrying out together. Running
+up to us with a haste and an excitement I had
+never seen in either of them, first one and then the
+other took Ruth into her arms and kissed her with
+much earnestness. Then they turned upon me and
+shook my hands with hearty vigor, expressing, more
+by their looks and actions than their words, a triumphant
+approbation of what I had done.</p>
+
+<p>"The minute I laid eyes on you," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"I knowed it was all right. There wasn't no
+need of askin' questions."</p>
+
+<p>I now became fearful lest, in the exuberance of
+their satisfaction, these good women might reveal to
+Ruth the plans they had laid for our matrimonial
+future, and the reluctance I had shown in entering
+into them. My countenance must have expressed
+my apprehensions, for Mrs. Aleshine, her ruddy face
+glowing with warmth, both mental and physical, gave
+me a little wink, and drew me to one side.</p>
+
+<p>"You needn't suppose that we've ever said anything
+to Miss Ruth, or that we're goin' to. It's a great
+deal better to let her think you did it all yourself."</p>
+
+<p>I felt like resenting this imputation upon the independence
+of my love-making, but at this happy moment
+I did not want to enter into a discussion, and
+therefore merely smiled.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">[104]</span></p>
+
+<p>"I'm so glad, I don't know how to tell it," continued
+Mrs. Aleshine, as Mrs. Lecks and Ruth walked toward
+the house.</p>
+
+<p>I was about to follow, but my companion detained
+me.</p>
+
+<p>"Have you spoke to the parson?" she asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, yes," said I, "and he seems perfectly satisfied.
+I am rather surprised at this, because of late he has
+been in such a remarkably bad humor."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "there's no
+gettin' round the fact that he's been a good deal
+crosser than two sticks. You see, Mr. Craig, that
+Mrs. Lecks and me we made up our minds that it
+wasn't fair to the Dusantes to let that rich missionary
+go on payin' nothin' but four dollars a week apiece
+for him and his daughter, and if we couldn't get no
+more out of him one way, we'd do it another. It was
+fair enough that if he didn't pay more he ought to
+get less; and so we gave him more fish and not so
+much bread, the same as we did the sailormen; and
+we weakened his tea, and sent him just so much
+sugar, and no more; and as for openin' boxes of sardines
+for him, which there was no reason why they
+shouldn't be left here for the Dusantes, I just wouldn't
+do it, though he said he'd got all the fresh fish he
+wanted when he was in China. And then we agreed
+that it was high time that that libr'ry should be
+cleaned up, and we went to work at it, not mindin'
+what he said; for it's no use tellin' me that four dollars
+a week will pay for a front room and good board,
+and the use of a libr'ry all day. And as there wasn't
+no need of both of us cleanin' one room, Mrs. Lecks<span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">[105]</span>
+she went into the parlor, where he'd took his books,
+and begun there. And then, again, we shut down on
+Mr. Dusante's dressing-gown. There was no sense
+includin' the use of that in his four dollars a week, so
+we brushed it up, and camphored it, and put it away.
+We just wanted to let him know that if he undertook
+to be skinflinty, he'd better try it on somebody else
+besides us. We could see that he was a good deal
+upset, for if ever a man liked to have things quiet
+and comfortable around him, and everything his own
+way, that man is that missionary.But we didn't
+care if we did prod him up a little. Mrs. Lecks and
+me we both agreed that it would do him good. Why,
+he'd got into such a way of shettin' himself up in
+himself that he didn't even see that his daughter was
+goin' about with a young man, and fixin' her affections
+on him more and more every day, when he never had
+no idea, as could be proved by witnesses, of marryin'
+her."</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp67" id="i_105" style="max-width: 45em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_105.png" alt="">
+  <figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;&#39;I KNOWED IT WAS ALL RIGHT.&#39;&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>"Mrs. Aleshine," said I, looking at her very steadfastly,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">[106]</span>
+"I believe, after all, that you and Mrs. Lecks
+had your own way in regard to hurrying up this
+matter."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said she, with happy complacency; "I
+shouldn't wonder if we had. Stirrin' up the parson
+was our last chance, and it wasn't much trouble to
+do it."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks, whose manner toward me for the last
+few days had been characterized by cold severity, now
+resumed her former friendly demeanor, although she
+was not willing to let the affair pass over without
+some words of reproach.</p>
+
+<p>"I must say, Mr. Craig," she remarked the next morning,
+"that I was gettin' pretty well outdone with you. I
+was beginnin' to think that a young man that couldn't
+see and wouldn't see what was good for him didn't
+deserve to have it; and if Miss Ruth's father had just
+come down with a heavy foot and put an end to the
+whole business, I'm not sure I'd been sorry for you.
+But it's all right at last, and bygones is bygones.
+And now, what we've got to do is to get ready for
+the weddin'."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">[107]</span></p>
+
+<p>"The wedding!" I exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks regarded me with an expression in which
+there was something of virtuous indignation and
+something of pity. "Mr. Craig," said she, "if there
+ever was anybody that wanted a guardeen, it's you.
+Now, just let me tell you this. That Mr. Enderton
+ain't to be trusted no further than you can see him,
+and not so fur, neither, if it can be helped. He's
+willin' for you to have Miss Ruth now, because he's
+pretty much made up his mind that we're goin' to
+stay here, and as he considers you the master of this
+island, of course he thinks it'll be for his good for
+his daughter to be mistress of it. For one thing, he
+wouldn't expect to pay no board then. But just let
+him get away from this island, and just let him set his
+eyes on some smooth-faced young fellow that'll agree
+to take him into the concern and keep him for nothin'
+on books and tea, he'll just throw you over without
+winkin'. And Miss Ruth is not the girl to marry you
+against his will, if he opens the Bible and piles texts
+on her, which he is capable of doin'. If in any way
+you two should get separated when you leave here,
+there's no knowin' when you'd ever see each other
+again, for where he'll take her nobody can tell. He's
+more willin' to set down and stay where he finds himself
+comfortable than anybody I've met yet."</p>
+
+<p>"Of course," I said, "I'm ready to be married at
+any moment; but I don't believe Miss Ruth and her
+father would consent to anything so speedy."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you get into the way," said Mrs. Lecks, "of
+beforehand believin' this or that. It don't pay. Just
+you go to her father and talk to him about it, and if<span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">[108]</span>
+you and him agree, it'll be easy enough to make her
+see the sense of it. You attend to them, and I'll see
+that everythin' is got ready. And you'd better fix
+the day for to-morrow, for we can't stay here much
+longer, and there's a lot of house-cleanin' and bakin'
+and cookin' to be done before we go."</p>
+
+<p>I took this advice, and broached the subject to Mr.
+Enderton.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, sir," said he, laying down his book, "your
+proposition is decidedly odd; I may say, very odd,
+indeed. But it is, perhaps, after all, no odder than
+many things I have seen. Among the various denominational
+sects I have noticed occurrences quite
+as odd; quite as odd, sir. For my part, I have no
+desire to object to an early celebration of the matrimonial
+rites. I may say, indeed, that I am of the
+opinion that a certain amount of celerity in this matter
+will conduce to the comfort of all concerned. It
+has been a very unsatisfactory thing to me to see my
+daughter occupying a subordinate position in our little
+family, where she has not even the power to turn
+household affairs into the channels of my comfort.
+To-morrow, I think, will do very well indeed. Even
+if it should rain, I see no reason why the ceremony
+should be postponed."</p>
+
+<p>The proposition of a wedding on the morrow was
+not received by Ruth with favor. She was unprepared
+for such precipitancy. But she finally yielded
+to arguments; not so much to mine, I fear, as to those
+offered by Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>For the rest of that day the three mariners were
+kept very busy, bringing in green things to deck the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">[109]</span>
+parlor, and doing every imaginable kind of work
+necessary to a wedding which Mrs. Aleshine was willing
+to give into their hands. As for herself and her
+good friend, they put themselves upon their mettle as
+providers of festivals. They made cakes, pies, and
+I never knew half so well as the three sailors how
+many other kinds of good things. Besides all this,
+they assisted Ruth to array herself in some degree in
+a manner becoming a bride. Some light and pretty
+adornments of dress were borrowed from Emily or
+Lucille, they knew not which, and, after having been
+"done up" and fluted and crimped by Mrs. Lecks,
+were incorporated by Ruth into her costume with so
+much taste that on the wedding morning she appeared
+to me to be dressed more charmingly than any bride
+I had ever seen.</p>
+
+<p>The three sailors had done their own washing and
+ironing, and appeared in cleanly garb, and with hair
+and beards well wet and brushed. Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine put on their best bibs and tuckers, and
+Mr. Enderton assumed his most clerical air as he
+stood behind a table in the parlor and married Ruth
+and me.</p>
+
+<p>"This," said Mr. Enderton, as we were seated at the
+wedding-feast, "is a most creditable display of attractive
+viands, but I may say, my dear Ruth, that I
+think I perceived the influence of the happy event of
+to-day even before it took place. I have lately had a
+better appetite for my food, and have experienced
+a greater enjoyment of my surroundings."</p>
+
+<p>"I should think so," murmured Mrs. Aleshine in
+my ear, "for we'd no sooner knowed that you two<span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">[110]</span>
+were to make a match of it than we put an extry
+spoonful of tea into his pot, and stopped scrubbin' the
+libr'ry."</p>
+
+<p>For the next two days all was bustle and work on
+the island. Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine would not
+consent to depart without leaving everything in the
+best possible order, so that the Dusantes might not be
+dissatisfied with the condition of their house when
+they returned. It was, in fact, the evident desire of
+the two women to gratify their pride in their house-wifely
+abilities by leaving everything better than
+they found it.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Enderton was much surprised at these preparations
+for immediate departure. He was very well
+satisfied with his life on the island, and had prepared
+his mind for an indefinite continuance of it, with the
+position of that annoying and obdurate Mrs. Lecks
+filled by a compliant and affectionate daughter. He
+had no reasonable cause for complaint, for the whole
+subject of the exhaustion of our supply of provisions,
+and the necessity of an open-boat trip to an inhabited
+island, had been fully discussed before him; but he
+was so entirely engrossed in the consideration of his
+own well-being that this discussion of our plans had
+made no impression upon him. He now became convinced
+that a conspiracy had been entered into against
+him, and fell into an unpleasant humor. This, however,
+produced very little effect upon any of us, for
+we were all too busy to notice his whims. But his
+sudden change of disposition made me understand
+how correct were the opinions of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine concerning him. If I had left that island
+with my marriage with Ruth depending upon Mr.
+Enderton's coöperation, my prospects of future happiness
+would have been at the mercy of his caprices.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">[111]</span></p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp49" id="i_111" style="max-width: 34.9375em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_111.png" alt="">
+  <figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;THEY ASSISTED RUTH TO ARRAY HERSELF.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_112"></span><span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">[113]</span></p>
+
+<p>Very early on a beautiful morning Ruth and I
+started out on our wedding journey in the long-boat.
+Mr. Enderton was made as comfortable as possible in
+the stern, with Ruth near him. Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine sat facing each other, each with a brown-paper
+package by her side, containing the life-preserver
+on which she had arrived. These were to be
+ever cherished as memorials of a wonderful experience.
+The three sailors and I took turns at the oars. The
+sea was smooth, and there was every reason to believe
+that we should arrive at our destination before the
+end of the day. Mrs. Aleshine had supplied us with
+an abundance of provisions, and, with the exception
+of Mr. Enderton, who had not been permitted to take
+away any of the Dusante books, we were a contented
+party.</p>
+
+<p>"As long as the flour held out," remarked Mrs. Aleshine,
+"I'd never been willin' to leave that island till
+the Dusantes came back, and we could have took
+Emily or Lucille, whichever it was that kept house,
+and showed her everythin', and told her just what we
+had done. But when they do come back," she added,
+"and read that letter which Mr. Craig wrote and left
+for them, and find out all that happened in their
+country-place while they was away; and how two of
+us was made happy for life; and how two more of us,
+meanin' Mrs. Lecks and me, have give up goin' to
+Japan, intendin', instid of that, writin' to my son to
+come home to America and settle down in the country<span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">[114]</span>
+he ought to live in,—why, then, if them Dusantes
+ain't satisfied, it's no use for anybody to ever try to
+satisfy 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"I should think not," said Mrs. Lecks, "with the
+weddin'-cards on the parlor table, not a speck of dust
+in any corner, and the board money in the ginger-jar."</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp59" id="i_114" style="max-width: 22.4375em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_114.png" alt="Back view of Mrs. ? sitting with parcels">
+</figure>
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">[115]</span></p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+<h2 id="PART_IV">PART IV</h2>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_115" style="max-width: 53.125em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_115.png" alt="A boat with sails at sea">
+</figure>
+
+<p>When the little party, consisting of Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine, Mr. Enderton, my newly
+made wife, and myself, with the red-bearded coxswain
+and the two sailormen, bade farewell to that island in
+the Pacific where so many happy hours had been
+passed, where such pleasant friendships had been
+formed, and where I had met my Ruth and made her
+my wife, we rowed away with a bright sky over our
+heads, a pleasant wind behind us, and a smooth sea
+beneath us. The long-boat was comfortable and well
+appointed, and there was even room enough in it for
+Mr. Enderton to stretch himself out and take a noonday
+nap. We gave him every advantage of this kind,
+for we had found by experience that our party was
+happiest when my father-in-law was best contented.</p>
+
+<p>Early in the forenoon the coxswain rigged a small
+sail in the bow of the boat, and with this aid to our<span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">[116]</span>
+steady and systematic work at the oars we reached,
+just before nightfall, the large island whither we were
+bound, and to which, by means of the coxswain's
+pocket-compass, we had steered a direct course. Our
+arrival on this island, which was inhabited by some
+white traders and a moderate population of natives,
+occasioned great surprise; for when the boats containing
+the crew and passengers of our unfortunate
+steamer had reached the island, it was found that
+Mrs. Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine, and myself were missing.
+There were many suppositions as to our fate. Some
+persons thought we had been afraid to leave the
+steamer, and, having secreted ourselves on board, had
+gone down with her. Others conjectured that in the
+darkness we had fallen overboard, either from the
+steamer or from one of the boats; and there was even
+a surmise that we might have embarked in the leaky
+small boat—in which we really did leave the steamer—and
+so had been lost. At any rate, we had disappeared,
+and our loss was a good deal talked about
+and, in a manner, mourned. In less than a week
+after their arrival the people from the steamer had
+been taken on board a sailing-vessel and carried
+westward to their destination.</p>
+
+<p>We, however, were not so fortunate, for we remained
+on this island for more than a month. During
+this time but one ship touched there, and she was
+western bound and of no use to us, for we had determined
+to return to America. Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine had given up their journey to Japan, and
+were anxious to reach once more their country homes,
+while my dear Ruth and I were filled with a desire to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">[117]</span>
+found a home on some pleasant portion of the Atlantic
+seaboard. What Mr. Enderton intended to do
+we did not know. He was on his way to the United
+States when he left the leaking ship on which he and
+his daughter were passengers, and his intentions regarding
+his journey did not appear to have been
+altered by his mishaps.</p>
+
+<p>By the western-bound vessel, however, Mrs. Aleshine
+sent a letter to her son.</p>
+
+<p>Our life on this island was monotonous and to the
+majority of the party uninteresting; but as it was the
+scene of our honeymoon, Mrs. Craig and I will always
+look back to it with the most pleasurable recollections.
+We were comfortably lodged in a house belonging to
+one of the traders, and although Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine had no household duties to occupy their
+time, they managed to supply themselves with knitting-materials
+from the stores on the island, and filled
+up their hours of waiting with chatty industry. The
+pipes of our sailor friends were always well filled,
+while the sands of the island were warm and pleasant
+for their backs, and it was only Mr. Enderton who
+showed any signs of impatient repining at our
+enforced stay. He growled, he grumbled, and he
+inveighed against the criminal neglect of steamship
+companies and the owners of sailing-craft in not
+making it compulsory in every one of their vessels
+to stop on every voyage at this island, where, at any
+time, intelligent and important personages might be
+stranded.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">[118]</span></p>
+
+<p>At last, however, we were taken off by a three-masted
+schooner bound for San Francisco, at which
+city we arrived in due time and in good health and
+condition.</p>
+
+<p>We did not remain long in this city, but soon
+started on our way across the continent, leaving
+behind us our three sailor companions, who intended
+to ship from this port as soon as an advantageous
+opportunity offered itself. These men heard no news
+of their vessel, although they felt quite sure that she
+had reached Honolulu, where she had probably been
+condemned and the crew scattered. As some baggage
+belonging to my wife and my father-in-law had been
+left on board this vessel, I had hopes that Mr. Enderton
+would remain in San Francisco and order it forwarded
+to him there; or that he would even take a
+trip to Honolulu to attend to the matter personally.
+But in this I was disappointed. He seemed to take
+very little interest in his missing trunks, and wished
+only to press on to the East. I wrote to Honolulu,
+desiring the necessary steps to be taken to forward
+the baggage in case it had arrived there; and soon
+afterward our party of five started eastward.</p>
+
+<p>It was now autumn, but, although we desired to
+reach the end of our journey before winter set in, we
+felt that we had time enough to visit some of the
+natural wonders of the California country before
+taking up our direct course to the East. Therefore,
+in spite of some petulant remonstrances on the part
+of Mr. Enderton, we made several trips to points of
+interest.</p>
+
+<p>From the last of these excursions we set out in a
+stage-coach, of which we were the only occupants,
+toward a point on the railroad where we expected to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">[119]</span>
+take a train. On the way we stopped to change horses
+at a small stage-station at the foot of a range of
+mountains; and when I descended from the coach I
+found the driver and some of the men at the station
+discussing the subject of our route. It appeared that
+there were two roads, one of which gradually ascended
+the mountain for several miles, and then descended
+to the level of the railroad, by the side of which it
+ran until it reached the station where we wished to
+take the train. The other road pursued its way along
+a valley or notch in the mountain for a considerable
+distance, and then, by a short but somewhat steep
+ascending grade, joined the upper road.</p>
+
+<p>It was growing quite cold, and the sky and the wind
+indicated that bad weather might be expected; and
+as the upper road was considered the better one at
+such a time, our driver concluded to take it. Six
+horses, instead of four, were now attached to our
+stage; and as two of these animals were young and
+unruly, and promised to be unusually difficult to drive
+in the ordinary way, our driver concluded to ride one
+of the wheel-horses, postilion fashion, and to put a boy
+on one of the leaders. Mr. Enderton was very much
+afraid of horses, and objected strongly to the young
+animals in our new team. But there were no others
+to take their places, and his protests were disregarded.</p>
+
+<p>My wife and I occupied a back seat, having been
+ordered to take this comfortable position by Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, who had constituted themselves
+a board of instruction and admonition to Mrs.
+Craig, and incidentally to myself. They fancied that
+my wife's health was not vigorous, and that she needed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">[120]</span>
+coddling, and if she had had two mothers she could
+not have been more tenderly cared for than by these
+good women. They sat upon the middle seat with
+their faces toward the horses, while Mr. Enderton
+had the front seat all to himself. He was, however,
+so nervous and fidgety, continually twisting himself
+about endeavoring to get a view of the horses or of
+the bad places on the road, that Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine found that a position facing him and in close
+juxtaposition was entirely too uncomfortable; and
+consequently, the back of their seat being adjustable,
+they turned themselves about and faced us.</p>
+
+<p>The ascent of the mountain was slow and tedious,
+and it was late in the afternoon when we reached the
+highest point in our route, from which the road descended
+for some eight miles to the level of the railroad.
+Now our pace became rapid, and Mr. Enderton
+grew wildly excited. He threw open the window, and
+shouted to the driver to go more slowly; but Mrs.
+Lecks seized him by the coat and jerked him back on
+his seat before he could get any answer to his appeals.</p>
+
+<p>"If you want your daughter to ketch her death o'
+cold you'll keep that window open!" As she said
+this, she leaned back and pulled the window down
+with her own strong right arm. "I guess the driver
+knows what he is about," she continued, "this not
+bein' the first time he's gone over the road."</p>
+
+<p>"Am I to understand, madam," said Mr. Enderton,
+"that I am not to speak to my driver when I wish
+him to know my will?"</p>
+
+<p>To this question Mrs. Lecks made no answer, but
+sat up very straight and stiff, with her back square<span class="pagenum" id="Page_121">[121]</span>
+upon the speaker. For some time she and Mr. Enderton
+had been "out," and she made no effort to
+conceal the fact.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Enderton's condition now became pitiable, for
+our rapid speed and the bumping over rough places
+in the road seemed almost to deprive him of his wits,
+notwithstanding my assurance that stage-coaches
+were generally driven at a rapid rate down long
+inclines. In a short time, however, we reached a
+level spot in the road, and the team was drawn up
+and stopped. Mr. Enderton popped out in a moment,
+and I also got down to have a talk with the driver.</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp97" id="i_121" style="max-width: 50em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_121.png" alt="">
+  <figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;THE ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN WAS SLOW AND TEDIOUS.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>"These hosses won't do much at holdin' back," he
+said, "and it worries 'em less to let 'em go ahead
+with the wheels locked. You needn't be afraid. If
+nothin' breaks, we're all right."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Enderton seemed endeavoring to satisfy himself
+that everything about the running-gear of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_122">[122]</span>
+coach was in a safe condition. He examined the
+wheels, the axles, and the whiffletrees, much to the
+amusement of the driver, who remarked to me that
+the old chap probably knew as much now as he did
+before. I was rather surprised that my father-in-law
+subjected the driver to no further condemnation. On
+the contrary, he said nothing except that for the rest
+of this downhill drive he should take his place on
+the driver's unoccupied seat. Nobody offered any
+objection to this, and up he climbed.</p>
+
+<p>When we started again, Ruth seemed disturbed
+that her father should be in such an exposed position,
+but I assured her that he would be perfectly
+safe, and would be much better satisfied at being able
+to see for himself what was going on.</p>
+
+<p>We now began to go downhill again at a rate as
+rapid as before. Our speed, however, was not equal.
+Sometimes it would slacken a little where the road
+was heavy or more upon a level, and then we would
+go jolting and rattling over some long downward
+stretch. After a particularly unpleasant descent of
+this kind the coach seemed suddenly to change its
+direction, and with a twist and an uplifting of one
+side it bumped heavily against something, and stopped.
+I heard a great shout outside, and from a window
+which now commanded a view of the road I saw our
+team of six horses, with the drivers pulling and tugging
+at the two they rode, madly running away at
+the top of their speed.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_123">[123]</span></p>
+
+<figure class="figright illowp53" id="i_123" style="max-width: 22.375em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_123.png" alt="">
+  <figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;&#39;WHAT HAS HAPPENED?&#39; I EXCLAIMED.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>Ruth, who had been thrown by the shock into the
+arms of Mrs. Aleshine, was dreadfully frightened,
+and screamed for her father. I had been pitched forward
+upon Mrs. Lecks, but I quickly recovered
+myself, and as soon as I found that none of the
+occupants of the coach had been hurt, I opened the
+door and sprang out.</p>
+
+<p>In the middle of the road stood Mr. Enderton, entirely
+uninjured, with a jubilant expression on his
+face, and in one hand a
+large closed umbrella.</p>
+
+<p>"What has happened?"
+I exclaimed, hurrying
+around to the front of the
+coach, where I saw that
+the pole had been broken
+off about the middle of its
+length.</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing has happened,
+sir," replied Mr. Enderton.
+"You cannot speak of a
+wise and discreet act, determinately
+performed, as
+a thing which has happened.
+We have been
+saved, sir, from being dashed to pieces behind that
+wild and unmanageable team of horses; and I will
+add that we have been saved by my forethought and
+prompt action."</p>
+
+<p>I turned and looked at him in astonishment.
+"What do you mean?" I said. "What could you
+have had to do with this accident?"</p>
+
+<p>"Allow me to repeat," said Mr. Enderton, "that it
+was not an accident. The moment that we began to
+go downhill I perceived that we were in a position of
+the greatest danger. The driver was reckless, the
+boy incompetent, and the horses unmanageable. As
+my remonstrances and counsels had no effect upon
+the man, and as you seemed to have no desire to join<span class="pagenum" id="Page_124">[124]</span>
+me in efforts to restrain him to a more prudent rate
+of speed, I determined to take the affair into my own
+hands. I knew that the first thing to be done was to
+rid ourselves of those horses. So long as we were
+connected with them disaster was imminent. I knew
+exactly what ought to be done. The horses must be
+detached from the coach. I had read, sir, of inventions
+especially intended to detach runaway horses
+from a vehicle. To all intents and purposes our
+horses were runaways, or would have become so in
+a very short time. I now made it my object to free
+ourselves from those horses."</p>
+
+<p>"What!" I exclaimed. "You freed us?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir," he answered; "I did. I got out at
+our first stop, and thoroughly examined the carriage
+attachments. I found that the movable bar
+to which the whiffletrees were attached was connected
+to the vehicle by two straps and a bolt, the
+latter having a ring at the top and an iron nut
+at the bottom. While you and that reckless driver
+were talking together, and paying no attention to
+me, the only person in the party who thoroughly
+comprehended our danger, I unbuckled those straps,
+and with my strong, nervous fingers, without the aid
+of implements, I unscrewed the nut from the bolt.
+Then, sir, I took my seat on the outside of the coach,
+and felt that I held our safety in my own hands.
+For a time I allowed our vehicle to proceed; but<span class="pagenum" id="Page_125">[125]</span>
+when we approached this long slope which stretches
+before us, and our horses showed signs of increasing
+impetuosity, I leaned forward, hooked the handle of
+my umbrella in the ring of the bolt, and with a mighty
+effort jerked it out. I admit to you, sir, that I had
+overlooked the fact that the horses were also attached
+to the end of the pole, but I have often noticed that
+when we are discreet in judgment and prompt in
+action we are also fortunate. Thus was I fortunate.
+The hindermost horses, suddenly released, rushed
+upon those in front of them, and, in a manner, jumbled
+up the whole team, which seemed to throw the
+animals into such terror that they dashed to one side
+and snapped off the pole, after which they went madly
+tearing down the road, entirely beyond the control of
+the two riders. Our coach turned and ran into the side
+of the road with but a moderate concussion, and as I
+looked at those flying steeds, with their riders vainly
+endeavoring to restrain them, I could not, sir, keep
+down an emotion of pride that I had been instrumental
+in freeing myself, my daughter, and my
+traveling companions from their dangerous proximity."</p>
+
+<p>The speaker ceased, a smile of conscious merit
+upon his face. For the moment I could not say a
+word to him, I was so angry. But had I been able
+to say or do anything to indicate the wild indignation
+that filled my brain, I should have had no opportunity,
+for Mrs. Lecks stepped up to me and took me by the
+arm. Her face was very stern, and her expression
+gave one the idea of the rigidity of Bessemer steel.</p>
+
+<p>"I've heard what has been said," she remarked,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_126">[126]</span>
+"and I wish to talk to this man. Your wife is over
+there with Mrs. Aleshine. Will you please take a walk
+with her along the road? You may stay away for a
+quarter of an hour."</p>
+
+<p>"Madam," said Mr. Enderton, "I do not wish to talk
+to you."</p>
+
+<p>"I didn't ask you whether you did or not," said
+Mrs. Lecks. "Mr. Craig, will you please get your
+wife away as quick and as far as you can?"</p>
+
+<p>I took the hint, and, with Ruth on my arm, walked
+rapidly down the road. She was very glad to go, for
+she had been much frightened, and wanted to be alone
+with me to have me explain to her what had occurred.
+Mrs. Lecks, imagining from the expression of his
+countenance that Mr. Enderton had, in some way,
+been at the bottom of the trouble, and fearing that she
+should not be able to restrain her indignation when
+she found how he had done it, had ordered Mrs. Aleshine
+to keep Ruth away from her father. This action
+had increased the poor girl's anxiety, and she was glad
+enough to have me take her away and tell her all about
+our accident.</p>
+
+<p>I did tell her all that had happened, speaking as
+mildly as I could of Mr. Enderton's conduct. Poor
+Ruth burst into tears.</p>
+
+<p>"I do wish," she exclaimed, "that father would
+travel by himself! He is so nervous, and so easily
+frightened, that I am sure he would be happier when
+he could attend to his safety in his own way; and I
+know, too, that we should be happier without him."</p>
+
+<p>I agreed most heartily with these sentiments, although
+I did not deem it necessary to say so, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_127">[127]</span>
+Ruth now asked me what I supposed would become
+of us.</p>
+
+<p>"If nothing happens to the driver and the boy," I
+replied, "I suppose they will go on until they get to
+the station to which we were bound, and there they
+will procure a pole, if such a thing can be found, or,
+perhaps, get another coach, and come back for us. It
+would be useless for them to return to our coach in its
+present condition."</p>
+
+<p>"And how soon do you think they will come back?"
+she said.</p>
+
+<p>"Not for some hours," I replied. "The driver told
+me there were no houses between the place where we
+last stopped and the railroad-station, and I am sure he
+will not turn back until he reaches a place where
+he can get either a new pole or another vehicle."</p>
+
+<p>Ruth and I walked to a turn at the bottom of the
+long hill down which our runaway steeds had sped.
+At this point we had an extended view of the road as
+it wound along the mountain-side, but we could see no
+signs of our horses, nor of any living thing. I did not,
+in fact, expect to see our team, for it would be foolish
+in the driver to come back until he was prepared to do
+something for us, and even if he had succeeded in controlling
+the runaway beasts, the quicker he got down
+the mountain the better.</p>
+
+<p>By the time we had returned we had taken quite a
+long walk, but we were glad of it, for the exercise
+tranquilized us both. On our way back we noticed
+that a road which seemed to come up from below us
+joined the one we were on a short distance from the
+place where our accident occurred. This, probably,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_128">[128]</span>
+was the lower road which had been spoken of when we
+changed horses.</p>
+
+<p>We found Mr. Enderton standing by himself. His
+face was of the hue of wood-ashes, his expression haggard.
+He reminded me of a man who had fallen from
+a considerable height, and who had been frightened
+and stupefied by the shock. I comprehended the
+situation without difficulty, and felt quite sure that
+had he had the choice he would have much preferred
+a thrashing to the plain talk he had heard from Mrs.
+Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"What is the matter, father?" exclaimed Ruth.
+"Were you hurt?"</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Enderton looked in a dazed way at his daughter,
+and it was some moments before he appeared to
+have heard what she said. Then he answered abruptly:
+"Hurt? Oh, no! I am not hurt in the least. I was
+just thinking of something. I shall walk on to the
+village or town, whichever it is, to which that man was
+taking us. It cannot be more than seven or eight
+miles away, if that. The road is downhill, and I can
+easily reach the place before nightfall. I will then
+personally attend to your rescue, and will see that a
+vehicle is immediately sent to you. There is no trusting
+these ignorant drivers. No," he continued, deprecatingly
+raising his hand; "do not attempt to
+dissuade me. Your safety and that of others is
+always my first care. Exertion is nothing."</p>
+
+<p>Without further words, and paying no attention to
+the remonstrances of his daughter, he strode off down
+the road.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_129">[129]</span></p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp49" id="i_129" style="max-width: 16.375em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_129.png" alt="">
+  <figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;MRS. LECKS WAS SITTING ON A STONE.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>I was very glad to see him go. At any time his
+presence was undesirable to me, and under the present
+circumstances it would be more objectionable than
+ever. He was a good walker, and there was no doubt
+he would easily reach the station, where he might possibly
+be of some use to us.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks was sitting on a stone by the roadside.
+Her face was still stern and rigid, but there was an
+expression of satisfaction
+upon it
+which had not been
+there when I left
+her. Ruth went to
+the coach to get a
+shawl, and I said to
+Mrs. Lecks:</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose you
+had your talk with
+Mr. Enderton?"</p>
+
+<p>"Talk!" she replied.
+"I should
+say so! If ever a
+man understands
+what people think
+of him, and knows
+what he is, from his
+crown to his feet,
+inside and outside,
+soul, body, bones,
+and skin, and what he may expect in this world and
+the next, he knows it. I didn't keep to what he has
+done for us this day. I went back to the first moment
+when he began to growl at payin' his honest board on
+the island, and I didn't let him off for a single sin
+that he has committed since. And now I feel that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_130">[130]</span>
+I've done my duty as far as he is concerned; and
+havin' got through with that, it's time we were lookin'
+about to see what we can do for ourselves."</p>
+
+<p>It was indeed time, for the day was drawing toward
+its close. For a moment I had thought we would give
+Mr. Enderton a good start, and then follow him down
+the mountain to the station. But a little reflection
+showed me that this plan would not answer. Ruth
+was not strong enough to walk so far, and although
+Mrs. Aleshine had plenty of vigor, she was too plump
+to attempt such a tramp. Besides, the sky was so
+heavily overcast that it was not safe to leave the
+shelter of the coach.</p>
+
+<p>As might have been expected, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine took immediate charge of the personal comfort
+of the party, and the first thing they did was to
+make preparations for a meal. Fortunately, we had
+plenty of provisions. Mrs. Aleshine had had charge
+of what she called our lunch-baskets,—which were, indeed,
+much more like market-baskets than anything
+else,—and having small faith in the resources of roadside
+taverns, and great faith in the unlimited capabilities
+of Mr. Enderton in the matter of consuming food
+on a journey, she had provided bounteously and even
+extravagantly.</p>
+
+<p>One side of the road was bordered by a forest, and
+on the ground was an abundance of dead wood. I
+gathered a quantity of this, and made a fire, which was
+very grateful to us, for the air was growing colder
+and colder. When we had eaten a substantial supper<span class="pagenum" id="Page_131">[131]</span>
+and had thoroughly warmed ourselves at the fire, we
+got into the coach to sit there and wait until relief
+should come. We sat for a long time—all night, in
+fact. We were not uncomfortable, for we each had a
+corner of the coach, and we were plentifully provided
+with wraps and rugs.</p>
+
+<p>Contrary to their usual habit, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine did not talk much. When subjected to the
+annoyances of an ordinary accident, even if it should
+have been the result of carelessness, their disposition
+would have prompted them to take events as they
+came, and to make the best of whatever might happen
+to them. But this case was entirely different. We
+were stranded and abandoned on the road, on the side
+of a lonely, desolate mountain, on a cold, bleak night;
+and all this was the result of what they considered the
+deliberate and fiendish act of a man who was afraid
+of horses, and who cared for no one in the world but
+himself. Their minds were in such a condition that
+if they said anything they must vituperate, and they
+were so kindly disposed toward my wife, and had such
+a tender regard for her feelings, that they would not,
+in her presence, vituperate her father. So they said
+very little, and, nestling into their corners, were soon
+asleep.</p>
+
+<p>After a time Ruth followed their example, and,
+though I was very anxiously watching out of the window
+for an approaching light, and listening for the
+sound of wheels, I, too, fell into a doze. It must have
+been ten or eleven o'clock when I was awakened by
+some delicate but cold touches on my face, the nature
+of which, when I first opened my eyes, I could not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_132">[132]</span>
+comprehend. But I soon understood what these cold
+touches meant. The window in the door of the coach
+on my side had been slightly lowered from the top to
+give us air, and through the narrow aperture the cold
+particles had come floating in. I looked through the
+window. The night was not very dark, for, although
+the sky was overcast, the moon was in its second
+quarter, and I could plainly see that it was snowing,
+and that the ground was already white.</p>
+
+<p>This discovery sent a chill into my soul, for I was
+not unfamiliar with snows in mountain regions, and
+knew well what this might mean to us. But there
+was nothing that we could now do, and it would be
+useless and foolish to awaken my companions and
+distress them with this new disaster. Besides, I
+thought our situation might not be so very bad, after
+all. It was not yet winter, and the snowfall might
+prove to be but a light one. I gently closed the window,
+and made my body comfortable in its corner;
+but my mind continued very uncomfortable for I do
+not know how long.</p>
+
+<p>When I awoke I found that there had been a heavy
+fall of snow in the night, and that the flakes were
+still coming down thick and fast. When Ruth first
+looked out upon the scene she was startled and dismayed.
+She was not accustomed to storms of this
+kind, and the snow frightened her. Upon Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine the sight of the storm produced an
+entirely different effect. Here was a difficulty, a discomfort,
+a hardship; but it came in a natural way,
+and not by the hand of a dastardly coward of a man.
+With natural-happening difficulties they were accustomed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_133">[133]</span>
+to combat without fear or repining. They
+knew all about snow, and were not frightened by this
+storm. The difficulties which it presented to their
+minds actually raised their spirits, and from the grim
+and quiet beings of the last evening they became the
+same cheerful, dauntless, ready women that I had
+known before.</p>
+
+<p>"Upon my word," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, as she
+clapped her face to a window of the coach, "if this
+isn't a reg'lar old-fashioned snow-storm! I've shoveled
+my own way through many a one like it to git to
+the barn to do my milkin' afore the men-folks had
+begun makin' paths, and I feel jus' like as though I
+could do it ag'in."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "if you're
+thinkin' of shovelin' your way from this place to
+where your cows is, you'd better step right out and
+get at it, and I really do think that if you felt they
+were sufferin' for want of milkin' you'd make a start."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't say," answered Mrs. Aleshine, with an illuminating
+grin, "that if the case was that way I
+mightn't have the hankerin', though not the capableness;
+but I don't know that there's any place to
+shovel our way to, jus' now."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks and I thought differently. Across the
+road, under the great trees, the ground was comparatively
+free from snow, and in some places, owing to the
+heavy evergreen foliage, it was entirely bare. It was
+very desirable that we should get to one of these spots
+and build a fire, for, though we had been well wrapped
+up, we all felt numbed and cold. In the boot at the
+back of the coach I knew that there was an ax, and I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_134">[134]</span>
+thought I might possibly find there a shovel. I opened
+the coach door, and saw that the snow was already
+above the lower step. By standing on the spokes of
+the back wheel I could easily get at the boot, and I
+soon pulled out the ax, but found no shovel. But this
+did not deter me. I made my way to the front wheel,
+and climbed up to the driver's box, where I knocked
+off one of the thin planks of the foot-board, and this,
+with the ax, I shaped into a rude shovel, with a handle
+rather too wide, but serviceable. With this I went
+vigorously to work, and soon had made a pathway
+across the road. Here I chopped off some low dead
+branches, picked up others, and soon had a crackling
+fire, around which my three companions gathered
+with delight.</p>
+
+<p>A strong wind was now blowing, and the snow
+began to form into heavy drifts. The fire was very
+cheery and pleasant, but the wind was cutting, and
+we soon returned to the shelter of the coach, where
+we had our breakfast. This was not altogether a cold
+meal, for Mrs. Aleshine had provided a little tea-kettle,
+and, with some snow-water which I brought in
+boiling from the fire in the woods, we had all the hot
+and comforting tea we wanted.</p>
+
+<p>We passed the morning waiting and looking out,
+and wondering what sort of conveyance would be
+sent for us. It was generally agreed that nothing on
+wheels could now be got over the road, and that we
+must be taken away in a sleigh.</p>
+
+<p>"I like sleigh-ridin'," said Mrs. Aleshine, "if you're
+well wrapped up, with good hosses, and a hot brick
+for your feet; but I must say I don't know but what<span class="pagenum" id="Page_135">[135]</span>
+I'm goin' to be a little skeery goin' down these long
+hills. If we git fairly slidin', hosses, sleigh, and all
+together, there's no knowin' where we'll fetch up."</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_135" style="max-width: 50em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_135.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;I SOON HAD A CRACKLING FIRE.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>"There's one comfort, Barb'ry," remarked Mrs.
+Lecks, "and that is that when we do fetch up it'll be
+at the bottom of the hills, and not at the top; and as
+the bottom is what we want to get to, we oughtn't to
+complain."</p>
+
+<p>"That depends a good deal whether we come down
+hind part foremost, or fore part front. But nobody's
+complainin' so fur, 'specially as the sleigh isn't here."</p>
+
+<p>I joined in the outlooking and the conjectures, but
+I could not keep up the cheerful courage which animated
+my companions; for not only were the two
+elder women bright and cheery, but Ruth seemed to
+be animated and encouraged by their example, and
+showed herself as brave and contented as either of
+them. She was convinced that her father must have<span class="pagenum" id="Page_136">[136]</span>
+reached the railroad-station before it began to snow,
+and therefore she was troubled by no fears for his
+safety. But my mind was filled with many fears.</p>
+
+<p>The snow was still coming down thick and fast,
+and the wind was piling it into great drifts, one of
+which was forming between the coach and a low
+embankment on that side of the road near which it
+stood.</p>
+
+<p>About every half-hour I took my shovel and cleared
+out the path across the road from the other side of
+the coach to the woods. Several times after doing
+this I made my way among the trees, where the snow
+did not impede my progress, to points from which I
+had a view some distance down the mountain; and I
+could plainly see that there were several places where
+the road was blocked up by huge snow-drifts. It
+would be a slow, laborious, and difficult undertaking
+for any relief-party to come to us from the station;
+and who was there at that place to come? This was
+the question which most troubled me. The settlement
+at the station was probably a very small one,
+and that there should be found at that place a sleigh
+or a sled with enough men to form a party sufficiently
+strong to open a road up the mountain-side was
+scarcely to be expected. Men and vehicles might be
+obtained at some point farther along the railroad, but
+action of this kind would require time, and it was not
+unlikely that the railroad itself was blocked up with
+snow. I could form no idea satisfactory to myself
+of any plan by which relief could come to us that day.
+Even the advent of a messenger on horseback was not
+to be expected. Such an adventurer would be lost in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_137">[137]</span>
+the storm and among the drifts. On the morrow relief
+might come, but I did not like to think too much
+about the morrow; and of any of my thoughts and
+fears I said nothing to my companions.</p>
+
+<p>At intervals, after I had freshly cleared out the
+pathway, the three women, well bundled up, ran across
+the road to the fire under the trees. This was the
+only way in which they could keep themselves warm,
+for the coach, although it protected us from the storm,
+was a very cold place to sit in. But the wind and the
+snow which frequently drove in under the trees made
+it impossible to stay very long by the fire, and the
+frequent passages to and from the coach were attended
+with much exposure and wetting of feet. I
+therefore determined that some better way must be
+devised for keeping ourselves warm; and, shortly
+after our noonday meal, I thought of a plan, and immediately
+set to work to carry it out.</p>
+
+<p>The drift between the coach and the embankment
+had now risen higher than the top of the vehicle,
+against one side of which it was tightly packed. I
+dug a path around the back of the coach, and then
+began to tunnel into the huge bank of snow. In
+about an hour I had made an excavation nearly high
+enough for me to stand in, and close to the stage door
+on that side; and I cleared away the snow so that this
+door could open into the cavern I had formed. At
+the end opposite the entrance of my cave, I worked a
+hole upward until I reached the outer air. This hole
+was, about a foot in diameter, and for some time the
+light, unpacked snow from above kept falling and filling
+it up; but I managed, by packing and beating the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_138">[138]</span>
+sides with my shovel, to get the whole into a condition
+in which it would retain the form of a rude
+chimney.</p>
+
+<p>Now I hurried to bring wood and twigs, and having
+made a hearth of green sticks, which I cut with my
+ax, I built a fire in this snowy fireplace. Mrs. Lecks,
+Mrs. Aleshine, and Ruth had been watching my proceedings
+with great interest; and when the fire began
+to burn, and the smoke to go out of my chimney, the
+coach door was opened, and the genial heat gradually
+pervaded the vehicle.</p>
+
+<p>"Upon my word," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "if that
+isn't one of the brightest ideas I ever heard of! A
+fire in the middle of a snowbank, with a man there
+attendin' to it, an' a chimney! 'T isn't every day that
+you can see a thing like that!"</p>
+
+<p>"I should hope not," remarked Mrs. Lecks, "for if
+the snow drifted this way every day, I'd be ready to
+give up the seein' business out and out! But I think,
+Mr. Craig, you ought to pass that shovel in to us so
+that we can dig you out when the fire begins to melt
+your little house and it all caves in on you."</p>
+
+<p>"You can have the shovel," said I, "but I don't
+believe this snowbank will cave in on me. Of course
+the heat will melt the snow, but I think it will dissolve
+gradually, so that the caving in, if there is any, won't
+be of much account, and then we shall have a big
+open space here in which we can keep up our fire."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Ruth, "you talk as if you
+expected to stay here ever so long, and we certainly
+can't do that. We should starve to death, for one
+thing."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_139">[139]</span></p>
+
+<p>"Don't be afraid of that," said Mrs. Aleshine.
+"There's plenty of victuals to last till the people
+come for us. When I pack baskets for travelin' or
+picnickin', I don't do no scrimpin'. An' we've got to
+keep up a fire, you know, for it wouldn't be pleasant
+for those men, when they've cut a way up the mountain
+to git at us, to find us all froze stiff."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks smiled. "You're awful tender of the
+feelin's of other people, Barb'ry," she said, "and a
+heart as warm as yourn ought to keep from freezin'."</p>
+
+<p>"Which it has done, so far," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+complacently.</p>
+
+<p>As I had expected, the water soon began to drip
+from the top and the sides of my cavern, and the
+chimney rapidly enlarged its dimensions. I made a
+passage for the melted snow to run off into a hollow,
+back of the coach; and as I kept up a good strong
+fire, the drops of water and occasional pieces of snow
+which fell into it were not able to extinguish it. The
+cavern enlarged rapidly, and in a little more than an
+hour the roof became so thin that while I was outside
+collecting wood it fell in and extinguished the fire.
+This accident, however, interrupted my operations but
+for a short time. I cleared away the snow at the bottom
+of the excavation, and rebuilt my fire on the bare
+ground. The high snow walls on three sides of it
+protected it from the wind, so that there was no danger
+of the flames being blown against the stage-coach,
+while the large open space above allowed a free vent
+for the smoke.</p>
+
+<p>About the middle of the afternoon, to the great delight
+of us all, it stopped snowing, and when I had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_140">[140]</span>
+freshly shoveled out the path across the road, my
+companions gladly embraced the opportunity of walking
+over to the comparatively protected ground under
+the trees and giving themselves a little exercise.
+During their absence I was busily engaged in arranging
+the fire, when I heard a low crunching sound on
+one side of me, and, turning my head, I saw in the
+wall of my excavation opposite to the stage-coach,
+and at a distance of four or five feet from the ground,
+an irregular hole in the snow, about a foot in diameter,
+from which protruded the head of a man. This
+head was wrapped, with the exception of the face, in
+a brown woolen comforter. The features were those
+of a man of about fifty, a little sallow and thin, without
+beard, whiskers, or mustache, although the cheeks
+and chin were darkened with a recent growth.</p>
+
+<p>The astounding apparition of this head projecting
+itself from the snow wall of my cabin utterly paralyzed
+me, so that I neither moved nor spoke, but remained
+crouching by the fire, my eyes fixed upon the head.
+It smiled a little, and then spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"Could you lend me a small iron pot?" it said.</p>
+
+<p>I rose to my feet, almost ready to run away. Was
+this a dream? Or was it possible that there was a
+race of beings who inhabited snowbanks?</p>
+
+<p>The face smiled again very pleasantly. "Do not
+be frightened," it said. "I saw you were startled, and
+spoke first of a familiar pot in order to reassure you."</p>
+
+<p>"Who, in the name of Heaven, are you?" I gasped.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_141">[141]</span></p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp49" id="i_141" style="max-width: 32.75em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_141.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;COULD YOU LEND ME A SMALL IRON POT?&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>"I am only a traveler, sir," said the head, "who has
+met with an accident similar, I imagine, to that which
+has befallen you. But I cannot further converse with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_142"></span><span class="pagenum" id="Page_143">[143]</span>
+you in this position. Lying thus on my breast in a
+tunnel of snow will injuriously chill me. Could you
+conveniently lend me an iron pot?"</p>
+
+<p>I was now convinced that this was an ordinary
+human being, and my courage and senses returned to
+me; but my astonishment remained boundless. "Before
+we talk of pots," I said, "I must know who you
+are, and how you got into that snowbank."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not believe," said my visitor, "that I can get
+down, head foremost, to your level. I will therefore
+retire to my place of refuge, and perhaps we can communicate
+with each other through this aperture."</p>
+
+<p>"Can I get through to your place of refuge?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly," was the answer. "You are young and
+active, and the descent will not be so deep on my side.
+But I will first retire, and will then project toward
+you this sheepskin rug, which, if kept under you as
+you move forward, will protect your breast and arms
+from direct contact with the snow."</p>
+
+<p>It was difficult to scramble up into the hole, but I
+succeeded in doing it, and found awaiting me the
+sheepskin rug, which, by the aid of an umbrella, the
+man had pushed toward me for my use. I was in a
+horizontal tunnel barely large enough for the passage
+of my body, and about six feet in length. When I
+had worked my way through this, and had put my head
+out of the other end, I looked into a small wooden
+shed, into which light entered only through a pane of
+glass set in a rude door opposite to me. I immediately
+perceived that the whole place was filled with the
+odor of spirituous liquors. The man stood awaiting
+me, and by his assistance I descended to the floor. As<span class="pagenum" id="Page_144">[144]</span>
+I did so I heard something which sounded like a
+titter, and looking around I saw in a corner a bundle
+of clothes and traveling-rugs, near the top of which
+appeared a pair of eyes. Turning again, I could discern
+in another corner a second bundle, similar to,
+but somewhat larger than, the other.</p>
+
+<p>"These ladies are traveling with me," said the man,
+who was now wrapping about him a large cloak, and
+who appeared to be of a tall though rather slender
+figure. His manner and voice were those of a gentleman,
+extremely courteous and considerate. "As I
+am sure you are curious—and this I regard as quite
+natural, sir—to know why we are here, I will at once
+proceed to inform you. We started yesterday in a
+carriage for the railway-station, which is, I believe,
+some miles beyond this point. There were two roads
+from the last place at which we stopped, and we chose
+the one which ran along a valley, and which we supposed
+would be the pleasanter of the two. We there
+engaged a pair of horses which did not prove very
+serviceable animals, and, at a point about a hundred
+yards from where we now are, one of them gave out
+entirely. The driver declared that the only thing to
+be done was to turn loose the disabled horse, which
+would be certain, in time, to find his way back to his
+stable, and for him to proceed on the other animal to
+the station to which we were going, where he would
+procure some fresh horses and return as speedily as
+possible. To this plan we were obliged to consent, as
+there was no alternative. He told us that if we did
+not care to remain in the carriage, there was a shed
+by the side of the road, a little farther on, which was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_145">[145]</span>
+erected for the accommodation of men who are sometimes
+here in charge of relays of horses. After assuring
+us that he would not be absent more than three
+hours, he rode away, and we have not seen him since.</p>
+
+<p>"Soon after he left us I came to this shed, and finding
+it tight and comparatively comfortable, I concluded
+it would give us relief from our somewhat
+cramped position in the carriage, and so conducted
+the ladies here. As night drew on it became very
+cold, and I determined to make a fire, a proceeding
+which, of course, would have been impossible in a
+vehicle. Fortunately I had with me, at the back of
+the carriage, a case of California brandy. By the aid
+of a stone I knocked the top off this case, and brought
+hither several of the bottles. I found in the shed an
+old tin pan, which I filled with the straw coverings of
+the bottles, and on this I poured brandy, which, being
+ignited, produced a fire without smoke, but which, as
+we gathered around it, gave out considerable heat."</p>
+
+<p>As the speaker thus referred to his fuel, I understood
+the reason of the strong odor of spirits which filled
+the shed, and I experienced a certain relief in my
+mind.</p>
+
+<p>The gentleman continued: "At first I attributed
+the delay of the driver's return to those ordinary
+hindrances which so frequently occur in rural and
+out-of-the-way places; but after a time I could not
+imagine any reasonable cause for his delay. As it
+began to grow dark I brought here our provision-baskets,
+and we partook of a slight repast. I then
+made the ladies as comfortable as possible, and
+awaited with much anxiety the return of the driver.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_146">[146]</span></p>
+
+<p>"After a time it began to snow, and feeling that
+the storm might interrupt communication with the
+carriage, I brought hither, making many trips for the
+purpose, the rest of the brandy, our wraps and rugs,
+and the cushions of the carriage. I did not believe
+that we should be left here all night, but thought it
+prudent to take all precautions, and to prepare for
+remaining in a place where we could have a fire. The
+morning showed me that I had acted wisely. As you
+know, sir, I found the road in each direction completely
+blocked up by snow, and I have since been
+unable to visit the carriage."</p>
+
+<p>"Have you not all suffered from cold?" I inquired.
+"Have you food enough?"</p>
+
+<p>"I will not say," replied the gentleman, "that in
+addition to our anxiety we have not suffered somewhat
+from cold, but for the greater part of this day I have
+adopted a plan which has resulted in considerable
+comfort to my companions. I have wrapped them up
+very closely and warmly, and they hold in each hand
+a hard-boiled egg. I thought it better to keep these
+for purposes of warmth than to eat them. About
+every half-hour I reboil the eggs in a little traveling
+tea-pot which we have. They retain their warmth for
+a considerable period, and this warmth in a moderate
+degree is communicated through the hands to the
+entire person."</p>
+
+<p>As he said this a low laugh again burst forth from
+the bundle in one corner of the room, and I could not
+help smiling at this odd way of keeping warm. I
+looked toward the jocose bundle, and remarked that
+the eggs must be pretty hard by this time.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_147">[147]</span></p>
+
+<p>"These ladies," said the gentleman, "are not accustomed
+to the cold atmosphere of this region, and I
+have therefore forbidden them to talk, hoping thus
+to prevent injury from the inhalation of frosty air.
+So far we have not suffered, and we still have some
+food left. About noon I noticed smoke floating over
+this shed, and I forced open the door and made my
+way for some little distance outside, hoping to discover
+whence it came. I then heard voices on the
+other side of the enormous snow-drift behind us; but
+I could see no possible way of getting over the drift.
+Feeling that I must, without fail, open communication
+with any human beings who might be near us, I attempted
+to shout; but the cold had so affected my
+voice that I could not do so. I thereupon set my
+wits to work. At the back of this shed is a small
+window closed by a wooden shutter. I opened this
+shutter, and found outside a wall of snow packed
+closely against it. The snow was not very hard, and
+I believed that it would not be difficult to tunnel a
+way through it to the place where the voices seemed
+to be. I immediately set to work, for I feared that if
+we were obliged to remain here another night without
+assistance we should be compelled to-morrow
+morning to eat those four hard-boiled eggs which
+the ladies are holding, and which, very shortly, I must
+boil again."</p>
+
+<p>"How did you manage to cut through the snow?"
+I asked. "Had you a shovel?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no," replied the other. "I used the tin pan.
+I found it answered very well as a scoop. Each time
+that I filled it I threw the contents out of our door."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_148">[148]</span></p>
+
+<p>"It must have been slow and difficult work," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Indeed it was," he replied. "The labor was arduous,
+and occupied me several hours. But when I saw
+a respectable man at a fire, and a stage-coach near by,
+I felt rewarded for all my trouble. May I ask you,
+sir, how you came to be thus snow-bound?"</p>
+
+<p>I then briefly related the circumstances of our mishap,
+and had scarcely finished when a shrill sound
+came through the tunnel into the shed. It was the
+voice of Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"Hello!" she screamed, "are you in there? An'
+you don't mean to tell me there are other people in
+that hole?"</p>
+
+<p>Feeling quite certain that my wife and her companions
+were in a state of mental agitation on the
+other side of the drift, I called back that I would be
+with them in a moment, and then explained to the
+gentleman why I could not remain with him longer.
+"But before I go," I said, "is there anything I can do
+for you? Do you really want an iron pot?"</p>
+
+<p>"The food that remains to us," he answered, "is
+fragmentary and rather distasteful to the ladies, and
+I thought if I could make a little stew of it, it might
+prove more acceptable to them. But do not let me
+detain you another instant from your friends, and I
+advise you to go through that tunnel feet foremost,
+for you might, otherwise, experience difficulties in
+getting out at the other end."</p>
+
+<p>I accepted his suggestion, and by his assistance and
+the help of the rough window-frame, I got into the
+hole feet first, and soon ejected myself into the midst
+of my alarmed companions. When they heard where<span class="pagenum" id="Page_149">[149]</span>
+I had been, and what I had seen, they were naturally
+astounded.</p>
+
+<p>"Another party deserted at this very point!" exclaimed
+Ruth, who was both excitable and imaginative.
+"This looks like a conspiracy! Are we to be
+robbed and murdered?"</p>
+
+<p>At these words Mrs. Aleshine sprang toward me.
+"Mr. Craig," she exclaimed, "if it's robbers, don't
+lose a minute! Never let 'em get ahead of you!
+Pull out your pistol and fire through the hole!"</p>
+
+<p>"Gracious me! Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks,
+"you don't suppose the robbers is them poor unfortunates
+on the other side of the drift! And I must
+say, Mrs. Craig, that if there was any such thing as
+a conspiracy, your father must have been in it, for
+it was him who landed us just here. But of course
+none of us supposes nothin' of that kind, and the first
+thing we've got to think of is what we can do for
+them poor people."</p>
+
+<p>"They seem to have some food left, but not much,"
+I said, "and I fear they must be suffering from
+cold."</p>
+
+<p>"Couldn't we poke some wood to them through this
+hole?" said Mrs. Aleshine, whose combative feelings
+had changed to the deepest compassion. "I should
+think they must be nearly froze, with nothin' to warm
+'em but hard-b'iled eggs."</p>
+
+<p>I explained that there was no place in their shed
+where they could build a fire, and proposed that we
+should give them some hot tea and some of our provisions.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_150">[150]</span><span class="pagenum" id="Page_150a"></span></p>
+
+<figure class="figleft illowp77" id="i_150a" style="max-width: 31.25em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_150a.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;WE WERE ABOUT TO&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure class="figright illowp77" id="i_150b" style="max-width: 31.875em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_150b.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;SEND HIM A BASKET.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>"That's so!" said Mrs. Aleshine. "Just shout in
+to them that if they'll shove them eggs through the
+hole, I'll bile 'em fur 'em as often as they want 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"I've just got to say this," ejaculated Mrs. Lecks,
+as she and Mrs. Aleshine were busily placing a portion
+of our now very much reduced stock of provisions in
+the smallest of our baskets: "this is the first time in
+my life that I ever heard of people warmin' themselves
+up with hens' eggs and spirits, excep' when mixed up
+into egg-nog; and that
+they resisted that temptation
+and contented
+themselves with plain
+honest heat, though very
+little of it, shows what
+kind of people they must
+be. And now, do you
+suppose we could slide
+this basket in without upsettin'
+the little kittle?"</p>
+
+<p>I called to the gentleman
+that we were about to
+send him a basket, and then, by the aid of an umbrella,
+I gently pushed it through the snow tunnel to a point
+where he could reach it. Hearty thanks came back to
+us through the hole, and when the basket and kettle
+were returned, we prepared our own evening meal.</p>
+
+<p>"For the life of me," said Mrs. Lecks, as she sipped
+a cup of tea, "I can't imagine, if there was a shed so
+near us, why we didn't know it."</p>
+
+<p>"That has been puzzling me," I replied; "but the
+other road, on which the shed is built, is probably
+lower than this one, so that the upper part of the shed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_151">[151]</span>
+could not have projected far above the embankment
+between the two roads, and if there were weeds and
+dead grasses on the bank, as there probably were,
+they would have prevented us from noticing the top
+of a weather-worn shed."</p>
+
+<p>"Especially," said Mrs. Lecks, "as we wasn't
+lookin' for sheds, and, as far as I know, we wasn't
+lookin' for anything on that side of the coach, for all
+my eyes was busy starin'
+about on the side we got
+in and out of, and down
+the road."</p>
+
+<p>"Which mine was too,"
+added Mrs. Aleshine.
+"An' after it begun to
+snow we couldn't see
+nothin' anyhow, partic'larly
+when everything
+was all covered up."</p>
+
+<p>"Well," added Mrs.
+Lecks, in conclusion, "as
+we didn't see the shed, it's a comfort to think there
+was reasons for it, and that we are not born fools."</p>
+
+<p>It was now growing dark, and but few further
+communications took place through the little tunnel.</p>
+
+<p>"Before we get ready to go to sleep," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"for, havin' no candles, I guess we won't sit up
+late, hadn't we better rig up some kind of a little sled
+to put in that hole, with strings at both ends, so that
+we kin send in mustard-plasters and peppermint to
+them poor people if they happen to be sick in the
+night?"<span class="pagenum" id="Page_152">[152]</span></p>
+
+<p>This little project was not considered necessary, and
+after receiving assurances from the gentleman on the
+other side that he would be able to keep his party
+warm until morning, we bade each other good night;
+and, after having replenished the fire, I got into the
+stage, where my companions had already established
+themselves in their corners. I slept very little, while
+I frequently went out to attend to the fire, and my mind
+was racked by the most serious apprehensions. Our
+food was nearly gone, and if relief did not come to us
+very soon I could see nothing but a slow death before
+us, and, so far as I could imagine, there was no more
+reason to expect succor on the following day than
+there had been on the one just passed. Where were
+the men to be found who could cut a road to us
+through those miles of snow-drifts?</p>
+
+<p>Very little was said during the night by my companions,
+but I am sure that they felt the seriousness
+of our situation, and that their slumbers were broken
+and unrefreshing. If there had been anything to do,
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine would have been cheered
+up by the prospect of doing it; but we all felt that
+there was nothing we could do.</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_152" style="max-width: 31.25em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_152.png" alt="Trecking in the snow">
+</figure>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_153">[153]</span></p>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+<h2 id="PART_V">PART V</h2>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_153" style="max-width: 40.625em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_153.png" alt="Trecking over the mountain-side">
+</figure>
+
+<p>After a second night spent in the stage-coach on
+that lonely and desolate mountain road where we
+were now snow-bound, I arose early in the morning,
+and went into the forest to collect some fuel; and while
+thus engaged I made the discovery that the snow
+was covered with a hard crust which would bear my
+weight. After the storm had ceased the day before,
+the sun had shone brightly and the temperature had
+moderated very much, so that the surface of the snow
+had slightly thawed. During the night it became cold
+again, and this surface froze into a hard coating of ice.
+When I found I could walk where I pleased, my spirits
+rose, and I immediately set out to view the situation.
+The aspect of the road gave me no encouragement.
+The snowfall had been a heavy one, but had it not
+been for the high wind which accompanied it, it would
+have thrown but moderate difficulties in the way of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_154">[154]</span>
+our rescue. Reaching a point which commanded a
+considerable view along the side of the mountain, I
+could see that in many places the road was completely
+lost to sight on account of the great snow-drifts piled
+up on it. I then walked to the point where the two
+roads met, and crossing over, I climbed a slight rise
+in the ground which had cut off my view in this direction,
+and found myself in a position from which I
+could look directly down the side of the mountain
+below the road.</p>
+
+<p>Here, the mountain-side, which I had supposed to
+be very steep and rugged, descended in a long and
+gradual slope to the plains below, and for the greater
+part of the distance was covered by a smooth, shining
+surface of frozen snow, unbroken by rock or tree.
+This snowy slope apparently extended for a mile or
+more, and then I could see that it gradually blended
+itself into the greenish-brown turf of the lower
+country. Down in the valley there still were leaves
+upon the trees, and there were patches of verdure
+over the land. The storm which had piled its snows
+up here had given them rain down there and had
+freshened everything. It was like looking down into
+another climate and on another land. I saw a little
+smoke coming up behind a patch of trees. It must
+be that there was a house there! Could it be possible
+that we were within a mile or two of a human habitation?
+Yet, what comfort was there in that thought?
+The people in that house could not get to us, nor we
+to them, nor could they have heard of our situation,
+for the point where our road reached the lower country
+was miles farther on.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_155">[155]</span></p>
+
+<p>As I stood thus and gazed, it seemed to me that I
+could make a run and slide down the mountain-side
+into green fields, into safety, into life. I remembered
+those savage warriors who, looking from the summits
+of the Alps upon the fertile plains of Italy, seated
+themselves upon their shields and slid down to conquest
+and rich spoils.</p>
+
+<p>An idea came into my mind, and I gave it glad
+welcome. There was no time to be lost. The sun
+was not yet high, but it was mounting in a clear sky,
+and should its rays become warm enough to melt the
+crust on which I stood, our last chance of escape
+would be gone. To plow our way to any place
+through deep, soft snow would be impossible. I
+hurried back to our coach, and found three very grave
+women standing around the fire. They were looking
+at a small quantity of food at the bottom of a large
+basket.</p>
+
+<p>"That's every crumb there is left," said Mrs. Aleshine
+to me, "and when we pass in some to them unfortunates
+on the other side of the drift,—which, of
+course, we're bound to do,—we'll have what I call a
+skimpy meal. And that's not the worst of it. Until
+somebody gets up to us, it will be our last meal."</p>
+
+<p>I took my poor Ruth by the hand, for she was looking
+very pale and troubled, and I said: "My dear
+friends, nobody can get up to this place for a long,
+long time; and before help could possibly reach us we
+should all be dead. But do not be frightened. It is
+not necessary to wait for any one to come to us. The
+snow is now covered with a crust which will bear our
+weight. I have thought of a way in which we can<span class="pagenum" id="Page_156">[156]</span>
+slide down the mountain-side, which, from a spot
+where I have been standing this morning, is no steeper
+than some coasting-hills, though very much longer.
+In a few minutes we can pass from this region of
+snow, where death from cold and starvation must soon
+overtake us, to a grassy valley where there is no snow,
+and where we shall be within walking distance of a
+house in which people are living."</p>
+
+<p>Ruth grasped my arm. "Will it be safe?" she exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>"I think so," I answered. "I see no reason why
+we should meet with any accident. At any rate, it is
+much safer than remaining here for another hour;
+for if the crust melts, our last chance is gone."</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Craig," said Mrs. Lecks, "me and Mrs. Aleshine
+is no hands at coastin' downhill, havin' given
+up that sort of thing since we was little girls with
+short frocks and it didn't make no matter anyway.
+But you know more about these things than we do;
+and if you say we can get out of this dreadful place
+by slidin' downhill, we're ready to follow, if you'll
+just go ahead. We followed you through the ocean,
+with nothin' between our feet and the bottom but
+miles o' water and nobody knows what sorts of dreadful
+fish; and when you say it's the right way to save
+our lives, we're ready to follow you again. And as
+for you, Mrs. Ruth, don't you be frightened. I don't
+know what we're goin' to slide on, but, whatever it is,
+even if it's our own selves, me and Mrs. Aleshine will
+take you between us, and if anything is run against,
+we'll get the bumps, and not you."</p>
+
+<p>I was delighted to see how rapidly my proposition<span class="pagenum" id="Page_157">[157]</span>
+was accepted, and we made a hasty breakfast, first
+sending in some of our food to the other party. The
+gentleman reported through the hole of communication
+that they were all fairly well, but a good deal
+stiffened by cold and want of exercise. He inquired,
+in a very anxious voice, if I had discovered any signs
+of approaching relief. To this I replied that I had
+devised a plan by which we could get ourselves out of
+our present dangerous situation, and that in a very
+short time I would come round to the door of his shed—for
+I could now walk on the crusted snow—and tell
+him about it. He answered that these words cheered
+his heart, and that he would do everything possible to
+coöperate with me.</p>
+
+<p>I now went to work vigorously. I took the cushions
+from the coach, four of them all together, and
+carried them to the brink of the slope down which I
+purposed to make our descent. I also conveyed thither
+a long coil of rawhide rope which I had previously
+discovered in the boot of the coach. I then hurried
+along the other road, which, as has been said before,
+lay at a somewhat lower level than the one we were
+on, and when I reached the shed I found the door had
+been opened, and the gentleman, with his tin pan, had
+scooped away a good deal of the snow about it, so as
+to admit of a moderately easy passage in and out.
+He met me outside, and grasped my hand.</p>
+
+<p>"Sir, if you have a plan to propose," he said, "state
+it quickly. We are in a position of great danger.
+Those two ladies inside the shed cannot much longer
+endure this exposure, and I presume that the ladies
+in your party—although their voices, which I occasionally<span class="pagenum" id="Page_158">[158]</span>
+hear, do not seem to indicate it—must be in a
+like condition."</p>
+
+<p>I replied that, so far, my companions had borne up
+very well, and without further waste of words proceeded
+to unfold my plan of escape.</p>
+
+<p>When he had heard it the gentleman put on a very
+serious expression. "It seems hazardous," he said,
+"but it may be the only way out of our danger.
+Will you show me the point from which you took
+your observations?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said I; "but we must be in haste. The sun
+is getting up in the sky, and this crust may soon begin
+to melt. It is not yet really winter, you know."</p>
+
+<p>We stepped quickly to the spot where I had carried
+the cushions. The gentleman stood and silently gazed
+first at the blocked-up roadway, then at the long,
+smooth slope of the mountain-side directly beneath
+us, and then at the verdure of the plain below, which
+had grown greener under the increasing brightness of
+the day. "Sir," said he, turning to me, "there is
+nothing to be done but to adopt your plan, or to
+remain here and die. We will accompany you in the
+descent, and I place myself under your orders."</p>
+
+<p>"The first thing," said I, "is to bring here your
+carriage cushions, and help me to arrange them."</p>
+
+<p>When he had brought the three cushions from the
+shed, the gentleman and I proceeded to place them
+with the others on the snow, so that the whole formed
+a sort of wide and nearly square mattress. Then,
+with the rawhide rope, we bound them together in a
+rough but secure network of cordage. In this part of
+the work I found my companion very apt and skilful.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_159">[159]</span></p>
+
+<p>When this rude mattress was completed, I requested
+the gentleman to bring his ladies to the place, while
+I went for mine.</p>
+
+<p>"What are we to pack up to take with us?" said
+Mrs. Aleshine, when I reached our coach.</p>
+
+<p>"We take nothing at all," said I, "but the money in
+our pockets, and our rugs and wraps. Everything else
+must be left in the coach, to be brought down to us
+when the roads shall be cleared out."</p>
+
+<p>With our rugs and shawls on our arms, we left the
+coach, and as we were crossing the other road we saw
+the gentleman and his companions approaching.
+These ladies were very much wrapped up, but one of
+them seemed to step along lightly and without difficulty,
+while the other moved slowly and was at times
+assisted by the gentleman.</p>
+
+<p>A breeze had sprung up which filled the air with
+fine frozen particles blown from the uncrusted beds
+of snow along the edge of the forest, and I counseled
+Ruth to cover up her mouth and breathe as little of
+this snow powder as possible.</p>
+
+<p>"If I'm to go coastin' at all," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"I'd as lief do it with strangers as friends; and a
+little liefer, for that matter, if there's any bones to
+be broken. But I must say that I'd like to make
+the acquaintance of them ladies afore I git on to
+the sled, which"—at that moment catching sight of
+the mattress—"you don't mean to say that that's
+it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, from underneath
+her great woolen comforter, "if you want to
+get your lungs friz, you'd better go on talkin'. Manners<span class="pagenum" id="Page_160">[160]</span>
+is manners, but they can wait till we get to the
+bottom of the hill."</p>
+
+<p>Notwithstanding this admonition, I noticed that as
+soon as the two parties met, both Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine advanced and shook hands with the ladies
+who had been their neighbors under such peculiar
+circumstances, and that Mrs. Lecks herself expressed
+a muffled hope that they might all get down
+safely.</p>
+
+<p>I now pushed the mattress which was to serve as
+our sled as close as was prudent to the edge of the
+descent, and requested the party to seat themselves
+upon it. Without hesitation Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+sat down, taking Ruth between them, as they
+had promised to do. My young wife was very nervous,
+but the cool demeanor of her companions, and
+my evident belief in the practicability of the plan,
+gave her courage, and she quietly took her seat. The
+younger of the two strange ladies stepped lightly on
+the cushions, and before seating herself stood up for
+a good look at the far-extending bed of snow over
+which we were to take our way. The prospect did not
+appear to deter her, and she sat down promptly and
+with an air that seemed to say that she anticipated a
+certain enjoyment from the adventure. The elder
+lady, however, exhibited very different emotions. She
+shrank back from the cushions toward which the gentleman
+was conducting her, and turned her face away
+from the declivity. Her companion assured her that
+it was absolutely necessary that we should descend
+from the mountain in this way, for there was no other;
+and asserting his belief that our slide would be a perfectly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_161">[161]</span>
+safe one, he gently drew her to the mattress
+and induced her to sit down.</p>
+
+<p>I now noticed, for the first time, that the gentleman
+carried under one arm, and covered by his long cloak,
+a large package of some sort, and I immediately said
+to him: "It will be very imprudent for us to attempt
+to carry any of our property except what we can put
+in our pockets or wrap around us. Everything else
+should be left here, either in your carriage or our
+coach, and I have no fear that anything will be lost.
+But even if our luggage were in danger of being molested,
+we cannot afford to consider it under circumstances
+such as these."</p>
+
+<p>"My dear sir," said the gentleman, speaking very
+gravely, "I appreciate the hazards of our position as
+keenly as yourself. Our valises, and all the light luggage
+which we had with us in our carriage, I have
+left there, and shall not give them another thought.
+But with the parcel I hold under this arm I cannot
+part, and if I go down the mountain-side on these
+cushions, it must go with me. If you refuse in such
+a case to allow me to be one of your party, I must
+remain behind, and endeavor to find a board or something
+else on which I can make the descent of the
+mountain."</p>
+
+<p>He spoke courteously, but with an air of decision
+which showed me that it would be of no use to argue
+with him. Besides, there was no time for parleying,
+and if this gentleman chose to take his chances with
+but one arm at liberty, it was no longer my affair. I
+therefore desired him to sit down, and I arranged the
+company so that they sat back to back, their feet<span class="pagenum" id="Page_162">[162]</span>
+drawn up to the edge of the mattress. I then took
+the place which had been reserved for me as steersman,
+and having tied several shawls together, end to
+end, I passed them around the whole of us under our
+arms, thus binding us all firmly together. I felt that
+one of our greatest dangers would be that one or more
+of the party might slip from the mattress during the
+descent.</p>
+
+<p>When all was ready I asked the gentleman, who,
+with the elder lady, sat near me at the back of the
+mattress, to assist in giving us a start by pushing outward
+with his heels while I thrust the handle of my
+wooden shovel into the crust and thus pushed the
+mattress forward. The starting was a little difficult,
+but in a minute or two we had pushed the mattress
+partly over the brink, and then, after a few more
+efforts, we began to slide downward.</p>
+
+<p>The motion, at first slow, suddenly became quite
+rapid, and I heard behind me a cry or exclamation,
+from whom I knew not, but I felt quite sure it did
+not come from any of my party. I hoped to be able
+to make some use of my shovel in the guidance of
+our unwieldy raft or mattress-sled, but I soon found
+this impossible, and down we went over the smooth,
+hard-frozen slope, with nothing to direct our course
+but the varying undulations of the mountain-side.
+Every moment we seemed to go faster and faster, and
+soon we began to revolve, so that sometimes I was in
+front and sometimes behind. Once, when passing
+over a very smooth sheet of snow, we fairly spun
+around, so that in every direction feet were flying out
+from a common center and heels grating on the frozen<span class="pagenum" id="Page_163">[163]</span>
+crust. But there were no more cries or exclamations.
+Each one of us grasped the cordage which held the
+cushions together, and the rapidity of the motion
+forced us almost to hold our breath.</p>
+
+<p>Down the smooth, white slope we sped, as a bird
+skims through the air. It seemed to me as if we
+passed over miles and miles of snow. Sometimes my
+face was turned down the mountain, where the snow-surface
+seemed to stretch out illimitably, and then it
+was turned upward toward the apparently illimitable
+slopes over which we had passed.</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_163" style="max-width: 50em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_163.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;WE BEGAN TO SLIDE DOWNWARD.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>Presently, my position now being in front of the
+little group that glanced along its glittering way, I
+saw at some distance below me a long rise or terrace,
+which ran along the mountain-side for a considerable
+distance, and which cut off our view of everything
+below us. As we approached this hillock the descent
+became much more gradual and our progress slower,
+and at last I began to fear that our acquired velocity
+would not be sufficient to carry us up the side of this
+elevation and so enable us to continue our descent.
+I therefore called to everybody in the rear to kick<span class="pagenum" id="Page_164">[164]</span>
+out vigorously, and with my shovel I endeavored to
+assist our progress. As we approached the summit of
+the elevation we moved slower and slower. I became
+very anxious, for, should we slide backward, we
+might find it difficult or impossible to get ourselves
+and the mattress up this little hill. But the gentleman
+and myself worked valiantly, and as for Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, they kicked their heels
+through the frozen crust with such energy that we
+moved sidewise almost as much as upward. But in a
+moment the anxious suspense was over, and we rested
+on the ridge of the long hillock, with the mountain-side
+stretching down to the plain, which lay not very far
+below us.</p>
+
+<p>I should have been glad to remain here a few minutes
+to regain breath, and give some consideration to
+the rest of our descent, but as some of those behind
+continued to push, the mattress slid over the edge of
+the terrace, and down again we went. Our progress
+now was not so rapid, but it was very much more
+unpleasant. The snow was thinner; there was little or
+no crust upon it, and we very soon reached a wide
+extent of exposed turf, over which we slid, but not
+without a good deal of bumping against stones and
+protuberances. Then there was another sheet of snow,
+which quickened our downward impetus; and, after
+that, the snow was seen only in occasional patches,
+and our progress continued over a long slope of short,
+partly dried grass, which was very slippery, and over
+which we passed with considerable quickness.</p>
+
+<p>I wished now to bring our uncouth sled to a stop,
+and to endeavor to make the rest of the descent on<span class="pagenum" id="Page_165">[165]</span>
+foot. But although I stuck out my heels, and tried to
+thrust the handle of my shovel into the ground, it was
+of no use. On we went, and the inequalities of the
+surface gave an irregularity of motion which was uncomfortable
+and alarming. We turned to this side
+and that; we bounced and bumped; and the rawhide
+ropes, which must have been greatly frayed and cut
+by the snow-crust, now gave way in several places,
+and I knew that the mattress would soon separate into
+its original cushions, if indeed they still could be
+called cushions. Fearing increased danger should we
+now continue bound together in a bunch, I jerked
+apart the shawl-knot under my arms, and the next
+moment, it seemed to me, there was a general dissolution
+of our connection with each other. Fortunately,
+we were now near the bottom of the slope, for while
+some of us stuck fast to the cushions, others rolled
+over, or slid, independent of any projection, while I,
+being thrown forward on my feet, actually ran downhill!
+I had just succeeded in stopping myself when
+down upon me came the rest of the company, all prostrate
+in some position or other.</p>
+
+<p>Now from an unwieldy mass of shawls came a cry:</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Albert Dusante! Where are you? Lucille!
+Lucille!"</p>
+
+<p>Instantly sprang to one foot good Mrs. Aleshine, her
+other foot being entangled in a mass of shawls which
+dragged behind her. Her bonnet was split open and
+mashed down over her eyes. In her left hand she
+waved a piece of yellow flannel, which in her last mad
+descent she had torn from some part of the person of
+Mrs. Lecks, and in the other a bunch of stout dead<span class="pagenum" id="Page_166">[166]</span>
+weeds, which she had seized and pulled up by the
+roots as she had passed them. Her dress was ripped
+open down her rotund back, and the earth from the
+weed roots had bespattered her face. From the midst
+of this dilapidation her round eyes sparkled with excitement.
+Hopping on one foot, the shawls and a part
+of a cushion dragging behind her, she shouted:</p>
+
+<p>"The Dusantes! They are the Dusantes!"</p>
+
+<p>Then, pitching forward on her knees before the two
+strange ladies, who had now tumbled into each other's
+arms, she cried:</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, which is Emily, and which is Lucille?"</p>
+
+<p>I had rushed toward Ruth, who had clung to a cushion
+and was now sitting upon it, when Mrs. Lecks,
+who was close beside her, arose to her feet and stood
+upright. One foot was thrust through her own bonnet,
+and her clothes gave evidence of the frenzy and
+power of Mrs. Aleshine's grasp, but her mien was
+dignified and her aspect stately.</p>
+
+<p>"Barb'ry Aleshine!" she exclaimed, "if them Dusantes
+has dropped down from heaven at your very
+feet, can't you give 'em a minute to feel their ribs and
+see if their legs and arms is broken?"</p>
+
+<p>The younger lady now turned her head toward Mrs.
+Aleshine. "I am Lucille," she said.</p>
+
+<p>In a moment the good woman's arms were around
+her neck. "I always liked you the best of the two,"
+she whispered into the ear of the astonished young
+lady.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_167">[167]</span></p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp49" id="i_167" style="max-width: 33em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_167.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;OH, WHICH IS EMILY, AND WHICH IS LUCILLE?&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>Having found that Ruth was unhurt, I ran to the
+assistance of the others. The gentleman had just
+arisen from a cushion, upon which, lying flat on his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_168"></span><span class="pagenum" id="Page_169"></span>
+back, he had slid over the grass, still holding under
+one arm the package from which he had refused to
+part. I helped him to raise the elder lady to her feet.
+She had been a good deal shaken, and much frightened,
+but although a little bruised, she had received
+no important injury.</p>
+
+<p>I went to fill a leather pocket-cup from a brook nearby,
+and when I returned I found the gentleman standing,
+confronted by Mrs. Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine, and
+Ruth, while his own companions were regarding the
+group with eager interest.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he was saying, "my name is Dusante. But
+why do you ask at this moment? Why do you show
+such excited concern on the subject?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why?" exclaimed Mrs. Lecks. "I will tell you
+why, sir. My name is Mrs. Lecks, and this is Mrs.
+Aleshine, and if you are the Mr. Dusante with the
+house on the desert island, this is the Mrs. Craig who
+was married in that very house, and the gentleman
+here with the water is Mr. Craig, who wrote you the
+letter, which I hope you got. And if that isn't reason
+enough for our wanting to know if you are Mr.
+Dusante, I'd like to be told what more there could
+be!"</p>
+
+<p>"It's them! Of course it's them!" cried Mrs. Aleshine.
+"I had a feelin' while we were scootin' downhill
+that they was near and dear to us, though exactly
+why and how, I didn't know. And she's told me
+she's Lucille, and of course the other must be Emily,
+though what relations—"</p>
+
+<p>"Am I to understand," interrupted the gentleman,
+looking with earnest animation from one to the other<span class="pagenum" id="Page_170">[170]</span>
+of us, "that these are the good people who inhabited
+my house on the island?"</p>
+
+<p>"The very ones!" cried Mrs. Aleshine. "And what
+relation are you to Emily? and Lucille to her?"</p>
+
+<p>The gentleman stepped backward and laid down the
+package which he had held under his arm, and advancing
+toward me with outstretched hands, and with
+tears starting to his eyes, he exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>"And this man, then, to whom I owe so much, is
+Mr. Craig!"</p>
+
+<p>"Owe me!" I said. "It is to you that we owe our
+very lives, and our escape from death in mid-ocean."</p>
+
+<p>"Do not speak of it," he said, shaking his head, with
+a sorrowful expression on his face. "You owe me
+nothing. I would to Heaven it were not so! But
+we will not talk of that now. And this is Mrs. Craig,"
+he continued, taking Ruth by the hand, "the fair lady
+whose nuptials were celebrated in my house. And
+Mrs. Lecks, and Mrs. Aleshine." As he spoke he
+shook hands with each. "How I have longed to meet
+you! I have thought of you every day since I returned
+to my island and discovered that you had
+been—I wish I could say—my guests. And where is
+the reverend gentleman? and the three mariners? I
+hope that nothing has befallen them!"</p>
+
+<p>"Alas!—for three of them at least," ejaculated Mrs.
+Aleshine; "they have left us, but they are all right.
+And now, sir, if you could tell us what relation you
+are to Emily, and what Lucille—"</p>
+
+
+<p>"Barb'ry!" cried Mrs. Lecks, making a dash toward her friend, "can't you
+give the man a minute to breathe? Don't you see he's so dumflustered<span class="pagenum" id="Page_171">[171]</span>
+that he hardly knows who he is himself! If them two women was to sink
+down dead with hunger and hard slidin' right afore your very eyes while
+you was askin' what relation they was to each other and to him, it would
+no more'n serve you right! We'd better be seem' if anythin' 's the
+matter with 'em, and what we can do for 'em."</p>
+
+<p>At this moment the younger of Mr. Dusante's ladies quickly stepped
+forward. "Oh, Mrs. Craig, Mrs. Lecks, and Mrs. Aleshine!" she exclaimed,
+"I'm just dying to know all about you!"</p>
+
+<p>"And which, contrariwise," cried Mrs. Aleshine, "is
+the same with us, exactly."</p>
+
+<p>"And of all places in the world," continued the
+young lady, "that we should meet here!"</p>
+
+<p>No one could have been more desirous than I was to
+know all about these Dusantes, and to discuss the
+strange manner of our meeting; but I saw that Ruth
+was looking very pale and faint, and that the elder
+Dusante lady had sat down again upon the ground as
+though obliged to do so by sheer exhaustion, and I
+therefore hailed with a double delight the interruption
+of further explanations by the appearance of two men
+on horseback who came galloping toward us.</p>
+
+<p>They belonged to the house which I had noticed
+from the road above, and one of them had seen our
+swift descent down the mountain-side. At first he
+had thought the black object he saw sliding over the
+snow-slopes was a rock or a mass of underbrush, but
+his keen eye soon told him that it was a group of
+human beings, and summoning a companion, he had
+set out for the foot of the mountain as soon as horses
+could be caught and saddled.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_172">[172]</span></p>
+
+<p>The men were much surprised when they heard the
+details of our adventure, but as it was quite plain that
+some members of our party needed immediate nourishment
+and attention, the questions and explanations
+were made very short. The men dismounted from
+their horses, and the elder Dusante lady was placed
+upon one of them, one man leading the animal and
+the other supporting the lady. Ruth mounted the
+other horse, and I walked by her to assist her in keeping
+her seat; but she held fast to the high pommel of
+the saddle, and got on very well. Mr. Dusante took
+his younger companion on one arm, and his package
+under the other, while Mrs. Lecks, having relieved
+her foot from the encircling bonnet, and Mrs. Aleshine,
+now free from the entangling shawls, followed
+in the rear. The men offered to come back with the
+horses for them, if they would wait; but the two
+women declared that they were quite able to walk, and
+intended to do no waiting, and they trudged vigorously
+after us. The sun was now high, and the air
+down here was quite different from that of the mountain-side,
+being pleasant and almost warm. The men
+said that the snows above would probably soon melt,
+as it was much too early in the season for snow to lie
+long on these lower sides of the mountains.</p>
+
+<p>Our way lay over an almost level plain for about a
+mile. A portion of it was somewhat rough, so that
+when we reached the low house to which we were
+bound, we were all very glad indeed to get there. The
+house belonged to the two men, who owned a small
+ranch here. One of them was married, and his wife
+immediately set herself to work to attend to our needs.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_173">[173]</span>
+Her home was small, its rooms few, and her larder
+very plain in quality; but everything she had was
+placed at our disposal. Her own bed was given to
+the elder Dusante lady, who took immediate possession
+of it; and after a quickly prepared but plentiful
+meal of fried pork, corn-bread, and coffee, the rest of
+us stretched ourselves out to rest wherever we could
+find a place. Before lying down, however, I had, at
+Ruth's earnest solicitation, engaged one of the men to
+ride to the railroad-station to inquire about Mr. Enderton,
+and to inform him of our safety. By taking a
+route which ran parallel with the mountain-chain, but
+at some distance from it, the station, the man said,
+could be reached without encountering snow.</p>
+
+<p>None of us had had proper rest during the past two
+nights, and we slept soundly until dark, when we were
+aroused to partake of supper. All of us, except the
+elder Dusante lady, who preferred to remain in bed,
+gathered around the table. After supper a large fire,
+principally of brushwood, was built upon the hearth;
+and with the bright blaze, two candles, and a lamp, the
+low room appeared light and cheery. We drew up
+about the fire—for the night was cool—on whatever
+chairs, stools, or boxes we could find, and no sooner
+had we all seated ourselves than Mrs. Aleshine exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Mr. Dusante, it ain't in the power of mortal
+man, nor woman neither,—an' if put the other way it
+might be stronger,—to wait any longer before knowin'
+what relation Lucille is to Emily, an' you to them,
+an' all about that house of yours on the island. If
+I'd blown up into bits this day through holdin' in my<span class="pagenum" id="Page_174">[174]</span>
+wantin' to know, I shouldn't have wondered! An'
+if it hadn't been for hard sleep, I don't believe I
+could have held in, nohow!"</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp94" id="i_174" style="max-width: 53.125em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_174.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;WE DREW UP ABOUT THE FIRE.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>"That's my mind exactly," said Mrs. Lecks; "and
+though I know there's a time for all things, and don't
+believe in crowdin' questions on played-out people, I
+do think, Mr. Dusante, that if I could have caught up
+with you when we was comin' over here, I'd have
+asked you to speak out on these p'ints. But you're
+a long-legged walker, which Mrs. Aleshine is not, and
+it wouldn't have done to leave her behind."</p>
+
+<p>"Which she wouldn't 'a' been," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"long legs or short."</p>
+
+<p>Ruth and I added our entreaties that Mr. Dusante
+should tell his story, and the good ranchman and his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_175">[175]</span>
+wife said that if there was anything to be done in the
+story-telling line they were in for it, strong; and quitting
+their work of clearing away supper things, they
+brought an old hair trunk from another room, and sat
+down just behind Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>The younger Dusante lady, who, having been divested
+of her wraps, her veil, and the woolen shawl
+that had been tied over her head, had proved to be a
+very pretty girl with black eyes, here declared that it
+had been her intention at the first opportunity to get
+us to tell our story, but as we had asked first, she supposed
+we ought to be satisfied first.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not wish, my good friends," said Mr. Dusante,
+"to delay for a moment longer than necessary your
+very pardonable curiosity concerning me and my
+family; and I must say at the same time that, although
+your letter, sir, gave me a very clear account of your
+visit to my island, there are many things which naturally
+could not be contained within the limits of a
+letter, and about which I am most anxious to make
+inquiries. But these I will reserve until my own narration
+is finished.</p>
+
+<p>"My name is Albert Dusante. It may interest you
+to know that my father was a Frenchman and my
+mother an American lady from New England. I was
+born in France, but have lived very little in that
+country, and for a great part of my life have been a
+merchant in Honolulu. For the past few years, however,
+I have been enabled to free myself in a great
+degree from the trammels of business, and to devote
+myself to the pursuits of a man of leisure. I have
+never married, and this young lady is my sister."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_176">[176]</span></p>
+
+<p>"Then what relation," began Mrs. Aleshine, "is she
+to—?"</p>
+
+<p>At this moment the hand of Mrs. Lecks, falling
+heavily into the lap of the speaker, stopped this question,
+and Mr. Dusante proceeded:</p>
+
+<p>"Our parents died when Lucille was an infant, and
+we have no near blood relations."</p>
+
+<p>At this the faces of both Mrs. Aleshine and Mrs.
+Lecks assumed expressions as if they had each just
+received a letter superscribed in an unknown hand,
+and were wondering who it could possibly be from.</p>
+
+<p>"The lady who is now resting in the adjoining
+room," continued Mr. Dusante, "is a dear friend who
+has been adopted by me as a mother."</p>
+
+<p>"Upon my word!" burst from Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine, in as much unison of time and tone as if the
+words had been a response in a church service, while
+Miss Lucille leaned back against the wall near which
+she sat, and laughed gleefully. Mr. Dusante, however,
+continued his statements with the same quiet gravity
+with which he had begun.</p>
+
+<p>"This lady was a dear friend of my mother, although
+younger than she. I adopted her as a mother to my
+little orphan sister, and, consequently, placed her in
+the same maternal relation to myself, doing this with
+much earnest satisfaction, for I hoped to be able to
+return, as a son, something of the tender care and
+affection which she would bestow on Lucille as a
+daughter."</p>
+
+<p>"And she is Emily?" cried Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"She adopted our name," answered the speaker,
+"and she is Mrs. Emily Dusante."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_177">[177]</span></p>
+
+<p>"And she is your adopted <i>mother?</i>" said Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"Adopted mother!" ejaculated Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," answered Mr. Dusante.</p>
+
+<p>"And that is the only relation she is to you two?"
+said Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"And you to her?" added Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"Most assuredly," answered Mr. Dusante.</p>
+
+<p>Here Mrs. Lecks leaned back in her chair, folded
+her hands in her lap, and ejaculated, "Well, well!"
+and then allowed her face to assume a rigid intention
+of having nothing more to say at the present
+moment.</p>
+
+<p>"One thing is certain," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, in
+a tone which indicated that she did not care who heard
+her; "I always liked Lucille the best!"</p>
+
+<p>At this Ruth and I exchanged smiles with Miss
+Lucille, and Mr. Dusante proceeded:</p>
+
+<p>"I do not wish to occupy too much of your time
+with our personal affairs, and will therefore state that
+the island on which you found refuge, and where I
+wish most heartily I had been present to act as
+host, was bought by me as a retreat from the annoyances
+of business and the exactions of society. I
+built there a good house—"</p>
+
+<p>"Which it truly was," said Mrs. Aleshine, "with
+fixtures in it for water, and letting it off, which I never
+saw in a house so far out of town."</p>
+
+<p>"I furnished it suitably," said Mr. Dusante. "We
+had books and music, and for several years we passed
+vacations there which were both enjoyable and profitable.
+But of late my sister has found the place<span class="pagenum" id="Page_178">[178]</span>
+lonely, and we have traveled a good deal, making
+intermittent and often short visits to the island.</p>
+
+<p>"As I never cared to leave any one on that lonely
+spot during our absences from it, I arranged a gateway
+of bars across the only opening in the reef, with
+the intention of preventing marauding visits from
+fishing-boats or other small craft which might be passing
+that way. As the island was out of the ordinary
+track of vessels, I did not imagine that my bars would
+ever prove an obstacle to unfortunate castaways who
+might seek a refuge there."</p>
+
+<p>"Which they didn't," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "for
+under we bobbed."</p>
+
+<p>"I never exactly understood," said Mr. Dusante,
+"and I hope to have it explained to me in due time,
+how you passed my bars without removing them;
+and I have had a sore weight upon my conscience
+since I discovered that shipwrecked persons, fleeing to
+my house from the perils of the sea, should have found
+those inhospitable bars in their way—"</p>
+
+<p>"Which is a weight you might as well cast off, and
+be done with it," said Mrs. Lecks, her deep-set notions
+on the rights of property obliging her to speak; "for
+if a man hasn't a right to lock up his house when he
+goes away and leaves it, I don't know what rights
+anybody has about anything. Me, or Mrs. Aleshine,
+or anybody else here who has a house, might just as
+well go off travelin', or to town visitin', and leave our
+front door unlocked, and the yard gate swingin' on its
+hinges, because we was afraid that some tramp or
+other body with no house or home might come along
+and not be able to get in and make himself comfortable.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_179">[179]</span>
+Your business, sir, when you left that house
+and all your belongin's on that island, was to leave
+everything tight and safe; and the business of people
+sailin' in ships was to go on their proper way, and not
+be runnin' into each other. And if these last mentioned
+didn't see fit to do that, and so got into trouble,
+they should have gone to some island where there
+were people to attend to 'em, just as the tramps should
+go to the poorhouse. And this is what we would have
+done—not meanin' the poorhouse—if we hadn't been
+so over long-headed as to get into a leaky boat, which,
+I wish it understood, is sayin' nothin' against Mr.
+Craig."</p>
+
+<p>"That's true," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for nobody has
+got a right to complain that a fellow-bein' locks his
+own door after him. But it does seem to me, sir, that
+in such scattered neighborhoods as your island is in,
+it might be a good thing to leave something to eat an'
+drink—perhaps in a bottle or in a tin pail—at the
+outside of your bars for them as might come along
+shipwrecked, an' not be able to get inside on account
+of bein' obliged to come in a boat, an' not as we did;
+an' so, when they found they'd have to go on, they
+might have somethin' to keep up their strength till
+they got to another house."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "when
+you start off on a journey to Japan or any other place,
+an' leave mince-pies and buttered toast a-stickin' on
+the p'ints of your pickets for tramps that might come
+along and need 'em, you can do that kind of talkin'.
+But as that time hasn't come, let's hear the rest of
+Mr. Dusante's story."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_180">[180]</span></p>
+
+<p>"When I first visited my island this year," continued
+the narrator, "we made but a short stay, as we
+were all desirous of taking a somewhat extended sea-voyage
+in my steam-yacht. We visited several places
+of interest, and when we returned, just six weeks ago
+to-day—"</p>
+
+<p>"Just one week, lackin' a day," exclaimed Mrs.
+Lecks, "after we left that spot!"</p>
+
+<p>"If I'd 'a' knowed," said Mrs. Aleshine, rising to
+her feet, "that you'd be back so soon, I'd 'a' made
+them sailormen live on fish, I'd 'a' eat garden-truck
+myself, and I'd be bound I'd 'a' made the flour hold
+out for six days more for the rest of 'em, if I'd 'a' had
+to work my fingers to the skin and bone to do it!"
+Then she sat down solemnly.</p>
+
+<p>"When we returned," continued Mr. Dusante, "I
+was pleased to find my bars intact; and when these
+were unlocked, and the boat from our yacht went
+through with ourselves and our servants, it was very
+agreeable to notice the good order which seemed to
+prevail everywhere. As we passed from the wharf to
+the house, not even fallen boughs or weeds were seen
+to indicate that we had been away from the place for
+more than two months. When we entered the house,
+my mother and sister immediately ascended to their
+chambers, and when the windows had been opened I
+heard them from above calling to each other and
+remarking upon the freshness and cleanliness of the
+rooms. I went to my library, and when I had thrown
+open the window I was struck with the somewhat
+peculiar air of order which seemed to obtain in the
+room. The books stood upon their shelves with a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_181">[181]</span>
+remarkable regularity, and the chairs and other furniture
+were arranged with a precision which impressed
+me as unusual. In a moment, sir, I saw your letter
+upon the table addressed to me. Greatly astonished,
+I opened and read it.</p>
+
+<p>"When I had finished it my amazement was great
+indeed; but obeying an instant impulse, I stepped into
+the dining-room, which a servant had opened, and
+took the ginger-jar from the mantelpiece. When
+I lifted from it the little brown-paper parcel, and
+beneath it saw the money which had been mentioned
+in the letter, you may imagine the condition of my
+mind. I did not take out the money, nor count it;
+but covering it again with the paper parcel, which I
+believed contained fish-hooks, and with the jar in my
+hands, I returned to the library, where I sat down
+to ponder upon these most astounding revelations.
+While so doing my mother and sister hastily entered
+the room. Lucille declared in an excited manner that
+she believed that the brownies or some other fairies
+had been there while we were away and had kept the
+house in order. The whole place was actually cleaner,
+she said, than when we left it. She had taken down
+a thin dress from her closet, and it looked as if it
+had just come from the hand of a laundress, with
+the ruffles ironed smoother and more evenly than
+they had ever been since it was first stitched together.
+'Albert,' said my mother, her face pale, 'there has been
+somebody in this house!' Then she went on to say
+that the windows, which were left unwashed because
+we went away in somewhat of a hurry, were as bright
+and clean as if the maids had just been rubbing them;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_182">[182]</span>
+the floors and furniture were cleaner and freer from
+dust than they had ever been before; and the whole
+house looked as if we had just left it yesterday. 'In
+fact,' she said, 'it is unnaturally clean!'"</p>
+
+<p>During this part of Mr. Dusante's story Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine sat very quiet, with an air of sedate
+humility upon their faces; but I could see by the
+proud light in their eyes that they felt their superiority
+to ordinary women, although they were properly
+resolved not to show such feeling.</p>
+
+<p>"At that moment," continued Mr. Dusante, "a servant
+came hurrying into the room, and informed us
+that the flour was all gone, and that there was scarcely
+anything in the pantries to eat. At this my mother
+and my sister, who knew that an abundance of provisions
+had been left in the house, looked at each other
+aghast. But before they could express their consternation
+in words, I addressed them. 'My dear mother,'
+said I, 'and Lucille, there truly has been some one in
+this house. By this letter I am informed that for
+several weeks eight persons have lived here under this
+roof; a marriage has been solemnized, and the happy
+couple have gone forth from our doors. These persons
+have eaten our food, they have made use of our property,
+and this has been their temporary home. But
+they are good people, honest and true-hearted, for they
+have left the house in better order than they found it,
+and more than the price of all they have consumed is
+in that ginger-jar.' And thereupon I read them your
+letter, sir.</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot undertake to describe the wonder and
+absorbing interest with which this letter filled our<span class="pagenum" id="Page_183">[183]</span>
+minds. All needful stores were brought ashore from
+the yacht, which lay outside the reef, and we began
+our usual life on the island; but none of the occupations
+or recreations in which we formerly employed
+our time now possessed any attractions for us. Our
+minds were filled with thoughts of the persons who
+had been so strangely living in our house; and our
+conversation was mainly made up of surmises as to
+what sort of people they were, whether or not we
+should ever see them, and similar suppositions."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, indeed!" exclaimed Miss Lucille. "I thought
+of you by day and by night, and pictured you all in
+various ways, but never as you really are. Sometimes
+I used to think that the boat in which you went away
+had been sunk in a storm in which you were all
+drowned, and that perhaps your ghosts would come
+back and live in our house, and sleep in our beds, and
+clean our windows, and wash and iron our clothes,
+and do all sorts of things in the night."</p>
+
+<p>"Goodnessful, gracious me!" cried Mrs. Aleshine,
+"don't talk that way! The idea of bein' a cold ghost,
+goin' about in the dark, is worse than slidin' down a
+snow-mountain, even if you had to do it on the bare
+of your back."</p>
+
+<p>"Barb'ry!" said Mrs. Lecks, severely.</p>
+
+<p>"The idea is jus' as chillin'," replied her undaunted
+friend.</p>
+
+<p>"Two things connected with this matter," continued
+Mr. Dusante, "weighed heavily on my mind. One of
+these I have already mentioned—the cruel inhospitality
+of the barred entrance."</p>
+
+<p>I had refrained from adding to the interruptions to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_184">[184]</span>
+Mr. Dusante's narrative, but I now felt impelled to
+assure the gentleman, on behalf of myself and wife,
+that we shared the opinions of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine, and felt that he could in no way be blamed
+for thus protecting his private property.</p>
+
+<p>"You are very good," said Mr. Dusante, "but I will
+say here that there are now no bars to that entrance.
+I have left some people on the island, who will take
+care of my property and succor any unfortunate castaways
+who may arrive there. The other matter to
+which I alluded was, however, the heavier load which
+oppressed me. This was the money in the ginger-jar.
+I could not endure to reflect that I had been paid actual
+money for the hospitality I would have been so
+glad to offer to you poor shipwrecked people. Every
+sentiment of my being rebelled against such a thing.
+I was grieved. I was ashamed. At last I determined
+I would bear no longer the ignominy of this brand of
+inhospitality, and that, with the ginger-jar in my
+hand, I would search over the world, if necessary, for
+the persons who in my absence had paid board to me,
+and return to them the jar with its contents uncounted
+and untouched. Your letter informed me of the island
+to which you were bound, and if I did not find you
+there I could discover to what port you had taken
+your departure. There I could make further inquiries,
+and so follow you. When I proposed this plan to my
+family they agreed to it instantly, for their interest in
+the matter was almost as great as mine; and in a day
+or two we started on our quest.</p>
+
+<p>"I easily traced you to San Francisco, and found
+the hotel at which you had stopped. Here I obtained<span class="pagenum" id="Page_185">[185]</span>
+fresh news of you, and learned that you had started
+East, and that the destination of the party was believed
+to be Philadelphia. I had hoped that I should
+meet with you before you left California; but supposing
+that by that time you had reached your destination,
+or were, at least, far on your way, I yielded to
+the solicitations of my sister and made some excursions
+in California, intending then to follow you to
+Philadelphia, and there to advertise for Mr. Craig, if
+he could not otherwise be found. However, by the
+rarest and most fortunate of chances, we have met
+thus early, and for this I can never be too devoutly
+thankful."</p>
+
+<p>"Nor we," said I, earnestly; "for our greatly desired
+acquaintance with you and your family could not
+have begun too soon."</p>
+
+<p>"Now," said Mr. Dusante, "I will perform the duty
+for which my journey was undertaken, and I assure
+you it is a great pleasure to me to be able so soon to
+carry out this cherished purpose."</p>
+
+<p>He then took up from the floor by his side the package
+which he had so safely guarded during his swift
+and perilous descent of the mountain-side, and which
+he had since kept close by him. Placing this upon
+his knee, he removed the light shawl in which it had
+been rolled, and then several pieces of wrapping-paper,
+revealing to our eyes the familiar fat little ginger-jar
+which had stood on the mantelpiece of the dining-room
+in the house on the island, and in which we had
+deposited our board money.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_186">[186]</span></p>
+
+<figure class="figleft illowp46" id="i_186" style="max-width: 17.375em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_186.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;REVEALING THE FAMILIAR FAT LITTLE GINGER-JAR.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>"It would be simply impossible for me," said Mr.
+Dusante, "to consent to retain in my possession
+money paid for the aid which I involuntarily rendered
+to shipwrecked people. Had I been present on the
+island, that aid would have been most heartily and
+freely given, and the fact of my absence makes no
+difference whatever in regard to my feelings on the
+subject of your paying for
+the food and shelter you
+found at my house. Having
+understood from Mr.
+Craig's letter that it was
+Mrs. Lecks who superintended
+the collection and
+depositing of the money, I
+now return to you, madam,
+this jar with its contents."</p>
+
+<p>"And which," said Mrs.
+Lecks, sitting up very rigidly,
+with her hands clasped
+behind her, "I don't take.
+If it had been a day and a
+night, or even two nights
+and over a Sunday, it wouldn't
+have mattered; but
+when me and Mrs. Aleshine—and the rest of the
+party can speak for themselves—stays for weeks and
+weeks, without leave or license, in a man's house, we
+pay our board—of course deductin' services. Good
+night."</p>
+
+<p>With that she arose, and walked, very erect, into
+the adjoining room.</p>
+
+<p>"It was all very well, Mr. Dusante," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"for you to try to carry out what you thought<span class="pagenum" id="Page_187">[187]</span>
+was right; but we have our ideas as to what our duty
+is, an' you have your ideas as to what your duty is,
+an' consciences is even."</p>
+
+<p>Having said this, she followed her friend.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Dusante looked surprised and troubled, and he
+turned toward me. "My dear sir," said I, "those two
+good women are very sensitive in regard to right and
+justice, and I think it will be well not to press this
+subject upon them. As for my wife and me, neither
+of us would consent to touch money which was placed
+in that jar by Mrs. Lecks with the expectation that no
+one but you or one of your family would take it out."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, sir," said Mr. Dusante, replacing the
+wrapping-paper around the jar; "I will drop the subject
+for the present. But you will allow me to say,
+sir, that I also am very sensitive in regard to right
+and justice."</p>
+
+<p>Early the next morning the man who had been sent
+to the railroad-station came back, bringing news that
+a four-horse wagon would shortly be sent for us, and
+also bearing a letter from Mr. Enderton to Ruth. In
+this that gentleman informed his daughter that he was
+quite well, but that he had suffered anxiety on account
+of her probable hardships in the abandoned stage-coach.
+He had hoped, however, that the snow which
+had precluded his return with assistance had fallen
+lightly in the elevated position in which she had been
+left; and he had trusted also that Mr. Craig had bethought
+himself to build a fire somewhere near the
+coach, where his daughter might be warmed; and that
+the provisions, of which he knew an ample quantity
+had been packed for the trip, had been properly heated<span class="pagenum" id="Page_188">[188]</span>
+for her and given to her at suitable intervals. This
+anxiety, he said, had added very much to his own
+mental disquietude occasioned by the violent vituperations
+and unjust demands of the driver of the stage-coach,
+who had seen fit to attack him with all manner
+of abuse, and might even have resorted to personal
+violence had it not been for the interference of by-standers
+and the locking of his room door. He was
+now, however, much relieved by the departure of this
+driver, and by the news that his daughter had reached
+a place of safety, which, of course, he had supposed
+she would do, her detention having occurred on an
+ordinary route of travel.</p>
+
+<p>While waiting for the arrival of the wagon, the
+adventures of Mrs. Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine, and myself,
+as well as those of Ruth and her father, from the time
+the one party left America and the other China, were
+related at length to the Dusantes, who showed a deep
+interest in every detail, and asked many questions.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Dusante, whose nervous equilibrium had been
+fully restored by her night's rest, and who, although
+feeling a little stiff and bruised, now declared herself
+quite well, proved to be a very pleasant lady of fifty-five
+or thereabouts. She was of a quiet disposition,
+but her speech and manner showed that in former
+years, at least, she had been a woman of society, and
+I soon found out that she was much interested in the
+study of character. This interest was principally
+shown in the direction of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine,
+whom she evidently looked upon as most remarkable
+women. If any of her sentiments were those
+of admiration, however, they were not returned in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_189">[189]</span>
+kind; Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine had but a small
+opinion of her.</p>
+
+<p>"There's mother-in-laws, and stepmothers, and real
+mothers, and grandmothers, and sometimes great-grandmothers
+livin'," said Mrs. Lecks to me, apart;
+"but though Mr. Dusante may be a well-meanin'
+man,—and I don't doubt he is,—and wishin', I haven't
+the least reason to disbelieve, to do his whole duty by
+his fellow-men, still I must say, bein' brought up as
+I was, he hasn't any right to make a new kind of
+mother. To be sure, a man can adopt children, but
+that isn't goin' backward, like this is, which is ag'in'
+nat'ral law and gospel."</p>
+
+<p>"I expect," said Mrs. Aleshine, who was with us,
+"that them French has got fashions that we don't
+know about, and thankful we ought to be that we
+don't! I never had no patience with French heels an'
+French arsenic-green beans; an' now, if there's to be
+adoptin' of mothers in this country, the next thing
+will be gullotynes."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't see," said I, "why you look upon the
+Dusantes as French people. They are just as much
+American as French."</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said Mrs. Lecks, "it's not for me and Mrs.
+Aleshine to set ourselves up to judge other people.
+In our part of the country we don't adopt mothers;
+but if they do it in France, or the Sandwich Islands,
+or down East, I don't know that we ought to have
+anything to say."</p>
+
+<p>"He might as well have adopted a father at the
+same time," said Mrs. Aleshine, "although, to be
+sure, he would 'a' had to been particular to take one<span class="pagenum" id="Page_190">[190]</span>
+that was acquainted with Mrs. Dusante, and not had
+'em strangers to each other, though parents to him."</p>
+
+<p>"If I was you, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks,
+"I'd adopt some sort of rag to the top of my head to
+serve for a bonnet; for here comes the wagon, and I
+suppose now we'll be off."</p>
+
+<p>We took leave of the kind-hearted ranch people,
+who looked upon us as a godsend into their lonely life,
+and disposed ourselves as comfortably as we could in
+the large wagon. Our journey of seven or eight miles
+to the railroad-station was slow, and over ways that
+were rough. Mrs. Dusante was a delicate woman and
+not used to hardship, whereas Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine were exceedingly vigorous and tough. The
+consequence of this difference was that the kindly
+hearts of the latter prompted them to do everything
+they could to prevent Mrs. Dusante feeling the bumps
+and jolts, and to give her such advantages of wraps
+and position as would help her to bear better the
+fatigues of the journey.</p>
+
+<p>In doing this these good women gradually forgot
+the adopted mother, and came to think only of the
+very pleasant lady who needed their attentions, and
+who took such a lively and agreeable interest in their
+family histories, their homes, their manner of living,
+and everything that pertained to them; and before we
+reached the end of our trip these three were talking
+together like old friends. Ruth and Miss Lucille had
+also struck up a warm acquaintance, while I found
+Mr. Dusante a very entertaining man—of sedate and
+careful speech, ingenious ideas, and of a very courteous
+disposition.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_191">[191]</span></p>
+
+<p>When we arrived at the railroad-station we were
+met by Mr. Enderton, who showed a moderate degree
+of pleasure at seeing us, and an immoderate amount
+of annoyance, exhibited principally to me, in being
+obliged to give up to the women of our party the
+large room he had occupied in the only lodging-house
+in the little settlement.</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_191" style="max-width: 46.875em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_191.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;RUTH AND MISS LUCILLE STRUCK UP A WARM ACQUAINTANCE.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>When I informed him that the strangers with us
+were the Dusantes, on whose island we had been staying,
+he at first listened vaguely. He had always
+looked upon the Dusante family as a sort of fable used
+by Mrs. Lecks to countenance her exactions of money
+from the unfortunate sojourners on the island. But
+when I told him what Mr. Dusante had done, and related
+how he had brought the board money with him,
+and had offered to pay it back to us, an eager interest
+was aroused in him.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not wonder," he exclaimed, "that the conscience-stricken
+man wishes to give the money back,
+but that any one should refuse what actually belongs
+to him or her is beyond my comprehension! One<span class="pagenum" id="Page_192">[192]</span>
+thing is certain—I shall receive my portion. Fifteen
+dollars a week for my daughter and myself that
+woman charged me, and I will have it back."</p>
+
+<p>"My dear sir," I said, "your board was reduced to
+the same sum as that paid by the rest of us—four
+dollars a week each."</p>
+
+<p>"I call to mind no reduction," said Mr. Enderton.
+"I remember distinctly the exorbitant sum charged
+me for board on a desert island. It made a deep impression
+upon me."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not care to talk any further on this subject,"
+I said. "You must settle it with Mrs. Lecks."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Enderton gave a great sniff, and walked away
+with dignity. I could not but laugh as I imagined
+his condition two minutes after he had stated his
+opinions on this subject to Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>When Mr. Dusante had started from San Francisco
+on his search for us, he had sent his heavy baggage
+ahead of him to Ogden City, where he purposed to
+make his first stop. He supposed that we might possibly
+here diverge from our homeward-bound route in
+order to visit the Mormon metropolis; and, if we had
+done so, he did not wish to pass us. It was therefore
+now agreed that we should all go to Ogden City, and
+there await the arrival of our effects left in the snowed-up
+vehicles on the mountain-side. We made arrangements
+with the station-master that these should be
+forwarded to us as soon as the stage-coach and the
+carriage could be brought down. All the baggage of
+my party was on the coach, and it consisted only of
+a few valises bought in San Francisco, and a package
+containing two life-preservers, which Mrs. Lecks and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_193">[193]</span>
+Mrs. Aleshine said they would take home with them,
+if they took nothing else.</p>
+
+<p>On the morning after our arrival at Ogden City,
+Mr. Dusante took me aside. "Sir," he said, "I wish
+to confide to you my intentions regarding the jar containing
+the money left by your party in my house,
+and I trust you will do nothing to thwart them.
+When your baggage arrives, you, with your party,
+will doubtless continue your eastern way, and we shall
+return to San Francisco. But the jar, with its contents,
+shall be left behind to be delivered to Mrs.
+Lecks. If you will take charge of the jar, and hand
+it to her, sir, I shall be obliged greatly."</p>
+
+<p>I promised Mr. Dusante that I would not interfere
+with his intentions, but asserted that I could, on no
+account, take charge of the jar. The possession of
+that piece of pottery, with its contents, was now a
+matter of dispute between him and Mrs. Lecks, and
+must be settled by them.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, then, sir," he said. "I shall arrange
+to depart before you and your company, and I shall
+leave the jar, suitably packed, in the care of the clerk
+of this hotel, with directions to hand it to Mrs. Lecks
+after I am gone. Thus there will be nothing for her
+to do but to receive it."</p>
+
+<p>Some one now came into the smoking-room, where
+we were sitting, and no more was said on this subject.
+Mr. Dusante's statement of his intention very much
+amused me, for Mrs. Lecks had previously taken me
+into her confidence in regard to her intentions in this
+matter. "Mr. Dusante," she had said, "hasn't
+dropped a word more about the money in that ginger-jar,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_194">[194]</span>
+but I know just as well as he does what he's
+goin' to do about it. When the time comes to go, he's
+goin' to slip off quietly, leavin' that jar behind him,
+thinkin' then I'll be obliged to take it, there bein'
+nobody to give it back to. But he'll find me just as
+sharp as he is. I've got the street and number of his
+business place in Honolulu from his sister,—askin'
+about it in an offhand way, as if it didn't mean anything,—an'
+if that jar is left for me, I'll pack it in a
+box, money and all, and I'll express it to Mr. Dusante;
+and when he gets to Honolulu he'll find it there, and
+then he'll know that two can play at that sort of
+game."</p>
+
+<p>Knowing Mr. Dusante, and knowing Mrs. Lecks, I
+pictured to myself a box containing a ginger-jar, and
+covered with numerous half-obliterated addresses,
+traveling backward and forward between the Sandwich
+Islands and Pennsylvania during the lifetime of
+the contestants, and, probably, if testamentary desires
+should be regarded, during a great part of the lifetime
+of their heirs. That the wear and tear of the box
+might make it necessary to inclose it in a keg, and
+that, eventually, the keg might have to be placed in a
+barrel, and that, after a time, in a hogshead, seemed
+to me as likely as any other contingencies which might
+befall this peregrinating ginger-jar.</p>
+
+<p>We spent three days in Ogden City, and then, the
+weather having moderated very much, and the snow
+on the mountains having melted sufficiently to allow
+the vehicles to be brought down, our effects were forwarded
+to us, and my party and that of Mr. Dusante
+prepared to proceed on our different ways. An eastward-bound<span class="pagenum" id="Page_195">[195]</span>
+train left that evening an hour after we
+received our baggage, but we did not care to depart
+upon such short notice, and so determined to remain
+until the next day.</p>
+
+<p>In the evening Mr. Dusante came to me to say that
+he was very glad to find that the westward train would
+leave Ogden City early in the morning, so that he and
+his family would start on their journey some hours
+before we should leave. "This suits my plans exactly,"
+he said. "I have left the ginger-jar, securely wrapped,
+and addressed to Mrs. Lecks, with the clerk of the
+hotel, who will deliver it to-morrow immediately after
+my departure. All our preparations are made, and
+we purpose this evening to bid farewell to you and
+our other kind friends, from whom, I assure you, we
+are most deeply grieved to part."</p>
+
+<p>I had just replied that we also regretted extremely
+the necessity for this separation, when a boy brought
+me a letter. I opened it, and found it was from Mr.
+Enderton. It read as follows:</p>
+
+<blockquote><p><b>D</b><span class="smcapa">EAR</span> S<span class="smcapa">IR</span><b>:</b> I have determined not to wait here until to-morrow,
+but to proceed eastward by this evening's train. I desire
+to spend a day in Chicago, and as you and the others will probably
+not wish to stop there, I shall, by this means, attain my
+object without detaining you. My sudden resolution will not
+give me time to see you all before I start, but I have taken a
+hurried leave of my daughter, and this letter will explain my
+departure to the rest.</p>
+
+<p>I will also mention that I have thought it proper, as the natural
+head of our party both by age and position, to settle the
+amicable dispute in regard to the reception and disposition of
+the money paid, under an excusable misapprehension, for our
+board and lodging upon a desert island. I discovered that the <span class="pagenum" id="Page_196">[196]</span>
+receptacle of this money had been left in the custody of the
+clerk, addressed to Mrs. Lecks, who has not only already refused
+to receive it, and would probably do so again, but who is, in my
+opinion, in no wise entitled to hold, possess, or dispose of it.
+I therefore, without making any disturbance whatever, have
+taken charge of the package, and shall convey it with me to
+Chicago. When you arrive there, I will apportion the contents
+among us according to our several claims. This I regard as a
+very sensible and prudent solution of the little difficulty which
+has confronted us in regard to the disposition of this money.
+Yours hurriedly,</p>
+
+<p><b>D</b><span class="smcapa">AVID</span> <b>J. E</b><span class="smcapa">NDERTON.</span></p>
+
+<p>P.S. I shall stop at Brandiger's Hotel, where I shall await you.</p></blockquote>
+
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_196" style="max-width: 25em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_196.png" alt="Bottles, jars and umbrella">
+</figure>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_197">[197]</span></p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr class="chap">
+<h2 id="PART_VI">PART VI</h2>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_197" style="max-width: 50em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_197.png" alt="I was reading a letter and my companion was smoking a pipe">
+</figure>
+
+<p>Mr. Enderton's letter astonished and angered
+me, but in spite of my indignation, I could not
+help smiling at the unexpected way in which he had
+put a stop to the probable perpetual peregrinations
+of the ginger-jar. I handed the letter to Mr. Dusante,
+and when he had read it his face flushed, and I could
+see that he was very angry, although he kept his temper
+under excellent control.</p>
+
+<p>"Sir," he said presently, "this shall not be allowed.
+That jar, with its contents, is my property until Mrs.
+Lecks has consented to receive it. It is of my own
+option that I return it at all, and I have decided to
+return it to Mrs. Lecks. Any one interfering with my
+intentions steps entirely beyond the line of just and
+warrantable procedure. Sir, I shall not go westward
+to-morrow morning, but, with my family, will accompany
+you to Chicago, where I shall require Mr. Enderton<span class="pagenum" id="Page_198">[198]</span>
+to return to me my property, which I shall then
+dispose of as I see fit. You must excuse me, sir, if
+anything I have said regarding this gentleman with
+whom you are connected has wounded your sensibilities."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, don't think of that," I exclaimed. "Pitch into
+Enderton as much as you please, and you may be sure
+that I shall not object. When I took the daughter to
+wife, I did not marry the father. But, of course, for
+my wife's sake I hope this matter will not be made the
+subject of public comment."</p>
+
+<p>"You need have no fear of that," said Mr. Dusante;
+"and you will allow me to remark that Mr. Enderton's
+wife must have been a most charming lady."</p>
+
+<p>"Why do you think so?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I judge so," he answered, with a bow, "from my
+acquaintance with Mrs. Craig."</p>
+
+<p>I now went immediately to Ruth, who, I found,
+knew nothing of what had occurred, except that her
+father had gone on to Chicago in advance of our
+party, and had had time only to bid her a hasty
+good-by. I made no remarks on this haste, which
+would not allow Mr. Enderton to take leave of us, but
+which gave him time to write a letter of some length;
+and as Ruth knew nothing of this letter, I determined
+not to mention it to her. Her father's sudden departure
+surprised her but little, for she told me that he
+always liked to get to places before the rest of the
+party with whom he might be journeying.</p>
+
+<p>"Even when we go to church," she said, "he always
+walks ahead of the rest of us. I don't understand
+why he likes to do so, but this is one of his habits."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_199">[199]</span></p>
+
+<p>When I informed Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine of
+what had happened, they fairly blazed.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know what Mr. Dusante calls it," exclaimed
+Mrs. Lecks, "but I know what I call it."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, indeed!" cried Mrs. Aleshine, her round
+eyes sparkling with excitement; "if that isn't ex-honesty,
+then he ain't no ex-missionary! I pity the
+heathen he converted!"</p>
+
+<p>"I'll convert him," said Mrs. Lecks, "if ever I lay
+eyes on him! Walkin' away with a package with my
+name on it! He might as well take my gold spectacles
+or my tortoise-shell comb! I suppose there's no
+such thing as ketchin' up with him, but I'll telegraph
+after him; an' I'll let him know that if he dares to
+open a package of mine, I'll put the law on him!"</p>
+
+<p>"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine. "You kin send
+telegraphs all along the line to one station an' another
+for conductors to give to him in the cars, an' directed
+to Mr. Enderton, a tall man with gray-mixed hair an'
+a stolen bundle. That's the way they did in our place
+when Abram Marly's wife fell into the cistern, an' he'd
+jus' took the cars to the city, an' they telegraphed to
+him at five different stations to know where he'd left
+the ladder."</p>
+
+<p>"Which ain't a bad idea," said Mrs. Lecks, "though
+his name will be enough on it without no description;
+an' I'll do that this minute, an' find out about the
+stations from the clerk."</p>
+
+<p>"You must be very careful," I said, "about anything
+of that kind, for the telegrams will be read at
+the stations, and Mr. Enderton might be brought into
+trouble in a way which we all should regret; but a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_200">[200]</span>
+despatch may be worded so that he, and no one else,
+would understand it."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," said Mrs. Lecks, "an' let's get at it;
+but I must say that he don't deserve bein' saved no
+trouble, for I'm as sure as that I'm a livin' woman
+that he never saved nobody else no trouble sence the
+first minute he was born."</p>
+
+<p>The following despatch was concocted and sent on
+to Bridger, to be delivered to Mr. Enderton on the
+train:</p>
+
+<blockquote><p>The package you know of has been stolen. You will recognize
+the thief. If he leaves it at Chicago hotel, let him go. If
+he opens it, clap him in jail.</p>
+
+<p><b>M</b><span class="smcapa">RS.</span> <b>L</b><span class="smcapa">ECKS.</span><br></p>
+</blockquote>
+
+<p>"I think that will make him keep his fingers off it,"
+said Mrs. Lecks; "an' if Mr. Dusante chooses to send
+somethin' of the same kind to some other station, it
+won't do no harm. An' if that Enderton gets so
+skeered that he keeps out of sight and hearin' of all of
+us, it'll be the best thing that's happened yet. An'
+I want you to understan', Mr. Craig, that nothin' 's
+goin' to be said or done to make your wife feel bad;
+an' there's no need of her hearin' about what's been
+done or what's goin' to be done. But I'll say for
+her that though, of course, Mr. Enderton is her father,
+and she looks up to him as such, she's a mighty deal
+livelier and gayer-hearted when he's away than when
+he's with her. An' as for the rest of us, there's no
+use sayin' anything about our resignedness to the loss
+of his company."</p>
+
+<p>"I should say so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "for if there
+ever was a man who thought of himself ninety-nine<span class="pagenum" id="Page_201">[201]</span>
+times before he thought of anybody else once, an'
+then as like as not to forgit that once, he's the man.
+An' it's not, by no means, that I'm down on missionaries,
+for it's many a box I've made up for 'em,
+an' never begrudged neither money nor trouble, an'
+will do it ag'in many times, I hope. But he oughtn't
+to be called one, havin' given it up,—unless they gave
+him up, which there's no knowin' which it was,—for
+if there's anything which shows the good in a man, it's
+his bein' willin' to give up the comforts of a Christian
+land an' go an' convert heathens; though bein' willin'
+to give up the heathens an' go for the comforts shows
+him quite different, besides, as like as not, chargin'
+double, an' only half convertin'."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Dusante was fully determined to go on with us
+until he had recovered possession of the ginger-jar.
+His courteous feelings toward Mrs. Craig and myself
+prevented his saying much about Mr. Enderton, but
+I had good reason to believe that his opinions in regard
+to my father-in-law were not very different from
+those of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine. Ever since
+Mr. Enderton had shown his petulant selfishness, when
+obliged to give up his room at the railroad-station for
+the use of the women of his party, Mr. Dusante had
+looked upon him coldly, and the two had had but
+little to say to each other.</p>
+
+<p>We were all very glad that our pleasant party was
+not to be broken up; and although there was no resignation
+at the absence of the ginger-jar, we started on
+our journey the next day in a pleasanter mood for the
+absence of Mr. Enderton. Before we left, Mr. Dusante
+sent a telegram to Kearney Junction, to be delivered<span class="pagenum" id="Page_202">[202]</span>
+to Mr. Enderton when he arrived there. What this
+message was I do not know, but I imagine its tone
+was decided.</p>
+
+<p>Our journey to Chicago was a pleasant one. We
+had now all become very well acquainted with each
+other, and there was no discordant element in the
+combined party. Some of us were a little apprehensive
+of trouble, or annoyance at least, awaiting us in
+Chicago, but we did not speak of it; and while Ruth
+knew nothing of her father's misbehavior, it might
+have been supposed that the rest had forgotten it.</p>
+
+<p>At Chicago we went at once to Brandiger's Hotel,
+and there we found, instead of Mr. Enderton, a letter
+from him to Ruth. It read as follows:</p>
+
+<blockquote><p><b>M</b><span class="smcapa">Y DEAR</span> <b>D</b><span class="smcapa">AUGHTER</span><b>:</b> I have determined not to wait here, as
+originally intended, but to go on by myself. I am sorry not to
+meet you here, but it will not be long before we are together
+again, and you know I do not like to travel with a party. Its
+various members always incommode me in one way or another.
+I had proposed to go to Philadelphia and wait for you there,
+but have since concluded to stop at Meadowville, a village in
+the interior of Pennsylvania, where, as they have informed me,
+the two women, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, reside. I wish
+to see the party all together before I take final leave of them,
+and I suppose the two women will not consent to go any farther
+than the country town in which they live. Inclosed is a note to
+your husband relating to business matters. I hope that he will
+take the best of care of you during the rest of the journey, and
+thus very much oblige</p>
+
+<p><b>Y</b><span class="smcapa">OUR AFFECTIONATE</span> <b>F</b><span class="smcapa">ATHER</span>.<br></p>
+</blockquote>
+
+<p>This was my note:<span class="pagenum" id="Page_203">[203]</span></p>
+
+<blockquote><p><b>M</b><span class="smcapa">R.</span> <b>C</b><span class="smcapa">RAIG.</span> <b>S</b><span class="smcapa">IR</span><b>:</b> I should have supposed that you would have
+been able to prevent the insolent messages which have been
+telegraphed to me from some members of your party, but it is
+my lot to be disappointed in those in whom I trust. I shall
+make no answer to these messages, but will say to you that I
+am not to be browbeaten in my intention to divide among its
+rightful claimants the money now in my possession. It is not
+that I care for the comparatively paltry sum that will fall to
+myself and my daughter, but it is the principle of the matter for
+which I am contending. It was due to me that the amount
+should have been returned to me, and to no other, that I might
+make the proper division. I therefore rest upon my principles
+and my rights; and, desiring to avoid needless altercations,
+shall proceed to Meadowville, where, when the rest of my party
+arrive, I shall justly apportion the money. I suppose the man
+Dusante will not be foolish enough to protract his useless journey
+farther than Chicago. It is your duty to make him see the
+impropriety of so doing. Yours, etc.,</p>
+
+<p><b>D. J. E</b><span class="smcapa">NDERTON.</span><br>
+</p></blockquote>
+
+<p>Ruth's letter was shown to all the party, and mine
+in private to Mr. Dusante, Mrs. Lecks, and Mrs. Aleshine.
+When the first moments of astonishment were
+over, Mrs. Lecks exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>"Well, after all, I don't know that I'm so very
+sorry that the old sneak has done this, for now we're
+rid of him for the rest of the trip; and I'm pretty
+certain, from the way he writes, that he hasn't dipped
+into that jar yet. We've skeered him from doin'
+that."</p>
+
+<p>"But the impidence of him!" said Mrs. Aleshine.
+"Think of his goin' to the very town where we live
+an' gittin' there fust! He'll be settin' on that tavern
+porch, with every loafer in the place about him, an'
+tellin' 'em the whole story of what happened to us from
+beginnin' to end, till by the time we git there it'll be
+all over the place an' as stale as last week's bread."</p>
+
+<p>"'The man Dusante,'" quietly remarked that individual,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_204">[204]</span>
+"will not abandon the purpose of his journey.
+He left his island to place in the hands of Mrs. Lecks,
+on behalf of her party, the ginger-jar with the money
+inclosed. He will therefore go on with you to Meadowville,
+and will there make formal demand, and, if
+necessary, legal requisition, for the possession of that
+jar and that money; after which he will proceed to
+carry out his original intentions."</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp93" id="i_204" style="max-width: 50em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_204.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;&#39;THE IMPIDENCE OF HIM!&#39;&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>We all expressed our pleasure at having him, with
+his ladies, as companions for the remainder of our
+journey, and Mrs. Lecks immediately offered them the
+hospitalities of her house for as long a time as they
+might wish to stay with her.</p>
+
+<p>"The weather there," she said, "is often splendid
+till past Thanksgivin' day, an' nobody could be welcomer
+than you."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_205">[205]</span></p>
+
+<p>"I'd have asked you myself," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"if Mrs. Lecks hadn't done it,—which of course she
+would, bein' alive,—but I'm goin' to have Mr. Craig
+an' his wife, an' as our houses is near, we'll see each
+other all the time. An' if Mr. Enderton chooses to
+stay awhile at the tavern, he can come over to see
+his daughter whenever he likes. I'll go as fur as
+that, though no further can I go. I'm not the one to
+turn anybody from my door, be he heathen, or jus' as
+bad, or wuss. But tea once, or perhaps twice, is all
+that I can find it in my heart to offer that man after
+what he's done."</p>
+
+<p>As the Dusantes and Ruth expressed a desire to see
+something of Chicago, where they had never been before,
+we remained in this city for two days, feeling
+that, as Mr. Enderton would await our coming, there
+was no necessity for haste.</p>
+
+<p>Early in the afternoon of the second day I went into
+the parlor of the hotel, where I expected to find our
+party prepared for a sight-seeing excursion; but I
+found the room tenanted only by Mrs. Aleshine, who
+was sitting with her bonnet and wraps on, ready to
+start forth. I had said but a few words to her when
+Mrs. Lecks entered, without bonnet or shawl, and
+with her knitting in her hand. She took a seat in a
+large easy-chair, put on her spectacles, and proceeded
+to knit.</p>
+
+<p>"Mrs. Lecks!" exclaimed her friend, in surprise,
+"don't you intend goin' out this afternoon?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," said Mrs. Lecks. "I've seen all I want to
+see, an' I'm goin' to stay in the house an' keep
+quiet."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_206">[206]</span></p>
+
+<p>"Isn't Mr. Dusante goin' out this afternoon?" asked
+Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks laid her knitting in her lap; then she
+took off her spectacles, folded them, and placed them
+beside the ball of yarn, and, turning her chair around,
+she faced her friend. "Barb'ry Aleshine," said she,
+speaking very deliberately, "has any such a thing got
+into your mind as that I'm settin' my cap at Mr.
+Dusante?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't say you have, an' I don't say you haven't,"
+answered Mrs. Aleshine, her fat hands folded on her
+knees, and her round face shining from under her new
+bonnet with an expression of hearty good will; "but
+this I will say,—an' I don't care who hears it,—that if
+you was to set your cap at Mr. Dusante, there needn't
+nobody say anythin' ag'in' it, so long as you are content.
+He isn't what I'd choose for you, if I had the choosin',
+for I'd git one with an American name an' no islands.
+But that's neither here nor there, for you're a grown
+woman an' can do your own choosin'. An' whether
+there's any choosin' to be done is your own business,
+too, for it's full eleven years sence you've been done
+with widder fixin's; an' if Mr. Lecks was to rise up
+out of his grave this minute, he couldn't put his hand
+on his heart an' say that you hadn't done your full
+duty by him, both before an' after he was laid away.
+An' so, if you did want to do choosin', an' made up
+your mind to set your cap at Mr. Dusante, there's no
+word to be said. Both of you is ripe-aged an' qualified
+to know your own minds, an' both of you is well off
+enough, to all intents an' purposes, to settle down
+together, if so inclined. An' as to his sister, I don't<span class="pagenum" id="Page_207">[207]</span>
+expect she will be on his hands for long. An' if you
+can put up with an adopted mother-in-law, that's your
+business, not mine; though I allus did say, Mrs.
+Lecks, that if you'd been 'Piscopalian, you'd been
+Low-church."</p>
+
+<p>"Is that all?" said Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," replied the other; "it's all I have to say jus'
+now, though more might come to me if I gave my
+mind to it."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then," said Mrs. Lecks, "I've somethin' to
+say on this p'int, and I'm very glad Mr. Craig is here
+to hear it. If I had a feelin' in the direction of Mr.
+Dusante that he was a man, though not exactly what
+I might wish, havin' somethin' of foreign manners,
+with ties in the Sandwich Islands, which I shouldn't
+have had so if I'd had the orderin' of it, who was still
+a Christian gentleman,—as showed by his acts, not his
+words,—a lovin' brother, an' a kind an' attentive son
+by his own adoption, and who would make me a good
+husband for the rest of our two lives, then I'd go
+and I'd set my cap at him—not bold nor flauntin' nor
+unbecomin' to a woman of my age, but just so much
+settin' of it at him that if he had any feelin's in my
+direction, and thought, although it was rather late in
+life for him to make a change, that if he was goin' to
+do it he'd rather make that change with a woman
+who had age enough, and experience enough, in downs
+as well as ups, and in married life as well as single, to
+make him feel that as he got her so he'd always find
+her, then I say all he'd have to do would be to come
+to me an' say what he thought, an' I'd say what I
+thought, an' the thing would be settled, an' nobody in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_208">[208]</span>
+this world need have one word to say, except to wish
+us joy, an' then go along and attend to their own
+business.</p>
+
+<p>"But now I say to you, Barb'ry Aleshine, an' just
+the same to you, Mr. Craig, that I haven't got no such
+feelin's in the direction of Mr. Dusante, an' I don't
+intend to set my cap at him; an' if he wore such a
+thing, and set it at me, I'd say to him, kind, though
+firm, that he could put it straight again as far as I was
+concerned, an' that if he chose to set it at any other
+woman, if the nearest an' dearest friend I have on
+earth, I'd do what I could to make their married lives
+as happy as they could be under the circumstances,
+and no matter what happened, I wouldn't say one
+word, though I might think what I pleased. An' now
+you have it, all straight and plain: if I wanted to set
+caps, I'd set 'em; and if I didn't want to set 'em, I
+wouldn't. I don't want to, and I don't."</p>
+
+<p>And, putting on her spectacles, she resumed her
+knitting.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Aleshine turned upon her friend a beaming
+face.</p>
+
+<p>"Mrs. Lecks," she said, "your words has lifted a
+load from off my mind. It wouldn't ha' broke me
+down, an' you wouldn't never have knowed I carried
+it; but it's gone, an' I'm mighty glad of it. An' as
+for me an' my cap,—an' when you spoke of nearest
+and dearest friends you couldn't mean nobody but
+me,—you needn't be afraid. No matter what I was,
+nor what he was, nor what I thought of him, nor what
+he thought of me, I couldn't never say to my son,
+when he comes to his mother's arms all the way from<span class="pagenum" id="Page_209">[209]</span>
+Japan: 'George, here's a Frenchman who I give to
+you for a father!'"</p>
+
+<p>Here I burst out laughing; but Mrs. Lecks gravely
+remarked: "Now I hope this business of cap-settin' is
+settled an' done with."</p>
+
+<p>"Which it is," said Mrs. Aleshine, as she rose to
+meet the rest of our party as they entered the room.</p>
+
+<p>For several days I could not look upon the dignified
+and almost courtly Mr. Dusante without laughing internally,
+and wondering what he would think if he
+knew how, without the slightest provocation on his
+side, a matrimonial connection with him had been discussed
+by these good women, and how the matter had
+been finally settled. I think he would have considered
+this the most surprising incident in the whole series
+of his adventures.</p>
+
+<p>On our journey from Chicago to the little country
+town in the interior of Pennsylvania we made a few
+stops at points of interest for the sake of Ruth and the
+Dusante ladies, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine generously
+consenting to these delays, although I knew they
+felt impatient to reach their homes. They were now
+on most social terms with Mrs. Dusante, and the three
+chatted together like old friends.</p>
+
+<p>"I asked her if we might call her Emily," said Mrs.
+Aleshine in confidence to me, "an' she said yes, an'
+we're goin' to do it. I've all along wanted to, because
+it seemed to come nat'ral, considerin' we knowed
+'em as Emily and Lucille before we set eyes on 'em.
+But as long as I had that load on my mind about Mrs.
+Lecks and Mr. Dusante I could n't 'Emily' his adopted
+mother. My feelin's wouldn't ha' stood it. But now<span class="pagenum" id="Page_210">[210]</span>
+it's all right; an' though Emily isn't the woman I expected
+her to be, Lucille is the very picter of what I
+thought she was. And as for Emily, I never knowed
+a nicer-mannered lady, an' more willin' to learn from
+people that's had experience, than she is."</p>
+
+<p>We arrived at Meadowville early in the afternoon,
+and when our party alighted from the train we were
+surprised not to see Mr. Enderton on the platform of
+the little station. Instead of him, there stood three
+persons whose appearance amazed and delighted us.
+They were the red-bearded coxswain and the two sailormen,
+all in neat new clothes, and with their hands
+raised in maritime salute.</p>
+
+<p>There was a cry of joy. Mrs. Aleshine dropped her
+bag and umbrella, and rushed toward them with outstretched
+hands. In a moment Mrs. Lecks, Ruth, and
+myself joined the group, and greeted warmly our
+nautical companions of the island.</p>
+
+<p>The Dusante party, when they were made acquainted
+with the mariners, were almost as much delighted as
+we were, and Mr. Dusante expressed in cordial words
+his pleasure in meeting the other members of the party
+to whom his island had given refuge.</p>
+
+<p>"I am so glad to see you," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that
+I don't know my bonnet from my shoes! But how,
+in the name of all that's wonderful, did you get
+here?"</p>
+
+<p>"'T ain't much of a story," said the coxswain, "an'
+this is just the whole of it. When you left us at
+'Frisco we felt pretty downsome, an' the more that
+way because we couldn't find no vessel that we cared
+to ship on; an' then there come to town the agent of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_211">[211]</span>
+the house that owned our brig, and we was paid off
+for our last v'yage. Then, when we had fitted
+ourselves out with new togs, we began to think different
+about this shippin' on board a merchant-vessel, an'
+gettin' cussed at, an' livin' on hard-tack an' salt prog,
+an' jus' as like as not the ship springin' a leak an' all
+hands pumpin' night an' day, an' goin' to Davy Jones,
+after all. An' after talkin' this all over, we was struck
+hard on the weather-bow with a feelin' that it was a
+blamed sight better—beggin' your pardon, ma'am—to
+dig garden-beds in nice soft dirt, an' plant peas, an'
+ketch fish, an' all that kind of shore work, an' eatin'
+them good things you used to cook for us, Mrs.
+Aleshine, and dancin' hornpipes for ye, and tamin' birds
+when our watch was off. Wasn't that so, Jim an'
+Bill?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, aye, sir!" said the black-bearded sailormen.</p>
+
+<p>"Then says I, 'Now look here, mates; don't let's
+go and lark away all this money, but take it an' make
+a land trip to where Mrs. Aleshine lives'—which port
+I had the name of on a piece of paper which you gave
+me, ma'am."</p>
+
+<p>And here Mrs. Aleshine nodded vigorously, not
+being willing to interrupt this entrancing story.</p>
+
+<p>"'An' if she's got another garden, an' wants it dug
+in, an' things planted, an' fish caught, an' any other
+kind of shore work done, why, we're the men for her;
+an' we'll sign the papers for as long a v'yage as she
+likes, and stick by her in fair weather or foul, bein'
+good for day work an' night work, an' allus ready to
+fall in when she passes the word.' Ain't that so, Jim
+an' Bill?"<span class="pagenum" id="Page_212">[212]</span></p>
+
+<p>"Aye, aye, sir!" returned the sailormen, with
+sonorous earnestness.</p>
+
+<p>"Upon my word!" cried Mrs. Aleshine, tears of joy
+running down her cheeks, "them papers shall be
+signed, if I have to work night an' day to find somethin'
+for you to do. I've got a man takin' keer of my
+place now; but many a time have I said to myself that
+if I had anybody I could trust to do the work right,
+I'd buy them two fields of Squire Ramsey's, an' go into
+the onion business. An' now you sailormen has come
+like three sea angels, an' if it suits you we'll go into
+the onion business on sheers."</p>
+
+<p>"That suits us tiptop, ma'am," said the coxswain;
+"an' we'll plant inyans for ye on the shears, on the
+stocks, or in the dry-dock. It don't make no dif'rence
+to us where you have 'em; just pass the word."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, well," said Mrs. Lecks, "I don't know how
+that's goin' to work, but we won't talk about it now.
+An' so you came straight on to this place?"</p>
+
+<p>"That did we, ma'am," said the coxswain. "An'
+when we got here we found the parson, but none of
+you folks. That took us aback a little at fust, but he
+said he didn't live here, an' you was comin' pretty
+soon. An' so we took lodgin's at the tavern, an' for
+three days we've been down here to meet every train,
+expectin' you might be on it."</p>
+
+<p>Our baggage had been put on the platform, the train
+had moved on, and we had stood engrossed in the
+coxswain's narrative; but now I thought it necessary to
+make a move. There was but one small vehicle to
+hire at the station. This would hold but two persons,
+and in it I placed Mrs. Dusante and Ruth, the first<span class="pagenum" id="Page_213">[213]</span>
+being not accustomed to walking, and the latter very
+anxious to meet her father. I ordered the man to
+drive them to the inn, where we would stay until Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine' should get their houses
+properly aired and ready for our reception.</p>
+
+<p>"Mrs. Craig will be glad to get to the tavern and
+see her father," said Mrs. Aleshine. "I expect he
+forgot all about its bein' time for the train to come."</p>
+
+<p>"Bless you, ma'am!" exclaimed the coxswain, "is
+she gone to the tavern? The parson's not there!"</p>
+
+<p>"Where is he, then?" asked Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"He's at your house, ma'am," replied the coxswain.</p>
+
+<p>"An' what, in the name of common sense, is he doin'
+at my house?" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, her eyes
+sparkling with amazement and indignation.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, ma'am, for one thing," said the coxswain,
+"he's had the front door painted."</p>
+
+<p>"What!" cried Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, in one
+breath.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," continued the coxswain; "the parson said
+he hated to see men hangin' around doin' nothin'.
+An' then he looked about, an' said the paint was all
+wore off the front door, an' we might as well go to
+work an' paint that; an' he sent Jim to a shop to git
+the paint an' brushes—"</p>
+
+<p>"An' have 'em charged to me?" cried Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, ma'am," continued the coxswain. "An' Jim an'
+Bill holystoned all the old paint off the door, an' I
+painted it, havin' done lots of that sort of thing on
+shipboard; an' I think it's a pretty good job, ma'am—red
+at top and bottom, an' white in the middle, like a
+steamer's smoke-stack."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_214">[214]</span></p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine looked at each other.
+"An' he told you to do that?" said Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, ma'am," answered the coxswain. "The
+parson said he never liked to be nowhere without doin'
+what good he could. An' there was some other
+paintin' he talked of havin' done, but we ain't got at
+it yet. I s'posed he was actin' under your orders, an'
+I hope I haven't done no wrong, ma'am."</p>
+
+<p>"You're not a bit to blame," said Mrs. Aleshine;
+"but I'll look into this thing. No fear about that!
+An' how did he come to go to my house? An' how
+did he get in, I'd like to know?"</p>
+
+<p>"All I know about that," said the coxswain, "is
+what the gal that's livin' there told me, which she did
+along of askin' us if we was comin' to live there too,
+an' if she should rig up beds for us somewhere in the
+top-loft; but we told her no, not havin' no orders, an'
+payin' our own way at the tavern. She said, said she,
+that the parson come there, an' 'lowed he was a friend
+of Mrs. Aleshine's an' travelin' with her, an' that if she
+was at home she wouldn't let him stay at no tavern;
+an' that, knowin' her wishes, he'd come right there, an'
+'spected to be took care of till she come. She said she
+felt uncertain about it, but she tuck him in till she
+could think it over, an' then we come an' certified that
+he was the parson who'd been along with Mrs. Aleshine
+an' the rest of us. Arter that she thought it
+was all right, an', beggin' your pardon if we was
+wrong, so did Jim an' Bill an' me, ma'am."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_215">[215]</span></p>
+
+<figure class="figright illowp71" id="i_215" style="max-width: 17.8125em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_215.png" alt="Profile of Mrs. Lecks">
+</figure>
+
+<p>"Now," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "if that isn't
+exactly like Elizabeth Grootenheimer! To think of
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer thinkin'! The Grootenheimers
+always was the dumbest family in the township,
+an' Elizabeth Grootenheimer is the dumbest of
+'em all! I did say to myself, when I went away:
+'Now, Elizabeth Grootenheimer is so stone dumb that
+she'll jus' stay here an' do the
+little I tell her to do, an' hasn't
+sense enough to get into no
+mischief.' An' now, look at
+her!"</p>
+
+<p>She waved her hand in the
+direction of the invisible Elizabeth
+Grootenheimer.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks had said very little
+during this startling communication,
+but her face had assumed a stern and
+determined expression. Now she spoke:</p>
+
+<p>"I guess we've heard about enough, an' we'd better
+be steppin' along an' see what else Mr. Enderton an'
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer is doin'."</p>
+
+<p>The homes of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine were
+not far from each other, and were situated about midway
+between the station and the village inn, and in the
+direction of these our party now started. Mrs. Aleshine,
+contrary to her custom, took the lead, and
+walked away with strides of unusual length. Mrs.
+Lecks was close behind her, followed by the two
+Dusantes and myself, while the three mariners, who
+insisted upon carrying all the hand-baggage, brought
+up the rear. We stepped quickly, for we were all
+much interested in what might happen next; and very
+soon we reached Mrs. Aleshine's house. It was a
+good-sized and pleasant-looking dwelling, painted<span class="pagenum" id="Page_216">[216]</span>
+white, with green shutters, and with a long covered
+piazza at the front. Between the road and the house
+was a neat yard with grass and flower-beds, and from
+the gate of the picket-fence in front of the yard a
+brick-paved path led up to the house.</p>
+
+<p>Our approach had been perceived, for on the piazza,
+in front of the gaily painted door, stood Mr. Enderton,
+erect, and with a bland and benignant smile upon his
+face. One hand was stretched out as if in welcome,
+and with the other he gracefully held the ginger-jar,
+now divested of its wrappings.</p>
+
+<p>At this sight Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine made a
+simultaneous dash at the gate; but it was locked. The
+two women stamped their feet in fury.</p>
+
+<p>"Put down that jar!" shouted Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"Elizabeth Grootenheimer! Elizabeth Grootenheimer!"
+screamed Mrs. Aleshine. "Come here and
+open this gate."</p>
+
+<p>"Break it down!" said Mrs. Lecks, turning to the
+sailors.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you do it!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, throwing
+herself in front of it. "Don't you break my gate!
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer!"</p>
+
+<p>"My friends," said Mr. Enderton, in clear, distinct
+tones, "be calm. I have the key of that gate in my
+pocket. I locked it because I feared that on your
+first arrival you would hurry up to the house in a
+promiscuous way, and give heed to irrelevant matters.
+I wished to address you in a body, and in a position
+where your attention would not be diverted from me.
+I hold here, my friends, the receptacle containing the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_217">[217]</span>
+money which, under a misapprehension, was paid for
+our board while on a desert island. This money I
+have taken care of, and have carefully guarded for the
+benefit of us all. Unfortunately, objections have arisen
+to this guardianship, which were forwarded to me by
+telegraph; but I have not heeded them. If you cannot
+see for yourselves the propriety of my assumption
+of this trust, I will not now undertake to enlighten
+you. But I hope there is no necessity for this, for,
+having had time to give the matter your fullest attention,
+I doubt not that you entirely agree with me. I
+will merely add, for I see you are impatient, that the
+sum which will fall to the share of each of us is comparatively
+insignificant and in itself not worth striving
+for; but what I have done has been for the sake
+of principle. For the sake of principle I have insisted
+that this money should be received by its rightful owners;
+for the sake of principle I assumed the custody
+of it; and for the sake of principle I shall now empty
+the contents of this jar—which by me has not been
+examined or touched—upon the floor of this piazza,
+and I shall then proceed to divide said contents into
+five suitable portions—the three mariners, as I understand,
+having paid no board. The gate can then be
+opened, and each one can come forward and take the
+portion which belongs to him or to her. The portion of
+my daughter, whom I saw pass here in a carriage, going,
+doubtless, to the inn, will be taken charge of by myself."</p>
+
+<p>"You man!" shrieked Mrs. Lecks, shaking her fist
+over the fence, "if you as much as lift that paper of
+fish-hooks from out the top of that ginger-jar, I'll—"<span class="pagenum" id="Page_218">[218]</span></p>
+
+<figure class="figleft illowp44" id="i_218" style="max-width: 14.875em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_218.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;&#39;YOU MAN!&#39; SHRIEKED MRS. LECKS.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>Here she was interrupted by the loud, clear voice of
+Mr. Dusante, who called out: "Sir, I require you to
+put down that jar, which is my property."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll let you know," said Mrs. Lecks, "that other
+people have principles!"</p>
+
+<p>But what more she said was drowned by the voice
+of Mrs. Aleshine, who screamed for Elizabeth Grootenheimer,
+and who was
+now so much excited
+that she was actually
+trying to break open
+her own gate.</p>
+
+<p>I called out to Mr.
+Enderton not to make
+trouble by disturbing
+the contents of the
+jar; and even Miss
+Lucille, who was intensely
+amused at the
+scene, could be heard
+joining her voice to
+the general clamor.</p>
+
+<p>But the threats and
+demands of our united
+party had no effect
+upon Mr. Enderton.
+He stood up, serene
+and bland, fully appreciating
+the advantage of having the key of the
+gate's padlock in his pocket and the ginger-jar in his
+hand.</p>
+
+<p>"I will now proceed," said he. But at that moment<span class="pagenum" id="Page_219">[219]</span>
+his attention was attracted by the three mariners, who
+had clambered over the pointed pales of the fence, and
+who now appeared on the piazza, Bill to the right hand
+of Mr. Enderton, Jim to the left, and the red-bearded
+coxswain at his back. They all seemed to speak at
+once, though what they said we could not hear,
+nothing but a few hoarse mutterings coming down
+to us.</p>
+
+<p>But in consequence of what Bill said, Mr. Enderton
+handed him the key of the gate; and in consequence
+of what Jim said, Mr. Enderton delivered to him the
+ginger-jar; and in consequence of what the coxswain
+said, he and Mr. Enderton walked off the piazza; and
+the two proceeded to a distant corner of the yard,
+where they stood out of the way, as it were, while the
+gate was opened. Bill bungled a little, but the padlock
+was soon removed, and we all hurried through the
+gate and up to the piazza, where Jim still stood, the
+ginger-jar held reverently in his hands.</p>
+
+<p>The coxswain now left Mr. Enderton, and that
+gentleman proceeded to the open gate, through which
+he passed into the road, and then turned, and in a loud
+and severe tone addressed Mrs. Aleshine:</p>
+
+<p>"I leave your inhospitable house, and go to join my
+daughter at the inn, where I request you to send my
+valise and umbrella as soon as possible."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Aleshine's indignation at this invasion of her
+home and this trampling on her right to open her own
+gate had entirely driven away her accustomed geniality,
+and in angry tones she cried:</p>
+
+<p>"Jus' you stop at that paint-shop, when you git to
+the village, an' pay for the paint you had charged to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_220">[220]</span>
+me; an' when you've done that you can send for your
+things."</p>
+
+<p>"Come, now, Barb'ry," said Mrs. Lecks, "don't let
+your feelin's run away with you. You ought to be
+thankful that he's let you off so easy, an' that he's
+gone."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm all that," said Mrs. Aleshine; "an', on second
+thoughts, every whip-stitch of his bag and baggage
+shall be trundled after him as soon as I kin git it
+away."</p>
+
+<p>We all now stood upon the piazza, and Mrs. Aleshine,
+in calmer tones, but with her face still flushed from
+her recent excitement, turned to us and said: "Now,
+isn't this a pretty comin' home? My front gate
+fastened in my very face; my front door painted red
+and white; the inside of the house, as like as not,
+turned upside down by that man jus' as much as the
+outside; an' where in the world, I'd like to know, is
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer?"</p>
+
+<p>"Now don't you be too hard on her," said Mrs.
+Lecks, "after havin' been away from her so long. I
+haven't a doubt she's feedin' the pigs; and you know
+very well she never would leave them as long as she
+felt they needed her. You needn't mind if your
+house is upset, for none of us is comin' in, havin' only
+intended to see you to your door, which I must say is
+a pretty blazin' one."</p>
+
+<p>"And now, Mrs. Lecks," said Mr. Dusante, taking,
+as he spoke, the ginger-jar from the hand of Jim, "I
+think this is a suitable opportunity for me to accomplish
+the object for which my present journey was undertaken,
+and to return to you the contents of this jar."<span class="pagenum" id="Page_221">[221]</span></p>
+
+<p>"Which," said Mrs. Lecks, in a very decided tone,
+"I don't take now no more'n I did before."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Dusante looked surprised and troubled. After
+all the dangers and adventures through which that
+ginger-jar had gone, I believe that he expected Mrs.
+Lecks would at last relent and consent to accept it from
+him.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, look here," said Mrs. Aleshine, "don't let us
+have any more fuss about the ginger-jar, or anything
+else. Let's put off talkin' about that till we're all
+settled and fixed. It won't do for you to take the jar
+to the tavern with you, Mr. Dusante, for like as not
+Mr. Enderton will git hold of it ag'in, an' I know Mrs.
+Lecks won't let it come into her house; so, if you like,
+you may jus' leave it here for the present, and you may
+make up your minds nobody'll touch it while I'm
+about. An' about I intend to be."</p>
+
+<p>This arrangement was gladly agreed upon, and the
+jar being delivered to Mrs. Aleshine, we took our leave
+of her.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks found no difficulty in entering her gate,
+where she was duly welcomed by a man and his wife
+she had left in charge, while the Dusantes and myself
+walked on to the inn, or "Hotel," as its sign imported,
+about which the greater part of the little town clustered.
+The three mariners remained behind to await
+further orders from Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>By the afternoon of the next day the abodes of those
+two most energetic and capable housewives, Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine, were fully prepared for the reception
+of their visitors, and the Dusante family were ensconced
+beneath the roof of the one, while my wife and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_222">[222]</span>
+I were most warmly welcomed at the gaily adorned
+door of the other.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Enderton remained at the inn, where he found
+very comfortable quarters, an arrangement satisfactory
+to all parties.</p>
+
+<p>In Mrs. Aleshine's dwelling, where, from the very
+first, Lucille took her position as a most constant visitor,
+being equally welcomed by Ruth and the mistress
+of the house, all was satisfaction and high good humor.
+The ceaseless activity and cheerful spirits of our hostess
+seemed to animate us all. At Mrs. Lecks's home the
+case was different. There, I could plainly see, there
+was a certain uneasiness amounting almost to stiffness
+between Mrs. Lecks and Mr. Dusante. The latter had
+not accomplished the purpose for which he had made
+this long journey; and though, if things had turned
+out as he wished, he would have been very glad to be
+the guest of Mrs. Lecks, still, under the present circumstances,
+the situation did not suit him. Mrs.
+Lecks, too, possessed an unsettled mind. She did not
+know when Mr. Dusante would again endeavor to
+force back upon her the board money in the ginger-jar,
+and in this state of uneasy expectancy she was not
+at her best.</p>
+
+<p>"He's not satisfied," said she to me, on the morning
+after the Dusantes had come to her; "he wants to do
+somethin', or else to go away. I wish that ginger-jar
+had dropped into the bottom of the sea while he was
+bringin' it, or else had smashed itself into a thousand
+bits while he was slidin' down the mountain, and the
+money had melted itself into the snow. S'posin' at the
+end of the week he was to come to me and offer to pay<span class="pagenum" id="Page_223">[223]</span>
+me board for himself and his family, sayin' that was
+no more than I'd done to him! Of course the two
+cases are not a bit alike; for we went to his house
+strangers, without leave or license, while he comes to
+mine as a friend, bein' fully invited and pressed. But
+I don't suppose I could make him see it in that light,
+and it worries me."</p>
+
+<p>I was convinced that something ought to be done to
+end this unpleasant state of affairs, and I took my wife
+and Miss Lucille into council on the subject. After
+we had deliberated a little while an idea came to Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"In my opinion," said she, "the best thing we can
+do with that board money is to give it to those three
+sailors. They are poor and will be glad to get it; Mr.
+Dusante and Mrs. Lecks ought to be fully satisfied, for
+the one doesn't keep it and the other doesn't take it
+back; and I'm sure that this plan will please all the
+rest of us."</p>
+
+<p>This proposition was agreed to by the council, and
+I was appointed to go immediately and lay it before
+the parties interested.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Dusante gave his ready consent to this proposal.
+"It is not what I intended to do," said he, "but it
+amounts to almost the same thing. The money is in
+fact restored to its owners, and they agree to make a
+certain disposition of it. I am satisfied."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks hesitated a little. "All right," said she.
+"He takes the money and gives it to who he chooses.
+I've nothin' to say against it."</p>
+
+<p>Of course no opposition to the plan was to be expected
+from anybody else, except Mr. Enderton.
+But when I mentioned it to him, I found, to my<span class="pagenum" id="Page_224">[224]</span>
+surprise, that he was not unwilling to agree to it.
+Half closing the book he had been reading, he said:
+"What I have done was on behalf of principle. I did
+not believe, and do not believe, that upon an entirely
+deserted island money should be paid for board. I
+paid it under protest, and I do not withdraw that protest.
+According to all the laws of justice and hospitality,
+the man who owned that island should not retain
+that money, and Mrs. Lecks had no right to insist
+upon such retention. But if it is proposed to give
+the sum total to three mariners who paid no board,
+and to whom the gift is an absolute charity, I am content.
+To be sure, they interfered with me at a moment
+when I was about to make a suitable settlement
+of the matter, but I have no doubt they were told to
+do so; and I must admit that while they carried out
+their orders with a certain firmness, characteristic of
+persons accustomed to unreasoning obedience, they
+treated me with entire respect. If equal respect had
+been shown to me at the beginning of these disputes,
+it would have been much better for all concerned."</p>
+
+<p>And opening his book, he recommenced his reading.</p>
+
+<p>That afternoon all of us, except Mr. Enderton, assembled
+on Mrs. Aleshine's piazza to witness the presentation
+of the board money. The three sailors, who
+had been informed of the nature of the proceedings,
+stood in line on the second step of the piazza, clad in
+their best toggery, and with their new tarpaulin hats
+in their hands. Mrs. Aleshine went into the house, and
+soon reappeared carrying the ginger-jar, which she
+presented to Mr. Dusante. That gentleman took it,
+and stood holding it for a moment as if he were about<span class="pagenum" id="Page_225">[225]</span>
+to speak; but even if he had intended to say anything,
+he had no further opportunity, for Mrs. Lecks now
+stepped forward and addressed him.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Dusante," said she, "from what I have seen of
+you myself and heard tell of you from others, I believe
+you are a man who tries to do his duty, as he sees it,
+with a single heart and no turnin' from one side to the
+other. You made up your mind that you'd travel
+over the whole world, if it had to be done, with that
+ginger-jar and the board money inside of it, till you'd
+found the people who'd been livin' in your house; and
+then that you'd give back that jar, jus' as you'd found
+it, to the person who took upon herself the overseein'
+of the reg'lar payin' of the money and the puttin' of
+it therein. With that purpose in your mind you carried
+that jar over the ocean; you wandered with it up
+and down California; and holdin' it tight fast in your
+arms, you slid down the slipperiest mountain that was
+ever made yet, I believe, and if it had been your only
+infant child, you couldn't have held it firmer, nor regarded
+it more careful. Through ups and downs, and
+thicks and smooths, you carried that jar or followed
+it, and for the sake of doin' what you'd set your mind
+on you came all the way to this place; to which, if it
+hadn't been for that one idea, it isn't likely you'd
+ever dreamed of comin'. Now, Mr. Dusante, we've
+all agreed on what we think is the right thing to do,
+and you agreed with us, but I can see by your face
+that you're disapp'inted. The thing you set out to do
+you haven't done; and I'm not goin' to have it to say
+to myself that you was the only one of all of us that
+wasn't satisfied, and that I was the stumblin'-block<span class="pagenum" id="Page_226">[226]</span>
+that stood in your way. So I'll back down from sayin'
+that I'd never touch that jar again, and you can
+put it into my hands, as you set out to do."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Dusante made no answer, but stepped forward,
+and taking Mrs. Lecks's large brown and work-worn
+hand, he respectfully touched it with his lips. It is not
+probable that Mrs. Lecks's hand had ever before been
+kissed. It is not probable that she had ever seen any
+one kiss the hand of another. But the hard sense and
+keen insight of that independent countrywoman made
+her instantly aware of what was meant by that old-fashioned
+act of courteous homage. Her tall form
+grew more erect; she slightly bowed her head, and
+received the salute with a quiet dignity which would
+have become a duchess.</p>
+
+<p>This little scene touched us all, and Mrs. Aleshine
+afterward informed me that for a moment she hadn't
+a dry eye in her head.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Dusante now handed the ginger-jar to Mrs.
+Lecks, who immediately stepped toward Ruth and
+Lucille.</p>
+
+<p>"You two young ones," she said, "can jus' take this
+jar, an' your hands can be the first to lift off that paper
+of fish-hooks and take out the money, which you
+will then divide among our good friends, these sailormen."</p>
+
+<p>Ruth and Lucille immediately sat down on the floor
+of the piazza, and the one emptied the board money
+into the lap of the other, where it was speedily divided
+into three equal portions, one of which was placed in
+the hands of each mariner.</p>
+
+<p>The men stood motionless, each holding his money<span class="pagenum" id="Page_227">[227]</span>
+in his open right hand, and then the red-bearded coxswain spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"It ain't for me, nor for Bill, nor for Jim nuther, to
+say a word ag'in' what you all think is right and square.
+We've stood by ye an' obeyed orders since we first
+shipped on that island, an' we intend to do so straight
+along. Don't we, Jim an' Bill?"</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp69" id="i_227" style="max-width: 31.625em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_227.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;HE RESPECTFULLY TOUCHED IT WITH HIS LIPS.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>"Aye, aye, sir!" said Jim and Bill, in hearty hoarse
+response.</p>
+
+<p>"There's some of ye, specially Mrs. Aleshine,
+though meanin' no disrespec' to anybody else, that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_228">[228]</span>
+we'd follow to the crosstrees of the topgallantmast of
+the tallest ship that ever floated in the middle of the
+ragin'est typhoon that ever blowed. Wouldn't we,
+Jim an' Bill?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, aye, sir!" sang out Jim and Bill.</p>
+
+<p>"But though we stand ready to obey orders," said
+the coxswain, "we made up our minds, when we heard
+what was goin' to be done, that we'd listen keerful fer
+one thing, an' we have listened keerful, an' we haven't
+heard that one thing, an' that thing was what we
+should do with this money. An' not havin' heard it,
+an' so bein' under no orders as to the spendin' of it,
+we take the money, an' thank you kindly, one an' all.
+Don't we, Jim an' Bill?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, aye, sir!" said Jim and Bill.</p>
+
+<p>And into the pocket of each mariner clinked the
+money.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Dusante now took up the ginger-jar, and approached
+Mrs. Lecks. "I hope, madam," he said,
+"that as the subject of our little differences has now
+been removed from this jar, you will consent to accept
+it from me as a memento of the somewhat remarkable
+experiences through which it has accompanied us."</p>
+
+<p>"Take it, sir?" said she. "To be sure I will. An'
+very glad am I to get it. As long as I live it shall
+stand on the mantelpiece in my parlor; an' when I die
+it shall be left to my heirs, to be taken care of as long
+as it holds together."</p>
+
+<p>Every reason for dissatisfaction having now been
+banished from our little company, we all settled down
+for a season of enjoyment. Even Mr. Enderton, who
+had found on the top shelf of a closet in his room at<span class="pagenum" id="Page_229">[229]</span>
+the inn a lot of old books, appeared to be in a state
+of perfect content. To the Dusantes a residence in
+this absolutely rural portion of our Middle States in
+the autumnal season was an entirely novel experience.
+The crisp and invigorating air, the mists and
+the glowing hues of the Indian-summer time, the softness
+of the sunshine, and even those masses of limbs
+and twigs which had already dropped their leaves and
+spread themselves in a delicate network against the
+clear blue sky, were all full of a novel beauty for these
+people who had lived so long in tropical lands and
+among perennial foliage, and had never known the
+delights of an American country life out of season.
+Having enjoyed Mrs. Lecks's hospitality for a suitable
+period, they proposed to that sensible woman that she
+should receive them as boarders until the winter
+should set in; and to this practical proposition she
+gave a ready assent, hoping that the really cold weather
+would long defer its coming.</p>
+
+<p>Ruth and I established ourselves on the same terms
+with Mrs. Aleshine. A prolonged holiday from the
+labors of my business had been the object of my
+attempted journey to Japan, and I could think of no
+place where it would better please my young wife and
+myself to rest for a time than here among these good
+friends.</p>
+
+<p>A continual source of amusement to us were the
+acts and doings of Mrs. Aleshine and her three sailormen.
+These bold mariners had enlisted, soul and
+body, into the service of the thrifty housewife; and as
+it was impossible to do anything in connection with
+the growing of the onions until the desired fields should<span class="pagenum" id="Page_230">[230]</span>
+be acquired and the spring should open, many and
+diverse were the labors at which the coxswain and
+those two able-bodied seamen Bill and Jim set themselves,
+or were set by Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>The brilliantly painted front door, which at first had
+excited the good woman's ire, gradually came to command
+her admiration; and when her sailormen had
+done everything else that they could in the barns, the
+fields, or at the woodpile, she gave them the privilege
+to paint various portions of her property, leaving designs
+and colors to their own taste and fancy. Whether
+they milked the cows, cut the wood, or painted the sides
+of the house, they always worked like good fellows,
+and in nautical costume. They holystoned the front
+deck, as they called the floor of the piazza, until it
+seemed sacrilegious to set foot upon it; and when the
+house and the pale-fence had been suitably painted,
+they allowed their fancies lofty flights in the decoration
+of the smaller outbuildings and various objects in the
+grounds. One of the men had a pocket-chart of the
+colors adopted by the different steamship companies
+all over the world, and now smoke-houses, corn-cribs,
+chicken-houses, and so on, down to pumps and hitching-posts,
+were painted in great bands of blue and red
+and white and black, arranged in alternating orders, until
+an observer might have supposed that a commercial
+navy had been sunk beneath Mrs. Aleshine's house
+grounds, leaving nothing but its smoke-stacks visible.</p>
+
+<p>The greatest work of decoration, however, was reserved
+by the red-bearded coxswain for himself, designed
+by his own brain, and executed by his own hands.</p><p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_231">[231]</span></p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp51" id="i_231" style="max-width: 30.25em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_231.png" alt="">
+<figcaption class="caption"><p>&quot;THE GREATEST WORK OF DECORATION WAS RESERVED BY THE RED-BEARDED COXSWAIN FOR HIMSELF.&quot;</p></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_232"></span></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_233">[233]</span></p>
+
+<p>This was the tattooing of the barn. Around this
+building, the sides of which were already of a color
+sufficiently resembling a well-tanned human skin, the
+coxswain painted, in blue spots resembling tattooing,
+an immense cable passing several times about the
+structure, a sea-serpent almost as long as the cable,
+eight anchors, two ships under full sail, with a variety
+of cannons and flags which filled up all the remaining
+spaces. This great work was a long time in execution,
+and before it was half finished its fame had spread
+over the surrounding country.</p>
+
+<p>The decoration of her premises was greatly enjoyed
+by Mrs. Aleshine. "It gives 'em somethin' to do,"
+said she, "till the onion season comes on; it makes 'em
+happy; an' the leaves an' flowers bein' pretty nigh
+gone, I like to see the place blossomin' out as if it was
+a cold-weather garden."</p>
+
+<p>In the evenings, in the large kitchen, the sailormen
+danced their hornpipes, and around the great fireplace
+they spun long yarns of haps and mishaps on distant
+seas. Mrs. Aleshine always, and the rest of us often,
+sat by the fire and enjoyed these nautical recreations.</p>
+
+<p>"Havin' myself done housekeepin' in the torrid
+zone," she once said, "a lot of the things they tell come
+home to me quite nat'ral. An' I'd do anything in the
+world to make 'em content to live on dry land like
+common Christians, instead of cavortin' about on the
+pitchin' ocean, runnin' into each other, an' springin'
+leaks, with no likelihood of findin' a furnished island
+at every p'int where their ship happened to go down."</p>
+
+<p>On one subject only did any trouble now come into
+the mind of Mrs. Aleshine, and she once had a little
+talk with me in regard to it.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_234">[234]</span></p>
+
+<p>"I've been afeard from the very beginnin'," she
+said, "an' after a while I more'n half believed it, that
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer was settin' her cap at the
+coxswain; so I just went to him an' I spoke to him
+plain. 'This sort o' thing won't do at all,' says I; 'an'
+although I haven't a doubt you see it for yourself,
+I thought it my dooty to speak my mind about it.
+There's plenty of young women in this township that
+would make you sailormen fust-rate wives, an' glad
+enough I'd be to see you all married an' settled an'
+gone to farmin' right here amongst us; but Elizabeth
+Grootenheimer won't do. Settin' aside everythin'
+else, if there was to be any children, they might be
+little coxswains, but they'd be Grootenheimers too,
+stone-dumb Grootenheimers; an' I tell you plain that
+this county can't stand no more Grootenheimers!'
+To which he says, says he, 'I want you to understan',
+ma'am, that if ever me or Jim or Bill makes up our
+mind to set sail for any sort of a weddin' port, we
+won't weigh anchor till we've got our clearance papers
+from you.' By which he meant that he'd ask my advice
+about courtin'. An' now my mind is easy, an' I
+can look ahead with comfort to onion-time."</p>
+
+<p>I found it necessary to go to Philadelphia for a day
+or two to attend to some business matters; and, the
+evening before I started, the coxswain came to me and
+asked a favor for himself and his mates.</p>
+
+<p>"It mayn't have passed out of your mind, sir," said
+he, "that when me an' Jim an' Bill took that money
+that you all give us, which wasn't 'zackly like prize-money,
+because the rest of the crew, to put it that way,
+didn't get any, we listened keerful to see if anything<span class="pagenum" id="Page_235">[235]</span>
+was said as to what we was to do with the money; an'
+nothin' bein' said, we took it, and we wasn't long
+makin' up our minds as to what we was goin' to do
+with it. What we wanted to do was to put up some
+sort of signal what couldn't get blowed away, or,
+more like, a kind of reg'lar moniment as would make
+them that looked at it remember the rough squalls and
+the jolly larks we've gone through with together; an'
+it was when we was talkin' about Mrs. Lecks bein' give'
+the ginger-jar to put on her mantelpiece an' keep forever
+that me an' Jim an' Bill we said, says we, that
+Mrs. Aleshine should have a ginger-jar too, havin' as
+much right to one as her mate, an' that that would be
+the signal-flag or the moniment that we'd put up.
+Now, sir, as you're goin' to town, we ask you to take
+this money, which is the whole lot that was give' us,
+an' have a ginger-jar built, jus' the size an' shape an'
+gen'ral trim of that other one, but of no pottery-stuff,
+for you kin buy 'em jus' like that, an' that ain't what we
+want. We want her built of good oak, stout an' strong,
+with live-oak knees inside to keep her stiff an' save her
+from bein' stove in, in case of a collision. We want
+her bottom coppered up above the water-line with real
+silver, an' we want a turtle-back deck with a round
+hatchway, with a tight-fittin' hatch, jus' like common
+jars. We want her sides calked with oakum, an' well
+scraped an' painted, so that with water inside of her
+or outside of her she won't leak. An' on the bottom
+of her, so they kin be seen if she keels over, we wants
+the names of me an' Jim an' Bill, which we've wrote
+on this piece of paper. An' on her sides, below the
+water-line, on the silver copperin', we want the names<span class="pagenum" id="Page_236">[236]</span>
+of all the rest of you, an' the latitood an' longitood of
+that island, an' anything out of the logs that might 'a'
+been kep' by any of you, as might help to be remembered
+the thing what happened. An' then, if there's
+any room left on the copperin', an' any money lef' to
+pay for 'em, you might have cut on as many anchors,
+an' hearts, an' bits of cable, an' such like suitable things
+as would fill up. An' that jar we're goin' to give to
+Mrs. Aleshine to put on her mantelpiece, to stay there
+as long as she lives, or anybody that belongs to her.
+An', by George, sir!" he added behind his hand, although
+there was nobody to hear, "if ever them two
+jars run into each other, it won't be Mrs. Aleshine's that'll go
+down!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>I undertook this commission, and in due course of
+time there came to the village the most astonishing
+ginger-jar that was ever built, and which satisfied the
+three mariners in every particular. When it was presented
+to Mrs. Aleshine, her admiration of this work
+of art, her delight in its ownership, and her gratitude
+to the donors were alike boundless.</p>
+
+<p>"However could I have had the idee," said she
+privately to me, "that any one of them noble sailormen
+could have brought himself down to marry
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer!"</p>
+
+<p>It was not long after this happy event that another
+great joy came to Mrs. Aleshine. Her son returned
+from Japan. He had heard of the loss of the steamer
+in which his mother and Mrs. Lecks had set sail, and
+was in great trouble of mind until he received a letter
+from his mother which brought him speedily home.
+He had no intention of settling in Meadowville,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_237">[237]</span>
+but it had been a long time since he had seen his
+mother.</p>
+
+<p>He was a fine young man, handsome and well educated,
+and we were all delighted with him; and in a
+very short time he and Lucille Dusante, being the only
+young bachelor and maiden of the company, became
+so intimate and super-friendly that it was easy to see
+that to Mrs. Aleshine might come the unexpected rapture
+of eventually being the mother of Lucille.</p>
+
+<p>We stayed much later at Meadowville than we had
+expected. Even after the little hills and vales had
+been well covered with snow, sleighing and coasting
+parties, led by the lively new-comer, offered attractions,
+especially to Lucille, which bound us to the cheery
+homes of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine. But, after
+a time, the Dusantes considered it prudent to go to
+Florida for the rest of the winter; Mr. Enderton had
+long since read all the books on his closet shelf and
+departed for New York; and Ruth and I determined
+that we, too, must move eastward.</p>
+
+<p>But, before our little company separated, Mrs. Aleshine's
+son and Lucille Dusante had settled it between
+them that when the springtime came they would set
+sail for a wedding port. This match was a highly
+satisfactory one to all concerned, for Mr. Dusante
+could scarcely have found a young brother-in-law who
+would make his sister so happy, and who was, at the
+same time, so well fitted by disposition and previous
+occupation to assist in his increasing business cares.</p>
+
+<p>In the spring the Dusante family came North again,
+and Lucille and her lover were married; and then all
+of us, except Mr. Enderton, who had obtained a most<span class="pagenum" id="Page_238">[238]</span>
+congenial position as assistant librarian in a public
+institution seldom visited, gathered at Meadowville
+to spend a week or two together, after which Ruth
+and I would repair to the New England town which
+was to be our home, and the Dusante family, the
+young husband included, would set out on a tour,
+partly of business and partly of pleasure, through
+Canada and the far Northwest.</p>
+
+<p>It was arranged that, whenever it should be possible,
+Lucille and Mrs. Dusante should spend their summers
+at Meadowville; and as this would also give her
+much of the society of her son, the heart of Mrs.
+Aleshine could ask no more.</p>
+
+<p>This visit to Meadowville was in the onion season;
+and one morning Ruth and I sat upon a fence and
+watched the three sailormen busily at work. The soil
+looked so fine and smooth that one might almost have
+supposed that it had been holystoned; and the three
+nautical farmers, in their tight-waisted, loose-bottomed
+trousers, their tarpaulin hats, and their wide-collared
+shirts, were seated on the ground at different points,
+engrossed in the absorbing task of setting out young
+onions as onions had never been set out before. All
+the careful attention to patient minutiæ which nautical
+handiwork had taught them was now displayed in their
+new vocation. In a portion of the field which had been
+first planted the onions had sprouted, and we could see
+evidences of astonishing designs. Here were anchors in
+onions; hearts in onions; brigs, barks, and schooners
+in onions; and more things pertaining to ships, the
+heart's affections, and the raging main outlined in
+onions than Ruth and I could give names to.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_239">[239]</span></p>
+
+<p>"It seems to me," said I, "that there must have been
+some sort of enchantment in that little island in the
+Pacific, for in one way or another it has made us all
+very happy."</p>
+
+<p>"That is true," answered Ruth, "and, do you know,
+I believe the cause of a great part of that happiness
+was the board money in the ginger-jar!"</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_239" style="max-width: 27em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/i_239.png" alt="Two pots">
+</figure>
+
+<hr class="chap">
+
+
+<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE ***</div>
+<div style='text-align:left'>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+Updated editions will replace the previous one&#8212;the old editions will
+be renamed.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
+law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
+so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
+States without permission and without paying copyright
+royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
+of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
+Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG&#8482;
+concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
+and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following
+the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use
+of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for
+copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very
+easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation
+of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project
+Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away&#8212;you may
+do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected
+by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark
+license, especially commercial redistribution.
+</div>
+
+<div style='margin-top:1em; font-size:1.1em; text-align:center'>START: FULL LICENSE</div>
+<div style='text-align:center;font-size:0.9em'>THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE</div>
+<div style='text-align:center;font-size:0.9em'>PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+To protect the Project Gutenberg&#8482; mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase &#8220;Project
+Gutenberg&#8221;), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
+Project Gutenberg&#8482; License available with this file or online at
+www.gutenberg.org/license.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'>
+Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
+destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works in your
+possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
+Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
+by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person
+or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.B. &#8220;Project Gutenberg&#8221; is a registered trademark. It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
+paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works if you follow the terms of this
+agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (&#8220;the
+Foundation&#8221; or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
+of Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works. Nearly all the individual
+works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
+States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
+United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
+claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
+displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
+all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
+that you will support the Project Gutenberg&#8482; mission of promoting
+free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
+Project Gutenberg&#8482; name associated with the work. You can easily
+comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
+same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg&#8482; License when
+you share it without charge with others.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
+in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
+check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
+agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
+distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
+other Project Gutenberg&#8482; work. The Foundation makes no
+representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
+country other than the United States.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
+immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg&#8482; License must appear
+prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg&#8482; work (any work
+on which the phrase &#8220;Project Gutenberg&#8221; appears, or with which the
+phrase &#8220;Project Gutenberg&#8221; is associated) is accessed, displayed,
+performed, viewed, copied or distributed:
+</div>
+
+<blockquote>
+  <div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+    This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
+    other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+    whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
+    of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
+    at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you
+    are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws
+    of the country where you are located before using this eBook.
+  </div>
+</blockquote>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic work is
+derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
+contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
+copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
+the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
+redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase &#8220;Project
+Gutenberg&#8221; associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
+either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
+obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
+additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
+will be linked to the Project Gutenberg&#8482; License for all works
+posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
+beginning of this work.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg&#8482;.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg&#8482; License.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
+any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
+to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg&#8482; work in a format
+other than &#8220;Plain Vanilla ASCII&#8221; or other format used in the official
+version posted on the official Project Gutenberg&#8482; website
+(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
+to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
+of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original &#8220;Plain
+Vanilla ASCII&#8221; or other form. Any alternate format must include the
+full Project Gutenberg&#8482; License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg&#8482; works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works
+provided that:
+</div>
+
+<div style='margin-left:0.7em;'>
+    <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'>
+        &#8226; You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+        the use of Project Gutenberg&#8482; works calculated using the method
+        you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
+        to the owner of the Project Gutenberg&#8482; trademark, but he has
+        agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
+        Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
+        within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
+        legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
+        payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
+        Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
+        Section 4, &#8220;Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
+        Literary Archive Foundation.&#8221;
+    </div>
+
+    <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'>
+        &#8226; You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+        you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+        does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+        License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
+        copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
+        all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+        works.
+    </div>
+
+    <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'>
+        &#8226; You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
+        any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+        electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
+        receipt of the work.
+    </div>
+
+    <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'>
+        &#8226; You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+        distribution of Project Gutenberg&#8482; works.
+    </div>
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
+Gutenberg&#8482; electronic work or group of works on different terms than
+are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
+from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of
+the Project Gutenberg&#8482; trademark. Contact the Foundation as set
+forth in Section 3 below.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.F.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
+Gutenberg&#8482; collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
+contain &#8220;Defects,&#8221; such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
+or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
+intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
+other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
+cannot be read by your equipment.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the &#8220;Right
+of Replacement or Refund&#8221; described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg&#8482; trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg&#8482; electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
+with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
+with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
+lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
+or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
+opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
+the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
+without further opportunities to fix the problem.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you &#8216;AS-IS&#8217;, WITH NO
+OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
+LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
+damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
+violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
+agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
+limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
+unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
+remaining provisions.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works in
+accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
+production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
+including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
+the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
+or any Project Gutenberg&#8482; work, (b) alteration, modification, or
+additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg&#8482; work, and (c) any
+Defect you cause.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'>
+Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+Project Gutenberg&#8482; is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
+computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
+exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
+from people in all walks of life.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg&#8482;&#8217;s
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg&#8482; collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg&#8482; and future
+generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
+Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'>
+Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service. The Foundation&#8217;s EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
+U.S. federal laws and your state&#8217;s laws.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+The Foundation&#8217;s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West,
+Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up
+to date contact information can be found at the Foundation&#8217;s website
+and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'>
+Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+Project Gutenberg&#8482; depends upon and cannot survive without widespread
+public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
+DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state
+visit <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/donate/">www.gutenberg.org/donate</a>.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
+donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'>
+Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
+Gutenberg&#8482; concept of a library of electronic works that could be
+freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
+distributed Project Gutenberg&#8482; eBooks with only a loose network of
+volunteer support.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+Project Gutenberg&#8482; eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
+the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
+necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
+edition.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
+facility: <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+This website includes information about Project Gutenberg&#8482;,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+</div>
+
+</div>
+</body>
+</html>
diff --git a/35570-h/images/cover.jpg b/35570-h/images/cover.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b75de2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/cover.jpg
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_000a.png b/35570-h/images/i_000a.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3c3d8fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_000a.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_000b.png b/35570-h/images/i_000b.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f76ff33
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_000b.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_000c.png b/35570-h/images/i_000c.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..775be56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_000c.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_000d.png b/35570-h/images/i_000d.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a1ca3c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_000d.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_000e.png b/35570-h/images/i_000e.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..67f8d71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_000e.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_001.png b/35570-h/images/i_001.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c2b504
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_001.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_006.png b/35570-h/images/i_006.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cefc47b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_006.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_011.png b/35570-h/images/i_011.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b94e432
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_011.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_015.png b/35570-h/images/i_015.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..af14310
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_015.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_023.png b/35570-h/images/i_023.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..070a525
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_023.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_024.png b/35570-h/images/i_024.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ee2a391
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_024.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_027.png b/35570-h/images/i_027.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f6ac769
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_027.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_031.png b/35570-h/images/i_031.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0d231d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_031.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_038.png b/35570-h/images/i_038.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..79c8b7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_038.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_039.png b/35570-h/images/i_039.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..554aee3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_039.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_045.png b/35570-h/images/i_045.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..102d054
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_045.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_048.png b/35570-h/images/i_048.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e4a15d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_048.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_052.png b/35570-h/images/i_052.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8b43de3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_052.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_055.png b/35570-h/images/i_055.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cafefb1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_055.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_061.png b/35570-h/images/i_061.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c4838f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_061.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_067.png b/35570-h/images/i_067.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6f26437
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_067.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_072.png b/35570-h/images/i_072.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bbd91c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_072.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_073.png b/35570-h/images/i_073.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b189cb2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_073.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_074.png b/35570-h/images/i_074.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a525ac1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_074.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_083.png b/35570-h/images/i_083.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a82cd01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_083.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_087.png b/35570-h/images/i_087.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9bb924e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_087.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_091.png b/35570-h/images/i_091.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dcf0089
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_091.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_099.png b/35570-h/images/i_099.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..67f0d02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_099.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_102.png b/35570-h/images/i_102.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5457718
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_102.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_105.png b/35570-h/images/i_105.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..08c5da8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_105.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_111.png b/35570-h/images/i_111.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6de7ea9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_111.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_114.png b/35570-h/images/i_114.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d98e355
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_114.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_115.png b/35570-h/images/i_115.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4824045
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_115.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_121.png b/35570-h/images/i_121.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..129f5da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_121.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_123.png b/35570-h/images/i_123.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3b9e0ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_123.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_129.png b/35570-h/images/i_129.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4b2860f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_129.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_135.png b/35570-h/images/i_135.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..73cf03a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_135.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_141.png b/35570-h/images/i_141.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d9ff2ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_141.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_150a.png b/35570-h/images/i_150a.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1ceac46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_150a.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_150b.png b/35570-h/images/i_150b.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0e0d3ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_150b.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_152.png b/35570-h/images/i_152.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c30b77d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_152.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_153.png b/35570-h/images/i_153.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9749a32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_153.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_163.png b/35570-h/images/i_163.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..00c323c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_163.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_167.png b/35570-h/images/i_167.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..168c8ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_167.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_174.png b/35570-h/images/i_174.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7b4da14
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_174.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_186.png b/35570-h/images/i_186.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cb72f8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_186.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_191.png b/35570-h/images/i_191.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..854c140
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_191.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_196.png b/35570-h/images/i_196.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..85b09c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_196.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_197.png b/35570-h/images/i_197.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a2cbb86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_197.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_204.png b/35570-h/images/i_204.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..458d3f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_204.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_215.png b/35570-h/images/i_215.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a9e66ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_215.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_218.png b/35570-h/images/i_218.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..03a06aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_218.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_227.png b/35570-h/images/i_227.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f167fc8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_227.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_231.png b/35570-h/images/i_231.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..762bb03
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_231.png
diff --git a/35570-h/images/i_239.png b/35570-h/images/i_239.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bbf21b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/35570-h/images/i_239.png
diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6312041
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements,
+metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be
+in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES.
+
+Procedures for determining public domain status are described in
+the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org.
+
+No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in
+jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize
+this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright
+status under the laws that apply to them.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7a07d73
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #35570 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/35570)
diff --git a/old/20110313-35570-8.txt b/old/20110313-35570-8.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5e6c756
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/20110313-35570-8.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,6647 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine, by Frank R. Stockton
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+
+Author: Frank R. Stockton
+
+Illustrator: Frederic Dorr Steele
+
+Release Date: March 13, 2011 [EBook #35570]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CASTING AWAY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Jane Robins and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE
+
+[Illustration: "THESE TWO WORTHY DAMES SPENT THE GREATER PART OF THEIR
+TIME ON DECK."]
+
+
+
+
+    THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS.
+    LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE
+
+    BY
+
+    FRANK R. STOCKTON
+
+    WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
+    FREDERIC DORR STEELE
+
+    [Illustration]
+
+    NEW YORK
+    THE CENTURY CO.
+    1903
+
+
+
+
+    COPYRIGHT, 1886, 1892, 1898.
+    BY THE CENTURY CO.
+
+
+    THE DEVINNE PRESS.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+  PART I                                                        PAGE
+
+  THESE TWO WORTHY DAMES SPENT THE GREATER PART
+  OF THEIR TIME ON DECK                               _Frontispiece_
+
+  DO YOU SEE THAT BOAT THERE?                                      6
+
+  MRS. ALESHINE PROVED TO BE A MORE DIFFICULT SUBJECT             11
+
+  WE WILL PULL AFTER THEM                                         15
+
+  STAND UP STRAIGHT, AND DON'T TALK SO MUCH                       23
+
+  VIGOROUSLY WINKING AND BLOWING                                  25
+
+  THEY GOT ON REMARKABLY WELL                                     27
+
+  THERE'S NOTHIN' LIKE SAUSAGES FOR SHIPWRECK                     31
+
+
+  PART II
+
+  MRS. LECKS WALKED BOLDLY UP TO THE FRONT DOOR
+  AND PLIED THE KNOCKER                                           45
+
+  I CLIMBED UP ONE OF THE COLUMNS                                 48
+
+  I GUESS YOU'LL BE COMFORTABLE, MR. CRAIG                        52
+
+  THAT YELLER FROCK                                               55
+
+  MRS. ALESHINE HAD BEEN HARD AT WORK ALL THE
+  MORNING                                                         61
+
+  "THERE'S ANOTHER THING," SAID SHE, "THAT I'VE
+  BEEN THINKIN' ABOUT"                                            67
+
+  MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE STANDING ON THE END
+  OF THE LITTLE WHARF                                             72
+
+
+  PART III
+
+  MR. ENDERTON WAS A PERSON OF ANOTHER SORT                       83
+
+  I DID ALL THAT I COULD TO MAKE MISS RUTH'S TIME
+  PASS AGREEABLY                                                  87
+
+  THEY WERE EVIDENTLY WAITING FOR ME                              91
+
+  SMOKING THEIR PIPES IN PEACE                                    99
+
+  IT WAS PERFECTLY SAFE                                          102
+
+  I KNOWED IT WAS ALL RIGHT                                      105
+
+  THEY ASSISTED RUTH TO ARRAY HERSELF                            111
+
+
+  PART IV
+
+  THE ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN WAS SLOW AND TEDIOUS                121
+
+  "WHAT HAS HAPPENED?" I EXCLAIMED                               123
+
+  MRS. LECKS WAS SITTING ON A STONE                              129
+
+  I SOON HAD A CRACKLING FIRE                                    135
+
+  COULD YOU LEND ME A SMALL IRON POT?                            141
+
+  WE WERE ABOUT TO SEND HIM A BASKET                        150, 151
+
+
+  PART V
+
+  WE BEGAN TO SLIDE DOWNWARD                                     163
+
+  OH, WHICH IS EMILY, AND WHICH IS LUCILLE?                      167
+
+  WE DREW UP ABOUT THE FIRE                                      174
+
+  REVEALING THE FAMILIAR FAT LITTLE GINGER-JAR                   186
+
+  RUTH AND MISS LUCILLE STRUCK UP A WARM ACQUAINTANCE            191
+
+
+  PART VI
+
+  THE IMPIDENCE OF HIM!                                          204
+
+  ELIZABETH GROOTENHEIMER                                        215
+
+  "YOU MAN!" SHRIEKED MRS. LECKS                                 218
+
+  HE RESPECTFULLY TOUCHED IT WITH HIS LIPS                       227
+
+  THE GREATEST WORK OF DECORATION WAS RESERVED
+  BY THE RED-BEARDED COXSWAIN FOR HIMSELF                        231
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE
+
+
+
+
+THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE
+
+PART I
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+I was on my way from San Francisco to Yokohama, when in a very desultory
+and gradual manner I became acquainted with Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine. The steamer, on which I was making a moderately rapid passage
+toward the land of the legended fan and the lacquered box, carried a
+fair complement of passengers, most of whom were Americans; and, among
+these, my attention was attracted from the very first day of the voyage
+to two middle-aged women who appeared to me very unlike the ordinary
+traveler or tourist. At first sight they might have been taken for
+farmers' wives who, for some unusual reason, had determined to make a
+voyage across the Pacific; but, on closer observation, one would have
+been more apt to suppose that they belonged to the families of
+prosperous tradesmen in some little country town, where, besides the
+arts of rural housewifery, there would be opportunities of becoming
+acquainted in some degree with the ways and manners of the outside
+world. They were not of that order of persons who generally take
+first-class passages on steamships, but the stateroom occupied by Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine was one of the best in the vessel; and although
+they kept very much to themselves, and showed no desire for the company
+or notice of the other passengers, they evidently considered themselves
+quite as good as any one else, and with as much right to voyage to any
+part of the world in any manner or style which pleased them.
+
+Mrs. Lecks was a rather tall woman, large-boned and muscular, and her
+well-browned countenance gave indications of that conviction of
+superiority which gradually grows up in the minds of those who for a
+long time have had absolute control of the destinies of a state, or the
+multifarious affairs of a country household. Mrs. Aleshine was somewhat
+younger than her friend, somewhat shorter, and a great deal fatter. She
+had the same air of reliance upon her individual worth that
+characterized Mrs. Lecks, but there was a certain geniality about her
+which indicated that she would have a good deal of forbearance for those
+who never had had the opportunity or the ability of becoming the
+thoroughly good housewife which she was herself.
+
+These two worthy dames spent the greater part of their time on deck,
+where they always sat together in a place at the stern of the vessel
+which was well sheltered from wind and weather. As they sat thus they
+were generally employed in knitting, although this occupation did not
+prevent them from keeping up what seemed to me, as I passed them in my
+walks about the deck, a continuous conversation. From a question which
+Mrs. Lecks once asked me about a distant sail, our acquaintance began.
+There was no one on board for whose society I particularly cared, and as
+there was something quaint and odd about these countrywomen on the ocean
+which interested me, I was glad to vary my solitary promenades by an
+occasional chat with them. They were not at all backward in giving me
+information about themselves. They were both widows, and Mrs. Aleshine
+was going out to Japan to visit a son who had a position there in a
+mercantile house. Mrs. Lecks had no children, and was accompanying her
+friend because, as she said, she would not allow Mrs. Aleshine to make
+such a voyage as that by herself, and because, being quite able to do
+so, she did not know why she should not see the world as well as other
+people.
+
+These two friends were not educated women. They made frequent mistakes
+in their grammar, and a good deal of Middle States provincialism showed
+itself in their pronunciation and expressions. But although they brought
+many of their rural ideas to sea with them, they possessed a large share
+of that common sense which is available anywhere, and they frequently
+made use of it in a manner which was very amusing to me. I think, also,
+that they found in me a quarry of information concerning nautical
+matters, foreign countries, and my own affairs, the working of which
+helped to make us very good ship friends.
+
+Our steamer touched at the Sandwich Islands; and it was a little more
+than two days after we left Honolulu that, about nine o'clock in the
+evening, we had the misfortune to come into collision with an
+eastern-bound vessel. The fault was entirely due to the other ship, the
+lookout on which, although the night was rather dark and foggy, could
+easily have seen our lights in time to avoid collision, if he had not
+been asleep or absent from his post. Be this as it may, this vessel,
+which appeared to be a small steamer, struck us with great force near
+our bows, and then, backing, disappeared into the fog, and we never saw
+or heard of her again. The general opinion was that she was injured very
+much more than we were, and that she probably sank not very long after
+the accident; for when the fog cleared away, about an hour afterward,
+nothing could be seen of her lights.
+
+As it usually happens on occasions of accidents at sea, the damage to
+our vessel was at first reported to be slight; but it was soon
+discovered that our injuries were serious and, indeed, disastrous. The
+hull of our steamer had been badly shattered on the port bow, and the
+water came in at a most alarming rate. For nearly two hours the crew and
+many of the passengers worked at the pumps, and everything possible was
+done to stop the enormous leak; but all labor to save the vessel was
+found to be utterly unavailing, and a little before midnight the captain
+announced that it was impossible to keep the steamer afloat, and that we
+must all take to the boats. The night was now clear, the stars were
+bright, and, as there was but little wind, the sea was comparatively
+smooth. With all these advantages, the captain assured us that there was
+no reason to apprehend danger, and he thought that by noon of the
+following day we could easily make a small inhabited island, where we
+could be sheltered and cared for until we should be taken off by some
+passing vessel.
+
+There was plenty of time for all necessary preparations, and these were
+made with much order and subordination. Some of the ladies among the
+cabin passengers were greatly frightened, and inclined to be hysterical.
+There were pale faces also among the gentlemen. But everybody obeyed the
+captain's orders, and all prepared themselves for the transfer to the
+boats. The first officer came among us, and told each of us what boats
+we were to take, and where we were to place ourselves on deck. I was
+assigned to a large boat which was to be principally occupied by
+steerage passengers; and as I came up from my stateroom, where I had
+gone to secure my money and some portable valuables, I met on the
+companionway Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, who expressed considerable
+dissatisfaction when they found that I was not going in the boat with
+them. They, however, hurried below, and I went on deck, where in about
+ten minutes I was joined by Mrs. Lecks, who apparently had been looking
+for me. She told me she had something very particular to say to me, and
+conducted me toward the stern of the vessel, where, behind one of the
+deck-houses, we found Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+[Illustration: "'DO YOU SEE THAT BOAT THERE?'"]
+
+"Look here," said Mrs. Lecks, leading me to the rail, and pointing
+downward; "do you see that boat there? It has been let down, and there
+is nobody in it. The boat on the other side has just gone off, full to
+the brim. I never saw so many people crowded into a boat. The other ones
+will be just as packed, I expect. I don't see why we shouldn't take this
+empty boat, now we've got a chance, instead of squeezin' ourselves into
+those crowded ones. If any of the other people come afterward, why, we
+shall have our choice of seats, and that's considerable of a p'int, I
+should say, in a time like this."
+
+"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "and me and Mrs. Lecks would 'a' got
+right in when we saw the boat was empty, if we hadn't been afraid to be
+there without any man, for it might have floated off, and neither of us
+don't know nothin' about rowin'. And then Mrs. Lecks she thought of you,
+supposin' a young man who knew so much about the sea would know how to
+row."
+
+"Oh, yes," said I; "but I cannot imagine why this boat should have been
+left empty. I see a keg of water in it, and the oars, and some tin cans,
+and so I suppose it has been made ready for somebody. Will you wait here
+a minute until I run forward and see how things are going on there?"
+
+Amidships and forward I saw that there was some confusion among the
+people who were not yet in their boats, and I found that there was to be
+rather more crowding than at first was expected. People who had supposed
+that they were to go in a certain boat found there no place, and were
+hurrying to other boats. It now became plain to me that no time should
+be lost in getting into the small boat which Mrs. Lecks had pointed out,
+and which was probably reserved for some favored persons, as the
+officers were keeping the people forward and amidships, the other
+stern-boat having already departed. But as I acknowledged no reason why
+any one should be regarded with more favor than myself and the two women
+who were waiting for me, I slipped quietly aft, and joined Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"We must get in as soon as we can," said I, in a low voice, "for this
+boat may be discovered, and then there will be a rush for it. I suspect
+it may have been reserved for the captain and some of the officers, but
+we have as much right in it as they."
+
+"And more too," replied Mrs. Lecks; "for we had nothin' to do with the
+steerin' and smashin'."
+
+"But how are we goin' to get down there?" said Mrs. Aleshine. "There's
+no steps."
+
+"That is true," said I. "I shouldn't wonder if this boat is to be taken
+forward when the others are filled. We must scramble down as well as we
+can by the tackle at the bow and stern. I'll get in first and keep her
+close to the ship's side."
+
+"That's goin' to be a scratchy business," said Mrs. Lecks, "and I'm of
+the opinion we ought to wait till the ship has sunk a little more, so
+we'll be nearer to the boat."
+
+"It won't do to wait," said I, "or we shall not get in it at all."
+
+"And goodness gracious!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "I can't stand here
+and feel the ship sinkin' cold-blooded under me, till we've got where we
+can make an easy jump!"
+
+"Very well, then," said Mrs. Lecks, "we won't wait. But the first thing
+to be done is for each one of us to put on one of these life-preservers.
+Two of them I brought from Mrs. Aleshine's and my cabin, and the other
+one I got next door, where the people had gone off and left it on the
+floor. I thought if anythin' happened on the way to the island, these
+would give us a chance to look about us; but it seems to me we'll need
+'em more gettin' down them ropes than anywhere else. I did intend
+puttin' on two myself to make up for Mrs. Aleshine's fat; but you must
+wear one of 'em, sir, now that you are goin' to join the party."
+
+As I knew that two life-preservers would not be needed by Mrs. Lecks,
+and would greatly inconvenience her, I accepted the one offered me, but
+declined to put it on until it should be necessary, as it would
+interfere with my movements.
+
+"Very well," said Mrs. Lecks, "if you think you are safe in gettin' down
+without it. But Mrs. Aleshine and me will put ours on before we begin
+sailor-scramblin'. We know how to do it, for we tried 'em on soon after
+we started from San Francisco. And now, Barb'ry Aleshine, are you sure
+you've got everythin' you want? for it'll be no use thinkin' about
+anythin' you've forgot after the ship has sunk out of sight."
+
+"There's nothin' else I can think of," said Mrs. Aleshine; "at least,
+nothin' I can carry; and so I suppose we may as well begin, for your
+talk of the ship sinkin' under our feet gives me a sort o' feelin' like
+an oyster creepin' up and down my back."
+
+Mrs. Lecks looked over the side at the boat, into which I had already
+descended. "I'll go first, Barb'ry Aleshine," said she, "and show you
+how."
+
+The sea was quiet, and the steamer had already sunk so much that Mrs.
+Lecks's voice sounded frightfully near me, although she spoke in a low
+tone.
+
+"Watch me," said she to her companion. "I'm goin' to do just as he did,
+and you must follow in the same way."
+
+So saying, she stepped on a bench by the rail; then, with one foot on
+the rail itself, she seized the ropes which hung from one of the davits
+to the bow of the boat. She looked down for a moment, and then she drew
+back.
+
+"It's no use," she said. "We must wait until she sinks more, and I can
+get in easier."
+
+This remark made me feel nervous. I did not know at what moment there
+might be a rush for this boat, nor when, indeed, the steamer might go
+down. The boat amidships on our side had rowed away some minutes before,
+and through the darkness I could distinguish another boat, near the
+bows, pushing off. It would be too late now for us to try to get into
+any other boat, and I did not feel that there was time enough for me to
+take this one to a place where the two women could more easily descend
+to her. Standing upright, I urged them not to delay.
+
+"You see," said I, "I can reach you as soon as you swing yourself off
+the ropes, and I'll help you down."
+
+"If you're sure you can keep us from comin' down too sudden, we'll try
+it," said Mrs. Lecks; "but I'd as soon be drowned as to get to an island
+with a broken leg. And as to Mrs. Aleshine, if she was to slip she'd go
+slam through that boat to the bottom of the sea. Now, then, be ready!
+I'm comin' down."
+
+So saying, she swung herself off, and she was then so near me that I was
+able to seize her and make the rest of her descent comparatively easy.
+Mrs. Aleshine proved to be a more difficult subject. Even after I had a
+firm grasp of her capacious waist she refused to let go the ropes, for
+fear that she might drop into the ocean instead of the boat. But the
+reproaches of Mrs. Lecks and the downward weight of myself made her
+loosen her nervous grip; and, although we came very near going overboard
+together, I safely placed her on one of the thwarts.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+I now unhooked the tackle from the stern; but before casting off at the
+bow I hesitated, for I did not wish to desert any of those who might be
+expecting to embark in this boat. But I could hear no approaching
+footsteps, and from my position, close to the side of the steamer, I
+could see nothing. Therefore I cast off, and, taking the oars, I pushed
+away and rowed to a little distance, where I could get whatever view was
+possible of the deck of the steamer. Seeing no forms moving about, I
+called out, and, receiving no answer, I shouted again at the top of my
+voice. I waited for nearly a minute, and, hearing nothing and seeing
+nothing, I became convinced that no one was left on the vessel.
+
+"They are all gone," said I, "and we will pull after them as fast as we
+can."
+
+And I began to row toward the bow of the steamer, in the direction which
+the other boats had taken.
+
+"It's a good thing you can row," said Mrs. Lecks, settling herself
+comfortably in the stern-sheets, "for what Mrs. Aleshine and me would
+ha' done with them oars I am sure I don't know."
+
+"I'd never have got into this boat," said Mrs. Aleshine, "if Mr. Craig
+hadn't been here."
+
+"No, indeed," replied her friend. "You'd ha' gone to the bottom, hangin'
+for dear life to them ropes."
+
+When I had rounded the bow of the steamer, which appeared to me to be
+rapidly settling in the water, I perceived at no great distance several
+lights, which of course belonged to the other boats, and I rowed as hard
+as I could, hoping to catch up with them, or at least to keep
+sufficiently near. It might be my duty to take off some of the people
+who had crowded into the other boats, probably supposing that this one
+had been loaded and gone. How such a mistake could have taken place I
+could not divine, and it was not my business to do so. Quite certain
+that no one was left on the sinking steamer, all I had to do was to row
+after the other boats, and to overtake them as soon as possible. I
+thought it would not take me very long to do this, but after rowing for
+half an hour, Mrs. Aleshine remarked that the lights seemed as far off,
+if not farther, than when we first started after them. Turning, I saw
+that this was the case, and was greatly surprised. With only two
+passengers I ought soon to have come up with those heavily laden boats.
+But after I had thought over it a little, I considered that as each of
+them was probably pulled by half a dozen stout sailors, it was not so
+very strange that they should make as good or better headway than I did.
+
+It was not very long after this that Mrs. Lecks said that she thought
+that the lights on the other boats must be going out, and that this,
+most probably, was due to the fact that the sailors had forgotten to
+fill their lanterns before they started. "That sort of thing often
+happens," she said, "when people leave a place in a hurry."
+
+But when I turned around, and peered over the dark waters, it was quite
+plain to me that it was not want of oil, but increased distance, which
+made those lights so dim. I could now perceive but three of them, and as
+the surface was agitated only by a gentle swell, I could not suppose
+that any of them were hidden from our view by waves. We were being left
+behind, that was certain, and all I could do was to row on as long and
+as well as I could in the direction which the other boats had taken. I
+had been used to rowing, and thought I pulled a good oar, and I
+certainly did not expect to be left behind in this way.
+
+"I don't believe this boat has been emptied out since the last rain,"
+said Mrs. Aleshine, "for my feet are wet, though I didn't notice it
+before."
+
+At this I shipped my oars, and began to examine the boat. The bottom was
+covered with a movable floor of slats, and as I put my hand down I could
+feel the water welling up between the slats. The flooring was in
+sections, and lifting the one beneath me, I felt under it, and put my
+hand into six or eight inches of water.
+
+The exact state of the case was now as plain to me as if it had been
+posted up on a bulletin-board. This boat had been found to be
+unseaworthy, and its use had been forbidden, all the people having been
+crowded into the others. This had caused confusion at the last moment,
+and, of course, we were supposed to be on some one of the other boats.
+
+And now here was I, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, in a leaky boat,
+with two middle-aged women!
+
+"Anythin' the matter with the floor!" asked Mrs. Lecks.
+
+I let the section fall back into its place, and looked aft. By the
+starlight I could see that my two companions had each fixed upon me a
+steadfast gaze. They evidently felt that something was the matter, and
+wanted to know what it was. I did not hesitate for a moment to inform
+them. They appeared to me to be women whom it would be neither advisable
+nor possible to deceive in a case like this.
+
+"This boat has a leak in it," I said. "There is a lot of water in her
+already, and that is the reason we have got along so slowly."
+
+"And that is why," said Mrs. Aleshine, "it was left empty. We ought to
+have known better than to expect to have a whole boat just for three of
+us. It would have been much more sensible, I think, if we had tried to
+squeeze into one of the others."
+
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "don't you begin findin'
+fault with good fortune, when it comes to you. Here we've got a
+comfortable boat, with room enough to set easy and stretch out if we
+want to. If the water is comin' in, what we've got to do is to get it
+out again just as fast as we can. What's the best way to do that, Mr.
+Craig?"
+
+[Illustration: "'WE WILL PULL AFTER THEM.'"]
+
+"We must bail her out, and lose no time about it," said I. "If I can
+find the leak I may be able to stop it."
+
+I now looked about for something to bail with, and the two women aided
+actively in the search. I found one leather scoop in the bow; but as it
+was well that we should all go to work, I took two tin cans that had
+been put in by some one who had begun to provision the boat, and
+proceeded to cut the tops from them with my jack-knife.
+
+"Don't lose what's in 'em," said Mrs. Lecks; "that is, if it's anythin'
+we'd be likely to want to eat. If it's tomatoes, pour it into the sea,
+for nobody ought to eat tomatoes put up in tins."
+
+I hastily passed the cans to Mrs. Lecks, and I saw her empty the
+contents of one into the sea, and those of the other on a newspaper
+which she took from her pocket and placed in the stern.
+
+I pulled up the movable floor and threw it overboard, and then began to
+bail.
+
+"I thought," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that they always had pumps for leaks."
+
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "just gether yourself up on
+one of them seats, and go to work. The less talkin' we do, and the more
+scoopin', the better it'll be for us."
+
+I soon perceived that it would have been difficult to find two more
+valuable assistants in the bailing of a boat than Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine. They were evidently used to work, and were able to accommodate
+themselves to the unusual circumstances in which they were placed. We
+threw out the water very rapidly, and every little while I stopped
+bailing and felt about to see if I could discover where it came in. As
+these attempts met with no success, I gave them up after a time, and set
+about bailing with new vigor, believing that if we could get the boat
+nearly dry I should surely be able to find the leak.
+
+But, after working half an hour more, I found that the job would be a
+long one; and if we all worked at once we would all be tired out at
+once, and that might be disastrous. Therefore I proposed that we should
+take turns in resting, and Mrs. Aleshine was ordered to stop work for a
+time. After this Mrs. Lecks took a rest, and when she went to work I
+stopped bailing and began again to search for the leak.
+
+For about two hours we worked in this way, and then I concluded it was
+useless to continue any longer this vain exertion. With three of us
+bailing we were able to keep the water at the level we first found it;
+but with only two at work, it slightly gained upon us, so that now there
+was more water in the boat than when we first discovered it. The boat
+was an iron one, and the leak in it I could neither find nor remedy. It
+had probably been caused by the warping of the metal under a hot sun, an
+accident which, I am told, frequently occurs to iron boats. The little
+craft, which would have been a life-boat had its air-boxes remained
+intact, was now probably leaking from stem to stern; and in searching
+for the leak without the protection of the flooring, my weight had
+doubtless assisted in opening the seams, for it was quite plain that the
+water was now coming in more rapidly than it did at first. We were very
+tired, and even Mrs. Lecks, who had all along counseled us to keep at
+work, and not to waste one breath in talking, now admitted that it was
+of no use to try to get the water out of that boat.
+
+It had been some hours since I had used the oars, but whether we had
+drifted, or remained where we were when I stopped rowing, of course I
+could not know; but this mattered very little; our boat was slowly
+sinking beneath us, and it could make no difference whether we went down
+in one spot or an other. I sat and racked my brain to think what could
+be done in this fearful emergency. To bail any longer was useless labor,
+and what else was there that we could do?
+
+"When will it be time," asked Mrs. Lecks, "for us to put on the
+life-preservers? When the water gets nearly to the seats?"
+
+I answered that we should not wait any longer than that, but in my own
+mind I could not see any advantage in putting them on at all. Why should
+we wish to lengthen our lives by a few hours of helpless floating upon
+the ocean?
+
+"Very good," said Mrs. Lecks; "I'll keep a watch on the water. One of
+them cans was filled with lobster, which would be more than likely to
+disagree with us, and I've throwed it out; but the other had baked beans
+in it, and the best thing we can do is to eat some of these right away.
+They are mighty nourishin', and will keep up strength as well as
+anythin', and then, as you said there's a keg of water in the boat, we
+can all take a drink of that, and it'll make us feel like new cre'tur's.
+You'll have to take the beans in your hands, for we've got no spoons nor
+forks."
+
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine were each curled up out of reach of the
+water, the first in the stern, and the other on the aft thwart. The day
+was now beginning to break, and we could see about us very distinctly.
+Before reaching out her hands to receive her beans, Mrs. Aleshine washed
+them in the water in the boat, remarking at the same time that she might
+as well make use of it since it was there. Having then wiped her hands
+on some part of her apparel, they were filled with beans from the
+newspaper held by Mrs. Lecks, and these were passed over to me. I was
+very hungry, and when I had finished my beans I agreed with my
+companions that although they would have been a great deal better if
+heated up with butter, pepper, and salt, they were very comforting as
+they were. One of the empty cans was now passed to me, and after having
+been asked by Mrs. Lecks to rinse it out very carefully, we all
+satisfied our taste from the water in the keg.
+
+"Cold baked beans and lukewarm water ain't exactly company vittles,"
+said Mrs. Aleshine, "but there's many a poor wretch would be glad to get
+'em."
+
+I could not imagine any poor wretch who would be glad of the food
+together with the attending circumstances; but I did not say so.
+
+"The water is just one finger from the bottom of the seat," said Mrs.
+Lecks, who had been stooping over to measure, "and it's time to put on
+the life-preservers."
+
+"Very good," said Mrs. Aleshine; "hand me mine."
+
+Each of us now buckled on a life-preserver, and as I did so I stood up
+upon a thwart and looked about me. It was quite light now, and I could
+see for a long distance over the surface of the ocean, which was gently
+rolling in wide, smooth swells. As we rose upon the summit of one of
+these I saw a dark spot upon the water, just on the edge of our near
+horizon, "Is that the steamer?" I thought; "and has she not yet sunk?"
+
+At this there came to me a glimmering of courageous hope. If the
+steamer had remained afloat so long, it was probable that on account of
+water-tight compartments, or for some other reason, her sinking had
+reached its limit, and that if we could get back to her we might be
+saved. But, alas, how were we to get back to her? This boat would sink
+long, long before I could row that distance.
+
+However, I soon proclaimed the news to my companions, whereupon Mrs.
+Aleshine prepared to stand upon a thwart and see for herself. But Mrs.
+Lecks restrained her.
+
+"Don't make things worse, Barb'ry Aleshine," said she, "by tumblin'
+overboard. If we've got to go into the water, let us do it decently and
+in order. If that's the ship, Mr. Craig, don't you suppose we can float
+ourselves to it in some way?"
+
+I replied that by the help of a life-preserver a person who could swim
+might reach the ship.
+
+"But neither of us can swim," said Mrs. Lecks, "for we've lived where
+the water was never more'n a foot deep, except in time of freshets,
+when there's no swimmin' for man or beast. But if we see you swim,
+perhaps we can follow, after a fashion. At any rate, we must do the best
+we can, and that's all there is to be done."
+
+"The water now," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "is so near to the bottom of my
+seat that I've got to stand up, tumble overboard or no."
+
+"All right," remarked Mrs. Lecks; "we'd better all stand up, and let the
+boat sink under us. That will save our jumpin' overboard, or rollin' out
+any which way, which might be awkward."
+
+"Goodness gracious me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine. "You set the oysters
+creepin' over me again! First you talk of the ship sinkin' under us, and
+now it's the boat goin' to the bottom under our feet. Before any sinkin'
+'s to be done I'd ruther get out."
+
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "stand up straight, and don't
+talk so much. It'll be a great deal better to be let down gradual than
+to flop into the water all of a bunch."
+
+"Very well," said Mrs. Aleshine; "it may be best to get used to it by
+degrees; but I must say I wish I was home."
+
+As for me, I would have much preferred to jump overboard at once,
+instead of waiting in this cold-blooded manner; but as my companions had
+so far preserved their presence of mind, I did not wish to do anything
+which might throw them into a panic. I believed there would be no danger
+from the suction caused by the sinking of a small boat like this, and if
+we took care not to entangle ourselves with it in any way, we might as
+well follow Mrs. Lecks's advice as not. So we all stood up, Mrs. Lecks
+in the stern, I in the bow, and Mrs. Aleshine on a thwart between us.
+The last did not appear to have quite room enough for a steady footing,
+but, as she remarked, it did not matter very much, as the footing, broad
+or narrow, would not be there very long.
+
+I am used to swimming, and have never hesitated to take a plunge into
+river or ocean, but I must admit that it was very trying to my nerves to
+stand up this way and wait for a boat to sink beneath me. How the two
+women were affected I do not know. They said nothing, but their faces
+indicated that something disagreeable was about to happen, and that the
+less that was said about it the better.
+
+The boat had now sunk so much that the water was around Mrs. Aleshine's
+feet, her standing-place being rather lower than ours. I made myself
+certain that there were no ropes nor any other means of entanglement
+near my companions or myself, and then I waited. There seemed to be a
+good deal of buoyancy in the bow and stern of the boat, and it was a
+frightfully long time in sinking. The suspense became so utterly
+unendurable that I was tempted to put one foot on the edge of the boat,
+and, by tipping it, put an end to this nerve-rack; but I refrained, for
+I probably would throw the women off their balance, when they might fall
+against some part of the boat, and do themselves a hurt. I had just
+relinquished this intention, when two little waves seemed to rise one on
+each side of Mrs. Aleshine, and gently flowing over the side of the
+boat, they flooded her feet with water.
+
+"Hold your breaths!" I shouted. And now I experienced a sensation which
+must have been very like that which comes to a condemned criminal at the
+first indication of the pulling of the drop. Then there was a horrible
+sinking, a gurgle, and a swash, and the ocean over which I had been
+gazing appeared to rise up and envelop me.
+
+[Illustration: "'STAND UP STRAIGHT, AND DON'T TALK SO MUCH.'"]
+
+In a moment, however, my head was out of the water, and, looking hastily
+about me, I saw, close by, the heads and shoulders of Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine. The latter was vigorously winking her eyes and blowing
+from her mouth some sea-water that had got into it; but as soon as her
+eyes fell upon me she exclaimed: "That was ever so much more suddint
+than I thought it was goin' to be!"
+
+[Illustration: "VIGOROUSLY WINKING AND BLOWING."]
+
+"Are you both all right?"
+
+"I suppose I am," said Mrs. Aleshine, "but I never thought that a person
+with a life-preserver on would go clean under the water."
+
+"But since you've come up again, you ought to be satisfied," said Mrs.
+Lecks. "And now," she added, turning her face toward me, "which way
+ought we to try to swim? and have we got everythin' we want to take with
+us?"
+
+"What we haven't got we can't get," remarked Mrs. Aleshine; "and as for
+swimmin', I expect I'm goin' to make a poor hand at it."
+
+I had a hope, which was not quite strong enough to be a belief, that,
+supported by their life-preservers, the two women might paddle
+themselves along; and that, by giving them in turn a helping hand, I
+might eventually get them to the steamer. There was a strong probability
+that I would not succeed, but I did not care to think of that.
+
+I now swam in front of my companions, and endeavored to instruct them in
+the best method of propelling themselves with their arms and their
+hands. If they succeeded in this, I thought I would give them some
+further lessons in striking out with their feet. After watching me
+attentively, Mrs. Lecks did manage to move herself slowly through the
+smooth water, but poor Mrs. Aleshine could do nothing but splash.
+
+"If there was anythin' to take hold of," she said to me, "I might get
+along; but I can't get any grip on the water, though you seem to do it
+well enough. Look there!" she added in a higher voice. "Isn't that an
+oar floatin' over there? If you can get that for me, I believe I can row
+myself much better than I can swim."
+
+This seemed an odd idea, but I swam over to the floating oar, and
+brought it her. I was about to show her how she could best use it, but
+she declined my advice.
+
+"If I do it at all," she said, "I must do it in my own way." And taking
+the oar in her strong hands, she began to ply it on the water very much
+in the way in which she would handle a broom. At first she dipped the
+blade too deeply, but, correcting this error, she soon began to paddle
+herself along at a slow but steady rate.
+
+"Capital!" I cried. "You do that admirably!"
+
+"Anybody who's swept as many rooms as I have," she said, "ought to be
+able to handle anythin' that can be used like a broom."
+
+"Isn't there another oar?" cried Mrs. Lecks, who had now been left a
+little distance behind us. "If there is, I want one."
+
+Looking about me, I soon discovered another floating oar, and brought it
+to Mrs. Lecks, who, after holding it in various positions, so as to get
+"the hang of it," as she said, soon began to use it with as much skill
+as that shown by her friend. If either of them had been obliged to use
+an oar in the ordinary way, I fear they would have had a bad time of it;
+but, considering the implement in the light of a broom, its use
+immediately became familiar to them, and they got on remarkably well.
+
+[Illustration: "THEY GOT ON REMARKABLY WELL."]
+
+I now took a position a little in advance of my companions, and as I
+swam slowly they were easily able to keep up with me. Mrs. Aleshine,
+being so stout, floated much higher out of the water than either Mrs.
+Lecks or I, and this permitted her to use her oar with a great deal of
+freedom. Sometimes she would give such a vigorous brush to the water
+that she would turn herself almost entirely around, but after a little
+practice she learned to avoid undue efforts of this kind.
+
+I was not positively sure that we were going in the right direction, for
+my position did not allow me to see very far over the water; but I
+remembered that when I was standing up in the boat, and made my
+discovery, the sun was just about to rise in front of me, while the dark
+spot on the ocean lay to my left. Judging, therefore, from the present
+position of the sun, which was not very high, I concluded that we were
+moving toward the north, and therefore in the right direction. How far
+off the steamer might be I had no idea, for I was not accustomed to
+judging distances at sea; but I believed that if we were careful of our
+strength, and if the ocean continued as smooth as it now was, we might
+eventually reach the vessel, provided she were yet afloat.
+
+"After you are fairly in the water," said Mrs. Aleshine, as she swept
+along, although without the velocity which that phrase usually implies,
+"it isn't half so bad as I thought it would be. For one thing, it don't
+feel a bit salt, although I must say it tasted horribly that way when I
+first went into it."
+
+"You didn't expect to find pickle-brine, did you?" said Mrs. Lecks.
+"Though, if it was, I suppose we could float on it settin'."
+
+"And as to bein' cold," said Mrs. Aleshine, "the part of me that's in is
+actually more comfortable than that which is out."
+
+"There's one thing I would have been afraid of," said Mrs. Lecks, "if we
+hadn't made preparations for it, and that's sharks."
+
+"Preparations!" I exclaimed. "How in the world did you prepare for
+sharks?"
+
+"Easy enough," said Mrs. Lecks. "When we went down into our room to get
+ready to go away in the boats we both put on black stockin's. I've read
+that sharks never bite colored people, although if they see a white man
+in the water they'll snap him up as quick as lightnin'; and black
+stockin's was the nearest we could come to it. You see, I thought as
+like as not we'd have some sort of an upset before we got through."
+
+"It's a great comfort," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "and I'm very glad you
+thought of it, Mrs. Lecks. After this I shall make it a rule: Black
+stockin's for sharks."
+
+"I suppose in your case," said Mrs. Lecks, addressing me, "dark trousers
+will do as well."
+
+To which I answered that I sincerely hoped they would.
+
+"Another thing I'm thankful for," said Mrs. Aleshine, "is that I thought
+to put on a flannel skeert."
+
+"And what's the good of it," said Mrs. Lecks, "when it's soppin' wet?"
+
+"Flannel's flannel," replied her friend, "whether it's wet or dry; and
+if you'd had the rheumatism as much as I have, you'd know it."
+
+To this Mrs. Lecks replied with a sniff, and asked me how soon I thought
+we would get sight of the ship; for if we were going the wrong way, and
+had to turn round and go back, it would certainly be very provoking.
+
+I should have been happy indeed to be able to give a satisfactory answer
+to this question. Every time that we rose upon a swell I threw a rapid
+glance around the whole circle of the horizon; and at last, not a
+quarter of an hour after Mrs. Lecks's question, I was rejoiced to see,
+almost in the direction in which I supposed it ought to be, the dark
+spot which I had before discovered. I shouted the glad news, and as we
+rose again my companions strained their eyes in the direction to which I
+pointed. They both saw it, and were greatly satisfied.
+
+"Now, then," said Mrs. Aleshine, "it seems as if there was somethin' to
+work for"; and she began to sweep her oar with great vigor.
+
+"If you want to tire yourself out before you get there, Barb'ry
+Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "you'd better go on in that way. Now what I
+advise is that we stop rowin' altogether, and have somethin' to eat; for
+I'm sure we need it to keep up our strength."
+
+"Eat!" I cried. "What are you going to eat? Do you expect to catch
+fish?"
+
+"And eat 'em raw?" said Mrs. Lecks. "I should think not. But do you
+suppose, Mr. Craig, that Mrs. Aleshine and me would go off and leave
+that ship without takin' somethin' to eat by the way? Let's all gether
+here in a bunch, and see what sort of a meal we can make. And now,
+Barb'ry Aleshine, if you lay your oar down there on the water, I
+recommend you to tie it to one of your bonnet-strings, or it'll be
+floatin' away, and you won't get it again."
+
+As she said this, Mrs. Lecks put her right hand down into the water, and
+fumbled about, apparently in search of a pocket. I could not but smile
+as I thought of the condition of food when, for an hour or more, it had
+been a couple of feet under the surface of the ocean; but my ideas on
+the subject were entirely changed when I saw Mrs. Lecks hold up in the
+air two German sausages, and shake the briny drops from their smooth and
+glittering surfaces.
+
+[Illustration: "'THERE'S NOTHIN' LIKE SAUSAGES FOR SHIPWRECK.'"]
+
+"There's nothin'," she said, "like sausages for shipwreck and that kind
+o' thing. They're very sustainin', and bein' covered with a tight skin,
+water can't get at 'em, no matter how you carry 'em. I wouldn't bring
+these out in the boat, because, havin' the beans, we might as well eat
+them. Have you a knife about you, Mr. Craig?"
+
+I produced a dripping jack-knife, and after the open blade had been
+waved in the air to dry it a little, Mrs. Lecks proceeded to divide one
+of the sausages, handing the other to me to hold meanwhile.
+
+"Now don't go eatin' sausages without bread, if you don't want 'em to
+give you dyspepsy," said Mrs. Aleshine, who was tugging at a submarine
+pocket.
+
+"I'm very much afraid your bread is all soaked," said Mrs. Lecks.
+
+To which her friend replied that that remained to be seen, and forthwith
+produced, with a splash, a glass preserve-jar with a metal top.
+
+"I saw this nearly empty, as I looked into the ship's pantry, and I
+stuffed into it all the soft biscuits it would hold. There was some sort
+of jam left at the bottom, so that the one who gets the last biscuit
+will have somethin' of a little spread on it. And now, Mrs. Lecks," she
+continued triumphantly, as she unscrewed the top, "that rubber ring has
+kept 'em as dry as chips. I'm mighty glad of it, for I had trouble
+enough gettin' this jar into my pocket, and gettin' it out, too, for
+that matter."
+
+Floating thus, with our hands and shoulders above the water, we made a
+very good meal from the sausages and soft biscuit.
+
+"Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, as her friend proceeded to cut the
+second sausage, "don't you lay that knife down, when you've done with
+it, as if 't was an oar; for if you do it'll sink, as like as not, about
+six miles. I've read that the ocean is as deep as that in some places."
+
+"Goodness gracious me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "I hope we are not over
+one of them deep spots."
+
+"There's no knowin'," said Mrs. Lecks, "but if it's more comfortin' to
+think it's shallerer, we'll make up our minds that way. Now, then," she
+continued, "we'll finish off this meal with a little somethin' to drink.
+I'm not given to takin' spirits, but I never travel without a little
+whisky, ready mixed with water, to take if it should be needed."
+
+So saying, she produced from one of her pockets a whisky-flask tightly
+corked, and of its contents we each took a sip, Mrs. Aleshine remarking
+that, leaving out being chilled or colicky, we were never likely to need
+it more than now.
+
+Thus refreshed and strengthened, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine took up
+their oars, while I swam slightly in advance, as before. When, with
+occasional intermissions of rest, and a good deal of desultory
+conversation, we had swept and swam for about an hour, Mrs. Lecks
+suddenly exclaimed: "I can see that thing ever so much plainer now, and
+I don't believe it's a ship at all. To me it looks like bushes."
+
+"You're mighty long-sighted without your specs," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"and I'm not sure but what you're right."
+
+For ten minutes or more I had been puzzling over the shape of the dark
+spot, which was now nearly all the time in sight. Its peculiar form had
+filled me with a dreadful fear that it was the steamer, bottom upward,
+although I knew enough about nautical matters to have no good reason to
+suppose that this could be the case. I am not far-sighted, but when Mrs.
+Lecks suggested bushes, I gazed at the distant object with totally
+different ideas, and soon began to believe that it was not a ship,
+either right side up or wrong side up, but that it might be an island.
+This belief I proclaimed to my companions, and for some time we all
+worked with increased energy in the desire to get near enough to make
+ourselves certain in regard to this point.
+
+"As true as I'm standin' here," said Mrs. Lecks, who, although she could
+not read without spectacles, had remarkably good sight at long range,
+"them is trees and bushes that I see before me, though they do seem to
+be growin' right out of the water."
+
+"There's an island under them; you may be sure of that!" I cried. "Isn't
+this ever so much better than a sinking ship!"
+
+"I'm not so sure about that," said Mrs. Aleshine. "I'm used to the ship,
+and as long as it didn't sink I'd prefer it. There's plenty to eat on
+board of it, and good beds to sleep on, which is more than can be
+expected on a little bushy place like that ahead of us. But then, the
+ship might sink all of a suddint, beds, vittles, and all."
+
+"Do you suppose that is the island the other boats went to?" asked Mrs.
+Lecks.
+
+This question I had already asked of myself. I had been told that the
+island to which the captain intended to take his boats lay about thirty
+miles south of the point where we left the steamer. Now I knew very
+well that we had not come thirty miles, and had reason to believe,
+moreover, that the greater part of the progress we had made had been
+toward the north. It was not at all probable that the position of this
+island was unknown to our captain; and it must, therefore, have been
+considered by him as an unsuitable place for the landing of his
+passengers. There might be many reasons for this unsuitableness: the
+island might be totally barren and desolate; it might be the abode of
+unpleasant natives; and, more important than anything else, it was, in
+all probability, a spot where steamers never touched.
+
+But, whatever its disadvantages, I was most wildly desirous to reach it;
+more so, I believe, than either of my companions. I do not mean that
+they were not sensible of their danger, and desirous to be freed from
+it; but they were women who had probably had a rough time of it during a
+great part of their lives, and on emerging from their little circle of
+rural experiences, accepted with equanimity, and almost as a matter of
+course, the rough times which come to people in the great outside world.
+
+"I do not believe," I said, in answer to Mrs. Lecks, "that that is the
+island to which the captain would have taken us; but, whatever it is, it
+is dry land, and we must get there as soon as we can."
+
+"That's true," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for I'd like to have ground nearer
+to my feet than six miles; and if we don't find anything to eat and any
+place to sleep when we get there, it's no more than can be said of the
+place where we are now."
+
+"You're too particular, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "about your
+comforts. If you find the ground too hard to sleep on, when you get
+there, you can put on your life-preserver, and go to bed in the water."
+
+"Very good," said Mrs. Aleshine; "and if these islands are made of
+coral, as I've heard they are, and if they're as full of small p'ints as
+some coral I've got at home, you'll be glad to take a berth by me, Mrs.
+Lecks."
+
+I counseled my companions to follow me as rapidly as possible, and we
+all pushed vigorously forward. When we had approached near enough to the
+island to see what sort of place it really was, we perceived that it was
+a low-lying spot, apparently covered with verdure, and surrounded, as
+far as we could see as we rose on the swells, by a rocky reef, against
+which a tolerably high surf was running.
+
+I knew enough of the formation of these coral islands to suppose that
+within this reef was a lagoon of smooth water, into which there were
+openings through the rocky barrier. It was necessary to try to find one
+of these, for it would be difficult and perhaps dangerous to attempt to
+land through the surf.
+
+Before us we could see a continuous line of white-capped breakers, and
+so I led my little party to the right, hoping that we would soon see
+signs of an opening in the reef.
+
+We swam and paddled, however, for a long time, and still the surf rolled
+menacingly on the rocks before us. We were now as close to the island as
+we could approach with safety, and I determined to circumnavigate it,
+if necessary, before I would attempt, with these two women, to land upon
+that jagged reef. At last we perceived, at no great distance before us,
+a spot where there seemed to be no breakers; and when we reached it we
+found, to our unutterable delight, that here was smooth water flowing
+through a wide opening in the reef. The rocks were piled up quite high,
+and the reef, at this point at least, was a wide one, but as we neared
+the opening we found that it narrowed very soon, and made a turn to the
+left, so that from the outside we could not see into the lagoon.
+
+I swam into this smooth water, followed closely by Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine, who, however, soon became unable to use their oars, owing to
+the proximity of the rocks. Dropping these useful implements, they
+managed to paddle after me with their hands, and they were as much
+astonished as I was when, just after making the slight turn, we found
+stretched across the narrow passage a great iron bar about eight or ten
+inches above the water. A little farther on, and two or three feet above
+the water, another iron bar extended from one rocky wall to the other.
+Without uttering a word I examined the lower bar, and found one end of
+it fastened by means of a huge padlock to a great staple driven into the
+rock. The lock was securely wrapped in what appeared to be tarred
+canvas. A staple through an eyehole in the bar secured the other end of
+it to the rocks.
+
+"These bars were put here," I exclaimed, "to keep out boats, whether at
+high or low water. You see they can only be thrown out of the way by
+taking off the padlocks."
+
+"They won't keep us out," said Mrs. Lecks, "for we can duck under. I
+suppose whoever put 'em here didn't expect anybody to arrive on
+life-preservers."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+PART II
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Adopting Mrs. Lecks's suggestion, I "ducked" my head under the bar, and
+passed to the other side of it. Mrs. Lecks, with but little trouble,
+followed my example; but Mrs. Aleshine, who, by reason of her stoutness,
+floated so much higher out of the water than her friend and I, found it
+impossible to get herself under the bar. In whatever manner she made the
+attempt, her head or her shoulders were sure to bump and arrest her
+progress.
+
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, who had been watching her, "if
+you ever want to get out of this salt water, you've got to make up your
+mind to take some of it into your mouth and into your eyes, that is, if
+you don't keep 'em shut. Get yourself as close to that bar as you can,
+and I'll come and put you under." So saying, Mrs. Lecks returned to the
+other side of the bar, and having made Mrs. Aleshine bow down her head
+and close her eyes and mouth, she placed both hands upon her companion's
+broad shoulders, and threw as much weight as possible upon them. Mrs.
+Aleshine almost disappeared beneath the water, but she came up
+sputtering and blinking on the other side of the bar, where she was
+quickly joined by Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"Merciful me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, wiping her wet face with her
+still wetter sleeve, "I never supposed the heathens would be up to such
+tricks as makin' us do that!"
+
+I had waited to give any assistance that might be required, and, while
+doing so, had discovered another bar under the water, which proved that
+entrance at almost any stage of the tide had been guarded against.
+Warning my companions not to strike their feet against this submerged
+bar, we paddled and pushed ourselves around the turn in the rocky
+passage, and emerged into the open lagoon.
+
+This smooth stretch of water, which separated the island from its
+encircling reef, was here about a hundred feet wide; and the first thing
+that arrested our attention as we gazed across it was a little wharf or
+landing-stage, erected upon the narrow beach of the island, almost
+opposite to us.
+
+"As sure as I stand here," exclaimed Mrs. Lecks, who never seemed to
+forget her upright position, "somebody lives in this place!"
+
+"And it isn't a stickery coral island, either," cried Mrs. Aleshine,
+"for that sand's as smooth as any I ever saw."
+
+"Whoever does live here," resumed Mrs. Lecks, "has got to take us in,
+whether they like it or not, and the sooner we get over there, the
+better."
+
+Mrs. Aleshine now regretted the loss of her oar, and suggested that some
+one of us who could get under bars easily should go back after it. But
+Mrs. Lecks would listen to no such proposition.
+
+"Let the oars go," she said. "We won't want 'em again, for I'll never
+leave this place if I have to scoop myself out to sea with an oar."
+
+I told the two women that I could easily tow them across this narrow
+piece of water; and instructing Mrs. Lecks to take hold of the tail of
+my coat, while Mrs. Aleshine grasped her companion's dress, I began to
+swim slowly toward the beach, towing my companions behind me.
+
+"Goodnessful gracious me!" suddenly exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, with a
+great bounce and a splash, "look at the fishes!"
+
+The water in the lagoon was so clear that it was almost transparent, and
+beneath us and around us we could see fish, some large and some small,
+swimming about as if they were floating in the air, while down below the
+white sandy bottom seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.
+
+"Now don't jerk my skeert off on account of the fishes," said Mrs.
+Lecks. "I expect there was just as many outside, though we couldn't see
+'em. But I must say that this water looks as if it had been boiled and
+filtered."
+
+If any inhabitant of the island had then been standing on the wharf, he
+would have beheld on the surface of the lagoon the peculiar spectacle of
+a man's head surmounted by a wet and misshapen straw hat, and followed
+by two other heads, each wearing a dripping and bedraggled bonnet, while
+beneath, among the ripples of the clear water, would have been seen the
+figures belonging to these three heads, each dressed in the clothes
+ordinarily worn on land.
+
+As I swam I could see before me, on the island, nothing but a mass of
+low-growing, tropical vegetation, behind which rose some palms and other
+trees. I made for the little wharf, from which steps came down into the
+water, and as soon as we reached it we all clambered rapidly up, and
+stood dripping upon the narrow platform, stamping our feet and shaking
+our clothes.
+
+"Do you see that house?" said Mrs. Lecks. "That's where they live, and I
+wonder which way we must go to get there."
+
+From this somewhat elevated position I could plainly see, over the tops
+of the bushes and low trees, the upper part of the roof of a house. When
+I found the bars across the passage in the reef, I had easily come to
+the conclusion that the inhabitants of this island were not savages; and
+now since I had seen the wharf and the roof of this house, I felt quite
+convinced that we had reached the abode of civilized beings. They might
+be pirates or some other sort of sea miscreants, but they were certainly
+not savages or cannibals.
+
+Leaving the wharf, we soon found a broad path through the bushes, and
+in a few moments reached a wide, open space, in which stood a handsome
+modern-built house. It was constructed after the fashion of tropical
+houses belonging to Europeans, with jalousied porches and shaded
+balconies; the grounds about it were neatly laid out, and behind it was
+a walled inclosure, probably a garden.
+
+"Upon my word," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "I'd like to be less drippin'
+before I make a call on genteel folks!"
+
+"Genteel folks!" exclaimed Mrs. Lecks, indignantly. "If you're too proud
+to go in as you are, Barb'ry Aleshine, you can go set in the sun till
+you're dry. As for me, I'm goin' to ask for the lady of the house, and
+if she don't like me she can lump me, so long as she gives me somethin'
+to eat and a dry bed to get into."
+
+I was too much amazed to speak, but my companions took everything as a
+matter of course. They had expected to see strange things in the outer
+world, and they were not surprised when they saw them. My mind was not
+capable of understanding the existence of an establishment like this on
+a little island in mid-ocean. But it was useless for me to attempt to
+reason on this apparent phenomenon; and, indeed, there was no time for
+it, for Mrs. Lecks walked boldly up to the front door and plied the
+knocker, stepping back immediately, so that she might not drip too much
+water on the porch.
+
+"When they come," she said, "we'll ask 'em to let us in the back way, so
+that we sha'n't slop up their floors any more than we can help."
+
+We waited for a couple of minutes, and then I, as the member of the
+party who dripped the least, went up on the porch and knocked again.
+
+"It's my belief they're not at home," said Mrs. Lecks, after we had
+waited some time longer, "but perhaps we'll find some of the servants
+in," and she led the way to the back part of the house.
+
+As we passed the side of the mansion I noticed that all the
+window-shutters were closed, and my growing belief that the place was
+deserted became a conviction after we had knocked several times at a
+door at the back of the building without receiving any answer.
+
+"Well, they're all gone out, that's certain!" said Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"Yes, and they barred up the entrance to the island when they left," I
+added.
+
+"I wonder if there's another house in the neighborhood?" asked Mrs.
+Aleshine.
+
+"I don't believe," said I, "that the neighborhood is very thickly
+settled; but if you will wait here a few minutes, I will run around this
+wall and see what there is beyond. I may find the huts of some natives
+or work-people."
+
+I followed a path by the side of the garden wall, but when I reached the
+end of the inclosure I could see nothing before me but jungle and
+forest, with paths running in several directions. I followed one of
+these, and very soon came out upon an open beach, with the reef lying
+beyond it. From the form of the beach and the reef, and from the
+appearance of things generally, I began to think that this was probably
+a very small island, and that the house we had seen was the only one
+on it. I returned and reported this belief to my companions.
+
+[Illustration: "MRS. LECKS WALKED BOLDLY UP TO THE FRONT DOOR AND PLIED
+THE KNOCKER."]
+
+Now that Mrs. Aleshine had no fear of appearing in an untidy condition
+before "genteel folks," her manner changed very much. "If the family has
+gone into the country," said she, "or whatever else they've done, I want
+to get into this house as soon as I can. I expect we can find something
+to eat. At any rate, we can get ourselves dry, and lay down somewhere to
+rest, for not a wink has one of us slept since night before last."
+
+"I should think," said Mrs. Lecks, addressing me, "that if you could
+manage to climb up to them second-story windows, you might find one of
+them that you could get in, and then come down and open the door for us.
+Everybody is likely to forget to fasten some of the windows on the upper
+floors. I know it isn't right to force our way into other people's
+houses, but there's nothin' else to be done, and there's no need of our
+talkin' about it."
+
+I agreed with her perfectly, and taking off my coat and shoes, I climbed
+up one of the columns of the veranda, and got upon its roof. This
+extended nearly the whole length of two sides of the house. I walked
+along it and tried all the shutters, and I soon came to one in which
+some of the movable slats had been broken. Thrusting my hand and arm
+through the aperture thus formed, I unhooked the shutters and opened
+them. The sash was fastened down by one of the ordinary contrivances
+used for such purposes, but with the blade of my jack-knife I easily
+pushed the bolt aside, raised the sash, and entered. I found myself in
+a small hall at the head of a flight of stairs. Down these I hurried,
+and, groping my way through the semi-darkness of the lower story, I
+reached a side door. This was fastened by two bolts and a bar, and I
+quickly had it open.
+
+Stepping outside, I called Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"Well," said the latter, "I'm sure I'll be glad to get in, and as we've
+squeezed most of the water out of our clothes, we won't make so much of
+a mess, after all."
+
+We now entered, and I opened one of the shutters.
+
+"Let's go right into the kitchen," said Mrs. Lecks, "and make a fire.
+That's the first thing to do."
+
+[Illustration: "I CLIMBED UP ONE OF THE COLUMNS."]
+
+But Mrs. Lecks soon discovered that this mansion was very different from
+a country dwelling in one of our Middle States. Externally, and as far
+as I had been able to observe its internal arrangements, it resembled
+the houses built by English residents which I had seen in the West
+Indies. It was a dwelling in which modern ideas in regard to
+construction and furnishing adapted themselves to the requirements of a
+tropical climate. Apparently there was no kitchen. There were no stairs
+leading to a lower floor, and the darkened rooms into which my
+companions peered were certainly not used for culinary purposes.
+
+In the meantime I had gone out of the door by which we had entered, and
+soon discovered, on the other side of the house, a small building with a
+chimney to it, which I felt sure must be the kitchen. The door and
+shutters were fastened, but before making any attempt to open them I
+returned to announce my discovery.
+
+"Door locked, is it?" said Mrs. Aleshine. "Just wait a minute."
+
+She then disappeared, but in a very short time came out, carrying a
+bunch of large keys.
+
+"It's always the way," said she, as the two followed me round the back
+of the house, "when people shut up a house and leave it, to put all the
+door-keys in the back corner of some drawer in the hall, and to take
+only the front-door key with them. So, you see, I knew just where to go
+for these."
+
+"It's a poor hen," said Mrs. Lecks, "that begins to cackle when she's
+goin' to her nest; the wise ones wait till they're comin' away. Now
+we'll see if one of them keys fit."
+
+Greatly to the triumph of Mrs. Aleshine, the second or third key I tried
+unlocked the door. Entering, we found ourselves in a good-sized kitchen,
+with a great fireplace at one end of it. A door opened from the room
+into a shed where there was a pile of dry twigs and fire-wood.
+
+"Let's have a fire as quick as we can," said Mrs. Lecks, "for since I
+went into that shet-up house I've been chilled to the bones."
+
+"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "and now I know how a fish keeps
+comfortable in the water, and how dreadfully wet and flabby it must feel
+when it's taken out."
+
+I brought in a quantity of wood and kindling, and finding matches in a
+tin box on the wall, I went to work to make a fire, and was soon
+rewarded by a crackling blaze. Turning around, I was amazed at the
+actions of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine. I had expected to see them
+standing shivering behind me, waiting for the fire to be made; but
+instead of that, they were moving rapidly here and there, saying not a
+word, but going as straight to cupboard, closet, and pantry as the hound
+follows the track of the hare. From a wild chaos of uncongenial
+surroundings, these two women had dropped into a sphere in which they
+were perfectly at home. The kitchen was not altogether like those to
+which they had been accustomed, but it was a well-appointed one, and
+their instincts and practice made them quickly understand where they
+would find what they wanted. I gazed on them with delight while one
+filled a kettle from a little pump in the corner which brought water
+from a cistern, and the other appeared from the pantry, carrying a
+tea-caddy and a tin biscuit-box.
+
+"Now, then," said Mrs. Lecks, hanging the kettle on a crane over the
+fire, and drawing up a chair, "by the time we've got a little dried off
+the kettle will bile, and we'll have some hot tea, and then the best
+thing to do is to go to bed."
+
+"We'll take time to have a bite first," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for I was
+never so near famished in my life. I brought out a box nearly full of
+biscuits, and there's sardines in this, Mr. Craig, which you can easy
+open with your knife."
+
+I piled on more wood, and we gathered close around the genial heat. The
+sunshine was hot outside, but that did not prevent the fire from being
+most comforting and refreshing to us.
+
+As soon as the kettle began to simmer, up jumped Mrs. Aleshine. A
+sugar-bowl and some cups were placed upon a table, and in a short time
+we were cheered and invigorated by hot tea, biscuits, and sardines.
+
+"This isn't much of a meal," said Mrs. Aleshine, apologetically, "but
+there's no time to cook nothin', and the sooner we get off our wet
+things and find some beds, the better."
+
+"If I can once get into bed," said Mrs. Lecks, "all I ask is that the
+family will not come back till I have had a good long nap. After that,
+they can do what they please."
+
+We now went back to the house, and ascended the main stairway, which led
+up to a large central hall.
+
+"We won't go into the front rooms," said Mrs. Lecks, "for we don't want
+to make no more disturbance than we can help; but if we can find the
+smallest kind of rooms in the back, with beds in 'em, it is all we can
+ask."
+
+The first chamber we entered was a good-sized one, neatly furnished,
+containing a bedstead with uncovered mattress and pillows. Opening a
+closet door, Mrs. Lecks exclaimed: "This is a man's room, Mr. Craig, and
+you'd better take it. Look at the trousers and coats! There's no
+bedclothes in here, but I'll see if I can't find some."
+
+In a few minutes she returned, bearing blankets, sheets, and a
+pillow-case. With Mrs. Aleshine on one side of the bedstead and Mrs.
+Lecks on the other, the sheets and blankets were laid with surprising
+deftness and rapidity, and in a few moments I saw before me a most
+inviting bed.
+
+While Mrs. Aleshine held a pillow in her teeth as she pulled on the
+pillow-case with both hands, Mrs. Lecks looked around the room with the
+air of an attentive hostess. "I guess you'll be comfortable, Mr. Craig,"
+she said, "and I advise you to sleep just as long as you can. We'll take
+the room on the other side of the hall; but I'm first goin' down to see
+if the kitchen fire is safe, and to fasten the doors."
+
+[Illustration: "'I GUESS YOU'LL BE COMFORTABLE, MR. CRAIG.'"]
+
+I offered to relieve her of this trouble, but she promptly declined my
+services. "When it's rowin' or swimmin', you can do it, Mr. Craig, but
+when it's lockin' up and lookin' to fires, I'll attend to that myself."
+
+My watch had stopped, but I suppose it was the middle of the afternoon
+when I went to bed, and I slept steadily until some hours after sunrise
+the next morning, when I was awakened by a loud knock at the door.
+
+"It's time to get up," said the voice of Mrs. Lecks, "and if your
+clothes are not entirely dry, you'd better see if there isn't somethin'
+in that closet you can put on. After a while I'll make a big fire in the
+kitchen, and dry all our things."
+
+I found my clothes were still very damp, and after investigating the
+contents of the closet and bureau, I was able to supply myself with
+linen and a light summer suit which fitted me fairly well. I even found
+socks and a pair of slippers.
+
+When I entered the kitchen, I first opened wide my eyes with delight,
+and then I burst out laughing. Before me was a table covered with a
+white cloth, with plates, cups, and everything necessary upon it; at one
+end was a steaming tea-pot, and at the other a dish of some kind of hot
+meat, and Mrs. Aleshine was just taking a pan of newly baked biscuits
+from a small iron oven.
+
+"I don't wonder you laugh," said Mrs. Lecks, "but our clothes was still
+wet, and we had to take just what we could find. I'm not in the habit of
+goin' about in a white muslin wrapper with blue-ribbon trimmin's, and as
+for Mrs. Aleshine, I did think we'd never find anything that she could
+get into; but there must be one stout woman in the family, for that
+yeller frock with black buttons fits her well enough, though I must say
+it's a good deal short."
+
+"I never thought," said Mrs. Aleshine, as she sat down at the tea-pot,
+"that the heathens had so many conveniences, specially bakin'-powders
+and Dutch ovens. For my part, I always supposed that they used their
+altars for bakin', when they wasn't offerin' up victims on 'em."
+
+"Have you got it into your head, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks,
+looking up from the dish of potted beef she was serving, "that this
+house belongs to common heathen? I expect that most of the savages who
+live on these desert islands has been converted by the missionaries, but
+they'd have to take 'em from Genesis to Revelations a good many times
+before they'd get 'em to the p'int of havin' force-pumps in their
+kitchens and spring-mattresses on their beds. As far as I've seen this
+house, it looks as if the family had always been Christians, and
+probably either Catholics or Episcopalians."
+
+"On account of the cross on the mantelpiece in our room, I suppose,"
+said Mrs. Aleshine. "But whether they're given to idols or prayer-books,
+I know they've got a mighty nice house; and considerin' the distance
+from stores, there's a good deal more in that pantry than you'd expect
+to find in any house I know of, when the family is away."
+
+"It is my opinion," said I, "that this house belongs to some rich man,
+probably an American or European merchant, who lives on one of the large
+islands not far away, and who uses this as a sort of summer residence."
+
+"I thought it was always summer in this part of the world," said Mrs.
+Lecks.
+
+"So it is in effect," I replied, "but there are some seasons when it is
+very unpleasant to remain in one of those towns which are found on the
+larger islands, and so the owner of this house may come up here
+sometimes for fresh sea air."
+
+"Or it's just as like," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that he lives somewhere up
+in the iceberg regions, and comes here to spend his winters. It would do
+just as well. But, whichever way it is, I can't help thinkin' it's
+careless not to leave somebody in the house to take care of it. Why, for
+all the family would know about it, tramps might break in and stay as
+long as they like."
+
+"That's just what's happenin' now," said Mrs. Lecks, "and for my part I
+ain't goin' to find no fault. I don't suppose the people would have been
+so hard-hearted as to turn us away from their doors, but I've seen
+enough of folks in this world not to be too sure about that."
+
+[Illustration: "THAT YELLER FROCK."]
+
+"How do you suppose," said Mrs. Aleshine, addressing me, "that the
+family gets here and goes back? Do they keep a private steamboat?"
+
+"Of course they have a private vessel of some kind," I answered,
+"probably a yacht. It is quite certain that ordinary steamers never
+touch here."
+
+"If that's the case," said Mrs. Lecks, "all we can do is to wait here
+till they come, and get them to send us away in their ship. But whether
+they've just gone or are just a-comin' back depends, I suppose, on
+whether they live in a freezin' or a burnin' country; and if they don't
+like our bein' here when they come back, there's one thing they can make
+up their minds to, and that is that I'm never goin' to leave this place
+on a life-preserver."
+
+"Nor me nuther," said Mrs. Aleshine, finishing, with much complacency,
+her third cup of tea.
+
+When breakfast was over, Mrs. Lecks pushed back her chair, but did not
+immediately rise. With an expression of severe thought upon her face,
+she gazed steadfastly before her for a minute, and then she addressed
+Mrs. Aleshine, who had begun to gather together the cups and the plates.
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said she, "don't you begin to clear off the
+table, nor touch a single thing to wash it up, till we've been over this
+house. I want to do it now, before Mr. Craig goes out to prospect around
+and see what else is on the island, which, I suppose, he'll be wantin'
+to do."
+
+I replied that I had that intention, but I was quite willing to go over
+the house first.
+
+"It's come to me," said Mrs. Lecks, speaking very gravely, "that it's no
+use for us to talk of the family bein' here, or bein' there, till we've
+gone over this house. If we find that they have, as far as we know, gone
+away in good health and spirits, that's all well enough; but if
+anything's happened in this house, I don't want to be here with what's
+happened--at least, without knowin' it, and when we do go over the
+house, I want a man to go with us."
+
+"If you'd talked that way last night, Mrs. Lecks," exclaimed Mrs.
+Aleshine, "I'd never slept till after sun-up, and then got up and gone
+huntin' round among them frocks and petticoats to find somethin' that
+would fit me, with the quiet pulse I did have, Mrs. Lecks!"
+
+To this remark Mrs. Lecks made no reply, but, rising, she led the way
+out of the kitchen and into the house.
+
+The rooms on the first floor were very well furnished. There was a large
+parlor, and back of it a study or library, while on the other side of
+the hall was a dining-room and an apartment probably used as a family
+room. We found nothing in these which would indicate that anything
+untoward had happened in them. Then we went up-stairs, I leading the
+way, Mrs. Lecks following, and Mrs. Aleshine in the rear. We first
+entered one of the front chambers, which was quite dark, but Mrs. Lecks
+unfastened and threw open a shutter. Then, with a rigid countenance and
+determined mien, she examined every part of the room, looked into every
+closet, and even under the bed. It was quite plain that it was in one of
+the chambers that she expected to find what had happened, if anything
+had happened.
+
+The room on the other side of the hall was very like the one we first
+examined, except that it had two beds in it. We next visited the chamber
+recently occupied by my two companions, which was now undergoing the
+process of "airing."
+
+"We needn't stop here," remarked Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+But Mrs. Lecks instantly replied: "Indeed, we will stop; I'm going to
+look under the bed."
+
+"Merciful me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, putting her hand on her friend's
+shoulder. "Supposin' you should find somethin', and we sleepin' here
+last night! It curdles me to think of it!"
+
+"It's my duty," said Mrs. Lecks, severely, "and I shall do it."
+
+And do it she did, rising from the task with a sigh of relief.
+
+My room was subjected to the same scrutiny as the others, and then we
+visited some smaller rooms at the extreme back of the house, which we
+had not before noticed. A garret, or loft, was reached by a steep
+stairway in one of these rooms, and into its dusky gloom I ventured by
+myself.
+
+"Now, don't come down, Mr. Craig," said Mrs. Lecks, "till you're sure
+there's nothin' there. Of all places in the house, that cockloft, after
+all, is the most likely."
+
+I had none of the fears which seemed to actuate the two women, but I had
+a very unpleasant time of it groping about in the darkness and heat,
+and, as the place was only partly floored, running the continual risk of
+crashing down through the lath and plaster. I made myself quite sure,
+however, that nothing had happened in that loft, unless some one had
+suffocated there, and had dried up and become the dust which I raised at
+every step.
+
+"Now, then," said Mrs. Lecks, when I descended, "as there is no cellar,
+we'll go wash up the breakfast things; and if you want to take a walk,
+to see if there's any genuwine heathens or anybody else a-livin' in this
+island, we're not afraid to be left alone."
+
+For the whole of the rest of the morning I wandered about the island. I
+investigated the paths that I had before noticed, and found that each of
+them led, after a moderate walk, to some wide and pleasant part of the
+beach. At one of these points I found a rustic bench; and, stuffed in
+between two of the slats which formed the seat, I found a book. It had
+been sadly wet and discolored by rain, and dried and curled up by the
+wind and sun. I pulled it out, and found it to be a novel in French. On
+one of the fly-leaves was written "Emily." Reasoning from the
+dilapidated appearance of this book, I began to believe that the family
+must have left this place some time ago, and that, therefore, their
+return might be expected at a proportionately early period. On second
+thoughts, however, I considered that the state of this book was of
+little value as testimony. A few hours of storm, wind, and sun might
+have inflicted all the damage it had sustained. The two women would be
+better able to judge by the state of the house and the condition of the
+provisions how long the family had been away.
+
+I then started out on a walk along the beach, and in little more than an
+hour I had gone entirely around the island. Nowhere did I see any sign
+of habitation or occupation except at the house which had given us
+shelter, nor any opening through the surrounding reef except the barred
+passageway through which we had come.
+
+When I returned to the house, I found that Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+had been hard at work all the morning. They had, so to speak, gone
+regularly and systematically to housekeeping, and had already divided
+the labors of the establishment between them. Mrs. Aleshine, who prided
+herself on her skill in culinary matters, was to take charge of the
+cooking, while Mrs. Lecks assumed the care of the various rooms and the
+general management of the household. This arrangement was explained to
+me at length, and when I remarked that all this seemed to indicate that
+they expected to remain here for a long time, Mrs. Lecks replied:
+
+"In my part of the country I could tell pretty close, by the dust on the
+tables and on the top of the pianner, how long a family had been out of
+a house; but dust in Pennsylvany and dust on a sea island, where there's
+no wagons nor carriages, is quite different. This house has been left in
+very good order, and though the windows wants washin', and the floors
+and stairs brushin',--which will be easy considerin' that none of 'em
+has carpets,--and everything in the house a reg'lar cleanin' up and
+airin', it may be that the family hasn't been gone away very long, and
+so it may be a good while before they come back again. Mrs. Aleshine and
+me has talked it over, and we've made up our minds that the right thing
+to do is just to go along and attend to things as if we was a-goin' to
+stay here for a month or two; and it may be even longer than that before
+the people come back. And I don't think they'll have anything to
+complain of when they find their house in apple-pie order, their windows
+washed, their floors clean, and not a speck of dust anywhere."
+
+"For my part," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I don't see what they've got to find
+fault with, anyway. I look on this as part of the passage. To be sure,
+we ain't movin' a bit on our way to Japan, but that's not my fault, nor
+yet yours, Mrs. Lecks, nor yours, Mr. Craig. We paid our passage to go
+to Japan, and if the ship was steered wrong and got sunk, we hadn't
+anything to do with it. We didn't want to come here, but here we are,
+and I'd like to know who's got any right to find fault with us."
+
+[Illustration: "MRS. ALESHINE HAD BEEN HARD AT WORK ALL THE MORNING."]
+
+"And bein' here," said Mrs. Lecks, "we'll take care of the things."
+
+"As far as I'm concerned," added Mrs. Aleshine, "if this island was
+movin' on to Japan, I'd a great deal rather be on it than on that ship,
+where, to my way of thinkin', they didn't know much more about
+housekeepin' than they did about steerin'."
+
+"I think your plans and arrangements are very good," I said. "But how
+about the provisions? Are there enough to hold out for any time?"
+
+"There's pretty nigh a barrel of flour," said Mrs. Aleshine, "a good
+deal of tea and coffee and sugar, and lots of things in tins and jars.
+There's a kind of cellar outside where they keep things cool, and
+there's more than half a keg of butter down there. It's too strong to
+use, but I can take that butter and wash it out, and work it over, and
+salt it, and make it just as good butter as any we got on board the
+ship."
+
+"But," said I, "you have given me nothing to do. I shall not be content
+to stand about idle and see you do all the work."
+
+"There's nothin' in the house," said Mrs. Lecks, "which you need put
+your hand to; but, if you choose to go out into that garden, and see if
+there's anything can be done in it, or got out of it,--that is, if you
+know anything about garden work,--I'm sure we'd be very glad of any
+fresh vegetables we could get."
+
+I replied that I had been accustomed to garden work in an amateur way,
+and would be glad to do anything that was possible in that direction.
+
+"I never seed into that garden," said Mrs. Aleshine, "but of all the
+foolish things that ever came under my eye, the buildin' a wall around a
+garden, when a picket fence would do just as well, is the foolishest."
+
+I explained that in these countries it was the fashion to use walls
+instead of fences.
+
+"If it's the fashion," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I suppose there's no use
+sayin' anything ag'in' it; but if the fashion should happen to change,
+they'd find it a good deal easier to take down a barbed-wire fence than
+a stone wall."
+
+This conversation took place in the large lower hall, which Mrs. Lecks
+had been "putting to rights," and where Mrs. Aleshine had just entered
+from the kitchen. Mrs. Lecks now sat down upon a chair, and, dust-cloth
+in hand, she thus addressed me:
+
+"There's another thing, Mr. Craig, that me and Mrs. Aleshine has been
+talkin' about. We haven't made up our minds about it, because we didn't
+think it was fair and right to do that before speakin' to you and
+hearin' what you had to say on one side or another of it. Mrs. Aleshine
+and me has had to bow our heads to afflictions, and to walk sometimes in
+roads we didn't want to; but we've remembered the ways in which we was
+brought up, and have kept in them as far as we've been able. When our
+husbands died, leavin' Mrs. Aleshine with a son, and me without any,
+which, perhaps, is just as well, for there's no knowin' how he might
+have turned out--"
+
+"That's so," interrupted Mrs. Aleshine, "for he might have gone as a
+clerk to Roosher, and then you and me would 'a' had to travel different
+ways."
+
+"And when our husbands died," continued Mrs. Lecks, "they left us
+enough, and plenty, to live on, and we wasn't the women to forget them
+and their ways of thinkin', any more than we'd forget the ways of our
+fathers and mothers before us."
+
+"That's so!" said Mrs. Aleshine, fervently.
+
+"And now, Mr. Craig," continued Mrs. Lecks, "we don't know how you've
+been brought up, nor anything about you, in fact, except that you've
+been as kind to us as if you was some sort of kin, and that we never
+would have thought of comin' here without you, and so me and Mrs.
+Aleshine has agreed to leave this whole matter to you, and to do just as
+you say. When us two started out on this long journey, we didn't expect
+to find it what you call the path of roses, and, dear only knows, we
+haven't found it so."
+
+"That's true!" ejaculated Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"And what we've had to put up with," continued Mrs. Lecks, "we have put
+up with. So, Mr. Craig, whether you say dinner in the middle of the day
+at twelve, as we've always been used to, or at six o'clock in the
+afternoon, as they had it on board that ship,--and how people ever come
+to turn their meals hind part foremost in that way, I can't say,--we are
+goin' to do it; if you've been brought up to six o'clock, you won't hear
+no complainin' from us, think what we may."
+
+I was on the point of laughing aloud at the conclusion of this speech,
+but a glance at the serious faces of the two women, who, with so much
+earnest solicitude, awaited my reply, stopped me, and I hastened to
+assure them that dinner in the middle of the day would be entirely in
+accordance with my every wish.
+
+"Good!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, her eyes sparkling amid the plumpness
+of her face, while an expression of calm relief passed over the features
+of Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"And now I'll be off and get us somethin' to eat in less than no time,"
+said Mrs. Aleshine. "We didn't know whether to make it lunch or dinner
+till we had seen you, so you can't expect much to-day, but to-morrow
+we'll begin, and have everything straight and comfortable. I'm goin' to
+get up early in the mornin' and bake a batch of bread, and you needn't
+be afraid, Mr. Craig, but what I'll have you a bit of hot meat every
+night for your supper."
+
+In the afternoon we all visited the garden, which, although a good deal
+overgrown with luxuriant weeds, showed marks of fair cultivation. Some
+of the beds had been cleared out and left to the weeds, and we found
+some "garden truck," as my companions called it, with which we were not
+familiar. But there were tomato-vines loaded with fruit, plenty of beans
+of various kinds, and a large patch of potatoes, many of which had been
+dug.
+
+From the lower end of the garden, Mrs. Aleshine gave a shout of delight.
+We went to her, and found her standing before a long asparagus bed.
+
+"Well!" she exclaimed. "If there's anything that settles it firm in my
+mind that these people is Christians, it's this bed of grass. I don't
+believe there ever was heathens that growed grass."
+
+"I thought that was all settled when we found the bakin'-powders," said
+Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"But this clinches it," answered her companion. "I can't tell from a
+sparrowgrass bed what church they belong to, but they're no idolaters."
+
+The next morning I delivered to the genial Mrs. Aleshine a large basket
+full of fresh vegetables, and we had a most excellent dinner. Somewhat
+to my surprise, the table was not set in the kitchen, but in the
+dining-room.
+
+"Me and Mrs. Aleshine have made up our minds," said Mrs. Lecks, in
+explanation, "that it's not the proper thing for you to be eatin' in the
+kitchen, nor for us neither. Here's table-cloths, and good glass and
+china, and spoons and forks, which, although they're not solid silver,
+are plated good enough for anybody. Neither you nor us is servants, and
+a kitchen is no place for us."
+
+"That's so!" said Mrs. Aleshine. "We paid our money for first-class
+passages, and it was understood that we'd have everything as good as
+anybody."
+
+"Which I don't see as that has anything to do with it, Barb'ry
+Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "for the steamship people don't generally
+throw in desert islands as part of the accommodation."
+
+"We didn't ask for the island," retorted Mrs. Aleshine, "and if they'd
+steered the ship right we shouldn't have wanted it."
+
+When we had finished our dinner, Mrs. Lecks pushed back her chair, and
+sat for a few moments in thought, as was her wont before saying anything
+of importance.
+
+"There's another thing," said she, "that I've been thinkin' about,
+though I haven't spoke of it yet, even to Mrs. Aleshine. We haven't no
+right to come here and eat up the victuals and use the things of the
+people that own this house, without payin' for 'em. Of course, we're not
+goin' to sleep on the bare ground and starve to death while there's beds
+and food close to our hands. But if we use 'em and take it, we ought to
+pay the people that the place belongs to--that is, if we've got the
+money to do it with--and Mrs. Aleshine and me has got the money. When we
+went down into our cabin to get ready to leave the ship, the first thing
+we did was to put our purses in our pockets, and we've both got drafts
+wrapped up in oil silk, and sewed inside our frock-bodies; and if you
+didn't think to bring your money along with you, Mr. Craig, we can lend
+you all you need."
+
+I thanked her for her offer, but stated that I had brought with me all
+my money.
+
+"Now," continued Mrs. Lecks, "it's my opinion that we ought to pay our
+board regular every week. I don't know what is commonly charged in a
+place like this, but I know you can get very good board where I come
+from for six dollars a week."
+
+[Illustration: "'THERE'S ANOTHER THING,' SAID SHE, 'THAT I'VE BEEN
+THINKIN' ABOUT.'"]
+
+"That is for two in a room," said Mrs. Aleshine; "but havin' a room to
+himself would make it more for Mr. Craig."
+
+"It ain't his fault," said Mrs. Lecks, somewhat severely, "that he
+ain't got a brother or some friend to take part of the room and pay part
+of the expense. But, anyway, the room isn't a large one, and I don't
+think he ought to pay much more for having a room to himself. Seven
+dollars is quite enough."
+
+"But then you've got to consider," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that we do the
+cookin' and housework, and that ought to be counted."
+
+"I was comin' to that," said Mrs. Lecks. "Now, if me and Mrs. Aleshine
+was to go out to service, which you may be sure we wouldn't do unless
+circumstances was very different from what they are now--"
+
+"That's true!" earnestly ejaculated Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"But if we was to do it," continued Mrs. Lecks, "we wouldn't go into
+anybody's family for less than two dollars a week. Now, I've always
+heard that wages is low in this part of the world, and the work isn't
+heavy for two of us; so, considering the family isn't here to make their
+own bargain, I think we'd better put our wages at that, so that'll make
+four dollars a week for each of us two to pay."
+
+"But how about Mr. Craig?" said Mrs. Aleshine. "He oughtn't to work in
+that garden for nothin'."
+
+"Fifty cents a day," said Mrs. Lecks, "is as little as any man would
+work for, and then it oughtn't to take all his time. That will make
+three dollars to take out of Mr. Craig's board, and leave it four
+dollars a week, the same as ours."
+
+I declared myself perfectly satisfied with these arrangements, but Mrs.
+Aleshine did not seem to be altogether convinced that they were just.
+
+"When a woman goes out to service," said she, "she gets her board and
+is paid wages besides, and it's the same for gardeners."
+
+"Then I suppose, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "that we ought to
+charge these people with our wages, and make 'em pay it when they come
+back!"
+
+This remark apparently disposed of Mrs. Aleshine's objections, and her
+friend continued: "There's a jar on the mantelpiece there, of the kind
+the East Indy ginger comes in. It's got nothin' in it now but some brown
+paper in which fish-hooks is wrapped. We came here on a Wednesday, and
+so every Tuesday night we'll each put four dollars in that jar, under
+the fish-hook paper; then if, by night or by day, the family comes back
+and makes a fuss about our bein' here, all we have to say is, 'The board
+money's in the ginger-jar,' and our consciences is free."
+
+Mrs. Lecks's plan was adopted as a very just and proper one, and at the
+expiration of the week we each deposited four dollars in the ginger-jar.
+
+While occupying this house I do not think that any of us endeavored to
+pry into the private concerns of the family who owned it, although we
+each had a very natural curiosity to know something about said family.
+Opportunities of acquiring such knowledge, however, were exceedingly
+scarce. Even if we had been willing to look into such receptacles, the
+several desks and secretaries that the house contained were all locked,
+and nowhere could Mrs. Lecks or Mrs. Aleshine find an old letter or
+piece of wrapping-paper with an address on it. I explained to my
+companions that letters and packages were not likely to come to a place
+like this, but they kept a sharp lookout for anything of the kind,
+asserting that there could be no possible harm in reading the names of
+the people whose house they were in.
+
+In some of the books in the library, which were English and French in
+about equal proportions, with a few volumes in German, I found written
+on the blank pages the names "Emily" and "Lucille," and across the
+title-pages of some French histories was inscribed, in a man's hand, "A.
+Dusante." We discussed these names, but could not make up our minds
+whether the family were French or English. For instance, there was no
+reason why an Englishwoman might not be called Lucille, and even such a
+surname as Dusante was not uncommon either among English or Americans.
+The labels on the boxes and tins of provisions showed that most of them
+came from San Francisco, but this was likely to be the case, no matter
+what the nationality of the family.
+
+The question of the relationship of the three persons, of whose
+existence we had discovered traces, was a very interesting one to Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"I can't make up my mind," said the latter, "whether Emily is the mother
+of Lucille or her daughter, or whether they are both children of Mr.
+Dusante, or whether he's married to Lucille and Emily is his
+sister-in-law, or whether she's his sister and not hers, or whether he's
+the uncle and they're his nieces, or whether Emily is an old lady and
+Mr. Dusante and Lucille are both her children, or whether they are two
+maiden ladies and Mr. Dusante is their brother, or whether Mr. Dusante
+is only a friend of the family, and boards here because no two women
+ought to live in such a lonely place without a man in the house."
+
+"Well," said Mrs. Lecks, "whether Mr. Dusante comes back with two
+nieces, or a wife and daughter, or Mrs. Dusante and a mother-in-law, or
+a pair of sisters, all we've got to say is, 'The board money's in the
+ginger-jar,' and let 'em do their worst."
+
+In my capacity as gardener I do not think I earned the wages which my
+companions had allotted to me, for I merely gathered and brought in such
+fruits and vegetables as I found in proper condition for use. In other
+ways, however, I made my services valuable to our little family. In a
+closet in my chamber I found guns and ammunition, and frequently I was
+able to bring in a few birds. Some of these were pronounced by Mrs.
+Aleshine unsuitable for the table, but others she cooked with much
+skill, and they were found to be very good eating.
+
+Not far from the little wharf which has been mentioned there stood,
+concealed by a mass of low-growing palms, a boat-house in which was a
+little skiff hung up near the roof. This I let down and launched, and
+found great pleasure in rowing it about the lagoon. There was
+fishing-tackle in the boat-house, which I used with success, the lagoon
+abounding in fish. Offerings of this kind were much more acceptable to
+Mrs. Aleshine than birds.
+
+"There's some kinds of fishes that's better than others," said she,
+"but, as a gen'ral rule, a fish is a fish, and if you catch 'em you can
+eat 'em; but it's a very different thing with birds. When you've never
+seen 'em before, how are you goin' to tell but what they're some kin to
+an owl, a pigeon-hawk, or a crow? And if I once get it into my head that
+there's any of that kind of family blood in 'em, they disagree with me
+just the same as if there really was."
+
+One afternoon, as I was returning in the boat from the point on the
+other side of the island where I had found the rustic seat and Emily's
+book, I was surprised to see Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine standing on
+the end of the little wharf. This was an unusual thing for them to do,
+as they were very industrious women and seldom had an idle moment, and
+it seemed to be one of their greatest pleasures to discuss the work they
+were going to do when they had finished that on which they were then
+engaged. I was curious, therefore, to know why they should be standing
+thus idly on the wharf, and pulled toward them as rapidly as possible.
+
+[Illustration: "MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE STANDING ON THE END OF THE
+LITTLE WHARF."]
+
+When I had rowed near enough to hear them, Mrs. Aleshine remarked with
+cheerful placidity:
+
+"The Dusantes are comin'."
+
+The tide was quite low, and I could not see over the reef; but in a few
+moments I had grounded the skiff and had sprung upon the wharf. Out on
+the ocean, about a mile away, I saw a boat, apparently a large one,
+approaching the island.
+
+"Now, then, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "you'll soon see whether
+it's his two nieces, or his daughters, wife and sister-in-law, or
+whatever of them other relationships which you've got so pat."
+
+"Yes," said Mrs. Aleshine; "but, what's more, we'll find out if he's
+goin' to be satisfied with the board money we've put in the ginger-jar."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+PART III
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+When the boat which we saw approaching the island had come near enough
+for us to distinguish its occupants, we found that it contained five
+persons. Three sat in the stern, and two were rowing. Of those in the
+stern, we soon made out one to be a woman, and after putting our
+eyesight to its very best efforts, we were obliged to admit that there
+was only one female on board.
+
+"Now, that's disapp'intin'," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for I've wondered and
+wondered which I should like best, Emily or Lucille, and now that only
+one of 'em has come, of course I can't tell."
+
+The boat came on, almost directly toward the passageway in the reef, and
+it was not long before the two women had been able to decide that Mr.
+Dusante was an elderly man, and that the lady was moderately young, and
+in all probability his daughter.
+
+"It may be," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that the mother, whether she was
+Emily, or whether she was Lucille, has died, and for that reason they
+are comin' back sooner than they expected."
+
+"Well, I hope you're wrong there, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks,
+"for they'll see lots of things here that will freshen up their
+affliction, and that won't make 'em any too lively people to be with."
+
+"On the other hand," said Mrs. Aleshine, "it may be that Emily, or else
+Lucille, has got married, and has gone away with her husband to travel,
+and by the time she's got a little baby she'll come here to live on
+account of the sea air for the child, and that'll make the house
+pleasant, Mrs. Lecks."
+
+"I'd like to know how long you expect to live here," said Mrs. Lecks,
+regarding her friend with some severity.
+
+"That's not for me to say," replied Mrs. Aleshine, "knowin' nothin'
+about it. But this I will say, that I hope they have brought along with
+them some indigo blue, for I nearly used up all there was the last time
+I washed."
+
+During this dialogue I had been thinking that it was a very strange
+thing for the owners of this place to visit their island in such a
+fashion. Why should they be in an open boat? And where did they come
+from? Wherever they might live, it was not at all probable that they
+would choose to be rowed from that point to this. From the general
+character and appointments of the house in which we had found a refuge,
+it was quite plain that its owners were people in good circumstances,
+who were in the habit of attending to their domestic affairs in a very
+orderly and proper way. It was to be presumed that it was their custom
+to come here in a suitable vessel, and to bring with them the stores
+needed during their intended stay. Now, there could be little or nothing
+in that boat, and, on the whole, I did not believe it contained the
+owners of this island.
+
+It would not do, however, to assume anything of the kind. There might
+have been a disaster; in fact, I know nothing about it, but it was my
+immediate duty to go and meet these people at the passage, for, if they
+were unable to unlock the bars, their boat could not enter, and I must
+ferry them across the lagoon. Without communicating my doubts to my
+companions, I hurried into the skiff, and pulled as far as possible into
+the passage through the reef. The bars, of which there were more than I
+at first supposed, were so arranged that it was impossible for a boat to
+go in or out at any stage of the tide.
+
+I had been there but a few minutes when the boat from without came
+slowly in between the rocks; and almost as soon as I saw it, its
+progress was suddenly stopped by a sunken bar.
+
+"Hello!" cried several men at once.
+
+"Hello!" cried I, in return. "Have you the key to these bars?"
+
+A stout man with a red beard stood up in the stern. "Key?" said he,
+"what key?"
+
+"Then you do not belong here?" said I. "Who are you?"
+
+At this, the gentleman who was sitting by the lady arose to his feet. He
+was a man past middle age, rather tall and slim, and when he stood up
+the slight rolling of the boat made him stagger, and he came near
+falling.
+
+"You'd better sit down, sir," said the man with the red beard, who I saw
+was a sailor. "You can talk better that way."
+
+The gentleman now seated himself, and thus addressed me:
+
+"I am, sir, the Reverend Mr. Enderton, lately missionary to Nanfouchong,
+China, and this is my daughter, Miss Enderton. We are returning to the
+United States by way of the Sandwich Islands, and took passage in a
+sailing-vessel for Honolulu. About two weeks ago this vessel, in some
+way which I do not understand, became disabled--"
+
+"Rotten forem'st," interrupted the man with the red beard, "which give
+way in a gale; strained and leaky, besides."
+
+"I did not know the mast was rotten," said the gentleman, "but, since
+the occasion of our first really serviceable wind, she has been making
+very unsatisfactory progress. And, more than that, the whole force of
+seamen was employed night and day in endeavoring to keep the water out
+of the tea, thereby causing such a thumping and pounding that sleep was
+out of the question. Add to this the fact that our meals became very
+irregular, and were sometimes entirely overlooked--"
+
+"Prog was gettin' mighty short," interpolated the red-bearded man.
+
+"You can easily discern, sir," continued the gentleman, "that it was
+impossible for myself and my daughter to remain longer on that vessel,
+on which we were the only passengers. I therefore requested the captain
+to put us ashore at the nearest land, and, after more than a week of
+delay and demur, he consented to do so."
+
+"Couldn't do it," said the man, "till there was land nigh enough."
+
+"The captain informed me," continued the gentleman, "that this island
+was inhabited, and that I could here find shelter and repose until a
+vessel could be sent from Honolulu to take me off. He furnished me with
+this boat and three seamen, one of whom," pointing to the red-bearded
+man, "is a coxswain. We have been rowing ever since early this morning,
+with but a very moderate quantity of food and much discomfort. Now, sir,
+you have heard my story; and I ask you, as one man to another, if you
+still intend to bar your water-gates against us?"
+
+"I did not bar the gates," I said, "and I would gladly unlock them if I
+could. I belong to a shipwrecked party who took refuge here some two
+weeks ago."
+
+"And how did you get in?" hastily inquired the red-bearded coxswain.
+
+"Our boat sunk when we were within sight of the island, and we came here
+on life-preservers, and so got under the bars."
+
+The two men who had been rowing now turned suddenly and looked at me.
+They both had black beards, and they both exclaimed at the same moment,
+"By George!"
+
+"I won't stop here to tell any more of our story," said I. "The great
+point now is to get you all ashore, and have you cared for."
+
+"That's so!" said the coxswain. And the two sailors murmured, "Aye, aye,
+sir."
+
+The bar which stopped the progress of the larger boat was just under the
+surface of the water, while another a foot above the water kept my skiff
+about six feet distant from the other boat. There was some loose
+flooring in the bottom of the coxswain's boat, and he ordered two of the
+boards taken out, and with them a bridge was made, one end resting on
+the bow of the larger boat, and the other on the iron bar by my skiff.
+
+"Now," said the coxswain, "let the lady go first."
+
+The elderly gentleman arose, as if he would prefer to take the lead, but
+his daughter, who had not yet spoken a word, was passed forward by the
+coxswain, steadied over the bridge by one of the sailors, and assisted
+by me into the skiff. Then her father came aboard, and I rowed with them
+to the wharf.
+
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine came forward most cordially to meet them.
+
+"Mr. Dusante, I suppose?" said Mrs. Lecks, while Mrs. Aleshine hurriedly
+whispered in my ear, "Is it Lucille or Emily?"
+
+As quickly as possible I explained the situation. For a few moments Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine stood speechless. Nothing which had happened to
+them, the wreck of the steamer, the sinking of the boat, or our
+experience with life-preservers, affected them so much as this
+disappointment in regard to the problem of the Dusante family. Travel by
+sea was all novel and strange to them, and they had expected all sorts
+of things to which they were not accustomed, but they had never
+imagined that Fate would be so hard upon them as to snatch away the
+solution of this mystery just as they were about to put their hands upon
+it. But, in spite of this sudden blow, the two good women quickly
+recovered themselves, and with hearty and kindly words hurried the
+missionary and his daughter to the house, while I went to bring over the
+men.
+
+I found the three sailors busy in securing their boat so that it would
+not be injured by the rocks during the rising and falling of the tide.
+When they had finished this job, they had to do a good deal of
+scrambling before they reached my skiff.
+
+"We thought at first, sir," said the coxswain, as I rowed them across
+the lagoon, "that it was all gammon about your not livin' here, and
+havin' no keys to them bars; but we've come to the 'pinion that if you'd
+been able to unlock 'em you'd have done it sooner than take all this
+trouble."
+
+I now related my story more fully, and the men were greatly astonished
+when they heard that my companions in this adventure were two women.
+Upon my asking the coxswain why he had come to this island, he replied
+that his captain had heard that people lived on it, although he knew
+nothing about them; and that, as it would be almost impossible to get
+his brig here with the wind that was then prevailing, and as he did not
+wish to go out of his course anyway, he made up his mind that he would
+rather lose the services of three men than keep that missionary on board
+a day longer.
+
+"You see, sir," said the coxswain, as we went ashore, "the parson
+wouldn't never take it into account that we were short of prog, and
+leakin' like Sam Hill; and because things were uncomfortable he growled
+up and he growled down, till he was wuss for the spirits of the men than
+the salt water comin' in or the hard-tack givin' out, and there was
+danger, if he wasn't got rid of, that he'd be pitched overboard and left
+to take his chances for a whale. And then, by sendin' us along, that
+give the crew three half-rations a day extry, and that'll count for a
+good deal in the fix they're in."
+
+When I reached the house I took the men into the kitchen, where Mrs.
+Aleshine already had the table spread. There were bread and cold meat,
+while the tea-kettle steamed by the fire. In a very short time three
+happy mariners sat round that table, while Mrs. Aleshine, with beaming
+face, attended to their wants, and plied them with innumerable
+questions. They had not finished eating when Mrs. Lecks entered the
+kitchen.
+
+"I put that minister and his daughter in the two front bedrooms," said
+she to me, after hospitably greeting the three men, "which me and Mrs.
+Aleshine had run and got ready for the Dusantes, as soon as you went in
+your boat to meet 'em. The young lady was mighty nigh worn out, and glad
+enough of the tea and things, and to get into bed. But the gentleman he
+wanted a soft-boiled egg, and when I told him I hadn't come across no
+hen-house yet on this island, he looked at me as if he didn't half
+believe me, and thought I was keepin' the eggs to sell."
+
+"Which it would be ridiculous to do," said Mrs. Aleshine, "in the middle
+of an ocean like this."
+
+"If he lets you off with soft-b'iled eggs, ma'am," said the coxswain,
+very respectfully, "I think you may bless your stars."
+
+"Aye, aye, sir," said the two sailors with black beards.
+
+Miss Ruth Enderton and her father did not make their appearance until
+the next morning at breakfast-time. I found the young lady a very
+pleasant person. She was rather slight in figure, inclined to be pretty,
+and was what might be called a warm-colored blonde. Her disposition was
+quite sociable, and she almost immediately stepped into the favor of
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+Mr. Enderton, however, was a person of another sort. He was a prim and
+somewhat formal man, and appeared to be entirely self-engrossed, with
+very vague notions in regard to his surroundings. He was not by any
+means an ill-tempered man, being rather inclined to be placid than
+otherwise; but he gave so little attention to circumstances and events
+that he did not appear to understand why he should be incommoded by the
+happenings of life. I have no doubt that he made existence on board the
+disabled brig a hundred times more unsatisfactory than it would
+otherwise have been. With his present condition he seemed very well
+satisfied, and it was quite plain that he looked upon Mrs. Lecks, Mrs.
+Aleshine, and myself as the proprietors of the establishment, having
+forgotten, or paid no attention to, my statement in regard to our coming
+here.
+
+As soon as she thought it fit and proper--and this moment arrived in the
+course of the first forenoon--Mrs. Lecks spoke to Mr. Enderton on the
+subject of the board which should be paid to the Dusantes. She stated
+the arrangements we had made in the matter, and then told him that as he
+and his daughter had the best accommodations in the house, each
+occupying a large, handsome room, she thought that he should pay fifteen
+dollars a week for the two.
+
+"Now, if your daughter," she continued, "can do anything about the house
+which will be of real help, though for the life of me I don't see what
+she can find to do, with me and Mrs. Aleshine here, somethin' might be
+took off on account of her services; but of course you, sir, can't do
+nothin', unless you was to preach on Sundays, and not knowin' what
+denomination the Dusantes belong to, it wouldn't be fair to take their
+money to pay for the preachin' of doctrines which, perhaps, they don't
+believe in."
+
+[Illustration: "MR. ENDERTON WAS A PERSON OF ANOTHER SORT."]
+
+This financial proposal aroused Mr. Enderton's opposition. "When I came
+here, madam," he said, "I did not expect to pay any board whatever, and
+I think, moreover, that your rates are exorbitant. In Nanfouchong, if I
+remember rightly, the best of board did not cost more than two or three
+dollars a week."
+
+"I don't want to say anything, sir," said Mrs. Lecks, "which might look
+disrespectful, but as long as I've got a conscience inside of me I'm
+not goin' to stay here and see the Dusantes lose money by Chinese
+cheapness."
+
+"I don't know anything about the Dusantes," said Mr. Enderton, "but I am
+not going to pay fifteen dollars a week for board for myself and
+daughter."
+
+The discussion lasted for some time, with considerable warmth on each
+side, and was at last ended by Mr. Enderton agreeing to pay board at the
+same rate as the two women and myself, and each week to deposit in the
+ginger-jar eight dollars for himself and daughter.
+
+"You may not care to remember, sir," said Mrs. Lecks, with cold
+severity, "that Mr. Craig and me and Mrs. Aleshine puts in services
+besides, although, to be sure, they don't go into the jar."
+
+"I only remember," said Mr. Enderton, "that I am paying an unjustifiable
+price as it is."
+
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, however, were not at all of this opinion,
+and they agreed that, if it should be in their power, they would see to
+it that the Dusantes lost nothing by this close-fisted missionary.
+
+After dinner--and I may remark that the newcomers were not consulted in
+regard to the hours for meals--Mrs. Lecks had an interview with the
+coxswain on the subject of board for himself and his two companions.
+This affair, however, was very quickly settled, for the three mariners
+had among them only one dollar and forty-three cents, and this, the
+coxswain explained, they would like to keep for tobacco. It was
+therefore settled that, as the three sailors could pay no money, as much
+work as possible should be got out of them, and to this plan they
+agreed heartily and cheerfully.
+
+"There's only one thing we'll ask, ma'am," said the coxswain to Mrs.
+Lecks, "and that is that we be put in a different mess from the parson.
+We've now eat two meals with the passengers, and me and my mates is
+agreed that that's about as much as we can go."
+
+After this, therefore, the three men had their meals in the kitchen,
+where they were generally joined by Mrs. Aleshine, who much delighted in
+their company. But she made it a point sometimes to sit down with us in
+the dining-room, merely to show that she had as much right there as
+anybody.
+
+"As to the work for them sailormen," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I don't see
+what they're goin' to do. Of course they don't know nothin' about
+gardenin', and it seems to me that the best thing to be done is to put
+'em to fishin'."
+
+Mrs. Lecks considered this a good suggestion, and accordingly the
+coxswain and his companions were told that thereafter they would be
+expected to fish for eight hours a day, Sundays excepted. This plan,
+however, did not work very well. During the first two days the sailors
+caught so many fish that, although the fishermen themselves had
+excellent appetites for such food, it was found utterly impossible to
+consume what they brought in. Consequently, it was ordered that
+thereafter they should catch only as many fish as should be needed, and
+then make themselves useful by assisting Mrs. Aleshine and Mrs. Lecks in
+any manner they might direct.
+
+I found it quite easy to become acquainted with Miss Ruth Enderton, as
+she was very much inclined to conversation. "It's ever so long," she
+said, "since I've had anybody to talk to."
+
+She had left the United States when she was quite a little girl, and had
+since seen nothing of her native land. She was, consequently, full of
+questions about America, although quite willing to talk of her life in
+China. Society, at least such kind as she had ever cared for, had been
+extremely scarce in the little missionary station at which she had lived
+so long, and now, coming from a wearisome sojourn on a disabled
+sailing-vessel, with no company but the crew and a preoccupied father,
+she naturally was delighted to get among people she could talk to. With
+Mrs. Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine, and myself she soon became very friendly, and
+showed herself to be a most lively and interesting young person.
+
+I did all that I could to make Miss Ruth's time pass agreeably. I rowed
+with her on the lagoon, taught her to fish, and showed her all the
+pleasant points on the island which could be easily reached by walking.
+Mr. Enderton gave us very little of his company, for, having discovered
+that there was a library in the house, he passed most of his time in
+that room.
+
+"You have made a very fair selection of books, sir," he remarked to me,
+"but it may readily be conceived, from the character of the works, that
+your tastes are neither ecclesiastic nor scientific."
+
+Several times I explained to him the ownership of the library and the
+house, but he immediately forgot what I had said, or paid no attention
+to it. When he paid his board at the end of the week, he handed the
+money to Mrs. Lecks; and although before his eyes she put it into the
+ginger-jar, beneath the paper of fish-hooks, I know very well that he
+considered he was paying it to her for her own use and behoof. He was
+comfortably lodged, he had all that he needed--and very nearly all that
+he wanted--to eat, and I do not know that I ever saw a man more
+contented with his lot.
+
+[Illustration: "I DID ALL THAT I COULD TO MAKE MISS RUTH'S TIME PASS
+AGREEABLY."]
+
+As for the coxswain and the two sailors, they had a very pleasant time
+of it, but Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine would not think of such a thing
+as allowing them to eat in idleness the bread of the Dusantes. After
+they had been with us a few days, Mrs. Lecks told me that she thought
+she could show the coxswain and his mates how to dig and gather the
+garden-stuff which was daily needed.
+
+"To be sure," said she, "that work goes ag'in' part of your board, but
+fishin' and bringin' in fire-wood don't take up quarter of the time of
+them sailors, and so that the garden work is done, I don't suppose it
+matters to the Dusantes who does it. And that'll give you more time to
+make things pleasant for Miss Ruth, for, as far as I can see, there
+isn't a thing for her to do, even if she knows how to do it."
+
+The three mariners were more than willing to do anything desired by Mrs.
+Lecks or Mrs. Aleshine, to whom they looked up with great admiration and
+respect. The latter was their favorite, not only because she was with
+them a great deal during their meals and at other times, but because of
+her genial nature and easy sociability. The men were always trying to
+lighten her labors, and to do something that would please her.
+
+One of them climbed to the top of what she called a "palm-leaf-fan
+tree," and brought therefrom some broad leaves, which he cut and trimmed
+and sewed, in true nautical fashion, until he made some fans which were
+heavy and clumsy, but, as he said, they would stand half a gale of wind
+if she chose to raise it. The coxswain caught or trapped two sea-birds,
+and, having clipped their wings, he spent days in endeavoring to tame
+them, hoping to induce them, as far as the power in them lay, to take
+the place of the barn-yard fowls whose absence Mrs. Aleshine continually
+deplored. Every evening the two black-bearded sailors would dance
+hornpipes for her, much to her diversion and delight.
+
+"I've often heard," she remarked, "that in these hot cocoanut countries
+the tricks of the monkeys was enough to keep everybody on a steady
+laugh, but I'm sure sailormen is a great deal better. When you get tired
+of their pranks and their tomfooleries you can tell 'em to stop, which
+with monkeys you can't."
+
+It was about ten days after the arrival of the missionary's party that,
+as I was going to get ready the boat in which Miss Ruth and myself
+generally rowed in the cool of the evening, I saw Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine sitting on the beach in the shade of some low-growing trees.
+They were evidently waiting for me, and as soon as I appeared Mrs. Lecks
+beckoned to me; whereupon I joined them.
+
+"Sit down," said Mrs. Lecks; "there's somethin' I want to talk to you
+about. Mrs. Aleshine and me have made up our minds that you ought to be
+hurried up a little about poppin' the question to Miss Ruth."
+
+This remark astounded me. "Popping the question!" I exclaimed.
+
+"Yes," continued Mrs. Lecks, "and me and Mrs. Aleshine know very well
+that you haven't done it yet, for both of us havin' been through that
+sort of thing ourselves, we know the signs of it after it has
+happened."
+
+"And we wouldn't say nothin' to hurry you," added Mrs. Aleshine, "if it
+wasn't that the groceries, especially the flour, is a-gettin' low. We've
+been talkin' to them sailormen, and they're pretty well agreed that
+there's no use now in expectin' their captain to send for 'em; for if he
+was a-goin' to do it at all, he'd 'a' done it before this. And perhaps
+he never got nowhere himself, in which case he couldn't. And they say
+the best thing we can all do when the victuals has nearly give out,
+provided the Dusantes don't come back in time, is to take what's left,
+and all get into their big boat, and row away to that island, which I
+don't know just how far it is, that the captain of our ship was goin'
+to. There we can stay pretty comfortable till a ship comes along and
+takes us off."
+
+"But what has all that to do," I asked, "with Miss Ruth and me?"
+
+"Do?" cried Mrs. Lecks. "It has everythin' to do. When it's all settled
+and fixed between you and Miss Ruth, there'll be nothin' to hinder us
+from gettin' ready to start when we please."
+
+"But, my dear friends," I said with much earnestness, "I have not the
+slightest idea of proposing to Miss Enderton."
+
+"That's just what I said to Mrs. Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "and that's
+the reason we let our irons cool, and come out here to talk to you. It's
+just like a young man to keep puttin' off that sort of thing, but this
+can't be put off."
+
+"That's so!" cried Mrs. Aleshine; "and I'll just let you see how the
+matter stands. There is housekeepers who allows a pint of flour a day to
+each person, but this is for farm-hands and people who works hard and
+eats hearty, and I've found that three quarters of a pint will do very
+well, if the dough is kneaded conscientious and made up light, so that
+it'll rise well when it's put into the oven. Now I've measured all the
+flour that's left, and me and Mrs. Lecks we've calculated that, allowin'
+three quarters of a pint of flour a day to each one of us, there's just
+eight days more that we can stay here--that is, if the Dusantes don't
+come back before that time, which, of course, can't be counted on. So
+you can see for yourself, Mr. Craig, there's no time to be lost, even
+considerin' that she hasn't to make up anything to be married in."
+
+[Illustration: "THEY WERE EVIDENTLY WAITING FOR ME."]
+
+"No," said Mrs. Lecks; "just for us and three sailors, that wouldn't be
+needed."
+
+I looked from one to the other in dumb astonishment. Mrs. Lecks gave me
+no time to say anything.
+
+"In common cases," said she, "this might all be put off till we got
+somewhere; but it won't do now. Here you are, with everythin' in your
+own hands, but just get away from here, and there's an end of that.
+She's as pretty a girl as you'll see in a month of Sundays, and if she
+leaves here without your gettin' her, there's no knowing who'll snap her
+up. When we've got to that island, you may see her once a week, but
+maybe you won't. She may go away in one ship, and you in another, and
+there may be somebody right there--a missionary, for all I know--who'll
+have her before you have a chance to put in a word."
+
+"And that's not the worst of it," said Mrs. Aleshine. "Supposin' them
+Dusantes come back before we go. There's no knowin' what that Mr.
+Dusante is. He may be a brother of Emily and Lucille. And what sort of a
+chance would you have then, I'd like to know, with Miss Ruth right here
+in his own house, and he ownin' the rowboat, and everythin'? Or it may
+be he's a widower, and that'll be a mighty sight worse, I can tell you."
+
+"No matter whether they're widowers or never been married," said Mrs.
+Lecks, "there'll be plenty that'll want her as soon as they see her; and
+if it isn't for the girl's own pretty face, it'll be for her father's
+money."
+
+"Her father's money!" I exclaimed. "What are you talking of?"
+
+"There's no good tellin' me anything about that," said Mrs. Lecks, very
+decidedly. "There never was a man as close-fisted as Mr. Enderton who
+hadn't money."
+
+"And you know as well as we do," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that in them
+countries where he's been the heathens worship idols of silver and idols
+of gold, and when them heathens is converted, don't you suppose the
+missionaries get any of that? I expect that Mr. Enderton has converted
+thousands of heathens."
+
+At this suggestion I laughed outright. But Mrs. Lecks reproved me.
+
+"Now, Mr. Craig," said she, "this is no laughin' matter. What me and
+Mrs. Aleshine is sayin' is for your good, and for the good of Miss Ruth
+along with you. I haven't much opinion of her father, but his money is
+as good as anybody else's, and though they had to leave their trunks on
+board their ship, what little they brought with them shows that they've
+been used to havin' the best there is. Mrs. Aleshine and me has set up
+till late into the night talkin' over this thing, and we are both of one
+mind that you two need never expect to have the same chance again that
+you've got now. The very fact that the old gentleman is a preacher, and
+can marry you on the spot, ought to make you tremble when you think of
+the risks you are runnin' by puttin' it off."
+
+"I've got to go into the house now to see about supper," said Mrs.
+Aleshine, rising, "and I hope you'll remember, Mr. Craig, when your
+bread is on your plate, and Miss Ruth is sittin' opposite to you, that
+three quarters of a pint of flour a day is about as little as anybody
+can live on, and that time is flyin'."
+
+Mrs. Lecks now also rose. But I detained the two for a moment.
+
+"I hope you have not said anything to Miss Enderton on this subject," I
+said.
+
+"No," replied Mrs. Aleshine, "we haven't. We are both agreed that as
+you're the one that's to do what's to be done, you are the one that's to
+be spoke to. And havin' been through it ourselves, we understand well
+enough that the more a woman don't know nothin' about it, the more
+likely she is to be ketched if she wants to be."
+
+The two women left me in an amused but also somewhat annoyed state of
+mind. I had no intention whatever of proposing to Miss Ruth Enderton.
+She was a charming girl, very bright and lively, and withal, I had
+reason to believe, very sensible. But it was not yet a fortnight since I
+first saw her, and no thought of marrying her had entered into my head.
+Had Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, or, more important than all, had Miss
+Enderton, any reason to believe that I was acting the part of a lover?
+
+The latter portion of this question was almost immediately answered to
+my satisfaction by the appearance of Miss Ruth, who came skipping down
+to me and calling out to me in that free and hearty manner with which a
+woman addresses a friend or near acquaintance, but never a suspected
+lover. She betrayed no more notion of the Lecks and Aleshine scheme than
+on the day I first met her.
+
+But, as I was rowing her over the lagoon, I felt a certain constraint
+which I had not known before. There was no ground whatever for the wild
+imaginings of the two women, but the fact that they had imagined
+interfered very much with the careless freedom with which I had
+previously talked to Miss Ruth. I do not think, however, that she
+noticed any change in me, for she chatted and laughed, and showed, as
+she had done from the first, the rare delight which she took in this
+novel island life.
+
+When we returned to the house, we were met by Mrs. Aleshine. "I am goin'
+to give you two your supper," she said, "on that table there under the
+tree. We all had ours a little earlier than common, as the sailormen
+seemed hungry; and I took your father's to him in the libr'ry, where I
+expect he's a-sittin' yet, holdin' a book in one hand and stirrin' his
+tea with the other, till he's stirred out nearly every drop on the
+floor; which, however, won't matter at all, for in the mornin' I'll rub
+up that floor till it's as bright as new."
+
+This plan delighted Miss Ruth, but I saw in it the beginning of the
+workings of a deep-laid scheme. I was just about to sit down when Mrs.
+Aleshine said to me in a low voice, as she left us:
+
+"Remember that the first three quarters of a pint apiece begins now!"
+
+"Don't you think that Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine are perfectly
+charming?" said Miss Ruth, as she poured out the tea. "They always seem
+to be trying to think of some kind thing to do for other people."
+
+I agreed entirely with Miss Enderton's remark, but I could not help
+thinking of the surprise she would feel if she knew of the kind thing
+that these two women were trying to do for her.
+
+"Have you taken any steps yet?" asked Mrs. Lecks of me, the next day. On
+my replying that I had taken no steps of the kind to which I supposed
+she alluded, she walked away with a very grave and serious face.
+
+A few hours later Mrs. Aleshine came to me. "There's another reason for
+hurryin' up," said she. "Them sailormen seems able to do without 'most
+anything in this world except tobacco, and Mrs. Lecks has been sellin'
+it to 'em out of a big box she found in a closet up-stairs, at five
+cents a teacupful,--which I think is awful cheap, but she says prices in
+islands is always low,--and wrapping the money up in a paper, with 'Cash
+paid by sailormen for tobacco' written on it, and puttin' it into the
+ginger-jar with the board money. But their dollar and forty-three cents
+is nearly gone, and Mrs. Lecks she says that not a whiff of Mr.
+Dusante's tobacco shall they have if they can't pay for it. And when
+they have nothin' to smoke they'll be wantin' to leave this island just
+as quick as they can, without waitin' for the flour to give out."
+
+Here was another pressure brought to bear upon me. Not only the waning
+flour, but the rapidly disappearing tobacco money was used as a weapon
+to urge me forward to the love-making which Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+had set their hearts upon.
+
+I was in no hurry to leave the island, and hoped very much that when we
+did go we should depart in some craft more comfortable than a ship's
+boat. In order, therefore, to prevent any undue desire to leave on the
+part of the sailors, I gave them money enough to buy a good many teacups
+full of tobacco. By this act I think I wounded the feelings of Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, although I had no idea that such would be the
+effect of my little gift. They said nothing to me on the subject, but
+their looks and manners indicated that they thought I had not been
+acting honorably. For two days they had very little to say to me, and
+then Mrs. Aleshine came to me to make what, I suppose, was their supreme
+effort.
+
+"Mrs. Lecks and me is a-goin' to try," she said,--and as she spoke she
+looked at me with a very sad expression and a watery appearance about
+the eyes,--"to stretch out the time for you a little longer. We are
+goin' to make them sailormen eat more fish; and as for me and her, we'll
+go pretty much without bread, and make it up, as well as we can, on
+other things. You and Miss Ruth and the parson can each have your three
+quarters of a pint of flour a day, just the same as ever, and what we
+save ought to give you three or four days longer."
+
+This speech moved me deeply. I could not allow these two kind-hearted
+women to half starve themselves in order that I might have more time to
+woo, and I spoke very earnestly on the subject to Mrs. Aleshine, urging
+her to give up the fanciful plans which she and Mrs. Lecks had
+concocted.
+
+"Let us drop this idea of love-making," I said, "which is the wildest
+kind of vagary, and all live happily together, as we did before. If the
+provisions give out before the Dusantes come back, I suppose we shall
+have to leave in the boat; but, until that time comes, let us enjoy life
+here as much as we can, and be the good friends that we used to be."
+
+I might as well have talked to one of the palm-trees which waved over
+us.
+
+"As I said before," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "what is saved from Mrs.
+Lecks's and mine and the three sailormen's three quarters of a pint
+apiece ought to give you four days more." And she went into the house.
+
+All this time the Reverend Mr. Enderton had sat and read in the library,
+or meditatively had walked the beach with a book in his hand; while the
+three mariners had caught fish, performed their other work, and lain in
+the shade, smoking their pipes in peace. Miss Ruth and I had taken our
+daily rows and walks, and had enjoyed our usual hours of pleasant
+converse, and all the members of the little colony seemed happy and
+contented except Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine. These two went gravely
+and sadly about their work, and the latter asked no more for the
+hornpipes and the sea-songs of her sailormen.
+
+But, for some unaccountable reason, Mr. Enderton's condition of tranquil
+abstraction did not continue. He began to be fretful and discontented.
+He found fault with his food and his accommodations, and instead of
+spending the greater part of the day in the library, as had been his
+wont, he took to wandering about the island, generally with two or three
+books under his arm, sometimes sitting down in one place, and sometimes
+in another, and then rising suddenly to go grumbling into the house.
+
+One afternoon, as Miss Ruth and I were in the skiff in the lagoon, we
+saw Mr. Enderton approaching us, walking on the beach. As soon as he was
+near enough for us to hear him, he shouted to his daughter:
+
+"Ruth, come out of that boat! If you want to take the air, I should
+think you might as well walk with me as to go rowing round with--with
+anybody."
+
+This rude and heartless speech made my blood boil, while my companion
+turned pale with mortification. The man had never made the slightest
+objection to our friendly intercourse, and this unexpected attack was
+entirely indefensible.
+
+"Please put me ashore," said Miss Ruth, and without a word, for I could
+not trust myself to speak, I landed her; and, petulantly complaining
+that she never gave him one moment of her society, her father led her
+away.
+
+[Illustration: "SMOKING THEIR PIPES IN PEACE."]
+
+An hour later, my soul still in a state of turmoil, but with the
+violence of its tossings somewhat abated, I entered one of the paths
+which led through the woods. After a few turns, I reached a point where
+I could see for quite a long distance to the other end of the path,
+which opened out upon the beach. There I perceived Mr. Enderton sitting
+upon the little bench on which I had found Emily's book. His back was
+toward me, and he seemed to be busily reading. About midway between him
+and myself I saw Miss Ruth slowly walking toward me. Her eyes were fixed
+upon the ground, and she had not seen me.
+
+Stepping to one side, I awaited her approach. When she came near I
+accosted her.
+
+"Miss Ruth," said I, "has your father been talking to you of me?"
+
+She looked up quickly, evidently surprised at my being there. "Yes," she
+said, "he has told me that it is not--suitable that I should be with you
+as much as I have been since we came here."
+
+There was something in this remark that roused again the turmoil which
+had begun to subside within me. There was so much that was unjust and
+tyrannical, and--what perhaps touched me still deeper--there was such a
+want of consideration and respect in this behavior of Mr. Enderton's,
+that it brought to the front some very incongruous emotions. I had been
+superciliously pushed aside, and I found I was angry. Something was
+about to be torn from me, and I found I loved it.
+
+"Ruth," said I, stepping up close to her, "do you like to be with me as
+you have been?"
+
+If Miss Ruth had not spent such a large portion of her life in the
+out-of-the-world village of Nanfouchong, if she had not lived among
+those simple-hearted missionaries, where it was never necessary to
+conceal her emotions or her sentiments, if it had not been that she
+never had had emotions or sentiments that it was necessary to conceal, I
+do not believe that when she answered me she would have raised her eyes
+to me with a look in them of a deep-blue sky seen through a sort of
+Indian-summer mist, and that, gazing thus, she would have said:
+
+"Of course I like it."
+
+"Then let us make it suitable," I said, taking both her hands in mine.
+
+There was another look, in which the skies shone clear and bright, and
+then, in a moment, it was all done.
+
+About five minutes after this I said to her, "Ruth, shall we go to your
+father?"
+
+"Certainly," she answered. And together we walked along the thickly
+shaded path.
+
+The missionary still sat with his back toward us, and, being so intent
+upon his book, I found that by keeping my eyes upon him it was perfectly
+safe to walk with my arm around Ruth until we had nearly reached him.
+Then I took her hand in mine, and we stepped in front of him.
+
+"Father," said Ruth, "Mr. Craig and I are going to be married."
+
+There was something very plump about this remark, and Mr. Enderton
+immediately raised his eyes from his book and fixed them first upon his
+daughter and then upon me; then he let them drop, and through the narrow
+space between us he gazed out over the sea.
+
+"Well, father," said Ruth, a little impatiently, "what do you think of
+it?"
+
+Mr. Enderton leaned forward and picked up a leaf from the ground. This
+he placed between the open pages of his book, and closed it.
+
+"It seems to me," he said, "that on many accounts the arrangement you
+propose may be an excellent one. Yes," he added more decidedly; "I think
+it will do very well indeed. I shall not be at all surprised if we are
+obliged to remain on this island for a considerable time, and, for my
+part, I have no desire to leave it at present. And when you shall place
+yourself, Ruth, in a position in which you will direct the domestic
+economies of the establishment, I hope that you will see to it that
+things generally are made more compatible with comfort and gentility,
+and, as regards the table, I may add with palatability."
+
+[Illustration: "IT WAS PERFECTLY SAFE."]
+
+Ruth and I looked at each other, and then together we promised that as
+far as in us lay we would try to make the life of Mr. Enderton a happy
+one, not only while we were on the island, but ever afterward.
+
+We were promising a great deal, but at that moment we felt very
+grateful.
+
+Then he stood up, shook us both by the hands, and we left him to his
+book.
+
+When Ruth and I came walking out of the woods and approached the house,
+Mrs. Aleshine was standing outside, not far from the kitchen. When she
+saw us she gazed steadily at us for a few moments, a strange expression
+coming over her face. Then she threw up both her hands, and without a
+word she turned and rushed indoors.
+
+We had not reached the house before Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine came
+hurrying out together. Running up to us with a haste and an excitement I
+had never seen in either of them, first one and then the other took Ruth
+into her arms and kissed her with much earnestness. Then they turned
+upon me and shook my hands with hearty vigor, expressing, more by their
+looks and actions than their words, a triumphant approbation of what I
+had done.
+
+"The minute I laid eyes on you," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I knowed it was
+all right. There wasn't no need of askin' questions."
+
+I now became fearful lest, in the exuberance of their satisfaction,
+these good women might reveal to Ruth the plans they had laid for our
+matrimonial future, and the reluctance I had shown in entering into
+them. My countenance must have expressed my apprehensions, for Mrs.
+Aleshine, her ruddy face glowing with warmth, both mental and physical,
+gave me a little wink, and drew me to one side.
+
+"You needn't suppose that we've ever said anything to Miss Ruth, or that
+we're goin' to. It's a great deal better to let her think you did it all
+yourself."
+
+I felt like resenting this imputation upon the independence of my
+love-making, but at this happy moment I did not want to enter into a
+discussion, and therefore merely smiled.
+
+"I'm so glad, I don't know how to tell it," continued Mrs. Aleshine, as
+Mrs. Lecks and Ruth walked toward the house.
+
+I was about to follow, but my companion detained me.
+
+"Have you spoke to the parson?" she asked.
+
+"Oh, yes," said I, "and he seems perfectly satisfied. I am rather
+surprised at this, because of late he has been in such a remarkably bad
+humor."
+
+"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "there's no gettin' round the fact that
+he's been a good deal crosser than two sticks. You see, Mr. Craig, that
+Mrs. Lecks and me we made up our minds that it wasn't fair to the
+Dusantes to let that rich missionary go on payin' nothin' but four
+dollars a week apiece for him and his daughter, and if we couldn't get
+no more out of him one way, we'd do it another. It was fair enough that
+if he didn't pay more he ought to get less; and so we gave him more fish
+and not so much bread, the same as we did the sailormen; and we weakened
+his tea, and sent him just so much sugar, and no more; and as for
+openin' boxes of sardines for him, which there was no reason why they
+shouldn't be left here for the Dusantes, I just wouldn't do it, though
+he said he'd got all the fresh fish he wanted when he was in China. And
+then we agreed that it was high time that that libr'ry should be cleaned
+up, and we went to work at it, not mindin' what he said; for it's no use
+tellin' me that four dollars a week will pay for a front room and good
+board, and the use of a libr'ry all day. And as there wasn't no need of
+both of us cleanin' one room, Mrs. Lecks she went into the parlor,
+where he'd took his books, and begun there. And then, again, we shut
+down on Mr. Dusante's dressing-gown. There was no sense includin' the
+use of that in his four dollars a week, so we brushed it up, and
+camphored it, and put it away. We just wanted to let him know that if he
+undertook to be skinflinty, he'd better try it on somebody else besides
+us. We could see that he was a good deal upset, for if ever a man liked
+to have things quiet and comfortable around him, and everything his own
+way, that man is that missionary. But we didn't care if we did prod him
+up a little. Mrs. Lecks and me we both agreed that it would do him good.
+Why, he'd got into such a way of shettin' himself up in himself that he
+didn't even see that his daughter was goin' about with a young man, and
+fixin' her affections on him more and more every day, when he never had
+no idea, as could be proved by witnesses, of marryin' her."
+
+[Illustration: "'I KNOWED IT WAS ALL RIGHT.'"]
+
+"Mrs. Aleshine," said I, looking at her very steadfastly, "I believe,
+after all, that you and Mrs. Lecks had your own way in regard to
+hurrying up this matter."
+
+"Yes," said she, with happy complacency; "I shouldn't wonder if we had.
+Stirrin' up the parson was our last chance, and it wasn't much trouble
+to do it."
+
+Mrs. Lecks, whose manner toward me for the last few days had been
+characterized by cold severity, now resumed her former friendly
+demeanor, although she was not willing to let the affair pass over
+without some words of reproach.
+
+"I must say, Mr. Craig," she remarked the next morning, "that I was
+gettin' pretty well outdone with you. I was beginnin' to think that a
+young man that couldn't see and wouldn't see what was good for him
+didn't deserve to have it; and if Miss Ruth's father had just come down
+with a heavy foot and put an end to the whole business, I'm not sure I'd
+been sorry for you. But it's all right at last, and bygones is bygones.
+And now, what we've got to do is to get ready for the weddin'."
+
+"The wedding!" I exclaimed.
+
+Mrs. Lecks regarded me with an expression in which there was something
+of virtuous indignation and something of pity. "Mr. Craig," said she,
+"if there ever was anybody that wanted a guardeen, it's you. Now, just
+let me tell you this. That Mr. Enderton ain't to be trusted no further
+than you can see him, and not so fur, neither, if it can be helped. He's
+willin' for you to have Miss Ruth now, because he's pretty much made up
+his mind that we're goin' to stay here, and as he considers you the
+master of this island, of course he thinks it'll be for his good for his
+daughter to be mistress of it. For one thing, he wouldn't expect to pay
+no board then. But just let him get away from this island, and just let
+him set his eyes on some smooth-faced young fellow that'll agree to take
+him into the concern and keep him for nothin' on books and tea, he'll
+just throw you over without winkin'. And Miss Ruth is not the girl to
+marry you against his will, if he opens the Bible and piles texts on
+her, which he is capable of doin'. If in any way you two should get
+separated when you leave here, there's no knowin' when you'd ever see
+each other again, for where he'll take her nobody can tell. He's more
+willin' to set down and stay where he finds himself comfortable than
+anybody I've met yet."
+
+"Of course," I said, "I'm ready to be married at any moment; but I don't
+believe Miss Ruth and her father would consent to anything so speedy."
+
+"Don't you get into the way," said Mrs. Lecks, "of beforehand believin'
+this or that. It don't pay. Just you go to her father and talk to him
+about it, and if you and him agree, it'll be easy enough to make her
+see the sense of it. You attend to them, and I'll see that everythin' is
+got ready. And you'd better fix the day for to-morrow, for we can't stay
+here much longer, and there's a lot of house-cleanin' and bakin' and
+cookin' to be done before we go."
+
+I took this advice, and broached the subject to Mr. Enderton.
+
+"Well, sir," said he, laying down his book, "your proposition is
+decidedly odd; I may say, very odd, indeed. But it is, perhaps, after
+all, no odder than many things I have seen. Among the various
+denominational sects I have noticed occurrences quite as odd; quite as
+odd, sir. For my part, I have no desire to object to an early
+celebration of the matrimonial rites. I may say, indeed, that I am of
+the opinion that a certain amount of celerity in this matter will
+conduce to the comfort of all concerned. It has been a very
+unsatisfactory thing to me to see my daughter occupying a subordinate
+position in our little family, where she has not even the power to turn
+household affairs into the channels of my comfort. To-morrow, I think,
+will do very well indeed. Even if it should rain, I see no reason why
+the ceremony should be postponed."
+
+The proposition of a wedding on the morrow was not received by Ruth with
+favor. She was unprepared for such precipitancy. But she finally yielded
+to arguments; not so much to mine, I fear, as to those offered by Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+For the rest of that day the three mariners were kept very busy,
+bringing in green things to deck the parlor, and doing every imaginable
+kind of work necessary to a wedding which Mrs. Aleshine was willing to
+give into their hands. As for herself and her good friend, they put
+themselves upon their mettle as providers of festivals. They made cakes,
+pies, and I never knew half so well as the three sailors how many other
+kinds of good things. Besides all this, they assisted Ruth to array
+herself in some degree in a manner becoming a bride. Some light and
+pretty adornments of dress were borrowed from Emily or Lucille, they
+knew not which, and, after having been "done up" and fluted and crimped
+by Mrs. Lecks, were incorporated by Ruth into her costume with so much
+taste that on the wedding morning she appeared to me to be dressed more
+charmingly than any bride I had ever seen.
+
+The three sailors had done their own washing and ironing, and appeared
+in cleanly garb, and with hair and beards well wet and brushed. Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine put on their best bibs and tuckers, and Mr.
+Enderton assumed his most clerical air as he stood behind a table in the
+parlor and married Ruth and me.
+
+"This," said Mr. Enderton, as we were seated at the wedding-feast, "is a
+most creditable display of attractive viands, but I may say, my dear
+Ruth, that I think I perceived the influence of the happy event of
+to-day even before it took place. I have lately had a better appetite
+for my food, and have experienced a greater enjoyment of my
+surroundings."
+
+"I should think so," murmured Mrs. Aleshine in my ear, "for we'd no
+sooner knowed that you two were to make a match of it than we put an
+extry spoonful of tea into his pot, and stopped scrubbin' the libr'ry."
+
+For the next two days all was bustle and work on the island. Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine would not consent to depart without leaving everything
+in the best possible order, so that the Dusantes might not be
+dissatisfied with the condition of their house when they returned. It
+was, in fact, the evident desire of the two women to gratify their pride
+in their house-wifely abilities by leaving everything better than they
+found it.
+
+Mr. Enderton was much surprised at these preparations for immediate
+departure. He was very well satisfied with his life on the island, and
+had prepared his mind for an indefinite continuance of it, with the
+position of that annoying and obdurate Mrs. Lecks filled by a compliant
+and affectionate daughter. He had no reasonable cause for complaint, for
+the whole subject of the exhaustion of our supply of provisions, and the
+necessity of an open-boat trip to an inhabited island, had been fully
+discussed before him; but he was so entirely engrossed in the
+consideration of his own well-being that this discussion of our plans
+had made no impression upon him. He now became convinced that a
+conspiracy had been entered into against him, and fell into an
+unpleasant humor. This, however, produced very little effect upon any of
+us, for we were all too busy to notice his whims. But his sudden change
+of disposition made me understand how correct were the opinions of Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine concerning him. If I had left that island
+with my marriage with Ruth depending upon Mr. Enderton's co�peration, my
+prospects of future happiness would have been at the mercy of his
+caprices.
+
+[Illustration: "THEY ASSISTED RUTH TO ARRAY HERSELF."]
+
+Very early on a beautiful morning Ruth and I started out on our wedding
+journey in the long-boat. Mr. Enderton was made as comfortable as
+possible in the stern, with Ruth near him. Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+sat facing each other, each with a brown-paper package by her side,
+containing the life-preserver on which she had arrived. These were to be
+ever cherished as memorials of a wonderful experience. The three sailors
+and I took turns at the oars. The sea was smooth, and there was every
+reason to believe that we should arrive at our destination before the
+end of the day. Mrs. Aleshine had supplied us with an abundance of
+provisions, and, with the exception of Mr. Enderton, who had not been
+permitted to take away any of the Dusante books, we were a contented
+party.
+
+"As long as the flour held out," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "I'd never been
+willin' to leave that island till the Dusantes came back, and we could
+have took Emily or Lucille, whichever it was that kept house, and showed
+her everythin', and told her just what we had done. But when they do
+come back," she added, "and read that letter which Mr. Craig wrote and
+left for them, and find out all that happened in their country-place
+while they was away; and how two of us was made happy for life; and how
+two more of us, meanin' Mrs. Lecks and me, have give up goin' to Japan,
+intendin', instid of that, writin' to my son to come home to America and
+settle down in the country he ought to live in,--why, then, if them
+Dusantes ain't satisfied, it's no use for anybody to ever try to satisfy
+'em."
+
+"I should think not," said Mrs. Lecks, "with the weddin'-cards on the
+parlor table, not a speck of dust in any corner, and the board money in
+the ginger-jar."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+PART IV
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+When the little party, consisting of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, Mr.
+Enderton, my newly made wife, and myself, with the red-bearded coxswain
+and the two sailormen, bade farewell to that island in the Pacific where
+so many happy hours had been passed, where such pleasant friendships had
+been formed, and where I had met my Ruth and made her my wife, we rowed
+away with a bright sky over our heads, a pleasant wind behind us, and a
+smooth sea beneath us. The long-boat was comfortable and well appointed,
+and there was even room enough in it for Mr. Enderton to stretch himself
+out and take a noonday nap. We gave him every advantage of this kind,
+for we had found by experience that our party was happiest when my
+father-in-law was best contented.
+
+Early in the forenoon the coxswain rigged a small sail in the bow of the
+boat, and with this aid to our steady and systematic work at the oars
+we reached, just before nightfall, the large island whither we were
+bound, and to which, by means of the coxswain's pocket-compass, we had
+steered a direct course. Our arrival on this island, which was inhabited
+by some white traders and a moderate population of natives, occasioned
+great surprise; for when the boats containing the crew and passengers of
+our unfortunate steamer had reached the island, it was found that Mrs.
+Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine, and myself were missing. There were many
+suppositions as to our fate. Some persons thought we had been afraid to
+leave the steamer, and, having secreted ourselves on board, had gone
+down with her. Others conjectured that in the darkness we had fallen
+overboard, either from the steamer or from one of the boats; and there
+was even a surmise that we might have embarked in the leaky small
+boat--in which we really did leave the steamer--and so had been lost. At
+any rate, we had disappeared, and our loss was a good deal talked about
+and, in a manner, mourned. In less than a week after their arrival the
+people from the steamer had been taken on board a sailing-vessel and
+carried westward to their destination.
+
+We, however, were not so fortunate, for we remained on this island for
+more than a month. During this time but one ship touched there, and she
+was western bound and of no use to us, for we had determined to return
+to America. Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine had given up their journey to
+Japan, and were anxious to reach once more their country homes, while my
+dear Ruth and I were filled with a desire to found a home on some
+pleasant portion of the Atlantic seaboard. What Mr. Enderton intended to
+do we did not know. He was on his way to the United States when he left
+the leaking ship on which he and his daughter were passengers, and his
+intentions regarding his journey did not appear to have been altered by
+his mishaps.
+
+By the western-bound vessel, however, Mrs. Aleshine sent a letter to her
+son.
+
+Our life on this island was monotonous and to the majority of the party
+uninteresting; but as it was the scene of our honeymoon, Mrs. Craig and
+I will always look back to it with the most pleasurable recollections.
+We were comfortably lodged in a house belonging to one of the traders,
+and although Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine had no household duties to
+occupy their time, they managed to supply themselves with
+knitting-materials from the stores on the island, and filled up their
+hours of waiting with chatty industry. The pipes of our sailor friends
+were always well filled, while the sands of the island were warm and
+pleasant for their backs, and it was only Mr. Enderton who showed any
+signs of impatient repining at our enforced stay. He growled, he
+grumbled, and he inveighed against the criminal neglect of steamship
+companies and the owners of sailing-craft in not making it compulsory in
+every one of their vessels to stop on every voyage at this island,
+where, at any time, intelligent and important personages might be
+stranded.
+
+At last, however, we were taken off by a three-masted schooner bound for
+San Francisco, at which city we arrived in due time and in good health
+and condition.
+
+We did not remain long in this city, but soon started on our way across
+the continent, leaving behind us our three sailor companions, who
+intended to ship from this port as soon as an advantageous opportunity
+offered itself. These men heard no news of their vessel, although they
+felt quite sure that she had reached Honolulu, where she had probably
+been condemned and the crew scattered. As some baggage belonging to my
+wife and my father-in-law had been left on board this vessel, I had
+hopes that Mr. Enderton would remain in San Francisco and order it
+forwarded to him there; or that he would even take a trip to Honolulu to
+attend to the matter personally. But in this I was disappointed. He
+seemed to take very little interest in his missing trunks, and wished
+only to press on to the East. I wrote to Honolulu, desiring the
+necessary steps to be taken to forward the baggage in case it had
+arrived there; and soon afterward our party of five started eastward.
+
+It was now autumn, but, although we desired to reach the end of our
+journey before winter set in, we felt that we had time enough to visit
+some of the natural wonders of the California country before taking up
+our direct course to the East. Therefore, in spite of some petulant
+remonstrances on the part of Mr. Enderton, we made several trips to
+points of interest.
+
+From the last of these excursions we set out in a stage-coach, of which
+we were the only occupants, toward a point on the railroad where we
+expected to take a train. On the way we stopped to change horses at a
+small stage-station at the foot of a range of mountains; and when I
+descended from the coach I found the driver and some of the men at the
+station discussing the subject of our route. It appeared that there were
+two roads, one of which gradually ascended the mountain for several
+miles, and then descended to the level of the railroad, by the side of
+which it ran until it reached the station where we wished to take the
+train. The other road pursued its way along a valley or notch in the
+mountain for a considerable distance, and then, by a short but somewhat
+steep ascending grade, joined the upper road.
+
+It was growing quite cold, and the sky and the wind indicated that bad
+weather might be expected; and as the upper road was considered the
+better one at such a time, our driver concluded to take it. Six horses,
+instead of four, were now attached to our stage; and as two of these
+animals were young and unruly, and promised to be unusually difficult to
+drive in the ordinary way, our driver concluded to ride one of the
+wheel-horses, postilion fashion, and to put a boy on one of the leaders.
+Mr. Enderton was very much afraid of horses, and objected strongly to
+the young animals in our new team. But there were no others to take
+their places, and his protests were disregarded.
+
+My wife and I occupied a back seat, having been ordered to take this
+comfortable position by Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, who had
+constituted themselves a board of instruction and admonition to Mrs.
+Craig, and incidentally to myself. They fancied that my wife's health
+was not vigorous, and that she needed coddling, and if she had had two
+mothers she could not have been more tenderly cared for than by these
+good women. They sat upon the middle seat with their faces toward the
+horses, while Mr. Enderton had the front seat all to himself. He was,
+however, so nervous and fidgety, continually twisting himself about
+endeavoring to get a view of the horses or of the bad places on the
+road, that Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine found that a position facing him
+and in close juxtaposition was entirely too uncomfortable; and
+consequently, the back of their seat being adjustable, they turned
+themselves about and faced us.
+
+The ascent of the mountain was slow and tedious, and it was late in the
+afternoon when we reached the highest point in our route, from which the
+road descended for some eight miles to the level of the railroad. Now
+our pace became rapid, and Mr. Enderton grew wildly excited. He threw
+open the window, and shouted to the driver to go more slowly; but Mrs.
+Lecks seized him by the coat and jerked him back on his seat before he
+could get any answer to his appeals.
+
+"If you want your daughter to ketch her death o' cold you'll keep that
+window open!" As she said this, she leaned back and pulled the window
+down with her own strong right arm. "I guess the driver knows what he is
+about," she continued, "this not bein' the first time he's gone over the
+road."
+
+"Am I to understand, madam," said Mr. Enderton, "that I am not to speak
+to my driver when I wish him to know my will?"
+
+To this question Mrs. Lecks made no answer, but sat up very straight and
+stiff, with her back square upon the speaker. For some time she and Mr.
+Enderton had been "out," and she made no effort to conceal the fact.
+
+Mr. Enderton's condition now became pitiable, for our rapid speed and
+the bumping over rough places in the road seemed almost to deprive him
+of his wits, notwithstanding my assurance that stage-coaches were
+generally driven at a rapid rate down long inclines. In a short time,
+however, we reached a level spot in the road, and the team was drawn up
+and stopped. Mr. Enderton popped out in a moment, and I also got down to
+have a talk with the driver.
+
+[Illustration: "THE ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN WAS SLOW AND TEDIOUS."]
+
+"These hosses won't do much at holdin' back," he said, "and it worries
+'em less to let 'em go ahead with the wheels locked. You needn't be
+afraid. If nothin' breaks, we're all right."
+
+Mr. Enderton seemed endeavoring to satisfy himself that everything about
+the running-gear of the coach was in a safe condition. He examined the
+wheels, the axles, and the whiffletrees, much to the amusement of the
+driver, who remarked to me that the old chap probably knew as much now
+as he did before. I was rather surprised that my father-in-law subjected
+the driver to no further condemnation. On the contrary, he said nothing
+except that for the rest of this downhill drive he should take his place
+on the driver's unoccupied seat. Nobody offered any objection to this,
+and up he climbed.
+
+When we started again, Ruth seemed disturbed that her father should be
+in such an exposed position, but I assured her that he would be
+perfectly safe, and would be much better satisfied at being able to see
+for himself what was going on.
+
+We now began to go downhill again at a rate as rapid as before. Our
+speed, however, was not equal. Sometimes it would slacken a little where
+the road was heavy or more upon a level, and then we would go jolting
+and rattling over some long downward stretch. After a particularly
+unpleasant descent of this kind the coach seemed suddenly to change its
+direction, and with a twist and an uplifting of one side it bumped
+heavily against something, and stopped. I heard a great shout outside,
+and from a window which now commanded a view of the road I saw our team
+of six horses, with the drivers pulling and tugging at the two they
+rode, madly running away at the top of their speed.
+
+Ruth, who had been thrown by the shock into the arms of Mrs. Aleshine,
+was dreadfully frightened, and screamed for her father. I had been
+pitched forward upon Mrs. Lecks, but I quickly recovered myself, and as
+soon as I found that none of the occupants of the coach had been hurt, I
+opened the door and sprang out.
+
+In the middle of the road stood Mr. Enderton, entirely uninjured, with a
+jubilant expression on his face, and in one hand a large closed
+umbrella.
+
+"What has happened?" I exclaimed, hurrying around to the front of the
+coach, where I saw that the pole had been broken off about the middle of
+its length.
+
+"Nothing has happened, sir," replied Mr. Enderton. "You cannot speak of
+a wise and discreet act, determinately performed, as a thing which has
+happened. We have been saved, sir, from being dashed to pieces behind
+that wild and unmanageable team of horses; and I will add that we have
+been saved by my forethought and prompt action."
+
+[Illustration: "'WHAT HAS HAPPENED?' I EXCLAIMED."]
+
+I turned and looked at him in astonishment. "What do you mean?" I said.
+"What could you have had to do with this accident?"
+
+"Allow me to repeat," said Mr. Enderton, "that it was not an accident.
+The moment that we began to go downhill I perceived that we were in a
+position of the greatest danger. The driver was reckless, the boy
+incompetent, and the horses unmanageable. As my remonstrances and
+counsels had no effect upon the man, and as you seemed to have no desire
+to join me in efforts to restrain him to a more prudent rate of speed, I
+determined to take the affair into my own hands. I knew that the first
+thing to be done was to rid ourselves of those horses. So long as we
+were connected with them disaster was imminent. I knew exactly what
+ought to be done. The horses must be detached from the coach. I had
+read, sir, of inventions especially intended to detach runaway horses
+from a vehicle. To all intents and purposes our horses were runaways, or
+would have become so in a very short time. I now made it my object to
+free ourselves from those horses."
+
+"What!" I exclaimed. "You freed us?"
+
+"Yes, sir," he answered; "I did. I got out at our first stop, and
+thoroughly examined the carriage attachments. I found that the movable
+bar to which the whiffletrees were attached was connected to the vehicle
+by two straps and a bolt, the latter having a ring at the top and an
+iron nut at the bottom. While you and that reckless driver were talking
+together, and paying no attention to me, the only person in the party
+who thoroughly comprehended our danger, I unbuckled those straps, and
+with my strong, nervous fingers, without the aid of implements, I
+unscrewed the nut from the bolt. Then, sir, I took my seat on the
+outside of the coach, and felt that I held our safety in my own hands.
+For a time I allowed our vehicle to proceed; but when we approached
+this long slope which stretches before us, and our horses showed signs
+of increasing impetuosity, I leaned forward, hooked the handle of my
+umbrella in the ring of the bolt, and with a mighty effort jerked it
+out. I admit to you, sir, that I had overlooked the fact that the horses
+were also attached to the end of the pole, but I have often noticed that
+when we are discreet in judgment and prompt in action we are also
+fortunate. Thus was I fortunate. The hindermost horses, suddenly
+released, rushed upon those in front of them, and, in a manner, jumbled
+up the whole team, which seemed to throw the animals into such terror
+that they dashed to one side and snapped off the pole, after which they
+went madly tearing down the road, entirely beyond the control of the two
+riders. Our coach turned and ran into the side of the road with but a
+moderate concussion, and as I looked at those flying steeds, with their
+riders vainly endeavoring to restrain them, I could not, sir, keep down
+an emotion of pride that I had been instrumental in freeing myself, my
+daughter, and my traveling companions from their dangerous proximity."
+
+The speaker ceased, a smile of conscious merit upon his face. For the
+moment I could not say a word to him, I was so angry. But had I been
+able to say or do anything to indicate the wild indignation that filled
+my brain, I should have had no opportunity, for Mrs. Lecks stepped up to
+me and took me by the arm. Her face was very stern, and her expression
+gave one the idea of the rigidity of Bessemer steel.
+
+"I've heard what has been said," she remarked, "and I wish to talk to
+this man. Your wife is over there with Mrs. Aleshine. Will you please
+take a walk with her along the road? You may stay away for a quarter of
+an hour."
+
+"Madam," said Mr. Enderton, "I do not wish to talk to you."
+
+"I didn't ask you whether you did or not," said Mrs. Lecks. "Mr. Craig,
+will you please get your wife away as quick and as far as you can?"
+
+I took the hint, and, with Ruth on my arm, walked rapidly down the road.
+She was very glad to go, for she had been much frightened, and wanted to
+be alone with me to have me explain to her what had occurred. Mrs.
+Lecks, imagining from the expression of his countenance that Mr.
+Enderton had, in some way, been at the bottom of the trouble, and
+fearing that she should not be able to restrain her indignation when she
+found how he had done it, had ordered Mrs. Aleshine to keep Ruth away
+from her father. This action had increased the poor girl's anxiety, and
+she was glad enough to have me take her away and tell her all about our
+accident.
+
+I did tell her all that had happened, speaking as mildly as I could of
+Mr. Enderton's conduct. Poor Ruth burst into tears.
+
+"I do wish," she exclaimed, "that father would travel by himself! He is
+so nervous, and so easily frightened, that I am sure he would be happier
+when he could attend to his safety in his own way; and I know, too, that
+we should be happier without him."
+
+I agreed most heartily with these sentiments, although I did not deem it
+necessary to say so, and Ruth now asked me what I supposed would become
+of us.
+
+"If nothing happens to the driver and the boy," I replied, "I suppose
+they will go on until they get to the station to which we were bound,
+and there they will procure a pole, if such a thing can be found, or,
+perhaps, get another coach, and come back for us. It would be useless
+for them to return to our coach in its present condition."
+
+"And how soon do you think they will come back?" she said.
+
+"Not for some hours," I replied. "The driver told me there were no
+houses between the place where we last stopped and the railroad-station,
+and I am sure he will not turn back until he reaches a place where he
+can get either a new pole or another vehicle."
+
+Ruth and I walked to a turn at the bottom of the long hill down which
+our runaway steeds had sped. At this point we had an extended view of
+the road as it wound along the mountain-side, but we could see no signs
+of our horses, nor of any living thing. I did not, in fact, expect to
+see our team, for it would be foolish in the driver to come back until
+he was prepared to do something for us, and even if he had succeeded in
+controlling the runaway beasts, the quicker he got down the mountain the
+better.
+
+By the time we had returned we had taken quite a long walk, but we were
+glad of it, for the exercise tranquilized us both. On our way back we
+noticed that a road which seemed to come up from below us joined the one
+we were on a short distance from the place where our accident occurred.
+This, probably, was the lower road which had been spoken of when we
+changed horses.
+
+We found Mr. Enderton standing by himself. His face was of the hue of
+wood-ashes, his expression haggard. He reminded me of a man who had
+fallen from a considerable height, and who had been frightened and
+stupefied by the shock. I comprehended the situation without difficulty,
+and felt quite sure that had he had the choice he would have much
+preferred a thrashing to the plain talk he had heard from Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"What is the matter, father?" exclaimed Ruth. "Were you hurt?"
+
+Mr. Enderton looked in a dazed way at his daughter, and it was some
+moments before he appeared to have heard what she said. Then he answered
+abruptly: "Hurt? Oh, no! I am not hurt in the least. I was just thinking
+of something. I shall walk on to the village or town, whichever it is,
+to which that man was taking us. It cannot be more than seven or eight
+miles away, if that. The road is downhill, and I can easily reach the
+place before nightfall. I will then personally attend to your rescue,
+and will see that a vehicle is immediately sent to you. There is no
+trusting these ignorant drivers. No," he continued, deprecatingly
+raising his hand; "do not attempt to dissuade me. Your safety and that
+of others is always my first care. Exertion is nothing."
+
+Without further words, and paying no attention to the remonstrances of
+his daughter, he strode off down the road.
+
+I was very glad to see him go. At any time his presence was undesirable
+to me, and under the present circumstances it would be more
+objectionable than ever. He was a good walker, and there was no doubt he
+would easily reach the station, where he might possibly be of some use
+to us.
+
+Mrs. Lecks was sitting on a stone by the roadside. Her face was still
+stern and rigid, but there was an expression of satisfaction upon it
+which had not been there when I left her. Ruth went to the coach to get
+a shawl, and I said to Mrs. Lecks:
+
+"I suppose you had your talk with Mr. Enderton?"
+
+[Illustration: "MRS. LECKS WAS SITTING ON A STONE."]
+
+"Talk!" she replied. "I should say so! If ever a man understands what
+people think of him, and knows what he is, from his crown to his feet,
+inside and outside, soul, body, bones, and skin, and what he may expect
+in this world and the next, he knows it. I didn't keep to what he has
+done for us this day. I went back to the first moment when he began to
+growl at payin' his honest board on the island, and I didn't let him
+off for a single sin that he has committed since. And now I feel that
+I've done my duty as far as he is concerned; and havin' got through with
+that, it's time we were lookin' about to see what we can do for
+ourselves."
+
+It was indeed time, for the day was drawing toward its close. For a
+moment I had thought we would give Mr. Enderton a good start, and then
+follow him down the mountain to the station. But a little reflection
+showed me that this plan would not answer. Ruth was not strong enough to
+walk so far, and although Mrs. Aleshine had plenty of vigor, she was too
+plump to attempt such a tramp. Besides, the sky was so heavily overcast
+that it was not safe to leave the shelter of the coach.
+
+As might have been expected, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine took immediate
+charge of the personal comfort of the party, and the first thing they
+did was to make preparations for a meal. Fortunately, we had plenty of
+provisions. Mrs. Aleshine had had charge of what she called our
+lunch-baskets,--which were, indeed, much more like market-baskets than
+anything else,--and having small faith in the resources of roadside
+taverns, and great faith in the unlimited capabilities of Mr. Enderton
+in the matter of consuming food on a journey, she had provided
+bounteously and even extravagantly.
+
+One side of the road was bordered by a forest, and on the ground was an
+abundance of dead wood. I gathered a quantity of this, and made a fire,
+which was very grateful to us, for the air was growing colder and
+colder. When we had eaten a substantial supper and had thoroughly
+warmed ourselves at the fire, we got into the coach to sit there and
+wait until relief should come. We sat for a long time--all night, in
+fact. We were not uncomfortable, for we each had a corner of the coach,
+and we were plentifully provided with wraps and rugs.
+
+Contrary to their usual habit, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine did not talk
+much. When subjected to the annoyances of an ordinary accident, even if
+it should have been the result of carelessness, their disposition would
+have prompted them to take events as they came, and to make the best of
+whatever might happen to them. But this case was entirely different. We
+were stranded and abandoned on the road, on the side of a lonely,
+desolate mountain, on a cold, bleak night; and all this was the result
+of what they considered the deliberate and fiendish act of a man who was
+afraid of horses, and who cared for no one in the world but himself.
+Their minds were in such a condition that if they said anything they
+must vituperate, and they were so kindly disposed toward my wife, and
+had such a tender regard for her feelings, that they would not, in her
+presence, vituperate her father. So they said very little, and, nestling
+into their corners, were soon asleep.
+
+After a time Ruth followed their example, and, though I was very
+anxiously watching out of the window for an approaching light, and
+listening for the sound of wheels, I, too, fell into a doze. It must
+have been ten or eleven o'clock when I was awakened by some delicate but
+cold touches on my face, the nature of which, when I first opened my
+eyes, I could not comprehend. But I soon understood what these cold
+touches meant. The window in the door of the coach on my side had been
+slightly lowered from the top to give us air, and through the narrow
+aperture the cold particles had come floating in. I looked through the
+window. The night was not very dark, for, although the sky was overcast,
+the moon was in its second quarter, and I could plainly see that it was
+snowing, and that the ground was already white.
+
+This discovery sent a chill into my soul, for I was not unfamiliar with
+snows in mountain regions, and knew well what this might mean to us. But
+there was nothing that we could now do, and it would be useless and
+foolish to awaken my companions and distress them with this new
+disaster. Besides, I thought our situation might not be so very bad,
+after all. It was not yet winter, and the snowfall might prove to be but
+a light one. I gently closed the window, and made my body comfortable in
+its corner; but my mind continued very uncomfortable for I do not know
+how long.
+
+When I awoke I found that there had been a heavy fall of snow in the
+night, and that the flakes were still coming down thick and fast. When
+Ruth first looked out upon the scene she was startled and dismayed. She
+was not accustomed to storms of this kind, and the snow frightened her.
+Upon Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine the sight of the storm produced an
+entirely different effect. Here was a difficulty, a discomfort, a
+hardship; but it came in a natural way, and not by the hand of a
+dastardly coward of a man. With natural-happening difficulties they were
+accustomed to combat without fear or repining. They knew all about
+snow, and were not frightened by this storm. The difficulties which it
+presented to their minds actually raised their spirits, and from the
+grim and quiet beings of the last evening they became the same cheerful,
+dauntless, ready women that I had known before.
+
+"Upon my word," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, as she clapped her face to a
+window of the coach, "if this isn't a reg'lar old-fashioned snow-storm!
+I've shoveled my own way through many a one like it to git to the barn
+to do my milkin' afore the men-folks had begun makin' paths, and I feel
+jus' like as though I could do it ag'in."
+
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "if you're thinkin' of
+shovelin' your way from this place to where your cows is, you'd better
+step right out and get at it, and I really do think that if you felt
+they were sufferin' for want of milkin' you'd make a start."
+
+"I don't say," answered Mrs. Aleshine, with an illuminating grin, "that
+if the case was that way I mightn't have the hankerin', though not the
+capableness; but I don't know that there's any place to shovel our way
+to, jus' now."
+
+Mrs. Lecks and I thought differently. Across the road, under the great
+trees, the ground was comparatively free from snow, and in some places,
+owing to the heavy evergreen foliage, it was entirely bare. It was very
+desirable that we should get to one of these spots and build a fire,
+for, though we had been well wrapped up, we all felt numbed and cold. In
+the boot at the back of the coach I knew that there was an ax, and I
+thought I might possibly find there a shovel. I opened the coach door,
+and saw that the snow was already above the lower step. By standing on
+the spokes of the back wheel I could easily get at the boot, and I soon
+pulled out the ax, but found no shovel. But this did not deter me. I
+made my way to the front wheel, and climbed up to the driver's box,
+where I knocked off one of the thin planks of the foot-board, and this,
+with the ax, I shaped into a rude shovel, with a handle rather too wide,
+but serviceable. With this I went vigorously to work, and soon had made
+a pathway across the road. Here I chopped off some low dead branches,
+picked up others, and soon had a crackling fire, around which my three
+companions gathered with delight.
+
+A strong wind was now blowing, and the snow began to form into heavy
+drifts. The fire was very cheery and pleasant, but the wind was cutting,
+and we soon returned to the shelter of the coach, where we had our
+breakfast. This was not altogether a cold meal, for Mrs. Aleshine had
+provided a little tea-kettle, and, with some snow-water which I brought
+in boiling from the fire in the woods, we had all the hot and comforting
+tea we wanted.
+
+We passed the morning waiting and looking out, and wondering what sort
+of conveyance would be sent for us. It was generally agreed that nothing
+on wheels could now be got over the road, and that we must be taken away
+in a sleigh.
+
+"I like sleigh-ridin'," said Mrs. Aleshine, "if you're well wrapped up,
+with good hosses, and a hot brick for your feet; but I must say I don't
+know but what I'm goin' to be a little skeery goin' down these long
+hills. If we git fairly slidin', hosses, sleigh, and all together,
+there's no knowin' where we'll fetch up."
+
+[Illustration: "I SOON HAD A CRACKLING FIRE."]
+
+"There's one comfort, Barb'ry," remarked Mrs. Lecks, "and that is that
+when we do fetch up it'll be at the bottom of the hills, and not at the
+top; and as the bottom is what we want to get to, we oughtn't to
+complain."
+
+"That depends a good deal whether we come down hind part foremost, or
+fore part front. But nobody's complainin' so fur, 'specially as the
+sleigh isn't here."
+
+I joined in the outlooking and the conjectures, but I could not keep up
+the cheerful courage which animated my companions; for not only were the
+two elder women bright and cheery, but Ruth seemed to be animated and
+encouraged by their example, and showed herself as brave and contented
+as either of them. She was convinced that her father must have reached
+the railroad-station before it began to snow, and therefore she was
+troubled by no fears for his safety. But my mind was filled with many
+fears.
+
+The snow was still coming down thick and fast, and the wind was piling
+it into great drifts, one of which was forming between the coach and a
+low embankment on that side of the road near which it stood.
+
+About every half-hour I took my shovel and cleared out the path across
+the road from the other side of the coach to the woods. Several times
+after doing this I made my way among the trees, where the snow did not
+impede my progress, to points from which I had a view some distance down
+the mountain; and I could plainly see that there were several places
+where the road was blocked up by huge snow-drifts. It would be a slow,
+laborious, and difficult undertaking for any relief-party to come to us
+from the station; and who was there at that place to come? This was the
+question which most troubled me. The settlement at the station was
+probably a very small one, and that there should be found at that place
+a sleigh or a sled with enough men to form a party sufficiently strong
+to open a road up the mountain-side was scarcely to be expected. Men and
+vehicles might be obtained at some point farther along the railroad, but
+action of this kind would require time, and it was not unlikely that the
+railroad itself was blocked up with snow. I could form no idea
+satisfactory to myself of any plan by which relief could come to us that
+day. Even the advent of a messenger on horseback was not to be expected.
+Such an adventurer would be lost in the storm and among the drifts. On
+the morrow relief might come, but I did not like to think too much about
+the morrow; and of any of my thoughts and fears I said nothing to my
+companions.
+
+At intervals, after I had freshly cleared out the pathway, the three
+women, well bundled up, ran across the road to the fire under the trees.
+This was the only way in which they could keep themselves warm, for the
+coach, although it protected us from the storm, was a very cold place to
+sit in. But the wind and the snow which frequently drove in under the
+trees made it impossible to stay very long by the fire, and the frequent
+passages to and from the coach were attended with much exposure and
+wetting of feet. I therefore determined that some better way must be
+devised for keeping ourselves warm; and, shortly after our noonday meal,
+I thought of a plan, and immediately set to work to carry it out.
+
+The drift between the coach and the embankment had now risen higher than
+the top of the vehicle, against one side of which it was tightly packed.
+I dug a path around the back of the coach, and then began to tunnel into
+the huge bank of snow. In about an hour I had made an excavation nearly
+high enough for me to stand in, and close to the stage door on that
+side; and I cleared away the snow so that this door could open into the
+cavern I had formed. At the end opposite the entrance of my cave, I
+worked a hole upward until I reached the outer air. This hole was, about
+a foot in diameter, and for some time the light, unpacked snow from
+above kept falling and filling it up; but I managed, by packing and
+beating the sides with my shovel, to get the whole into a condition in
+which it would retain the form of a rude chimney.
+
+Now I hurried to bring wood and twigs, and having made a hearth of green
+sticks, which I cut with my ax, I built a fire in this snowy fireplace.
+Mrs. Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine, and Ruth had been watching my proceedings
+with great interest; and when the fire began to burn, and the smoke to
+go out of my chimney, the coach door was opened, and the genial heat
+gradually pervaded the vehicle.
+
+"Upon my word," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "if that isn't one of the
+brightest ideas I ever heard of! A fire in the middle of a snowbank,
+with a man there attendin' to it, an' a chimney! 'T isn't every day that
+you can see a thing like that!"
+
+"I should hope not," remarked Mrs. Lecks, "for if the snow drifted this
+way every day, I'd be ready to give up the seein' business out and out!
+But I think, Mr. Craig, you ought to pass that shovel in to us so that
+we can dig you out when the fire begins to melt your little house and it
+all caves in on you."
+
+"You can have the shovel," said I, "but I don't believe this snowbank
+will cave in on me. Of course the heat will melt the snow, but I think
+it will dissolve gradually, so that the caving in, if there is any,
+won't be of much account, and then we shall have a big open space here
+in which we can keep up our fire."
+
+"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Ruth, "you talk as if you expected to stay here
+ever so long, and we certainly can't do that. We should starve to death,
+for one thing."
+
+"Don't be afraid of that," said Mrs. Aleshine. "There's plenty of
+victuals to last till the people come for us. When I pack baskets for
+travelin' or picnickin', I don't do no scrimpin'. An' we've got to keep
+up a fire, you know, for it wouldn't be pleasant for those men, when
+they've cut a way up the mountain to git at us, to find us all froze
+stiff."
+
+Mrs. Lecks smiled. "You're awful tender of the feelin's of other people,
+Barb'ry," she said, "and a heart as warm as yourn ought to keep from
+freezin'."
+
+"Which it has done, so far," said Mrs. Aleshine, complacently.
+
+As I had expected, the water soon began to drip from the top and the
+sides of my cavern, and the chimney rapidly enlarged its dimensions. I
+made a passage for the melted snow to run off into a hollow, back of the
+coach; and as I kept up a good strong fire, the drops of water and
+occasional pieces of snow which fell into it were not able to extinguish
+it. The cavern enlarged rapidly, and in a little more than an hour the
+roof became so thin that while I was outside collecting wood it fell in
+and extinguished the fire. This accident, however, interrupted my
+operations but for a short time. I cleared away the snow at the bottom
+of the excavation, and rebuilt my fire on the bare ground. The high snow
+walls on three sides of it protected it from the wind, so that there was
+no danger of the flames being blown against the stage-coach, while the
+large open space above allowed a free vent for the smoke.
+
+About the middle of the afternoon, to the great delight of us all, it
+stopped snowing, and when I had freshly shoveled out the path across
+the road, my companions gladly embraced the opportunity of walking over
+to the comparatively protected ground under the trees and giving
+themselves a little exercise. During their absence I was busily engaged
+in arranging the fire, when I heard a low crunching sound on one side of
+me, and, turning my head, I saw in the wall of my excavation opposite to
+the stage-coach, and at a distance of four or five feet from the ground,
+an irregular hole in the snow, about a foot in diameter, from which
+protruded the head of a man. This head was wrapped, with the exception
+of the face, in a brown woolen comforter. The features were those of a
+man of about fifty, a little sallow and thin, without beard, whiskers,
+or mustache, although the cheeks and chin were darkened with a recent
+growth.
+
+The astounding apparition of this head projecting itself from the snow
+wall of my cabin utterly paralyzed me, so that I neither moved nor
+spoke, but remained crouching by the fire, my eyes fixed upon the head.
+It smiled a little, and then spoke.
+
+"Could you lend me a small iron pot?" it said.
+
+I rose to my feet, almost ready to run away. Was this a dream? Or was it
+possible that there was a race of beings who inhabited snowbanks?
+
+The face smiled again very pleasantly. "Do not be frightened," it said.
+"I saw you were startled, and spoke first of a familiar pot in order to
+reassure you."
+
+"Who, in the name of Heaven, are you?" I gasped.
+
+"I am only a traveler, sir," said the head, "who has met with an
+accident similar, I imagine, to that which has befallen you. But I
+cannot further converse with you in this position. Lying thus on my
+breast in a tunnel of snow will injuriously chill me. Could you
+conveniently lend me an iron pot?"
+
+[Illustration: "'COULD YOU LEND ME A SMALL IRON POT?'"]
+
+I was now convinced that this was an ordinary human being, and my
+courage and senses returned to me; but my astonishment remained
+boundless. "Before we talk of pots," I said, "I must know who you are,
+and how you got into that snowbank."
+
+"I do not believe," said my visitor, "that I can get down, head
+foremost, to your level. I will therefore retire to my place of refuge,
+and perhaps we can communicate with each other through this aperture."
+
+"Can I get through to your place of refuge?" I asked.
+
+"Certainly," was the answer. "You are young and active, and the descent
+will not be so deep on my side. But I will first retire, and will then
+project toward you this sheepskin rug, which, if kept under you as you
+move forward, will protect your breast and arms from direct contact with
+the snow."
+
+It was difficult to scramble up into the hole, but I succeeded in doing
+it, and found awaiting me the sheepskin rug, which, by the aid of an
+umbrella, the man had pushed toward me for my use. I was in a horizontal
+tunnel barely large enough for the passage of my body, and about six
+feet in length. When I had worked my way through this, and had put my
+head out of the other end, I looked into a small wooden shed, into which
+light entered only through a pane of glass set in a rude door opposite
+to me. I immediately perceived that the whole place was filled with the
+odor of spirituous liquors. The man stood awaiting me, and by his
+assistance I descended to the floor. As I did so I heard something
+which sounded like a titter, and looking around I saw in a corner a
+bundle of clothes and traveling-rugs, near the top of which appeared a
+pair of eyes. Turning again, I could discern in another corner a second
+bundle, similar to, but somewhat larger than, the other.
+
+"These ladies are traveling with me," said the man, who was now wrapping
+about him a large cloak, and who appeared to be of a tall though rather
+slender figure. His manner and voice were those of a gentleman,
+extremely courteous and considerate. "As I am sure you are curious--and
+this I regard as quite natural, sir--to know why we are here, I will at
+once proceed to inform you. We started yesterday in a carriage for the
+railway-station, which is, I believe, some miles beyond this point.
+There were two roads from the last place at which we stopped, and we
+chose the one which ran along a valley, and which we supposed would be
+the pleasanter of the two. We there engaged a pair of horses which did
+not prove very serviceable animals, and, at a point about a hundred
+yards from where we now are, one of them gave out entirely. The driver
+declared that the only thing to be done was to turn loose the disabled
+horse, which would be certain, in time, to find his way back to his
+stable, and for him to proceed on the other animal to the station to
+which we were going, where he would procure some fresh horses and return
+as speedily as possible. To this plan we were obliged to consent, as
+there was no alternative. He told us that if we did not care to remain
+in the carriage, there was a shed by the side of the road, a little
+farther on, which was erected for the accommodation of men who are
+sometimes here in charge of relays of horses. After assuring us that he
+would not be absent more than three hours, he rode away, and we have not
+seen him since.
+
+"Soon after he left us I came to this shed, and finding it tight and
+comparatively comfortable, I concluded it would give us relief from our
+somewhat cramped position in the carriage, and so conducted the ladies
+here. As night drew on it became very cold, and I determined to make a
+fire, a proceeding which, of course, would have been impossible in a
+vehicle. Fortunately I had with me, at the back of the carriage, a case
+of California brandy. By the aid of a stone I knocked the top off this
+case, and brought hither several of the bottles. I found in the shed an
+old tin pan, which I filled with the straw coverings of the bottles, and
+on this I poured brandy, which, being ignited, produced a fire without
+smoke, but which, as we gathered around it, gave out considerable heat."
+
+As the speaker thus referred to his fuel, I understood the reason of the
+strong odor of spirits which filled the shed, and I experienced a
+certain relief in my mind.
+
+The gentleman continued: "At first I attributed the delay of the
+driver's return to those ordinary hindrances which so frequently occur
+in rural and out-of-the-way places; but after a time I could not imagine
+any reasonable cause for his delay. As it began to grow dark I brought
+here our provision-baskets, and we partook of a slight repast. I then
+made the ladies as comfortable as possible, and awaited with much
+anxiety the return of the driver.
+
+"After a time it began to snow, and feeling that the storm might
+interrupt communication with the carriage, I brought hither, making many
+trips for the purpose, the rest of the brandy, our wraps and rugs, and
+the cushions of the carriage. I did not believe that we should be left
+here all night, but thought it prudent to take all precautions, and to
+prepare for remaining in a place where we could have a fire. The morning
+showed me that I had acted wisely. As you know, sir, I found the road in
+each direction completely blocked up by snow, and I have since been
+unable to visit the carriage."
+
+"Have you not all suffered from cold?" I inquired. "Have you food
+enough?"
+
+"I will not say," replied the gentleman, "that in addition to our
+anxiety we have not suffered somewhat from cold, but for the greater
+part of this day I have adopted a plan which has resulted in
+considerable comfort to my companions. I have wrapped them up very
+closely and warmly, and they hold in each hand a hard-boiled egg. I
+thought it better to keep these for purposes of warmth than to eat them.
+About every half-hour I reboil the eggs in a little traveling tea-pot
+which we have. They retain their warmth for a considerable period, and
+this warmth in a moderate degree is communicated through the hands to
+the entire person."
+
+As he said this a low laugh again burst forth from the bundle in one
+corner of the room, and I could not help smiling at this odd way of
+keeping warm. I looked toward the jocose bundle, and remarked that the
+eggs must be pretty hard by this time.
+
+"These ladies," said the gentleman, "are not accustomed to the cold
+atmosphere of this region, and I have therefore forbidden them to talk,
+hoping thus to prevent injury from the inhalation of frosty air. So far
+we have not suffered, and we still have some food left. About noon I
+noticed smoke floating over this shed, and I forced open the door and
+made my way for some little distance outside, hoping to discover whence
+it came. I then heard voices on the other side of the enormous
+snow-drift behind us; but I could see no possible way of getting over
+the drift. Feeling that I must, without fail, open communication with
+any human beings who might be near us, I attempted to shout; but the
+cold had so affected my voice that I could not do so. I thereupon set my
+wits to work. At the back of this shed is a small window closed by a
+wooden shutter. I opened this shutter, and found outside a wall of snow
+packed closely against it. The snow was not very hard, and I believed
+that it would not be difficult to tunnel a way through it to the place
+where the voices seemed to be. I immediately set to work, for I feared
+that if we were obliged to remain here another night without assistance
+we should be compelled to-morrow morning to eat those four hard-boiled
+eggs which the ladies are holding, and which, very shortly, I must boil
+again."
+
+"How did you manage to cut through the snow?" I asked. "Had you a
+shovel?"
+
+"Oh, no," replied the other. "I used the tin pan. I found it answered
+very well as a scoop. Each time that I filled it I threw the contents
+out of our door."
+
+"It must have been slow and difficult work," I said.
+
+"Indeed it was," he replied. "The labor was arduous, and occupied me
+several hours. But when I saw a respectable man at a fire, and a
+stage-coach near by, I felt rewarded for all my trouble. May I ask you,
+sir, how you came to be thus snow-bound?"
+
+I then briefly related the circumstances of our mishap, and had scarcely
+finished when a shrill sound came through the tunnel into the shed. It
+was the voice of Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"Hello!" she screamed, "are you in there? An' you don't mean to tell me
+there are other people in that hole?"
+
+Feeling quite certain that my wife and her companions were in a state of
+mental agitation on the other side of the drift, I called back that I
+would be with them in a moment, and then explained to the gentleman why
+I could not remain with him longer. "But before I go," I said, "is there
+anything I can do for you? Do you really want an iron pot?"
+
+"The food that remains to us," he answered, "is fragmentary and rather
+distasteful to the ladies, and I thought if I could make a little stew
+of it, it might prove more acceptable to them. But do not let me detain
+you another instant from your friends, and I advise you to go through
+that tunnel feet foremost, for you might, otherwise, experience
+difficulties in getting out at the other end."
+
+I accepted his suggestion, and by his assistance and the help of the
+rough window-frame, I got into the hole feet first, and soon ejected
+myself into the midst of my alarmed companions. When they heard where I
+had been, and what I had seen, they were naturally astounded.
+
+"Another party deserted at this very point!" exclaimed Ruth, who was
+both excitable and imaginative. "This looks like a conspiracy! Are we to
+be robbed and murdered?"
+
+At these words Mrs. Aleshine sprang toward me. "Mr. Craig," she
+exclaimed, "if it's robbers, don't lose a minute! Never let 'em get
+ahead of you! Pull out your pistol and fire through the hole!"
+
+"Gracious me! Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "you don't suppose the
+robbers is them poor unfortunates on the other side of the drift! And I
+must say, Mrs. Craig, that if there was any such thing as a conspiracy,
+your father must have been in it, for it was him who landed us just
+here. But of course none of us supposes nothin' of that kind, and the
+first thing we've got to think of is what we can do for them poor
+people."
+
+"They seem to have some food left, but not much," I said, "and I fear
+they must be suffering from cold."
+
+"Couldn't we poke some wood to them through this hole?" said Mrs.
+Aleshine, whose combative feelings had changed to the deepest
+compassion. "I should think they must be nearly froze, with nothin' to
+warm 'em but hard-b'iled eggs."
+
+I explained that there was no place in their shed where they could build
+a fire, and proposed that we should give them some hot tea and some of
+our provisions.
+
+"That's so!" said Mrs. Aleshine. "Just shout in to them that if they'll
+shove them eggs through the hole, I'll bile 'em fur 'em as often as they
+want 'em."
+
+"I've just got to say this," ejaculated Mrs. Lecks, as she and Mrs.
+Aleshine were busily placing a portion of our now very much reduced
+stock of provisions in the smallest of our baskets: "this is the first
+time in my life that I ever heard of people warmin' themselves up with
+hens' eggs and spirits, excep' when mixed up into egg-nog; and that they
+resisted that temptation and contented themselves with plain honest
+heat, though very little of it, shows what kind of people they must be.
+And now, do you suppose we could slide this basket in without upsettin'
+the little kittle?"
+
+[Illustration: "WE WERE ABOUT TO SEND HIM A BASKET."]
+
+I called to the gentleman that we were about to send him a basket, and
+then, by the aid of an umbrella, I gently pushed it through the snow
+tunnel to a point where he could reach it. Hearty thanks came back to us
+through the hole, and when the basket and kettle were returned, we
+prepared our own evening meal.
+
+"For the life of me," said Mrs. Lecks, as she sipped a cup of tea, "I
+can't imagine, if there was a shed so near us, why we didn't know it."
+
+"That has been puzzling me," I replied; "but the other road, on which
+the shed is built, is probably lower than this one, so that the upper
+part of the shed could not have projected far above the embankment
+between the two roads, and if there were weeds and dead grasses on the
+bank, as there probably were, they would have prevented us from noticing
+the top of a weather-worn shed."
+
+"Especially," said Mrs. Lecks, "as we wasn't lookin' for sheds, and, as
+far as I know, we wasn't lookin' for anything on that side of the coach,
+for all my eyes was busy starin' about on the side we got in and out of,
+and down the road."
+
+"Which mine was too," added Mrs. Aleshine. "An' after it begun to snow
+we couldn't see nothin' anyhow, partic'larly when everything was all
+covered up."
+
+"Well," added Mrs. Lecks, in conclusion, "as we didn't see the shed,
+it's a comfort to think there was reasons for it, and that we are not
+born fools."
+
+It was now growing dark, and but few further communications took place
+through the little tunnel.
+
+"Before we get ready to go to sleep," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for, havin'
+no candles, I guess we won't sit up late, hadn't we better rig up some
+kind of a little sled to put in that hole, with strings at both ends, so
+that we kin send in mustard-plasters and peppermint to them poor people
+if they happen to be sick in the night?"
+
+This little project was not considered necessary, and after receiving
+assurances from the gentleman on the other side that he would be able to
+keep his party warm until morning, we bade each other good night; and,
+after having replenished the fire, I got into the stage, where my
+companions had already established themselves in their corners. I slept
+very little, while I frequently went out to attend to the fire, and my
+mind was racked by the most serious apprehensions. Our food was nearly
+gone, and if relief did not come to us very soon I could see nothing but
+a slow death before us, and, so far as I could imagine, there was no
+more reason to expect succor on the following day than there had been on
+the one just passed. Where were the men to be found who could cut a road
+to us through those miles of snow-drifts?
+
+Very little was said during the night by my companions, but I am sure
+that they felt the seriousness of our situation, and that their slumbers
+were broken and unrefreshing. If there had been anything to do, Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine would have been cheered up by the prospect of
+doing it; but we all felt that there was nothing we could do.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+PART V
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+After a second night spent in the stage-coach on that lonely and
+desolate mountain road where we were now snow-bound, I arose early in
+the morning, and went into the forest to collect some fuel; and while
+thus engaged I made the discovery that the snow was covered with a hard
+crust which would bear my weight. After the storm had ceased the day
+before, the sun had shone brightly and the temperature had moderated
+very much, so that the surface of the snow had slightly thawed. During
+the night it became cold again, and this surface froze into a hard
+coating of ice. When I found I could walk where I pleased, my spirits
+rose, and I immediately set out to view the situation. The aspect of the
+road gave me no encouragement. The snowfall had been a heavy one, but
+had it not been for the high wind which accompanied it, it would have
+thrown but moderate difficulties in the way of our rescue. Reaching a
+point which commanded a considerable view along the side of the
+mountain, I could see that in many places the road was completely lost
+to sight on account of the great snow-drifts piled up on it. I then
+walked to the point where the two roads met, and crossing over, I
+climbed a slight rise in the ground which had cut off my view in this
+direction, and found myself in a position from which I could look
+directly down the side of the mountain below the road.
+
+Here, the mountain-side, which I had supposed to be very steep and
+rugged, descended in a long and gradual slope to the plains below, and
+for the greater part of the distance was covered by a smooth, shining
+surface of frozen snow, unbroken by rock or tree. This snowy slope
+apparently extended for a mile or more, and then I could see that it
+gradually blended itself into the greenish-brown turf of the lower
+country. Down in the valley there still were leaves upon the trees, and
+there were patches of verdure over the land. The storm which had piled
+its snows up here had given them rain down there and had freshened
+everything. It was like looking down into another climate and on another
+land. I saw a little smoke coming up behind a patch of trees. It must be
+that there was a house there! Could it be possible that we were within a
+mile or two of a human habitation? Yet, what comfort was there in that
+thought? The people in that house could not get to us, nor we to them,
+nor could they have heard of our situation, for the point where our road
+reached the lower country was miles farther on.
+
+As I stood thus and gazed, it seemed to me that I could make a run and
+slide down the mountain-side into green fields, into safety, into life.
+I remembered those savage warriors who, looking from the summits of the
+Alps upon the fertile plains of Italy, seated themselves upon their
+shields and slid down to conquest and rich spoils.
+
+An idea came into my mind, and I gave it glad welcome. There was no time
+to be lost. The sun was not yet high, but it was mounting in a clear
+sky, and should its rays become warm enough to melt the crust on which I
+stood, our last chance of escape would be gone. To plow our way to any
+place through deep, soft snow would be impossible. I hurried back to our
+coach, and found three very grave women standing around the fire. They
+were looking at a small quantity of food at the bottom of a large
+basket.
+
+"That's every crumb there is left," said Mrs. Aleshine to me, "and when
+we pass in some to them unfortunates on the other side of the
+drift,--which, of course, we're bound to do,--we'll have what I call a
+skimpy meal. And that's not the worst of it. Until somebody gets up to
+us, it will be our last meal."
+
+I took my poor Ruth by the hand, for she was looking very pale and
+troubled, and I said: "My dear friends, nobody can get up to this place
+for a long, long time; and before help could possibly reach us we should
+all be dead. But do not be frightened. It is not necessary to wait for
+any one to come to us. The snow is now covered with a crust which will
+bear our weight. I have thought of a way in which we can slide down the
+mountain-side, which, from a spot where I have been standing this
+morning, is no steeper than some coasting-hills, though very much
+longer. In a few minutes we can pass from this region of snow, where
+death from cold and starvation must soon overtake us, to a grassy valley
+where there is no snow, and where we shall be within walking distance of
+a house in which people are living."
+
+Ruth grasped my arm. "Will it be safe?" she exclaimed.
+
+"I think so," I answered. "I see no reason why we should meet with any
+accident. At any rate, it is much safer than remaining here for another
+hour; for if the crust melts, our last chance is gone."
+
+"Mr. Craig," said Mrs. Lecks, "me and Mrs. Aleshine is no hands at
+coastin' downhill, havin' given up that sort of thing since we was
+little girls with short frocks and it didn't make no matter anyway. But
+you know more about these things than we do; and if you say we can get
+out of this dreadful place by slidin' downhill, we're ready to follow,
+if you'll just go ahead. We followed you through the ocean, with nothin'
+between our feet and the bottom but miles o' water and nobody knows what
+sorts of dreadful fish; and when you say it's the right way to save our
+lives, we're ready to follow you again. And as for you, Mrs. Ruth, don't
+you be frightened. I don't know what we're goin' to slide on, but,
+whatever it is, even if it's our own selves, me and Mrs. Aleshine will
+take you between us, and if anything is run against, we'll get the
+bumps, and not you."
+
+I was delighted to see how rapidly my proposition was accepted, and we
+made a hasty breakfast, first sending in some of our food to the other
+party. The gentleman reported through the hole of communication that
+they were all fairly well, but a good deal stiffened by cold and want of
+exercise. He inquired, in a very anxious voice, if I had discovered any
+signs of approaching relief. To this I replied that I had devised a plan
+by which we could get ourselves out of our present dangerous situation,
+and that in a very short time I would come round to the door of his
+shed--for I could now walk on the crusted snow--and tell him about it.
+He answered that these words cheered his heart, and that he would do
+everything possible to co�perate with me.
+
+I now went to work vigorously. I took the cushions from the coach, four
+of them all together, and carried them to the brink of the slope down
+which I purposed to make our descent. I also conveyed thither a long
+coil of rawhide rope which I had previously discovered in the boot of
+the coach. I then hurried along the other road, which, as has been said
+before, lay at a somewhat lower level than the one we were on, and when
+I reached the shed I found the door had been opened, and the gentleman,
+with his tin pan, had scooped away a good deal of the snow about it, so
+as to admit of a moderately easy passage in and out. He met me outside,
+and grasped my hand.
+
+"Sir, if you have a plan to propose," he said, "state it quickly. We are
+in a position of great danger. Those two ladies inside the shed cannot
+much longer endure this exposure, and I presume that the ladies in your
+party--although their voices, which I occasionally hear, do not seem to
+indicate it--must be in a like condition."
+
+I replied that, so far, my companions had borne up very well, and
+without further waste of words proceeded to unfold my plan of escape.
+
+When he had heard it the gentleman put on a very serious expression. "It
+seems hazardous," he said, "but it may be the only way out of our
+danger. Will you show me the point from which you took your
+observations?"
+
+"Yes," said I; "but we must be in haste. The sun is getting up in the
+sky, and this crust may soon begin to melt. It is not yet really winter,
+you know."
+
+We stepped quickly to the spot where I had carried the cushions. The
+gentleman stood and silently gazed first at the blocked-up roadway, then
+at the long, smooth slope of the mountain-side directly beneath us, and
+then at the verdure of the plain below, which had grown greener under
+the increasing brightness of the day. "Sir," said he, turning to me,
+"there is nothing to be done but to adopt your plan, or to remain here
+and die. We will accompany you in the descent, and I place myself under
+your orders."
+
+"The first thing," said I, "is to bring here your carriage cushions, and
+help me to arrange them."
+
+When he had brought the three cushions from the shed, the gentleman and
+I proceeded to place them with the others on the snow, so that the whole
+formed a sort of wide and nearly square mattress. Then, with the rawhide
+rope, we bound them together in a rough but secure network of cordage.
+In this part of the work I found my companion very apt and skilful.
+
+When this rude mattress was completed, I requested the gentleman to
+bring his ladies to the place, while I went for mine.
+
+"What are we to pack up to take with us?" said Mrs. Aleshine, when I
+reached our coach.
+
+"We take nothing at all," said I, "but the money in our pockets, and our
+rugs and wraps. Everything else must be left in the coach, to be brought
+down to us when the roads shall be cleared out."
+
+With our rugs and shawls on our arms, we left the coach, and as we were
+crossing the other road we saw the gentleman and his companions
+approaching. These ladies were very much wrapped up, but one of them
+seemed to step along lightly and without difficulty, while the other
+moved slowly and was at times assisted by the gentleman.
+
+A breeze had sprung up which filled the air with fine frozen particles
+blown from the uncrusted beds of snow along the edge of the forest, and
+I counseled Ruth to cover up her mouth and breathe as little of this
+snow powder as possible.
+
+"If I'm to go coastin' at all," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I'd as lief do it
+with strangers as friends; and a little liefer, for that matter, if
+there's any bones to be broken. But I must say that I'd like to make the
+acquaintance of them ladies afore I git on to the sled, which"--at that
+moment catching sight of the mattress--"you don't mean to say that
+that's it?"
+
+"Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, from underneath her great woolen
+comforter, "if you want to get your lungs friz, you'd better go on
+talkin'. Manners is manners, but they can wait till we get to the
+bottom of the hill."
+
+Notwithstanding this admonition, I noticed that as soon as the two
+parties met, both Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine advanced and shook hands
+with the ladies who had been their neighbors under such peculiar
+circumstances, and that Mrs. Lecks herself expressed a muffled hope that
+they might all get down safely.
+
+I now pushed the mattress which was to serve as our sled as close as was
+prudent to the edge of the descent, and requested the party to seat
+themselves upon it. Without hesitation Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine sat
+down, taking Ruth between them, as they had promised to do. My young
+wife was very nervous, but the cool demeanor of her companions, and my
+evident belief in the practicability of the plan, gave her courage, and
+she quietly took her seat. The younger of the two strange ladies stepped
+lightly on the cushions, and before seating herself stood up for a good
+look at the far-extending bed of snow over which we were to take our
+way. The prospect did not appear to deter her, and she sat down promptly
+and with an air that seemed to say that she anticipated a certain
+enjoyment from the adventure. The elder lady, however, exhibited very
+different emotions. She shrank back from the cushions toward which the
+gentleman was conducting her, and turned her face away from the
+declivity. Her companion assured her that it was absolutely necessary
+that we should descend from the mountain in this way, for there was no
+other; and asserting his belief that our slide would be a perfectly
+safe one, he gently drew her to the mattress and induced her to sit
+down.
+
+I now noticed, for the first time, that the gentleman carried under one
+arm, and covered by his long cloak, a large package of some sort, and I
+immediately said to him: "It will be very imprudent for us to attempt to
+carry any of our property except what we can put in our pockets or wrap
+around us. Everything else should be left here, either in your carriage
+or our coach, and I have no fear that anything will be lost. But even if
+our luggage were in danger of being molested, we cannot afford to
+consider it under circumstances such as these."
+
+"My dear sir," said the gentleman, speaking very gravely, "I appreciate
+the hazards of our position as keenly as yourself. Our valises, and all
+the light luggage which we had with us in our carriage, I have left
+there, and shall not give them another thought. But with the parcel I
+hold under this arm I cannot part, and if I go down the mountain-side on
+these cushions, it must go with me. If you refuse in such a case to
+allow me to be one of your party, I must remain behind, and endeavor to
+find a board or something else on which I can make the descent of the
+mountain."
+
+He spoke courteously, but with an air of decision which showed me that
+it would be of no use to argue with him. Besides, there was no time for
+parleying, and if this gentleman chose to take his chances with but one
+arm at liberty, it was no longer my affair. I therefore desired him to
+sit down, and I arranged the company so that they sat back to back,
+their feet drawn up to the edge of the mattress. I then took the place
+which had been reserved for me as steersman, and having tied several
+shawls together, end to end, I passed them around the whole of us under
+our arms, thus binding us all firmly together. I felt that one of our
+greatest dangers would be that one or more of the party might slip from
+the mattress during the descent.
+
+When all was ready I asked the gentleman, who, with the elder lady, sat
+near me at the back of the mattress, to assist in giving us a start by
+pushing outward with his heels while I thrust the handle of my wooden
+shovel into the crust and thus pushed the mattress forward. The starting
+was a little difficult, but in a minute or two we had pushed the
+mattress partly over the brink, and then, after a few more efforts, we
+began to slide downward.
+
+The motion, at first slow, suddenly became quite rapid, and I heard
+behind me a cry or exclamation, from whom I knew not, but I felt quite
+sure it did not come from any of my party. I hoped to be able to make
+some use of my shovel in the guidance of our unwieldy raft or
+mattress-sled, but I soon found this impossible, and down we went over
+the smooth, hard-frozen slope, with nothing to direct our course but the
+varying undulations of the mountain-side. Every moment we seemed to go
+faster and faster, and soon we began to revolve, so that sometimes I was
+in front and sometimes behind. Once, when passing over a very smooth
+sheet of snow, we fairly spun around, so that in every direction feet
+were flying out from a common center and heels grating on the frozen
+crust. But there were no more cries or exclamations. Each one of us
+grasped the cordage which held the cushions together, and the rapidity
+of the motion forced us almost to hold our breath.
+
+Down the smooth, white slope we sped, as a bird skims through the air.
+It seemed to me as if we passed over miles and miles of snow. Sometimes
+my face was turned down the mountain, where the snow-surface seemed to
+stretch out illimitably, and then it was turned upward toward the
+apparently illimitable slopes over which we had passed.
+
+[Illustration: "WE BEGAN TO SLIDE DOWNWARD."]
+
+Presently, my position now being in front of the little group that
+glanced along its glittering way, I saw at some distance below me a long
+rise or terrace, which ran along the mountain-side for a considerable
+distance, and which cut off our view of everything below us. As we
+approached this hillock the descent became much more gradual and our
+progress slower, and at last I began to fear that our acquired velocity
+would not be sufficient to carry us up the side of this elevation and so
+enable us to continue our descent. I therefore called to everybody in
+the rear to kick out vigorously, and with my shovel I endeavored to
+assist our progress. As we approached the summit of the elevation we
+moved slower and slower. I became very anxious, for, should we slide
+backward, we might find it difficult or impossible to get ourselves and
+the mattress up this little hill. But the gentleman and myself worked
+valiantly, and as for Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, they kicked their
+heels through the frozen crust with such energy that we moved sidewise
+almost as much as upward. But in a moment the anxious suspense was over,
+and we rested on the ridge of the long hillock, with the mountain-side
+stretching down to the plain, which lay not very far below us.
+
+I should have been glad to remain here a few minutes to regain breath,
+and give some consideration to the rest of our descent, but as some of
+those behind continued to push, the mattress slid over the edge of the
+terrace, and down again we went. Our progress now was not so rapid, but
+it was very much more unpleasant. The snow was thinner; there was little
+or no crust upon it, and we very soon reached a wide extent of exposed
+turf, over which we slid, but not without a good deal of bumping against
+stones and protuberances. Then there was another sheet of snow, which
+quickened our downward impetus; and, after that, the snow was seen only
+in occasional patches, and our progress continued over a long slope of
+short, partly dried grass, which was very slippery, and over which we
+passed with considerable quickness.
+
+I wished now to bring our uncouth sled to a stop, and to endeavor to
+make the rest of the descent on foot. But although I stuck out my
+heels, and tried to thrust the handle of my shovel into the ground, it
+was of no use. On we went, and the inequalities of the surface gave an
+irregularity of motion which was uncomfortable and alarming. We turned
+to this side and that; we bounced and bumped; and the rawhide ropes,
+which must have been greatly frayed and cut by the snow-crust, now gave
+way in several places, and I knew that the mattress would soon separate
+into its original cushions, if indeed they still could be called
+cushions. Fearing increased danger should we now continue bound together
+in a bunch, I jerked apart the shawl-knot under my arms, and the next
+moment, it seemed to me, there was a general dissolution of our
+connection with each other. Fortunately, we were now near the bottom of
+the slope, for while some of us stuck fast to the cushions, others
+rolled over, or slid, independent of any projection, while I, being
+thrown forward on my feet, actually ran downhill! I had just succeeded
+in stopping myself when down upon me came the rest of the company, all
+prostrate in some position or other.
+
+Now from an unwieldy mass of shawls came a cry:
+
+"Oh, Albert Dusante! Where are you? Lucille! Lucille!"
+
+Instantly sprang to one foot good Mrs. Aleshine, her other foot being
+entangled in a mass of shawls which dragged behind her. Her bonnet was
+split open and mashed down over her eyes. In her left hand she waved a
+piece of yellow flannel, which in her last mad descent she had torn from
+some part of the person of Mrs. Lecks, and in the other a bunch of stout
+dead weeds, which she had seized and pulled up by the roots as she had
+passed them. Her dress was ripped open down her rotund back, and the
+earth from the weed roots had bespattered her face. From the midst of
+this dilapidation her round eyes sparkled with excitement. Hopping on
+one foot, the shawls and a part of a cushion dragging behind her, she
+shouted:
+
+"The Dusantes! They are the Dusantes!"
+
+Then, pitching forward on her knees before the two strange ladies, who
+had now tumbled into each other's arms, she cried:
+
+"Oh, which is Emily, and which is Lucille?"
+
+I had rushed toward Ruth, who had clung to a cushion and was now sitting
+upon it, when Mrs. Lecks, who was close beside her, arose to her feet
+and stood upright. One foot was thrust through her own bonnet, and her
+clothes gave evidence of the frenzy and power of Mrs. Aleshine's grasp,
+but her mien was dignified and her aspect stately.
+
+"Barb'ry Aleshine!" she exclaimed, "if them Dusantes has dropped down
+from heaven at your very feet, can't you give 'em a minute to feel their
+ribs and see if their legs and arms is broken?"
+
+The younger lady now turned her head toward Mrs. Aleshine. "I am
+Lucille," she said.
+
+In a moment the good woman's arms were around her neck. "I always liked
+you the best of the two," she whispered into the ear of the astonished
+young lady.
+
+Having found that Ruth was unhurt, I ran to the assistance of the
+others. The gentleman had just arisen from a cushion, upon which, lying
+flat on his back, he had slid over the grass, still holding under one
+arm the package from which he had refused to part. I helped him to raise
+the elder lady to her feet. She had been a good deal shaken, and much
+frightened, but although a little bruised, she had received no important
+injury.
+
+[Illustration: "'OH, WHICH IS EMILY, AND WHICH IS LUCILLE?'"]
+
+I went to fill a leather pocket-cup from a brook nearby, and when I
+returned I found the gentleman standing, confronted by Mrs. Lecks, Mrs.
+Aleshine, and Ruth, while his own companions were regarding the group
+with eager interest.
+
+"Yes," he was saying, "my name is Dusante. But why do you ask at this
+moment? Why do you show such excited concern on the subject?"
+
+"Why?" exclaimed Mrs. Lecks. "I will tell you why, sir. My name is Mrs.
+Lecks, and this is Mrs. Aleshine, and if you are the Mr. Dusante with
+the house on the desert island, this is the Mrs. Craig who was married
+in that very house, and the gentleman here with the water is Mr. Craig,
+who wrote you the letter, which I hope you got. And if that isn't reason
+enough for our wanting to know if you are Mr. Dusante, I'd like to be
+told what more there could be!"
+
+"It's them! Of course it's them!" cried Mrs. Aleshine. "I had a feelin'
+while we were scootin' downhill that they was near and dear to us,
+though exactly why and how, I didn't know. And she's told me she's
+Lucille, and of course the other must be Emily, though what relations--"
+
+"Am I to understand," interrupted the gentleman, looking with earnest
+animation from one to the other of us, "that these are the good people
+who inhabited my house on the island?"
+
+"The very ones!" cried Mrs. Aleshine. "And what relation are you to
+Emily? and Lucille to her?"
+
+The gentleman stepped backward and laid down the package which he had
+held under his arm, and advancing toward me with outstretched hands, and
+with tears starting to his eyes, he exclaimed:
+
+"And this man, then, to whom I owe so much, is Mr. Craig!"
+
+"Owe me!" I said. "It is to you that we owe our very lives, and our
+escape from death in mid-ocean."
+
+"Do not speak of it," he said, shaking his head, with a sorrowful
+expression on his face. "You owe me nothing. I would to Heaven it were
+not so! But we will not talk of that now. And this is Mrs. Craig," he
+continued, taking Ruth by the hand, "the fair lady whose nuptials were
+celebrated in my house. And Mrs. Lecks, and Mrs. Aleshine." As he spoke
+he shook hands with each. "How I have longed to meet you! I have thought
+of you every day since I returned to my island and discovered that you
+had been--I wish I could say--my guests. And where is the reverend
+gentleman? and the three mariners? I hope that nothing has befallen
+them!"
+
+"Alas!--for three of them at least," ejaculated Mrs. Aleshine; "they
+have left us, but they are all right. And now, sir, if you could tell us
+what relation you are to Emily, and what Lucille--"
+
+"Barb'ry!" cried Mrs. Lecks, making a dash toward her friend, "can't you
+give the man a minute to breathe? Don't you see he's so dumflustered
+that he hardly knows who he is himself! If them two women was to sink
+down dead with hunger and hard slidin' right afore your very eyes while
+you was askin' what relation they was to each other and to him, it would
+no more'n serve you right! We'd better be seem' if anythin' 's the
+matter with 'em, and what we can do for 'em."
+
+At this moment the younger of Mr. Dusante's ladies quickly stepped
+forward. "Oh, Mrs. Craig, Mrs. Lecks, and Mrs. Aleshine!" she exclaimed,
+"I'm just dying to know all about you!"
+
+"And which, contrariwise," cried Mrs. Aleshine, "is the same with us,
+exactly."
+
+"And of all places in the world," continued the young lady, "that we
+should meet here!"
+
+No one could have been more desirous than I was to know all about these
+Dusantes, and to discuss the strange manner of our meeting; but I saw
+that Ruth was looking very pale and faint, and that the elder Dusante
+lady had sat down again upon the ground as though obliged to do so by
+sheer exhaustion, and I therefore hailed with a double delight the
+interruption of further explanations by the appearance of two men on
+horseback who came galloping toward us.
+
+They belonged to the house which I had noticed from the road above, and
+one of them had seen our swift descent down the mountain-side. At first
+he had thought the black object he saw sliding over the snow-slopes was
+a rock or a mass of underbrush, but his keen eye soon told him that it
+was a group of human beings, and summoning a companion, he had set out
+for the foot of the mountain as soon as horses could be caught and
+saddled.
+
+The men were much surprised when they heard the details of our
+adventure, but as it was quite plain that some members of our party
+needed immediate nourishment and attention, the questions and
+explanations were made very short. The men dismounted from their horses,
+and the elder Dusante lady was placed upon one of them, one man leading
+the animal and the other supporting the lady. Ruth mounted the other
+horse, and I walked by her to assist her in keeping her seat; but she
+held fast to the high pommel of the saddle, and got on very well. Mr.
+Dusante took his younger companion on one arm, and his package under the
+other, while Mrs. Lecks, having relieved her foot from the encircling
+bonnet, and Mrs. Aleshine, now free from the entangling shawls, followed
+in the rear. The men offered to come back with the horses for them, if
+they would wait; but the two women declared that they were quite able to
+walk, and intended to do no waiting, and they trudged vigorously after
+us. The sun was now high, and the air down here was quite different from
+that of the mountain-side, being pleasant and almost warm. The men said
+that the snows above would probably soon melt, as it was much too early
+in the season for snow to lie long on these lower sides of the
+mountains.
+
+Our way lay over an almost level plain for about a mile. A portion of it
+was somewhat rough, so that when we reached the low house to which we
+were bound, we were all very glad indeed to get there. The house
+belonged to the two men, who owned a small ranch here. One of them was
+married, and his wife immediately set herself to work to attend to our
+needs. Her home was small, its rooms few, and her larder very plain in
+quality; but everything she had was placed at our disposal. Her own bed
+was given to the elder Dusante lady, who took immediate possession of
+it; and after a quickly prepared but plentiful meal of fried pork,
+corn-bread, and coffee, the rest of us stretched ourselves out to rest
+wherever we could find a place. Before lying down, however, I had, at
+Ruth's earnest solicitation, engaged one of the men to ride to the
+railroad-station to inquire about Mr. Enderton, and to inform him of our
+safety. By taking a route which ran parallel with the mountain-chain,
+but at some distance from it, the station, the man said, could be
+reached without encountering snow.
+
+None of us had had proper rest during the past two nights, and we slept
+soundly until dark, when we were aroused to partake of supper. All of
+us, except the elder Dusante lady, who preferred to remain in bed,
+gathered around the table. After supper a large fire, principally of
+brushwood, was built upon the hearth; and with the bright blaze, two
+candles, and a lamp, the low room appeared light and cheery. We drew up
+about the fire--for the night was cool--on whatever chairs, stools, or
+boxes we could find, and no sooner had we all seated ourselves than Mrs.
+Aleshine exclaimed:
+
+"Now, Mr. Dusante, it ain't in the power of mortal man, nor woman
+neither,--an' if put the other way it might be stronger,--to wait any
+longer before knowin' what relation Lucille is to Emily, an' you to
+them, an' all about that house of yours on the island. If I'd blown up
+into bits this day through holdin' in my wantin' to know, I shouldn't
+have wondered! An' if it hadn't been for hard sleep, I don't believe I
+could have held in, nohow!"
+
+[Illustration: "WE DREW UP ABOUT THE FIRE."]
+
+"That's my mind exactly," said Mrs. Lecks; "and though I know there's a
+time for all things, and don't believe in crowdin' questions on
+played-out people, I do think, Mr. Dusante, that if I could have caught
+up with you when we was comin' over here, I'd have asked you to speak
+out on these p'ints. But you're a long-legged walker, which Mrs.
+Aleshine is not, and it wouldn't have done to leave her behind."
+
+"Which she wouldn't 'a' been," said Mrs. Aleshine, "long legs or short."
+
+Ruth and I added our entreaties that Mr. Dusante should tell his story,
+and the good ranchman and his wife said that if there was anything to
+be done in the story-telling line they were in for it, strong; and
+quitting their work of clearing away supper things, they brought an old
+hair trunk from another room, and sat down just behind Mrs. Lecks.
+
+The younger Dusante lady, who, having been divested of her wraps, her
+veil, and the woolen shawl that had been tied over her head, had proved
+to be a very pretty girl with black eyes, here declared that it had been
+her intention at the first opportunity to get us to tell our story, but
+as we had asked first, she supposed we ought to be satisfied first.
+
+"I do not wish, my good friends," said Mr. Dusante, "to delay for a
+moment longer than necessary your very pardonable curiosity concerning
+me and my family; and I must say at the same time that, although your
+letter, sir, gave me a very clear account of your visit to my island,
+there are many things which naturally could not be contained within the
+limits of a letter, and about which I am most anxious to make inquiries.
+But these I will reserve until my own narration is finished.
+
+"My name is Albert Dusante. It may interest you to know that my father
+was a Frenchman and my mother an American lady from New England. I was
+born in France, but have lived very little in that country, and for a
+great part of my life have been a merchant in Honolulu. For the past few
+years, however, I have been enabled to free myself in a great degree
+from the trammels of business, and to devote myself to the pursuits of a
+man of leisure. I have never married, and this young lady is my
+sister."
+
+"Then what relation," began Mrs. Aleshine, "is she to--?"
+
+At this moment the hand of Mrs. Lecks, falling heavily into the lap of
+the speaker, stopped this question, and Mr. Dusante proceeded:
+
+"Our parents died when Lucille was an infant, and we have no near blood
+relations."
+
+At this the faces of both Mrs. Aleshine and Mrs. Lecks assumed
+expressions as if they had each just received a letter superscribed in
+an unknown hand, and were wondering who it could possibly be from.
+
+"The lady who is now resting in the adjoining room," continued Mr.
+Dusante, "is a dear friend who has been adopted by me as a mother."
+
+"Upon my word!" burst from Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, in as much
+unison of time and tone as if the words had been a response in a church
+service, while Miss Lucille leaned back against the wall near which she
+sat, and laughed gleefully. Mr. Dusante, however, continued his
+statements with the same quiet gravity with which he had begun.
+
+"This lady was a dear friend of my mother, although younger than she. I
+adopted her as a mother to my little orphan sister, and, consequently,
+placed her in the same maternal relation to myself, doing this with much
+earnest satisfaction, for I hoped to be able to return, as a son,
+something of the tender care and affection which she would bestow on
+Lucille as a daughter."
+
+"And she is Emily?" cried Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"She adopted our name," answered the speaker, "and she is Mrs. Emily
+Dusante."
+
+"And she is your adopted _mother?_" said Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"Adopted mother!" ejaculated Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"Yes," answered Mr. Dusante.
+
+"And that is the only relation she is to you two?" said Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"And you to her?" added Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"Most assuredly," answered Mr. Dusante.
+
+Here Mrs. Lecks leaned back in her chair, folded her hands in her lap,
+and ejaculated, "Well, well!" and then allowed her face to assume a
+rigid intention of having nothing more to say at the present moment.
+
+"One thing is certain," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, in a tone which
+indicated that she did not care who heard her; "I always liked Lucille
+the best!"
+
+At this Ruth and I exchanged smiles with Miss Lucille, and Mr. Dusante
+proceeded:
+
+"I do not wish to occupy too much of your time with our personal
+affairs, and will therefore state that the island on which you found
+refuge, and where I wish most heartily I had been present to act as
+host, was bought by me as a retreat from the annoyances of business and
+the exactions of society. I built there a good house--"
+
+"Which it truly was," said Mrs. Aleshine, "with fixtures in it for
+water, and letting it off, which I never saw in a house so far out of
+town."
+
+"I furnished it suitably," said Mr. Dusante. "We had books and music,
+and for several years we passed vacations there which were both
+enjoyable and profitable. But of late my sister has found the place
+lonely, and we have traveled a good deal, making intermittent and often
+short visits to the island.
+
+"As I never cared to leave any one on that lonely spot during our
+absences from it, I arranged a gateway of bars across the only opening
+in the reef, with the intention of preventing marauding visits from
+fishing-boats or other small craft which might be passing that way. As
+the island was out of the ordinary track of vessels, I did not imagine
+that my bars would ever prove an obstacle to unfortunate castaways who
+might seek a refuge there."
+
+"Which they didn't," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "for under we bobbed."
+
+"I never exactly understood," said Mr. Dusante, "and I hope to have it
+explained to me in due time, how you passed my bars without removing
+them; and I have had a sore weight upon my conscience since I discovered
+that shipwrecked persons, fleeing to my house from the perils of the
+sea, should have found those inhospitable bars in their way--"
+
+"Which is a weight you might as well cast off, and be done with it,"
+said Mrs. Lecks, her deep-set notions on the rights of property obliging
+her to speak; "for if a man hasn't a right to lock up his house when he
+goes away and leaves it, I don't know what rights anybody has about
+anything. Me, or Mrs. Aleshine, or anybody else here who has a house,
+might just as well go off travelin', or to town visitin', and leave our
+front door unlocked, and the yard gate swingin' on its hinges, because
+we was afraid that some tramp or other body with no house or home might
+come along and not be able to get in and make himself comfortable. Your
+business, sir, when you left that house and all your belongin's on that
+island, was to leave everything tight and safe; and the business of
+people sailin' in ships was to go on their proper way, and not be
+runnin' into each other. And if these last mentioned didn't see fit to
+do that, and so got into trouble, they should have gone to some island
+where there were people to attend to 'em, just as the tramps should go
+to the poorhouse. And this is what we would have done--not meanin' the
+poorhouse--if we hadn't been so over long-headed as to get into a leaky
+boat, which, I wish it understood, is sayin' nothin' against Mr. Craig."
+
+"That's true," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for nobody has got a right to
+complain that a fellow-bein' locks his own door after him. But it does
+seem to me, sir, that in such scattered neighborhoods as your island is
+in, it might be a good thing to leave something to eat an'
+drink--perhaps in a bottle or in a tin pail--at the outside of your bars
+for them as might come along shipwrecked, an' not be able to get inside
+on account of bein' obliged to come in a boat, an' not as we did; an'
+so, when they found they'd have to go on, they might have somethin' to
+keep up their strength till they got to another house."
+
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "when you start off on a
+journey to Japan or any other place, an' leave mince-pies and buttered
+toast a-stickin' on the p'ints of your pickets for tramps that might
+come along and need 'em, you can do that kind of talkin'. But as that
+time hasn't come, let's hear the rest of Mr. Dusante's story."
+
+"When I first visited my island this year," continued the narrator, "we
+made but a short stay, as we were all desirous of taking a somewhat
+extended sea-voyage in my steam-yacht. We visited several places of
+interest, and when we returned, just six weeks ago to-day--"
+
+"Just one week, lackin' a day," exclaimed Mrs. Lecks, "after we left
+that spot!"
+
+"If I'd 'a' knowed," said Mrs. Aleshine, rising to her feet, "that you'd
+be back so soon, I'd 'a' made them sailormen live on fish, I'd 'a' eat
+garden-truck myself, and I'd be bound I'd 'a' made the flour hold out
+for six days more for the rest of 'em, if I'd 'a' had to work my fingers
+to the skin and bone to do it!" Then she sat down solemnly.
+
+"When we returned," continued Mr. Dusante, "I was pleased to find my
+bars intact; and when these were unlocked, and the boat from our yacht
+went through with ourselves and our servants, it was very agreeable to
+notice the good order which seemed to prevail everywhere. As we passed
+from the wharf to the house, not even fallen boughs or weeds were seen
+to indicate that we had been away from the place for more than two
+months. When we entered the house, my mother and sister immediately
+ascended to their chambers, and when the windows had been opened I heard
+them from above calling to each other and remarking upon the freshness
+and cleanliness of the rooms. I went to my library, and when I had
+thrown open the window I was struck with the somewhat peculiar air of
+order which seemed to obtain in the room. The books stood upon their
+shelves with a remarkable regularity, and the chairs and other
+furniture were arranged with a precision which impressed me as unusual.
+In a moment, sir, I saw your letter upon the table addressed to me.
+Greatly astonished, I opened and read it.
+
+"When I had finished it my amazement was great indeed; but obeying an
+instant impulse, I stepped into the dining-room, which a servant had
+opened, and took the ginger-jar from the mantelpiece. When I lifted from
+it the little brown-paper parcel, and beneath it saw the money which had
+been mentioned in the letter, you may imagine the condition of my mind.
+I did not take out the money, nor count it; but covering it again with
+the paper parcel, which I believed contained fish-hooks, and with the
+jar in my hands, I returned to the library, where I sat down to ponder
+upon these most astounding revelations. While so doing my mother and
+sister hastily entered the room. Lucille declared in an excited manner
+that she believed that the brownies or some other fairies had been there
+while we were away and had kept the house in order. The whole place was
+actually cleaner, she said, than when we left it. She had taken down a
+thin dress from her closet, and it looked as if it had just come from
+the hand of a laundress, with the ruffles ironed smoother and more
+evenly than they had ever been since it was first stitched together.
+'Albert,' said my mother, her face pale, 'there has been somebody in
+this house!' Then she went on to say that the windows, which were left
+unwashed because we went away in somewhat of a hurry, were as bright and
+clean as if the maids had just been rubbing them; the floors and
+furniture were cleaner and freer from dust than they had ever been
+before; and the whole house looked as if we had just left it yesterday.
+'In fact,' she said, 'it is unnaturally clean!'"
+
+During this part of Mr. Dusante's story Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine sat
+very quiet, with an air of sedate humility upon their faces; but I could
+see by the proud light in their eyes that they felt their superiority to
+ordinary women, although they were properly resolved not to show such
+feeling.
+
+"At that moment," continued Mr. Dusante, "a servant came hurrying into
+the room, and informed us that the flour was all gone, and that there
+was scarcely anything in the pantries to eat. At this my mother and my
+sister, who knew that an abundance of provisions had been left in the
+house, looked at each other aghast. But before they could express their
+consternation in words, I addressed them. 'My dear mother,' said I, 'and
+Lucille, there truly has been some one in this house. By this letter I
+am informed that for several weeks eight persons have lived here under
+this roof; a marriage has been solemnized, and the happy couple have
+gone forth from our doors. These persons have eaten our food, they have
+made use of our property, and this has been their temporary home. But
+they are good people, honest and true-hearted, for they have left the
+house in better order than they found it, and more than the price of all
+they have consumed is in that ginger-jar.' And thereupon I read them
+your letter, sir.
+
+"I cannot undertake to describe the wonder and absorbing interest with
+which this letter filled our minds. All needful stores were brought
+ashore from the yacht, which lay outside the reef, and we began our
+usual life on the island; but none of the occupations or recreations in
+which we formerly employed our time now possessed any attractions for
+us. Our minds were filled with thoughts of the persons who had been so
+strangely living in our house; and our conversation was mainly made up
+of surmises as to what sort of people they were, whether or not we
+should ever see them, and similar suppositions."
+
+"Yes, indeed!" exclaimed Miss Lucille. "I thought of you by day and by
+night, and pictured you all in various ways, but never as you really
+are. Sometimes I used to think that the boat in which you went away had
+been sunk in a storm in which you were all drowned, and that perhaps
+your ghosts would come back and live in our house, and sleep in our
+beds, and clean our windows, and wash and iron our clothes, and do all
+sorts of things in the night."
+
+"Goodnessful, gracious me!" cried Mrs. Aleshine, "don't talk that way!
+The idea of bein' a cold ghost, goin' about in the dark, is worse than
+slidin' down a snow-mountain, even if you had to do it on the bare of
+your back."
+
+"Barb'ry!" said Mrs. Lecks, severely.
+
+"The idea is jus' as chillin'," replied her undaunted friend.
+
+"Two things connected with this matter," continued Mr. Dusante, "weighed
+heavily on my mind. One of these I have already mentioned--the cruel
+inhospitality of the barred entrance."
+
+I had refrained from adding to the interruptions to Mr. Dusante's
+narrative, but I now felt impelled to assure the gentleman, on behalf of
+myself and wife, that we shared the opinions of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine, and felt that he could in no way be blamed for thus protecting
+his private property.
+
+"You are very good," said Mr. Dusante, "but I will say here that there
+are now no bars to that entrance. I have left some people on the island,
+who will take care of my property and succor any unfortunate castaways
+who may arrive there. The other matter to which I alluded was, however,
+the heavier load which oppressed me. This was the money in the
+ginger-jar. I could not endure to reflect that I had been paid actual
+money for the hospitality I would have been so glad to offer to you poor
+shipwrecked people. Every sentiment of my being rebelled against such a
+thing. I was grieved. I was ashamed. At last I determined I would bear
+no longer the ignominy of this brand of inhospitality, and that, with
+the ginger-jar in my hand, I would search over the world, if necessary,
+for the persons who in my absence had paid board to me, and return to
+them the jar with its contents uncounted and untouched. Your letter
+informed me of the island to which you were bound, and if I did not find
+you there I could discover to what port you had taken your departure.
+There I could make further inquiries, and so follow you. When I proposed
+this plan to my family they agreed to it instantly, for their interest
+in the matter was almost as great as mine; and in a day or two we
+started on our quest.
+
+"I easily traced you to San Francisco, and found the hotel at which you
+had stopped. Here I obtained fresh news of you, and learned that you
+had started East, and that the destination of the party was believed to
+be Philadelphia. I had hoped that I should meet with you before you left
+California; but supposing that by that time you had reached your
+destination, or were, at least, far on your way, I yielded to the
+solicitations of my sister and made some excursions in California,
+intending then to follow you to Philadelphia, and there to advertise for
+Mr. Craig, if he could not otherwise be found. However, by the rarest
+and most fortunate of chances, we have met thus early, and for this I
+can never be too devoutly thankful."
+
+"Nor we," said I, earnestly; "for our greatly desired acquaintance with
+you and your family could not have begun too soon."
+
+"Now," said Mr. Dusante, "I will perform the duty for which my journey
+was undertaken, and I assure you it is a great pleasure to me to be able
+so soon to carry out this cherished purpose."
+
+He then took up from the floor by his side the package which he had so
+safely guarded during his swift and perilous descent of the
+mountain-side, and which he had since kept close by him. Placing this
+upon his knee, he removed the light shawl in which it had been rolled,
+and then several pieces of wrapping-paper, revealing to our eyes the
+familiar fat little ginger-jar which had stood on the mantelpiece of the
+dining-room in the house on the island, and in which we had deposited
+our board money.
+
+"It would be simply impossible for me," said Mr. Dusante, "to consent to
+retain in my possession money paid for the aid which I involuntarily
+rendered to shipwrecked people. Had I been present on the island, that
+aid would have been most heartily and freely given, and the fact of my
+absence makes no difference whatever in regard to my feelings on the
+subject of your paying for the food and shelter you found at my house.
+Having understood from Mr. Craig's letter that it was Mrs. Lecks who
+superintended the collection and depositing of the money, I now return
+to you, madam, this jar with its contents."
+
+"And which," said Mrs. Lecks, sitting up very rigidly, with her hands
+clasped behind her, "I don't take. If it had been a day and a night, or
+even two nights and over a Sunday, it wouldn't have mattered; but when
+me and Mrs. Aleshine--and the rest of the party can speak for
+themselves--stays for weeks and weeks, without leave or license, in a
+man's house, we pay our board--of course deductin' services. Good
+night."
+
+[Illustration: "REVEALING THE FAMILIAR FAT LITTLE GINGER-JAR."]
+
+With that she arose, and walked, very erect, into the adjoining room.
+
+"It was all very well, Mr. Dusante," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for you to try
+to carry out what you thought was right; but we have our ideas as to
+what our duty is, an' you have your ideas as to what your duty is, an'
+consciences is even."
+
+Having said this, she followed her friend.
+
+Mr. Dusante looked surprised and troubled, and he turned toward me. "My
+dear sir," said I, "those two good women are very sensitive in regard to
+right and justice, and I think it will be well not to press this subject
+upon them. As for my wife and me, neither of us would consent to touch
+money which was placed in that jar by Mrs. Lecks with the expectation
+that no one but you or one of your family would take it out."
+
+"Very well, sir," said Mr. Dusante, replacing the wrapping-paper around
+the jar; "I will drop the subject for the present. But you will allow me
+to say, sir, that I also am very sensitive in regard to right and
+justice."
+
+Early the next morning the man who had been sent to the railroad-station
+came back, bringing news that a four-horse wagon would shortly be sent
+for us, and also bearing a letter from Mr. Enderton to Ruth. In this
+that gentleman informed his daughter that he was quite well, but that he
+had suffered anxiety on account of her probable hardships in the
+abandoned stage-coach. He had hoped, however, that the snow which had
+precluded his return with assistance had fallen lightly in the elevated
+position in which she had been left; and he had trusted also that Mr.
+Craig had bethought himself to build a fire somewhere near the coach,
+where his daughter might be warmed; and that the provisions, of which he
+knew an ample quantity had been packed for the trip, had been properly
+heated for her and given to her at suitable intervals. This anxiety, he
+said, had added very much to his own mental disquietude occasioned by
+the violent vituperations and unjust demands of the driver of the
+stage-coach, who had seen fit to attack him with all manner of abuse,
+and might even have resorted to personal violence had it not been for
+the interference of by-standers and the locking of his room door. He was
+now, however, much relieved by the departure of this driver, and by the
+news that his daughter had reached a place of safety, which, of course,
+he had supposed she would do, her detention having occurred on an
+ordinary route of travel.
+
+While waiting for the arrival of the wagon, the adventures of Mrs.
+Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine, and myself, as well as those of Ruth and her
+father, from the time the one party left America and the other China,
+were related at length to the Dusantes, who showed a deep interest in
+every detail, and asked many questions.
+
+Mrs. Dusante, whose nervous equilibrium had been fully restored by her
+night's rest, and who, although feeling a little stiff and bruised, now
+declared herself quite well, proved to be a very pleasant lady of
+fifty-five or thereabouts. She was of a quiet disposition, but her
+speech and manner showed that in former years, at least, she had been a
+woman of society, and I soon found out that she was much interested in
+the study of character. This interest was principally shown in the
+direction of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, whom she evidently looked
+upon as most remarkable women. If any of her sentiments were those of
+admiration, however, they were not returned in kind; Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine had but a small opinion of her.
+
+"There's mother-in-laws, and stepmothers, and real mothers, and
+grandmothers, and sometimes great-grandmothers livin'," said Mrs. Lecks
+to me, apart; "but though Mr. Dusante may be a well-meanin' man,--and I
+don't doubt he is,--and wishin', I haven't the least reason to
+disbelieve, to do his whole duty by his fellow-men, still I must say,
+bein' brought up as I was, he hasn't any right to make a new kind of
+mother. To be sure, a man can adopt children, but that isn't goin'
+backward, like this is, which is ag'in' nat'ral law and gospel."
+
+"I expect," said Mrs. Aleshine, who was with us, "that them French has
+got fashions that we don't know about, and thankful we ought to be that
+we don't! I never had no patience with French heels an' French
+arsenic-green beans; an' now, if there's to be adoptin' of mothers in
+this country, the next thing will be gullotynes."
+
+"I don't see," said I, "why you look upon the Dusantes as French people.
+They are just as much American as French."
+
+"Well," said Mrs. Lecks, "it's not for me and Mrs. Aleshine to set
+ourselves up to judge other people. In our part of the country we don't
+adopt mothers; but if they do it in France, or the Sandwich Islands, or
+down East, I don't know that we ought to have anything to say."
+
+"He might as well have adopted a father at the same time," said Mrs.
+Aleshine, "although, to be sure, he would 'a' had to been particular to
+take one that was acquainted with Mrs. Dusante, and not had 'em
+strangers to each other, though parents to him."
+
+"If I was you, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "I'd adopt some sort
+of rag to the top of my head to serve for a bonnet; for here comes the
+wagon, and I suppose now we'll be off."
+
+We took leave of the kind-hearted ranch people, who looked upon us as a
+godsend into their lonely life, and disposed ourselves as comfortably as
+we could in the large wagon. Our journey of seven or eight miles to the
+railroad-station was slow, and over ways that were rough. Mrs. Dusante
+was a delicate woman and not used to hardship, whereas Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine were exceedingly vigorous and tough. The consequence of
+this difference was that the kindly hearts of the latter prompted them
+to do everything they could to prevent Mrs. Dusante feeling the bumps
+and jolts, and to give her such advantages of wraps and position as
+would help her to bear better the fatigues of the journey.
+
+In doing this these good women gradually forgot the adopted mother, and
+came to think only of the very pleasant lady who needed their
+attentions, and who took such a lively and agreeable interest in their
+family histories, their homes, their manner of living, and everything
+that pertained to them; and before we reached the end of our trip these
+three were talking together like old friends. Ruth and Miss Lucille had
+also struck up a warm acquaintance, while I found Mr. Dusante a very
+entertaining man--of sedate and careful speech, ingenious ideas, and of
+a very courteous disposition.
+
+When we arrived at the railroad-station we were met by Mr. Enderton, who
+showed a moderate degree of pleasure at seeing us, and an immoderate
+amount of annoyance, exhibited principally to me, in being obliged to
+give up to the women of our party the large room he had occupied in the
+only lodging-house in the little settlement.
+
+[Illustration: "RUTH AND MISS LUCILLE STRUCK UP A WARM ACQUAINTANCE."]
+
+When I informed him that the strangers with us were the Dusantes, on
+whose island we had been staying, he at first listened vaguely. He had
+always looked upon the Dusante family as a sort of fable used by Mrs.
+Lecks to countenance her exactions of money from the unfortunate
+sojourners on the island. But when I told him what Mr. Dusante had done,
+and related how he had brought the board money with him, and had offered
+to pay it back to us, an eager interest was aroused in him.
+
+"I do not wonder," he exclaimed, "that the conscience-stricken man
+wishes to give the money back, but that any one should refuse what
+actually belongs to him or her is beyond my comprehension! One thing is
+certain--I shall receive my portion. Fifteen dollars a week for my
+daughter and myself that woman charged me, and I will have it back."
+
+"My dear sir," I said, "your board was reduced to the same sum as that
+paid by the rest of us--four dollars a week each."
+
+"I call to mind no reduction," said Mr. Enderton. "I remember distinctly
+the exorbitant sum charged me for board on a desert island. It made a
+deep impression upon me."
+
+"I do not care to talk any further on this subject," I said. "You must
+settle it with Mrs. Lecks."
+
+Mr. Enderton gave a great sniff, and walked away with dignity. I could
+not but laugh as I imagined his condition two minutes after he had
+stated his opinions on this subject to Mrs. Lecks.
+
+When Mr. Dusante had started from San Francisco on his search for us, he
+had sent his heavy baggage ahead of him to Ogden City, where he purposed
+to make his first stop. He supposed that we might possibly here diverge
+from our homeward-bound route in order to visit the Mormon metropolis;
+and, if we had done so, he did not wish to pass us. It was therefore now
+agreed that we should all go to Ogden City, and there await the arrival
+of our effects left in the snowed-up vehicles on the mountain-side. We
+made arrangements with the station-master that these should be forwarded
+to us as soon as the stage-coach and the carriage could be brought down.
+All the baggage of my party was on the coach, and it consisted only of a
+few valises bought in San Francisco, and a package containing two
+life-preservers, which Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine said they would
+take home with them, if they took nothing else.
+
+On the morning after our arrival at Ogden City, Mr. Dusante took me
+aside. "Sir," he said, "I wish to confide to you my intentions regarding
+the jar containing the money left by your party in my house, and I trust
+you will do nothing to thwart them. When your baggage arrives, you, with
+your party, will doubtless continue your eastern way, and we shall
+return to San Francisco. But the jar, with its contents, shall be left
+behind to be delivered to Mrs. Lecks. If you will take charge of the
+jar, and hand it to her, sir, I shall be obliged greatly."
+
+I promised Mr. Dusante that I would not interfere with his intentions,
+but asserted that I could, on no account, take charge of the jar. The
+possession of that piece of pottery, with its contents, was now a matter
+of dispute between him and Mrs. Lecks, and must be settled by them.
+
+"Very well, then, sir," he said. "I shall arrange to depart before you
+and your company, and I shall leave the jar, suitably packed, in the
+care of the clerk of this hotel, with directions to hand it to Mrs.
+Lecks after I am gone. Thus there will be nothing for her to do but to
+receive it."
+
+Some one now came into the smoking-room, where we were sitting, and no
+more was said on this subject. Mr. Dusante's statement of his intention
+very much amused me, for Mrs. Lecks had previously taken me into her
+confidence in regard to her intentions in this matter. "Mr. Dusante,"
+she had said, "hasn't dropped a word more about the money in that
+ginger-jar, but I know just as well as he does what he's goin' to do
+about it. When the time comes to go, he's goin' to slip off quietly,
+leavin' that jar behind him, thinkin' then I'll be obliged to take it,
+there bein' nobody to give it back to. But he'll find me just as sharp
+as he is. I've got the street and number of his business place in
+Honolulu from his sister,--askin' about it in an offhand way, as if it
+didn't mean anything,--an' if that jar is left for me, I'll pack it in a
+box, money and all, and I'll express it to Mr. Dusante; and when he gets
+to Honolulu he'll find it there, and then he'll know that two can play
+at that sort of game."
+
+Knowing Mr. Dusante, and knowing Mrs. Lecks, I pictured to myself a box
+containing a ginger-jar, and covered with numerous half-obliterated
+addresses, traveling backward and forward between the Sandwich Islands
+and Pennsylvania during the lifetime of the contestants, and, probably,
+if testamentary desires should be regarded, during a great part of the
+lifetime of their heirs. That the wear and tear of the box might make it
+necessary to inclose it in a keg, and that, eventually, the keg might
+have to be placed in a barrel, and that, after a time, in a hogshead,
+seemed to me as likely as any other contingencies which might befall
+this peregrinating ginger-jar.
+
+We spent three days in Ogden City, and then, the weather having
+moderated very much, and the snow on the mountains having melted
+sufficiently to allow the vehicles to be brought down, our effects were
+forwarded to us, and my party and that of Mr. Dusante prepared to
+proceed on our different ways. An eastward-bound train left that
+evening an hour after we received our baggage, but we did not care to
+depart upon such short notice, and so determined to remain until the
+next day.
+
+In the evening Mr. Dusante came to me to say that he was very glad to
+find that the westward train would leave Ogden City early in the
+morning, so that he and his family would start on their journey some
+hours before we should leave. "This suits my plans exactly," he said. "I
+have left the ginger-jar, securely wrapped, and addressed to Mrs. Lecks,
+with the clerk of the hotel, who will deliver it to-morrow immediately
+after my departure. All our preparations are made, and we purpose this
+evening to bid farewell to you and our other kind friends, from whom, I
+assure you, we are most deeply grieved to part."
+
+I had just replied that we also regretted extremely the necessity for
+this separation, when a boy brought me a letter. I opened it, and found
+it was from Mr. Enderton. It read as follows:
+
+     DEAR SIR: I have determined not to wait here until to-morrow,
+     but to proceed eastward by this evening's train. I desire to
+     spend a day in Chicago, and as you and the others will probably
+     not wish to stop there, I shall, by this means, attain my
+     object without detaining you. My sudden resolution will not
+     give me time to see you all before I start, but I have taken a
+     hurried leave of my daughter, and this letter will explain
+     my departure to the rest.
+
+     I will also mention that I have thought it proper, as the
+     natural head of our party both by age and position, to settle
+     the amicable dispute in regard to the reception and disposition
+     of the money paid, under an excusable misapprehension, for our
+     board and lodging upon a desert island. I discovered that the
+     receptacle of this money had been left in the custody of the
+     clerk, addressed to Mrs. Lecks, who has not only already
+     refused to receive it, and would probably do so again, but who
+     is, in my opinion, in no wise entitled to hold, possess, or
+     dispose of it. I therefore, without making any disturbance
+     whatever, have taken charge of the package, and shall convey it
+     with me to Chicago. When you arrive there, I will apportion the
+     contents among us according to our several claims. This I
+     regard as a very sensible and prudent solution of the little
+     difficulty which has confronted us in regard to the disposition
+     of this money. Yours hurriedly,
+
+                                                   DAVID J. ENDERTON.
+
+     P.S. I shall stop at Brandiger's Hotel, where I shall await
+     you.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+PART VI
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Mr. Enderton's letter astonished and angered me, but in spite of my
+indignation, I could not help smiling at the unexpected way in which he
+had put a stop to the probable perpetual peregrinations of the
+ginger-jar. I handed the letter to Mr. Dusante, and when he had read it
+his face flushed, and I could see that he was very angry, although he
+kept his temper under excellent control.
+
+"Sir," he said presently, "this shall not be allowed. That jar, with its
+contents, is my property until Mrs. Lecks has consented to receive it.
+It is of my own option that I return it at all, and I have decided to
+return it to Mrs. Lecks. Any one interfering with my intentions steps
+entirely beyond the line of just and warrantable procedure. Sir, I shall
+not go westward to-morrow morning, but, with my family, will accompany
+you to Chicago, where I shall require Mr. Enderton to return to me my
+property, which I shall then dispose of as I see fit. You must excuse
+me, sir, if anything I have said regarding this gentleman with whom you
+are connected has wounded your sensibilities."
+
+"Oh, don't think of that," I exclaimed. "Pitch into Enderton as much as
+you please, and you may be sure that I shall not object. When I took the
+daughter to wife, I did not marry the father. But, of course, for my
+wife's sake I hope this matter will not be made the subject of public
+comment."
+
+"You need have no fear of that," said Mr. Dusante; "and you will allow
+me to remark that Mr. Enderton's wife must have been a most charming
+lady."
+
+"Why do you think so?" I asked.
+
+"I judge so," he answered, with a bow, "from my acquaintance with Mrs.
+Craig."
+
+I now went immediately to Ruth, who, I found, knew nothing of what had
+occurred, except that her father had gone on to Chicago in advance of
+our party, and had had time only to bid her a hasty good-by. I made no
+remarks on this haste, which would not allow Mr. Enderton to take leave
+of us, but which gave him time to write a letter of some length; and as
+Ruth knew nothing of this letter, I determined not to mention it to her.
+Her father's sudden departure surprised her but little, for she told me
+that he always liked to get to places before the rest of the party with
+whom he might be journeying.
+
+"Even when we go to church," she said, "he always walks ahead of the
+rest of us. I don't understand why he likes to do so, but this is one of
+his habits."
+
+When I informed Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine of what had happened, they
+fairly blazed.
+
+"I don't know what Mr. Dusante calls it," exclaimed Mrs. Lecks, "but I
+know what I call it."
+
+"Yes, indeed!" cried Mrs. Aleshine, her round eyes sparkling with
+excitement; "if that isn't ex-honesty, then he ain't no ex-missionary! I
+pity the heathen he converted!"
+
+"I'll convert him," said Mrs. Lecks, "if ever I lay eyes on him! Walkin'
+away with a package with my name on it! He might as well take my gold
+spectacles or my tortoise-shell comb! I suppose there's no such thing
+as ketchin' up with him, but I'll telegraph after him; an' I'll let him
+know that if he dares to open a package of mine, I'll put the law on
+him!"
+
+"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine. "You kin send telegraphs all along the
+line to one station an' another for conductors to give to him in the
+cars, an' directed to Mr. Enderton, a tall man with gray-mixed hair an'
+a stolen bundle. That's the way they did in our place when Abram Marly's
+wife fell into the cistern, an' he'd jus' took the cars to the city, an'
+they telegraphed to him at five different stations to know where he'd
+left the ladder."
+
+"Which ain't a bad idea," said Mrs. Lecks, "though his name will be
+enough on it without no description; an' I'll do that this minute, an'
+find out about the stations from the clerk."
+
+"You must be very careful," I said, "about anything of that kind, for
+the telegrams will be read at the stations, and Mr. Enderton might be
+brought into trouble in a way which we all should regret; but a
+despatch may be worded so that he, and no one else, would understand
+it."
+
+"Very well," said Mrs. Lecks, "an' let's get at it; but I must say that
+he don't deserve bein' saved no trouble, for I'm as sure as that I'm a
+livin' woman that he never saved nobody else no trouble sence the first
+minute he was born."
+
+The following despatch was concocted and sent on to Bridger, to be
+delivered to Mr. Enderton on the train:
+
+     The package you know of has been stolen. You will recognize the
+     thief. If he leaves it at Chicago hotel, let him go. If he
+     opens it, clap him in jail.
+
+                                                         MRS. LECKS.
+
+"I think that will make him keep his fingers off it," said Mrs. Lecks;
+"an' if Mr. Dusante chooses to send somethin' of the same kind to some
+other station, it won't do no harm. An' if that Enderton gets so skeered
+that he keeps out of sight and hearin' of all of us, it'll be the best
+thing that's happened yet. An' I want you to understan', Mr. Craig, that
+nothin' 's goin' to be said or done to make your wife feel bad; an'
+there's no need of her hearin' about what's been done or what's goin' to
+be done. But I'll say for her that though, of course, Mr. Enderton is
+her father, and she looks up to him as such, she's a mighty deal
+livelier and gayer-hearted when he's away than when he's with her. An'
+as for the rest of us, there's no use sayin' anything about our
+resignedness to the loss of his company."
+
+"I should say so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "for if there ever was a man who
+thought of himself ninety-nine times before he thought of anybody else
+once, an' then as like as not to forgit that once, he's the man. An'
+it's not, by no means, that I'm down on missionaries, for it's many a
+box I've made up for 'em, an' never begrudged neither money nor trouble,
+an' will do it ag'in many times, I hope. But he oughtn't to be called
+one, havin' given it up,--unless they gave him up, which there's no
+knowin' which it was,--for if there's anything which shows the good in a
+man, it's his bein' willin' to give up the comforts of a Christian land
+an' go an' convert heathens; though bein' willin' to give up the
+heathens an' go for the comforts shows him quite different, besides, as
+like as not, chargin' double, an' only half convertin'."
+
+Mr. Dusante was fully determined to go on with us until he had recovered
+possession of the ginger-jar. His courteous feelings toward Mrs. Craig
+and myself prevented his saying much about Mr. Enderton, but I had good
+reason to believe that his opinions in regard to my father-in-law were
+not very different from those of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine. Ever
+since Mr. Enderton had shown his petulant selfishness, when obliged to
+give up his room at the railroad-station for the use of the women of his
+party, Mr. Dusante had looked upon him coldly, and the two had had but
+little to say to each other.
+
+We were all very glad that our pleasant party was not to be broken up;
+and although there was no resignation at the absence of the ginger-jar,
+we started on our journey the next day in a pleasanter mood for the
+absence of Mr. Enderton. Before we left, Mr. Dusante sent a telegram to
+Kearney Junction, to be delivered to Mr. Enderton when he arrived
+there. What this message was I do not know, but I imagine its tone was
+decided.
+
+Our journey to Chicago was a pleasant one. We had now all become very
+well acquainted with each other, and there was no discordant element in
+the combined party. Some of us were a little apprehensive of trouble, or
+annoyance at least, awaiting us in Chicago, but we did not speak of it;
+and while Ruth knew nothing of her father's misbehavior, it might have
+been supposed that the rest had forgotten it.
+
+At Chicago we went at once to Brandiger's Hotel, and there we found,
+instead of Mr. Enderton, a letter from him to Ruth. It read as follows:
+
+     MY DEAR DAUGHTER: I have determined not to wait here, as
+     originally intended, but to go on by myself. I am sorry not to
+     meet you here, but it will not be long before we are together
+     again, and you know I do not like to travel with a party. Its
+     various members always incommode me in one way or another. I
+     had proposed to go to Philadelphia and wait for you there, but
+     have since concluded to stop at Meadowville, a village in the
+     interior of Pennsylvania, where, as they have informed me, the
+     two women, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, reside. I wish to see
+     the party all together before I take final leave of them, and I
+     suppose the two women will not consent to go any farther than
+     the country town in which they live. Inclosed is a note to your
+     husband relating to business matters. I hope that he will take
+     the best of care of you during the rest of the journey, and
+     thus very much oblige
+
+                                         YOUR AFFECTIONATE FATHER.
+
+This was my note:
+
+     MR. CRAIG. SIR: I should have supposed that you would have been
+     able to prevent the insolent messages which have been
+     telegraphed to me from some members of your party, but it is
+     my lot to be disappointed in those in whom I trust. I shall
+     make no answer to these messages, but will say to you that I am
+     not to be browbeaten in my intention to divide among its
+     rightful claimants the money now in my possession. It is not
+     that I care for the comparatively paltry sum that will fall to
+     myself and my daughter, but it is the principle of the matter
+     for which I am contending. It was due to me that the amount
+     should have been returned to me, and to no other, that I might
+     make the proper division. I therefore rest upon my principles
+     and my rights; and, desiring to avoid needless altercations,
+     shall proceed to Meadowville, where, when the rest of my party
+     arrive, I shall justly apportion the money. I suppose the man
+     Dusante will not be foolish enough to protract his useless
+     journey farther than Chicago. It is your duty to make him see
+     the impropriety of so doing. Yours, etc.,
+
+                                                   D. J. ENDERTON.
+
+Ruth's letter was shown to all the party, and mine in private to Mr.
+Dusante, Mrs. Lecks, and Mrs. Aleshine. When the first moments of
+astonishment were over, Mrs. Lecks exclaimed:
+
+"Well, after all, I don't know that I'm so very sorry that the old sneak
+has done this, for now we're rid of him for the rest of the trip; and
+I'm pretty certain, from the way he writes, that he hasn't dipped into
+that jar yet. We've skeered him from doin' that."
+
+"But the impidence of him!" said Mrs. Aleshine. "Think of his goin' to
+the very town where we live an' gittin' there fust! He'll be settin' on
+that tavern porch, with every loafer in the place about him, an' tellin'
+'em the whole story of what happened to us from beginnin' to end, till
+by the time we git there it'll be all over the place an' as stale as
+last week's bread."
+
+"'The man Dusante,'" quietly remarked that individual, "will not
+abandon the purpose of his journey. He left his island to place in the
+hands of Mrs. Lecks, on behalf of her party, the ginger-jar with the
+money inclosed. He will therefore go on with you to Meadowville, and
+will there make formal demand, and, if necessary, legal requisition, for
+the possession of that jar and that money; after which he will proceed
+to carry out his original intentions."
+
+[Illustration: "'THE IMPIDENCE OF HIM!'"]
+
+We all expressed our pleasure at having him, with his ladies, as
+companions for the remainder of our journey, and Mrs. Lecks immediately
+offered them the hospitalities of her house for as long a time as they
+might wish to stay with her.
+
+"The weather there," she said, "is often splendid till past Thanksgivin'
+day, an' nobody could be welcomer than you."
+
+"I'd have asked you myself," said Mrs. Aleshine, "if Mrs. Lecks hadn't
+done it,--which of course she would, bein' alive,--but I'm goin' to have
+Mr. Craig an' his wife, an' as our houses is near, we'll see each other
+all the time. An' if Mr. Enderton chooses to stay awhile at the tavern,
+he can come over to see his daughter whenever he likes. I'll go as fur
+as that, though no further can I go. I'm not the one to turn anybody
+from my door, be he heathen, or jus' as bad, or wuss. But tea once, or
+perhaps twice, is all that I can find it in my heart to offer that man
+after what he's done."
+
+As the Dusantes and Ruth expressed a desire to see something of Chicago,
+where they had never been before, we remained in this city for two days,
+feeling that, as Mr. Enderton would await our coming, there was no
+necessity for haste.
+
+Early in the afternoon of the second day I went into the parlor of the
+hotel, where I expected to find our party prepared for a sight-seeing
+excursion; but I found the room tenanted only by Mrs. Aleshine, who was
+sitting with her bonnet and wraps on, ready to start forth. I had said
+but a few words to her when Mrs. Lecks entered, without bonnet or shawl,
+and with her knitting in her hand. She took a seat in a large
+easy-chair, put on her spectacles, and proceeded to knit.
+
+"Mrs. Lecks!" exclaimed her friend, in surprise, "don't you intend goin'
+out this afternoon?"
+
+"No," said Mrs. Lecks. "I've seen all I want to see, an' I'm goin' to
+stay in the house an' keep quiet."
+
+"Isn't Mr. Dusante goin' out this afternoon?" asked Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+Mrs. Lecks laid her knitting in her lap; then she took off her
+spectacles, folded them, and placed them beside the ball of yarn, and,
+turning her chair around, she faced her friend. "Barb'ry Aleshine," said
+she, speaking very deliberately, "has any such a thing got into your
+mind as that I'm settin' my cap at Mr. Dusante?"
+
+"I don't say you have, an' I don't say you haven't," answered Mrs.
+Aleshine, her fat hands folded on her knees, and her round face shining
+from under her new bonnet with an expression of hearty good will; "but
+this I will say,--an' I don't care who hears it,--that if you was to set
+your cap at Mr. Dusante, there needn't nobody say anythin' ag'in' it, so
+long as you are content. He isn't what I'd choose for you, if I had the
+choosin', for I'd git one with an American name an' no islands. But
+that's neither here nor there, for you're a grown woman an' can do your
+own choosin'. An' whether there's any choosin' to be done is your own
+business, too, for it's full eleven years sence you've been done with
+widder fixin's; an' if Mr. Lecks was to rise up out of his grave this
+minute, he couldn't put his hand on his heart an' say that you hadn't
+done your full duty by him, both before an' after he was laid away. An'
+so, if you did want to do choosin', an' made up your mind to set your
+cap at Mr. Dusante, there's no word to be said. Both of you is ripe-aged
+an' qualified to know your own minds, an' both of you is well off
+enough, to all intents an' purposes, to settle down together, if so
+inclined. An' as to his sister, I don't expect she will be on his hands
+for long. An' if you can put up with an adopted mother-in-law, that's
+your business, not mine; though I allus did say, Mrs. Lecks, that if
+you'd been 'Piscopalian, you'd been Low-church."
+
+"Is that all?" said Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"Yes," replied the other; "it's all I have to say jus' now, though more
+might come to me if I gave my mind to it."
+
+"Well, then," said Mrs. Lecks, "I've somethin' to say on this p'int, and
+I'm very glad Mr. Craig is here to hear it. If I had a feelin' in the
+direction of Mr. Dusante that he was a man, though not exactly what I
+might wish, havin' somethin' of foreign manners, with ties in the
+Sandwich Islands, which I shouldn't have had so if I'd had the orderin'
+of it, who was still a Christian gentleman,--as showed by his acts, not
+his words,--a lovin' brother, an' a kind an' attentive son by his own
+adoption, and who would make me a good husband for the rest of our two
+lives, then I'd go and I'd set my cap at him--not bold nor flauntin' nor
+unbecomin' to a woman of my age, but just so much settin' of it at him
+that if he had any feelin's in my direction, and thought, although it
+was rather late in life for him to make a change, that if he was goin'
+to do it he'd rather make that change with a woman who had age enough,
+and experience enough, in downs as well as ups, and in married life as
+well as single, to make him feel that as he got her so he'd always find
+her, then I say all he'd have to do would be to come to me an' say what
+he thought, an' I'd say what I thought, an' the thing would be settled,
+an' nobody in this world need have one word to say, except to wish us
+joy, an' then go along and attend to their own business.
+
+"But now I say to you, Barb'ry Aleshine, an' just the same to you, Mr.
+Craig, that I haven't got no such feelin's in the direction of Mr.
+Dusante, an' I don't intend to set my cap at him; an' if he wore such a
+thing, and set it at me, I'd say to him, kind, though firm, that he
+could put it straight again as far as I was concerned, an' that if he
+chose to set it at any other woman, if the nearest an' dearest friend I
+have on earth, I'd do what I could to make their married lives as happy
+as they could be under the circumstances, and no matter what happened, I
+wouldn't say one word, though I might think what I pleased. An' now you
+have it, all straight and plain: if I wanted to set caps, I'd set 'em;
+and if I didn't want to set 'em, I wouldn't. I don't want to, and I
+don't."
+
+And, putting on her spectacles, she resumed her knitting.
+
+Mrs. Aleshine turned upon her friend a beaming face.
+
+"Mrs. Lecks," she said, "your words has lifted a load from off my mind.
+It wouldn't ha' broke me down, an' you wouldn't never have knowed I
+carried it; but it's gone, an' I'm mighty glad of it. An' as for me an'
+my cap,--an' when you spoke of nearest and dearest friends you couldn't
+mean nobody but me,--you needn't be afraid. No matter what I was, nor
+what he was, nor what I thought of him, nor what he thought of me, I
+couldn't never say to my son, when he comes to his mother's arms all the
+way from Japan: 'George, here's a Frenchman who I give to you for a
+father!'"
+
+Here I burst out laughing; but Mrs. Lecks gravely remarked: "Now I hope
+this business of cap-settin' is settled an' done with."
+
+"Which it is," said Mrs. Aleshine, as she rose to meet the rest of our
+party as they entered the room.
+
+For several days I could not look upon the dignified and almost courtly
+Mr. Dusante without laughing internally, and wondering what he would
+think if he knew how, without the slightest provocation on his side, a
+matrimonial connection with him had been discussed by these good women,
+and how the matter had been finally settled. I think he would have
+considered this the most surprising incident in the whole series of his
+adventures.
+
+On our journey from Chicago to the little country town in the interior
+of Pennsylvania we made a few stops at points of interest for the sake
+of Ruth and the Dusante ladies, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine generously
+consenting to these delays, although I knew they felt impatient to reach
+their homes. They were now on most social terms with Mrs. Dusante, and
+the three chatted together like old friends.
+
+"I asked her if we might call her Emily," said Mrs. Aleshine in
+confidence to me, "an' she said yes, an' we're goin' to do it. I've all
+along wanted to, because it seemed to come nat'ral, considerin' we
+knowed 'em as Emily and Lucille before we set eyes on 'em. But as long
+as I had that load on my mind about Mrs. Lecks and Mr. Dusante I
+couldn't 'Emily' his adopted mother. My feelin's wouldn't ha' stood it.
+But now it's all right; an' though Emily isn't the woman I expected her
+to be, Lucille is the very picter of what I thought she was. And as for
+Emily, I never knowed a nicer-mannered lady, an' more willin' to learn
+from people that's had experience, than she is."
+
+We arrived at Meadowville early in the afternoon, and when our party
+alighted from the train we were surprised not to see Mr. Enderton on the
+platform of the little station. Instead of him, there stood three
+persons whose appearance amazed and delighted us. They were the
+red-bearded coxswain and the two sailormen, all in neat new clothes, and
+with their hands raised in maritime salute.
+
+There was a cry of joy. Mrs. Aleshine dropped her bag and umbrella, and
+rushed toward them with outstretched hands. In a moment Mrs. Lecks,
+Ruth, and myself joined the group, and greeted warmly our nautical
+companions of the island.
+
+The Dusante party, when they were made acquainted with the mariners,
+were almost as much delighted as we were, and Mr. Dusante expressed in
+cordial words his pleasure in meeting the other members of the party to
+whom his island had given refuge.
+
+"I am so glad to see you," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that I don't know my
+bonnet from my shoes! But how, in the name of all that's wonderful, did
+you get here?"
+
+"'T ain't much of a story," said the coxswain, "an' this is just the
+whole of it. When you left us at 'Frisco we felt pretty downsome, an'
+the more that way because we couldn't find no vessel that we cared to
+ship on; an' then there come to town the agent of the house that owned
+our brig, and we was paid off for our last v'yage. Then, when we had
+fitted ourselves out with new togs, we began to think different about
+this shippin' on board a merchant-vessel, an' gettin' cussed at, an'
+livin' on hard-tack an' salt prog, an' jus' as like as not the ship
+springin' a leak an' all hands pumpin' night an' day, an' goin' to Davy
+Jones, after all. An' after talkin' this all over, we was struck hard on
+the weather-bow with a feelin' that it was a blamed sight
+better--beggin' your pardon, ma'am--to dig garden-beds in nice soft
+dirt, an' plant peas, an' ketch fish, an' all that kind of shore work,
+an' eatin' them good things you used to cook for us, Mrs. Aleshine, and
+dancin' hornpipes for ye, and tamin' birds when our watch was off.
+Wasn't that so, Jim an' Bill?"
+
+"Aye, aye, sir!" said the black-bearded sailormen.
+
+"Then says I, 'Now look here, mates; don't let's go and lark away all
+this money, but take it an' make a land trip to where Mrs. Aleshine
+lives'--which port I had the name of on a piece of paper which you gave
+me, ma'am."
+
+And here Mrs. Aleshine nodded vigorously, not being willing to interrupt
+this entrancing story.
+
+"'An' if she's got another garden, an' wants it dug in, an' things
+planted, an' fish caught, an' any other kind of shore work done, why,
+we're the men for her; an' we'll sign the papers for as long a v'yage as
+she likes, and stick by her in fair weather or foul, bein' good for day
+work an' night work, an' allus ready to fall in when she passes the
+word.' Ain't that so, Jim an' Bill?"
+
+"Aye, aye, sir!" returned the sailormen, with sonorous earnestness.
+
+"Upon my word!" cried Mrs. Aleshine, tears of joy running down her
+cheeks, "them papers shall be signed, if I have to work night an' day to
+find somethin' for you to do. I've got a man takin' keer of my place
+now; but many a time have I said to myself that if I had anybody I could
+trust to do the work right, I'd buy them two fields of Squire Ramsey's,
+an' go into the onion business. An' now you sailormen has come like
+three sea angels, an' if it suits you we'll go into the onion business
+on sheers."
+
+"That suits us tiptop, ma'am," said the coxswain; "an' we'll plant
+inyans for ye on the shears, on the stocks, or in the dry-dock. It don't
+make no dif'rence to us where you have 'em; just pass the word."
+
+"Well, well," said Mrs. Lecks, "I don't know how that's goin' to work,
+but we won't talk about it now. An' so you came straight on to this
+place?"
+
+"That did we, ma'am," said the coxswain. "An' when we got here we found
+the parson, but none of you folks. That took us aback a little at fust,
+but he said he didn't live here, an' you was comin' pretty soon. An' so
+we took lodgin's at the tavern, an' for three days we've been down here
+to meet every train, expectin' you might be on it."
+
+Our baggage had been put on the platform, the train had moved on, and we
+had stood engrossed in the coxswain's narrative; but now I thought it
+necessary to make a move. There was but one small vehicle to hire at the
+station. This would hold but two persons, and in it I placed Mrs.
+Dusante and Ruth, the first being not accustomed to walking, and the
+latter very anxious to meet her father. I ordered the man to drive them
+to the inn, where we would stay until Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine'
+should get their houses properly aired and ready for our reception.
+
+"Mrs. Craig will be glad to get to the tavern and see her father," said
+Mrs. Aleshine. "I expect he forgot all about its bein' time for the
+train to come."
+
+"Bless you, ma'am!" exclaimed the coxswain, "is she gone to the tavern?
+The parson's not there!"
+
+"Where is he, then?" asked Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"He's at your house, ma'am," replied the coxswain.
+
+"An' what, in the name of common sense, is he doin' at my house?"
+exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, her eyes sparkling with amazement and
+indignation.
+
+"Well, ma'am, for one thing," said the coxswain, "he's had the front
+door painted."
+
+"What!" cried Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, in one breath.
+
+"Yes," continued the coxswain; "the parson said he hated to see men
+hangin' around doin' nothin'. An' then he looked about, an' said the
+paint was all wore off the front door, an' we might as well go to work
+an' paint that; an' he sent Jim to a shop to git the paint an'
+brushes--"
+
+"An' have 'em charged to me?" cried Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"Yes, ma'am," continued the coxswain. "An' Jim an' Bill holystoned all
+the old paint off the door, an' I painted it, havin' done lots of that
+sort of thing on shipboard; an' I think it's a pretty good job,
+ma'am--red at top and bottom, an' white in the middle, like a steamer's
+smoke-stack."
+
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine looked at each other. "An' he told you to
+do that?" said Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"Yes, ma'am," answered the coxswain. "The parson said he never liked to
+be nowhere without doin' what good he could. An' there was some other
+paintin' he talked of havin' done, but we ain't got at it yet. I s'posed
+he was actin' under your orders, an' I hope I haven't done no wrong,
+ma'am."
+
+"You're not a bit to blame," said Mrs. Aleshine; "but I'll look into
+this thing. No fear about that! An' how did he come to go to my house?
+An' how did he get in, I'd like to know?"
+
+"All I know about that," said the coxswain, "is what the gal that's
+livin' there told me, which she did along of askin' us if we was comin'
+to live there too, an' if she should rig up beds for us somewhere in the
+top-loft; but we told her no, not havin' no orders, an' payin' our own
+way at the tavern. She said, said she, that the parson come there, an'
+'lowed he was a friend of Mrs. Aleshine's an' travelin' with her, an'
+that if she was at home she wouldn't let him stay at no tavern; an'
+that, knowin' her wishes, he'd come right there, an' 'spected to be took
+care of till she come. She said she felt uncertain about it, but she
+tuck him in till she could think it over, an' then we come an' certified
+that he was the parson who'd been along with Mrs. Aleshine an' the rest
+of us. Arter that she thought it was all right, an', beggin' your pardon
+if we was wrong, so did Jim an' Bill an' me, ma'am."
+
+"Now," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "if that isn't exactly like Elizabeth
+Grootenheimer! To think of Elizabeth Grootenheimer thinkin'! The
+Grootenheimers always was the dumbest family in the township, an'
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer is the dumbest of 'em all! I did say to myself,
+when I went away: 'Now, Elizabeth Grootenheimer is so stone dumb that
+she'll jus' stay here an' do the little I tell her to do, an' hasn't
+sense enough to get into no mischief.' An' now, look at her!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+She waved her hand in the direction of the invisible Elizabeth
+Grootenheimer.
+
+Mrs. Lecks had said very little during this startling communication, but
+her face had assumed a stern and determined expression. Now she spoke:
+
+"I guess we've heard about enough, an' we'd better be steppin' along an'
+see what else Mr. Enderton an' Elizabeth Grootenheimer is doin'."
+
+The homes of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine were not far from each other,
+and were situated about midway between the station and the village inn,
+and in the direction of these our party now started. Mrs. Aleshine,
+contrary to her custom, took the lead, and walked away with strides of
+unusual length. Mrs. Lecks was close behind her, followed by the two
+Dusantes and myself, while the three mariners, who insisted upon
+carrying all the hand-baggage, brought up the rear. We stepped quickly,
+for we were all much interested in what might happen next; and very soon
+we reached Mrs. Aleshine's house. It was a good-sized and
+pleasant-looking dwelling, painted white, with green shutters, and with
+a long covered piazza at the front. Between the road and the house was a
+neat yard with grass and flower-beds, and from the gate of the
+picket-fence in front of the yard a brick-paved path led up to the
+house.
+
+Our approach had been perceived, for on the piazza, in front of the
+gaily painted door, stood Mr. Enderton, erect, and with a bland and
+benignant smile upon his face. One hand was stretched out as if in
+welcome, and with the other he gracefully held the ginger-jar, now
+divested of its wrappings.
+
+At this sight Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine made a simultaneous dash at
+the gate; but it was locked. The two women stamped their feet in fury.
+
+"Put down that jar!" shouted Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"Elizabeth Grootenheimer! Elizabeth Grootenheimer!" screamed Mrs.
+Aleshine. "Come here and open this gate."
+
+"Break it down!" said Mrs. Lecks, turning to the sailors.
+
+"Don't you do it!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, throwing herself in front of
+it. "Don't you break my gate! Elizabeth Grootenheimer!"
+
+"My friends," said Mr. Enderton, in clear, distinct tones, "be calm. I
+have the key of that gate in my pocket. I locked it because I feared
+that on your first arrival you would hurry up to the house in a
+promiscuous way, and give heed to irrelevant matters. I wished to
+address you in a body, and in a position where your attention would not
+be diverted from me. I hold here, my friends, the receptacle containing
+the money which, under a misapprehension, was paid for our board while
+on a desert island. This money I have taken care of, and have carefully
+guarded for the benefit of us all. Unfortunately, objections have arisen
+to this guardianship, which were forwarded to me by telegraph; but I
+have not heeded them. If you cannot see for yourselves the propriety of
+my assumption of this trust, I will not now undertake to enlighten you.
+But I hope there is no necessity for this, for, having had time to give
+the matter your fullest attention, I doubt not that you entirely agree
+with me. I will merely add, for I see you are impatient, that the sum
+which will fall to the share of each of us is comparatively
+insignificant and in itself not worth striving for; but what I have done
+has been for the sake of principle. For the sake of principle I have
+insisted that this money should be received by its rightful owners; for
+the sake of principle I assumed the custody of it; and for the sake of
+principle I shall now empty the contents of this jar--which by me has
+not been examined or touched--upon the floor of this piazza, and I shall
+then proceed to divide said contents into five suitable portions--the
+three mariners, as I understand, having paid no board. The gate can then
+be opened, and each one can come forward and take the portion which
+belongs to him or to her. The portion of my daughter, whom I saw pass
+here in a carriage, going, doubtless, to the inn, will be taken charge
+of by myself."
+
+"You man!" shrieked Mrs. Lecks, shaking her fist over the fence, "if you
+as much as lift that paper of fish-hooks from out the top of that
+ginger-jar, I'll--"
+
+Here she was interrupted by the loud, clear voice of Mr. Dusante, who
+called out: "Sir, I require you to put down that jar, which is my
+property."
+
+"I'll let you know," said Mrs. Lecks, "that other people have
+principles!"
+
+But what more she said was drowned by the voice of Mrs. Aleshine, who
+screamed for Elizabeth Grootenheimer, and who was now so much excited
+that she was actually trying to break open her own gate.
+
+I called out to Mr. Enderton not to make trouble by disturbing the
+contents of the jar; and even Miss Lucille, who was intensely amused at
+the scene, could be heard joining her voice to the general clamor.
+
+But the threats and demands of our united party had no effect upon Mr.
+Enderton. He stood up, serene and bland, fully appreciating the
+advantage of having the key of the gate's padlock in his pocket and the
+ginger-jar in his hand.
+
+[Illustration: "'YOU MAN!' SHRIEKED MRS. LECKS."]
+
+"I will now proceed," said he. But at that moment his attention was
+attracted by the three mariners, who had clambered over the pointed
+pales of the fence, and who now appeared on the piazza, Bill to the
+right hand of Mr. Enderton, Jim to the left, and the red-bearded
+coxswain at his back. They all seemed to speak at once, though what they
+said we could not hear, nothing but a few hoarse mutterings coming down
+to us.
+
+But in consequence of what Bill said, Mr. Enderton handed him the key of
+the gate; and in consequence of what Jim said, Mr. Enderton delivered to
+him the ginger-jar; and in consequence of what the coxswain said, he and
+Mr. Enderton walked off the piazza; and the two proceeded to a distant
+corner of the yard, where they stood out of the way, as it were, while
+the gate was opened. Bill bungled a little, but the padlock was soon
+removed, and we all hurried through the gate and up to the piazza, where
+Jim still stood, the ginger-jar held reverently in his hands.
+
+The coxswain now left Mr. Enderton, and that gentleman proceeded to the
+open gate, through which he passed into the road, and then turned, and
+in a loud and severe tone addressed Mrs. Aleshine:
+
+"I leave your inhospitable house, and go to join my daughter at the inn,
+where I request you to send my valise and umbrella as soon as possible."
+
+Mrs. Aleshine's indignation at this invasion of her home and this
+trampling on her right to open her own gate had entirely driven away her
+accustomed geniality, and in angry tones she cried:
+
+"Jus' you stop at that paint-shop, when you git to the village, an' pay
+for the paint you had charged to me; an' when you've done that you can
+send for your things."
+
+"Come, now, Barb'ry," said Mrs. Lecks, "don't let your feelin's run away
+with you. You ought to be thankful that he's let you off so easy, an'
+that he's gone."
+
+"I'm all that," said Mrs. Aleshine; "an', on second thoughts, every
+whip-stitch of his bag and baggage shall be trundled after him as soon
+as I kin git it away."
+
+We all now stood upon the piazza, and Mrs. Aleshine, in calmer tones,
+but with her face still flushed from her recent excitement, turned to us
+and said: "Now, isn't this a pretty comin' home? My front gate fastened
+in my very face; my front door painted red and white; the inside of the
+house, as like as not, turned upside down by that man jus' as much as
+the outside; an' where in the world, I'd like to know, is Elizabeth
+Grootenheimer?"
+
+"Now don't you be too hard on her," said Mrs. Lecks, "after havin' been
+away from her so long. I haven't a doubt she's feedin' the pigs; and you
+know very well she never would leave them as long as she felt they
+needed her. You needn't mind if your house is upset, for none of us is
+comin' in, havin' only intended to see you to your door, which I must
+say is a pretty blazin' one."
+
+"And now, Mrs. Lecks," said Mr. Dusante, taking, as he spoke, the
+ginger-jar from the hand of Jim, "I think this is a suitable opportunity
+for me to accomplish the object for which my present journey was
+undertaken, and to return to you the contents of this jar."
+
+"Which," said Mrs. Lecks, in a very decided tone, "I don't take now no
+more'n I did before."
+
+Mr. Dusante looked surprised and troubled. After all the dangers and
+adventures through which that ginger-jar had gone, I believe that he
+expected Mrs. Lecks would at last relent and consent to accept it from
+him.
+
+"Now, look here," said Mrs. Aleshine, "don't let us have any more fuss
+about the ginger-jar, or anything else. Let's put off talkin' about that
+till we're all settled and fixed. It won't do for you to take the jar to
+the tavern with you, Mr. Dusante, for like as not Mr. Enderton will git
+hold of it ag'in, an' I know Mrs. Lecks won't let it come into her
+house; so, if you like, you may jus' leave it here for the present, and
+you may make up your minds nobody'll touch it while I'm about. An' about
+I intend to be."
+
+This arrangement was gladly agreed upon, and the jar being delivered to
+Mrs. Aleshine, we took our leave of her.
+
+Mrs. Lecks found no difficulty in entering her gate, where she was duly
+welcomed by a man and his wife she had left in charge, while the
+Dusantes and myself walked on to the inn, or "Hotel," as its sign
+imported, about which the greater part of the little town clustered. The
+three mariners remained behind to await further orders from Mrs.
+Aleshine.
+
+By the afternoon of the next day the abodes of those two most energetic
+and capable housewives, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, were fully
+prepared for the reception of their visitors, and the Dusante family
+were ensconced beneath the roof of the one, while my wife and I were
+most warmly welcomed at the gaily adorned door of the other.
+
+Mr. Enderton remained at the inn, where he found very comfortable
+quarters, an arrangement satisfactory to all parties.
+
+In Mrs. Aleshine's dwelling, where, from the very first, Lucille took
+her position as a most constant visitor, being equally welcomed by Ruth
+and the mistress of the house, all was satisfaction and high good humor.
+The ceaseless activity and cheerful spirits of our hostess seemed to
+animate us all. At Mrs. Lecks's home the case was different. There, I
+could plainly see, there was a certain uneasiness amounting almost to
+stiffness between Mrs. Lecks and Mr. Dusante. The latter had not
+accomplished the purpose for which he had made this long journey; and
+though, if things had turned out as he wished, he would have been very
+glad to be the guest of Mrs. Lecks, still, under the present
+circumstances, the situation did not suit him. Mrs. Lecks, too,
+possessed an unsettled mind. She did not know when Mr. Dusante would
+again endeavor to force back upon her the board money in the ginger-jar,
+and in this state of uneasy expectancy she was not at her best.
+
+"He's not satisfied," said she to me, on the morning after the Dusantes
+had come to her; "he wants to do somethin', or else to go away. I wish
+that ginger-jar had dropped into the bottom of the sea while he was
+bringin' it, or else had smashed itself into a thousand bits while he
+was slidin' down the mountain, and the money had melted itself into the
+snow. S'posin' at the end of the week he was to come to me and offer to
+pay me board for himself and his family, sayin' that was no more than
+I'd done to him! Of course the two cases are not a bit alike; for we
+went to his house strangers, without leave or license, while he comes to
+mine as a friend, bein' fully invited and pressed. But I don't suppose I
+could make him see it in that light, and it worries me."
+
+I was convinced that something ought to be done to end this unpleasant
+state of affairs, and I took my wife and Miss Lucille into council on
+the subject. After we had deliberated a little while an idea came to
+Ruth.
+
+"In my opinion," said she, "the best thing we can do with that board
+money is to give it to those three sailors. They are poor and will be
+glad to get it; Mr. Dusante and Mrs. Lecks ought to be fully satisfied,
+for the one doesn't keep it and the other doesn't take it back; and I'm
+sure that this plan will please all the rest of us."
+
+This proposition was agreed to by the council, and I was appointed to go
+immediately and lay it before the parties interested.
+
+Mr. Dusante gave his ready consent to this proposal. "It is not what I
+intended to do," said he, "but it amounts to almost the same thing. The
+money is in fact restored to its owners, and they agree to make a
+certain disposition of it. I am satisfied."
+
+Mrs. Lecks hesitated a little. "All right," said she. "He takes the
+money and gives it to who he chooses. I've nothin' to say against it."
+
+Of course no opposition to the plan was to be expected from anybody
+else, except Mr. Enderton. But when I mentioned it to him, I found, to
+my surprise, that he was not unwilling to agree to it. Half closing the
+book he had been reading, he said: "What I have done was on behalf of
+principle. I did not believe, and do not believe, that upon an entirely
+deserted island money should be paid for board. I paid it under protest,
+and I do not withdraw that protest. According to all the laws of justice
+and hospitality, the man who owned that island should not retain that
+money, and Mrs. Lecks had no right to insist upon such retention. But if
+it is proposed to give the sum total to three mariners who paid no
+board, and to whom the gift is an absolute charity, I am content. To be
+sure, they interfered with me at a moment when I was about to make a
+suitable settlement of the matter, but I have no doubt they were told to
+do so; and I must admit that while they carried out their orders with a
+certain firmness, characteristic of persons accustomed to unreasoning
+obedience, they treated me with entire respect. If equal respect had
+been shown to me at the beginning of these disputes, it would have been
+much better for all concerned."
+
+And opening his book, he recommenced his reading.
+
+That afternoon all of us, except Mr. Enderton, assembled on Mrs.
+Aleshine's piazza to witness the presentation of the board money. The
+three sailors, who had been informed of the nature of the proceedings,
+stood in line on the second step of the piazza, clad in their best
+toggery, and with their new tarpaulin hats in their hands. Mrs. Aleshine
+went into the house, and soon reappeared carrying the ginger-jar, which
+she presented to Mr. Dusante. That gentleman took it, and stood holding
+it for a moment as if he were about to speak; but even if he had
+intended to say anything, he had no further opportunity, for Mrs. Lecks
+now stepped forward and addressed him.
+
+"Mr. Dusante," said she, "from what I have seen of you myself and heard
+tell of you from others, I believe you are a man who tries to do his
+duty, as he sees it, with a single heart and no turnin' from one side to
+the other. You made up your mind that you'd travel over the whole world,
+if it had to be done, with that ginger-jar and the board money inside of
+it, till you'd found the people who'd been livin' in your house; and
+then that you'd give back that jar, jus' as you'd found it, to the
+person who took upon herself the overseein' of the reg'lar payin' of the
+money and the puttin' of it therein. With that purpose in your mind you
+carried that jar over the ocean; you wandered with it up and down
+California; and holdin' it tight fast in your arms, you slid down the
+slipperiest mountain that was ever made yet, I believe, and if it had
+been your only infant child, you couldn't have held it firmer, nor
+regarded it more careful. Through ups and downs, and thicks and smooths,
+you carried that jar or followed it, and for the sake of doin' what
+you'd set your mind on you came all the way to this place; to which, if
+it hadn't been for that one idea, it isn't likely you'd ever dreamed of
+comin'. Now, Mr. Dusante, we've all agreed on what we think is the right
+thing to do, and you agreed with us, but I can see by your face that
+you're disapp'inted. The thing you set out to do you haven't done; and
+I'm not goin' to have it to say to myself that you was the only one of
+all of us that wasn't satisfied, and that I was the stumblin'-block
+that stood in your way. So I'll back down from sayin' that I'd never
+touch that jar again, and you can put it into my hands, as you set out
+to do."
+
+Mr. Dusante made no answer, but stepped forward, and taking Mrs. Lecks's
+large brown and work-worn hand, he respectfully touched it with his
+lips. It is not probable that Mrs. Lecks's hand had ever before been
+kissed. It is not probable that she had ever seen any one kiss the hand
+of another. But the hard sense and keen insight of that independent
+countrywoman made her instantly aware of what was meant by that
+old-fashioned act of courteous homage. Her tall form grew more erect;
+she slightly bowed her head, and received the salute with a quiet
+dignity which would have become a duchess.
+
+This little scene touched us all, and Mrs. Aleshine afterward informed
+me that for a moment she hadn't a dry eye in her head.
+
+Mr. Dusante now handed the ginger-jar to Mrs. Lecks, who immediately
+stepped toward Ruth and Lucille.
+
+"You two young ones," she said, "can jus' take this jar, an' your hands
+can be the first to lift off that paper of fish-hooks and take out the
+money, which you will then divide among our good friends, these
+sailormen."
+
+Ruth and Lucille immediately sat down on the floor of the piazza, and
+the one emptied the board money into the lap of the other, where it was
+speedily divided into three equal portions, one of which was placed in
+the hands of each mariner.
+
+The men stood motionless, each holding his money in his open right
+hand, and then the red-bearded coxswain spoke.
+
+"It ain't for me, nor for Bill, nor for Jim nuther, to say a word ag'in'
+what you all think is right and square. We've stood by ye an' obeyed
+orders since we first shipped on that island, an' we intend to do so
+straight along. Don't we, Jim an' Bill?"
+
+[Illustration: "HE RESPECTFULLY TOUCHED IT WITH HIS LIPS."]
+
+"Aye, aye, sir!" said Jim and Bill, in hearty hoarse response.
+
+"There's some of ye, specially Mrs. Aleshine, though meanin' no
+disrespec' to anybody else, that we'd follow to the crosstrees of the
+topgallantmast of the tallest ship that ever floated in the middle of
+the ragin'est typhoon that ever blowed. Wouldn't we, Jim an' Bill?"
+
+"Aye, aye, sir!" sang out Jim and Bill.
+
+"But though we stand ready to obey orders," said the coxswain, "we made
+up our minds, when we heard what was goin' to be done, that we'd listen
+keerful fer one thing, an' we have listened keerful, an' we haven't
+heard that one thing, an' that thing was what we should do with this
+money. An' not havin' heard it, an' so bein' under no orders as to the
+spendin' of it, we take the money, an' thank you kindly, one an' all.
+Don't we, Jim an' Bill?"
+
+"Aye, aye, sir!" said Jim and Bill.
+
+And into the pocket of each mariner clinked the money.
+
+Mr. Dusante now took up the ginger-jar, and approached Mrs. Lecks. "I
+hope, madam," he said, "that as the subject of our little differences
+has now been removed from this jar, you will consent to accept it from
+me as a memento of the somewhat remarkable experiences through which it
+has accompanied us."
+
+"Take it, sir?" said she. "To be sure I will. An' very glad am I to get
+it. As long as I live it shall stand on the mantelpiece in my parlor;
+an' when I die it shall be left to my heirs, to be taken care of as long
+as it holds together."
+
+Every reason for dissatisfaction having now been banished from our
+little company, we all settled down for a season of enjoyment. Even Mr.
+Enderton, who had found on the top shelf of a closet in his room at the
+inn a lot of old books, appeared to be in a state of perfect content. To
+the Dusantes a residence in this absolutely rural portion of our Middle
+States in the autumnal season was an entirely novel experience. The
+crisp and invigorating air, the mists and the glowing hues of the
+Indian-summer time, the softness of the sunshine, and even those masses
+of limbs and twigs which had already dropped their leaves and spread
+themselves in a delicate network against the clear blue sky, were all
+full of a novel beauty for these people who had lived so long in
+tropical lands and among perennial foliage, and had never known the
+delights of an American country life out of season. Having enjoyed Mrs.
+Lecks's hospitality for a suitable period, they proposed to that
+sensible woman that she should receive them as boarders until the winter
+should set in; and to this practical proposition she gave a ready
+assent, hoping that the really cold weather would long defer its coming.
+
+Ruth and I established ourselves on the same terms with Mrs. Aleshine. A
+prolonged holiday from the labors of my business had been the object of
+my attempted journey to Japan, and I could think of no place where it
+would better please my young wife and myself to rest for a time than
+here among these good friends.
+
+A continual source of amusement to us were the acts and doings of Mrs.
+Aleshine and her three sailormen. These bold mariners had enlisted, soul
+and body, into the service of the thrifty housewife; and as it was
+impossible to do anything in connection with the growing of the onions
+until the desired fields should be acquired and the spring should open,
+many and diverse were the labors at which the coxswain and those two
+able-bodied seamen Bill and Jim set themselves, or were set by Mrs.
+Aleshine.
+
+The brilliantly painted front door, which at first had excited the good
+woman's ire, gradually came to command her admiration; and when her
+sailormen had done everything else that they could in the barns, the
+fields, or at the woodpile, she gave them the privilege to paint various
+portions of her property, leaving designs and colors to their own taste
+and fancy. Whether they milked the cows, cut the wood, or painted the
+sides of the house, they always worked like good fellows, and in
+nautical costume. They holystoned the front deck, as they called the
+floor of the piazza, until it seemed sacrilegious to set foot upon it;
+and when the house and the pale-fence had been suitably painted, they
+allowed their fancies lofty flights in the decoration of the smaller
+outbuildings and various objects in the grounds. One of the men had a
+pocket-chart of the colors adopted by the different steamship companies
+all over the world, and now smoke-houses, corn-cribs, chicken-houses,
+and so on, down to pumps and hitching-posts, were painted in great bands
+of blue and red and white and black, arranged in alternating orders,
+until an observer might have supposed that a commercial navy had been
+sunk beneath Mrs. Aleshine's house grounds, leaving nothing but its
+smoke-stacks visible.
+
+The greatest work of decoration, however, was reserved by the
+red-bearded coxswain for himself, designed by his own brain, and
+executed by his own hands. This was the tattooing of the barn. Around
+this building, the sides of which were already of a color sufficiently
+resembling a well-tanned human skin, the coxswain painted, in blue spots
+resembling tattooing, an immense cable passing several times about the
+structure, a sea-serpent almost as long as the cable, eight anchors, two
+ships under full sail, with a variety of cannons and flags which filled
+up all the remaining spaces. This great work was a long time in
+execution, and before it was half finished its fame had spread over the
+surrounding country.
+
+[Illustration: "THE GREATEST WORK OF DECORATION WAS RESERVED BY THE
+RED-BEARDED COXSWAIN FOR HIMSELF."]
+
+The decoration of her premises was greatly enjoyed by Mrs. Aleshine. "It
+gives 'em somethin' to do," said she, "till the onion season comes on;
+it makes 'em happy; an' the leaves an' flowers bein' pretty nigh gone, I
+like to see the place blossomin' out as if it was a cold-weather
+garden."
+
+In the evenings, in the large kitchen, the sailormen danced their
+hornpipes, and around the great fireplace they spun long yarns of haps
+and mishaps on distant seas. Mrs. Aleshine always, and the rest of us
+often, sat by the fire and enjoyed these nautical recreations.
+
+"Havin' myself done housekeepin' in the torrid zone," she once said, "a
+lot of the things they tell come home to me quite nat'ral. An' I'd do
+anything in the world to make 'em content to live on dry land like
+common Christians, instead of cavortin' about on the pitchin' ocean,
+runnin' into each other, an' springin' leaks, with no likelihood of
+findin' a furnished island at every p'int where their ship happened to
+go down."
+
+On one subject only did any trouble now come into the mind of Mrs.
+Aleshine, and she once had a little talk with me in regard to it.
+
+"I've been afeard from the very beginnin'," she said, "an' after a while
+I more'n half believed it, that Elizabeth Grootenheimer was settin' her
+cap at the coxswain; so I just went to him an' I spoke to him plain.
+'This sort o' thing won't do at all,' says I; 'an' although I haven't a
+doubt you see it for yourself, I thought it my dooty to speak my mind
+about it. There's plenty of young women in this township that would make
+you sailormen fust-rate wives, an' glad enough I'd be to see you all
+married an' settled an' gone to farmin' right here amongst us; but
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer won't do. Settin' aside everythin' else, if
+there was to be any children, they might be little coxswains, but they'd
+be Grootenheimers too, stone-dumb Grootenheimers; an' I tell you plain
+that this county can't stand no more Grootenheimers!' To which he says,
+says he, 'I want you to understan', ma'am, that if ever me or Jim or
+Bill makes up our mind to set sail for any sort of a weddin' port, we
+won't weigh anchor till we've got our clearance papers from you.' By
+which he meant that he'd ask my advice about courtin'. An' now my mind
+is easy, an' I can look ahead with comfort to onion-time."
+
+I found it necessary to go to Philadelphia for a day or two to attend to
+some business matters; and, the evening before I started, the coxswain
+came to me and asked a favor for himself and his mates.
+
+"It mayn't have passed out of your mind, sir," said he, "that when me
+an' Jim an' Bill took that money that you all give us, which wasn't
+'zackly like prize-money, because the rest of the crew, to put it that
+way, didn't get any, we listened keerful to see if anything was said as
+to what we was to do with the money; an' nothin' bein' said, we took it,
+and we wasn't long makin' up our minds as to what we was goin' to do
+with it. What we wanted to do was to put up some sort of signal what
+couldn't get blowed away, or, more like, a kind of reg'lar moniment as
+would make them that looked at it remember the rough squalls and the
+jolly larks we've gone through with together; an' it was when we was
+talkin' about Mrs. Lecks bein' give' the ginger-jar to put on her
+mantelpiece an' keep forever that me an' Jim an' Bill we said, says we,
+that Mrs. Aleshine should have a ginger-jar too, havin' as much right to
+one as her mate, an' that that would be the signal-flag or the moniment
+that we'd put up. Now, sir, as you're goin' to town, we ask you to take
+this money, which is the whole lot that was give' us, an' have a
+ginger-jar built, jus' the size an' shape an' gen'ral trim of that other
+one, but of no pottery-stuff, for you kin buy 'em jus' like that, an'
+that ain't what we want. We want her built of good oak, stout an'
+strong, with live-oak knees inside to keep her stiff an' save her from
+bein' stove in, in case of a collision. We want her bottom coppered up
+above the water-line with real silver, an' we want a turtle-back deck
+with a round hatchway, with a tight-fittin' hatch, jus' like common
+jars. We want her sides calked with oakum, an' well scraped an' painted,
+so that with water inside of her or outside of her she won't leak. An'
+on the bottom of her, so they kin be seen if she keels over, we wants
+the names of me an' Jim an' Bill, which we've wrote on this piece of
+paper. An' on her sides, below the water-line, on the silver copperin',
+we want the names of all the rest of you, an' the latitood an'
+longitood of that island, an' anything out of the logs that might 'a'
+been kep' by any of you, as might help to be remembered the thing what
+happened. An' then, if there's any room left on the copperin', an' any
+money lef' to pay for 'em, you might have cut on as many anchors, an'
+hearts, an' bits of cable, an' such like suitable things as would fill
+up. An' that jar we're goin' to give to Mrs. Aleshine to put on her
+mantelpiece, to stay there as long as she lives, or anybody that belongs
+to her. An', by George, sir!" he added behind his hand, although there
+was nobody to hear, "if ever them two jars run into each other, it won't
+be Mrs. Aleshine's that'll go down!"
+
+I undertook this commission, and in due course of time there came to the
+village the most astonishing ginger-jar that was ever built, and which
+satisfied the three mariners in every particular. When it was presented
+to Mrs. Aleshine, her admiration of this work of art, her delight in its
+ownership, and her gratitude to the donors were alike boundless.
+
+"However could I have had the idee," said she privately to me, "that any
+one of them noble sailormen could have brought himself down to marry
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer!"
+
+It was not long after this happy event that another great joy came to
+Mrs. Aleshine. Her son returned from Japan. He had heard of the loss of
+the steamer in which his mother and Mrs. Lecks had set sail, and was in
+great trouble of mind until he received a letter from his mother which
+brought him speedily home. He had no intention of settling in
+Meadowville, but it had been a long time since he had seen his mother.
+
+He was a fine young man, handsome and well educated, and we were all
+delighted with him; and in a very short time he and Lucille Dusante,
+being the only young bachelor and maiden of the company, became so
+intimate and super-friendly that it was easy to see that to Mrs.
+Aleshine might come the unexpected rapture of eventually being the
+mother of Lucille.
+
+We stayed much later at Meadowville than we had expected. Even after the
+little hills and vales had been well covered with snow, sleighing and
+coasting parties, led by the lively new-comer, offered attractions,
+especially to Lucille, which bound us to the cheery homes of Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine. But, after a time, the Dusantes considered it prudent
+to go to Florida for the rest of the winter; Mr. Enderton had long since
+read all the books on his closet shelf and departed for New York; and
+Ruth and I determined that we, too, must move eastward.
+
+But, before our little company separated, Mrs. Aleshine's son and
+Lucille Dusante had settled it between them that when the springtime
+came they would set sail for a wedding port. This match was a highly
+satisfactory one to all concerned, for Mr. Dusante could scarcely have
+found a young brother-in-law who would make his sister so happy, and who
+was, at the same time, so well fitted by disposition and previous
+occupation to assist in his increasing business cares.
+
+In the spring the Dusante family came North again, and Lucille and her
+lover were married; and then all of us, except Mr. Enderton, who had
+obtained a most congenial position as assistant librarian in a public
+institution seldom visited, gathered at Meadowville to spend a week or
+two together, after which Ruth and I would repair to the New England
+town which was to be our home, and the Dusante family, the young husband
+included, would set out on a tour, partly of business and partly of
+pleasure, through Canada and the far Northwest.
+
+It was arranged that, whenever it should be possible, Lucille and Mrs.
+Dusante should spend their summers at Meadowville; and as this would
+also give her much of the society of her son, the heart of Mrs. Aleshine
+could ask no more.
+
+This visit to Meadowville was in the onion season; and one morning Ruth
+and I sat upon a fence and watched the three sailormen busily at work.
+The soil looked so fine and smooth that one might almost have supposed
+that it had been holystoned; and the three nautical farmers, in their
+tight-waisted, loose-bottomed trousers, their tarpaulin hats, and their
+wide-collared shirts, were seated on the ground at different points,
+engrossed in the absorbing task of setting out young onions as onions
+had never been set out before. All the careful attention to patient
+minuti� which nautical handiwork had taught them was now displayed in
+their new vocation. In a portion of the field which had been first
+planted the onions had sprouted, and we could see evidences of
+astonishing designs. Here were anchors in onions; hearts in onions;
+brigs, barks, and schooners in onions; and more things pertaining to
+ships, the heart's affections, and the raging main outlined in onions
+than Ruth and I could give names to.
+
+"It seems to me," said I, "that there must have been some sort of
+enchantment in that little island in the Pacific, for in one way or
+another it has made us all very happy."
+
+"That is true," answered Ruth, "and, do you know, I believe the cause of
+a great part of that happiness was the board money in the ginger-jar!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine, by Frank R. Stockton
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CASTING AWAY ***
+
+***** This file should be named 35570-8.txt or 35570-8.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        http://www.gutenberg.org/3/5/5/7/35570/
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Jane Robins and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+http://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
+To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
diff --git a/old/20110313-35570-8.zip b/old/20110313-35570-8.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..22dc103
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/20110313-35570-8.zip
diff --git a/old/20110313-35570-h.zip b/old/20110313-35570-h.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3e30b4a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/20110313-35570-h.zip
diff --git a/old/20110313-35570.txt b/old/20110313-35570.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..206ffbd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/20110313-35570.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,6647 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine, by Frank R. Stockton
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+
+Author: Frank R. Stockton
+
+Illustrator: Frederic Dorr Steele
+
+Release Date: March 13, 2011 [EBook #35570]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CASTING AWAY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Jane Robins and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE
+
+[Illustration: "THESE TWO WORTHY DAMES SPENT THE GREATER PART OF THEIR
+TIME ON DECK."]
+
+
+
+
+    THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS.
+    LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE
+
+    BY
+
+    FRANK R. STOCKTON
+
+    WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
+    FREDERIC DORR STEELE
+
+    [Illustration]
+
+    NEW YORK
+    THE CENTURY CO.
+    1903
+
+
+
+
+    COPYRIGHT, 1886, 1892, 1898.
+    BY THE CENTURY CO.
+
+
+    THE DEVINNE PRESS.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+  PART I                                                        PAGE
+
+  THESE TWO WORTHY DAMES SPENT THE GREATER PART
+  OF THEIR TIME ON DECK                               _Frontispiece_
+
+  DO YOU SEE THAT BOAT THERE?                                      6
+
+  MRS. ALESHINE PROVED TO BE A MORE DIFFICULT SUBJECT             11
+
+  WE WILL PULL AFTER THEM                                         15
+
+  STAND UP STRAIGHT, AND DON'T TALK SO MUCH                       23
+
+  VIGOROUSLY WINKING AND BLOWING                                  25
+
+  THEY GOT ON REMARKABLY WELL                                     27
+
+  THERE'S NOTHIN' LIKE SAUSAGES FOR SHIPWRECK                     31
+
+
+  PART II
+
+  MRS. LECKS WALKED BOLDLY UP TO THE FRONT DOOR
+  AND PLIED THE KNOCKER                                           45
+
+  I CLIMBED UP ONE OF THE COLUMNS                                 48
+
+  I GUESS YOU'LL BE COMFORTABLE, MR. CRAIG                        52
+
+  THAT YELLER FROCK                                               55
+
+  MRS. ALESHINE HAD BEEN HARD AT WORK ALL THE
+  MORNING                                                         61
+
+  "THERE'S ANOTHER THING," SAID SHE, "THAT I'VE
+  BEEN THINKIN' ABOUT"                                            67
+
+  MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE STANDING ON THE END
+  OF THE LITTLE WHARF                                             72
+
+
+  PART III
+
+  MR. ENDERTON WAS A PERSON OF ANOTHER SORT                       83
+
+  I DID ALL THAT I COULD TO MAKE MISS RUTH'S TIME
+  PASS AGREEABLY                                                  87
+
+  THEY WERE EVIDENTLY WAITING FOR ME                              91
+
+  SMOKING THEIR PIPES IN PEACE                                    99
+
+  IT WAS PERFECTLY SAFE                                          102
+
+  I KNOWED IT WAS ALL RIGHT                                      105
+
+  THEY ASSISTED RUTH TO ARRAY HERSELF                            111
+
+
+  PART IV
+
+  THE ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN WAS SLOW AND TEDIOUS                121
+
+  "WHAT HAS HAPPENED?" I EXCLAIMED                               123
+
+  MRS. LECKS WAS SITTING ON A STONE                              129
+
+  I SOON HAD A CRACKLING FIRE                                    135
+
+  COULD YOU LEND ME A SMALL IRON POT?                            141
+
+  WE WERE ABOUT TO SEND HIM A BASKET                        150, 151
+
+
+  PART V
+
+  WE BEGAN TO SLIDE DOWNWARD                                     163
+
+  OH, WHICH IS EMILY, AND WHICH IS LUCILLE?                      167
+
+  WE DREW UP ABOUT THE FIRE                                      174
+
+  REVEALING THE FAMILIAR FAT LITTLE GINGER-JAR                   186
+
+  RUTH AND MISS LUCILLE STRUCK UP A WARM ACQUAINTANCE            191
+
+
+  PART VI
+
+  THE IMPIDENCE OF HIM!                                          204
+
+  ELIZABETH GROOTENHEIMER                                        215
+
+  "YOU MAN!" SHRIEKED MRS. LECKS                                 218
+
+  HE RESPECTFULLY TOUCHED IT WITH HIS LIPS                       227
+
+  THE GREATEST WORK OF DECORATION WAS RESERVED
+  BY THE RED-BEARDED COXSWAIN FOR HIMSELF                        231
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE
+
+
+
+
+THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE
+
+PART I
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+I was on my way from San Francisco to Yokohama, when in a very desultory
+and gradual manner I became acquainted with Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine. The steamer, on which I was making a moderately rapid passage
+toward the land of the legended fan and the lacquered box, carried a
+fair complement of passengers, most of whom were Americans; and, among
+these, my attention was attracted from the very first day of the voyage
+to two middle-aged women who appeared to me very unlike the ordinary
+traveler or tourist. At first sight they might have been taken for
+farmers' wives who, for some unusual reason, had determined to make a
+voyage across the Pacific; but, on closer observation, one would have
+been more apt to suppose that they belonged to the families of
+prosperous tradesmen in some little country town, where, besides the
+arts of rural housewifery, there would be opportunities of becoming
+acquainted in some degree with the ways and manners of the outside
+world. They were not of that order of persons who generally take
+first-class passages on steamships, but the stateroom occupied by Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine was one of the best in the vessel; and although
+they kept very much to themselves, and showed no desire for the company
+or notice of the other passengers, they evidently considered themselves
+quite as good as any one else, and with as much right to voyage to any
+part of the world in any manner or style which pleased them.
+
+Mrs. Lecks was a rather tall woman, large-boned and muscular, and her
+well-browned countenance gave indications of that conviction of
+superiority which gradually grows up in the minds of those who for a
+long time have had absolute control of the destinies of a state, or the
+multifarious affairs of a country household. Mrs. Aleshine was somewhat
+younger than her friend, somewhat shorter, and a great deal fatter. She
+had the same air of reliance upon her individual worth that
+characterized Mrs. Lecks, but there was a certain geniality about her
+which indicated that she would have a good deal of forbearance for those
+who never had had the opportunity or the ability of becoming the
+thoroughly good housewife which she was herself.
+
+These two worthy dames spent the greater part of their time on deck,
+where they always sat together in a place at the stern of the vessel
+which was well sheltered from wind and weather. As they sat thus they
+were generally employed in knitting, although this occupation did not
+prevent them from keeping up what seemed to me, as I passed them in my
+walks about the deck, a continuous conversation. From a question which
+Mrs. Lecks once asked me about a distant sail, our acquaintance began.
+There was no one on board for whose society I particularly cared, and as
+there was something quaint and odd about these countrywomen on the ocean
+which interested me, I was glad to vary my solitary promenades by an
+occasional chat with them. They were not at all backward in giving me
+information about themselves. They were both widows, and Mrs. Aleshine
+was going out to Japan to visit a son who had a position there in a
+mercantile house. Mrs. Lecks had no children, and was accompanying her
+friend because, as she said, she would not allow Mrs. Aleshine to make
+such a voyage as that by herself, and because, being quite able to do
+so, she did not know why she should not see the world as well as other
+people.
+
+These two friends were not educated women. They made frequent mistakes
+in their grammar, and a good deal of Middle States provincialism showed
+itself in their pronunciation and expressions. But although they brought
+many of their rural ideas to sea with them, they possessed a large share
+of that common sense which is available anywhere, and they frequently
+made use of it in a manner which was very amusing to me. I think, also,
+that they found in me a quarry of information concerning nautical
+matters, foreign countries, and my own affairs, the working of which
+helped to make us very good ship friends.
+
+Our steamer touched at the Sandwich Islands; and it was a little more
+than two days after we left Honolulu that, about nine o'clock in the
+evening, we had the misfortune to come into collision with an
+eastern-bound vessel. The fault was entirely due to the other ship, the
+lookout on which, although the night was rather dark and foggy, could
+easily have seen our lights in time to avoid collision, if he had not
+been asleep or absent from his post. Be this as it may, this vessel,
+which appeared to be a small steamer, struck us with great force near
+our bows, and then, backing, disappeared into the fog, and we never saw
+or heard of her again. The general opinion was that she was injured very
+much more than we were, and that she probably sank not very long after
+the accident; for when the fog cleared away, about an hour afterward,
+nothing could be seen of her lights.
+
+As it usually happens on occasions of accidents at sea, the damage to
+our vessel was at first reported to be slight; but it was soon
+discovered that our injuries were serious and, indeed, disastrous. The
+hull of our steamer had been badly shattered on the port bow, and the
+water came in at a most alarming rate. For nearly two hours the crew and
+many of the passengers worked at the pumps, and everything possible was
+done to stop the enormous leak; but all labor to save the vessel was
+found to be utterly unavailing, and a little before midnight the captain
+announced that it was impossible to keep the steamer afloat, and that we
+must all take to the boats. The night was now clear, the stars were
+bright, and, as there was but little wind, the sea was comparatively
+smooth. With all these advantages, the captain assured us that there was
+no reason to apprehend danger, and he thought that by noon of the
+following day we could easily make a small inhabited island, where we
+could be sheltered and cared for until we should be taken off by some
+passing vessel.
+
+There was plenty of time for all necessary preparations, and these were
+made with much order and subordination. Some of the ladies among the
+cabin passengers were greatly frightened, and inclined to be hysterical.
+There were pale faces also among the gentlemen. But everybody obeyed the
+captain's orders, and all prepared themselves for the transfer to the
+boats. The first officer came among us, and told each of us what boats
+we were to take, and where we were to place ourselves on deck. I was
+assigned to a large boat which was to be principally occupied by
+steerage passengers; and as I came up from my stateroom, where I had
+gone to secure my money and some portable valuables, I met on the
+companionway Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, who expressed considerable
+dissatisfaction when they found that I was not going in the boat with
+them. They, however, hurried below, and I went on deck, where in about
+ten minutes I was joined by Mrs. Lecks, who apparently had been looking
+for me. She told me she had something very particular to say to me, and
+conducted me toward the stern of the vessel, where, behind one of the
+deck-houses, we found Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+[Illustration: "'DO YOU SEE THAT BOAT THERE?'"]
+
+"Look here," said Mrs. Lecks, leading me to the rail, and pointing
+downward; "do you see that boat there? It has been let down, and there
+is nobody in it. The boat on the other side has just gone off, full to
+the brim. I never saw so many people crowded into a boat. The other ones
+will be just as packed, I expect. I don't see why we shouldn't take this
+empty boat, now we've got a chance, instead of squeezin' ourselves into
+those crowded ones. If any of the other people come afterward, why, we
+shall have our choice of seats, and that's considerable of a p'int, I
+should say, in a time like this."
+
+"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "and me and Mrs. Lecks would 'a' got
+right in when we saw the boat was empty, if we hadn't been afraid to be
+there without any man, for it might have floated off, and neither of us
+don't know nothin' about rowin'. And then Mrs. Lecks she thought of you,
+supposin' a young man who knew so much about the sea would know how to
+row."
+
+"Oh, yes," said I; "but I cannot imagine why this boat should have been
+left empty. I see a keg of water in it, and the oars, and some tin cans,
+and so I suppose it has been made ready for somebody. Will you wait here
+a minute until I run forward and see how things are going on there?"
+
+Amidships and forward I saw that there was some confusion among the
+people who were not yet in their boats, and I found that there was to be
+rather more crowding than at first was expected. People who had supposed
+that they were to go in a certain boat found there no place, and were
+hurrying to other boats. It now became plain to me that no time should
+be lost in getting into the small boat which Mrs. Lecks had pointed out,
+and which was probably reserved for some favored persons, as the
+officers were keeping the people forward and amidships, the other
+stern-boat having already departed. But as I acknowledged no reason why
+any one should be regarded with more favor than myself and the two women
+who were waiting for me, I slipped quietly aft, and joined Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"We must get in as soon as we can," said I, in a low voice, "for this
+boat may be discovered, and then there will be a rush for it. I suspect
+it may have been reserved for the captain and some of the officers, but
+we have as much right in it as they."
+
+"And more too," replied Mrs. Lecks; "for we had nothin' to do with the
+steerin' and smashin'."
+
+"But how are we goin' to get down there?" said Mrs. Aleshine. "There's
+no steps."
+
+"That is true," said I. "I shouldn't wonder if this boat is to be taken
+forward when the others are filled. We must scramble down as well as we
+can by the tackle at the bow and stern. I'll get in first and keep her
+close to the ship's side."
+
+"That's goin' to be a scratchy business," said Mrs. Lecks, "and I'm of
+the opinion we ought to wait till the ship has sunk a little more, so
+we'll be nearer to the boat."
+
+"It won't do to wait," said I, "or we shall not get in it at all."
+
+"And goodness gracious!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "I can't stand here
+and feel the ship sinkin' cold-blooded under me, till we've got where we
+can make an easy jump!"
+
+"Very well, then," said Mrs. Lecks, "we won't wait. But the first thing
+to be done is for each one of us to put on one of these life-preservers.
+Two of them I brought from Mrs. Aleshine's and my cabin, and the other
+one I got next door, where the people had gone off and left it on the
+floor. I thought if anythin' happened on the way to the island, these
+would give us a chance to look about us; but it seems to me we'll need
+'em more gettin' down them ropes than anywhere else. I did intend
+puttin' on two myself to make up for Mrs. Aleshine's fat; but you must
+wear one of 'em, sir, now that you are goin' to join the party."
+
+As I knew that two life-preservers would not be needed by Mrs. Lecks,
+and would greatly inconvenience her, I accepted the one offered me, but
+declined to put it on until it should be necessary, as it would
+interfere with my movements.
+
+"Very well," said Mrs. Lecks, "if you think you are safe in gettin' down
+without it. But Mrs. Aleshine and me will put ours on before we begin
+sailor-scramblin'. We know how to do it, for we tried 'em on soon after
+we started from San Francisco. And now, Barb'ry Aleshine, are you sure
+you've got everythin' you want? for it'll be no use thinkin' about
+anythin' you've forgot after the ship has sunk out of sight."
+
+"There's nothin' else I can think of," said Mrs. Aleshine; "at least,
+nothin' I can carry; and so I suppose we may as well begin, for your
+talk of the ship sinkin' under our feet gives me a sort o' feelin' like
+an oyster creepin' up and down my back."
+
+Mrs. Lecks looked over the side at the boat, into which I had already
+descended. "I'll go first, Barb'ry Aleshine," said she, "and show you
+how."
+
+The sea was quiet, and the steamer had already sunk so much that Mrs.
+Lecks's voice sounded frightfully near me, although she spoke in a low
+tone.
+
+"Watch me," said she to her companion. "I'm goin' to do just as he did,
+and you must follow in the same way."
+
+So saying, she stepped on a bench by the rail; then, with one foot on
+the rail itself, she seized the ropes which hung from one of the davits
+to the bow of the boat. She looked down for a moment, and then she drew
+back.
+
+"It's no use," she said. "We must wait until she sinks more, and I can
+get in easier."
+
+This remark made me feel nervous. I did not know at what moment there
+might be a rush for this boat, nor when, indeed, the steamer might go
+down. The boat amidships on our side had rowed away some minutes before,
+and through the darkness I could distinguish another boat, near the
+bows, pushing off. It would be too late now for us to try to get into
+any other boat, and I did not feel that there was time enough for me to
+take this one to a place where the two women could more easily descend
+to her. Standing upright, I urged them not to delay.
+
+"You see," said I, "I can reach you as soon as you swing yourself off
+the ropes, and I'll help you down."
+
+"If you're sure you can keep us from comin' down too sudden, we'll try
+it," said Mrs. Lecks; "but I'd as soon be drowned as to get to an island
+with a broken leg. And as to Mrs. Aleshine, if she was to slip she'd go
+slam through that boat to the bottom of the sea. Now, then, be ready!
+I'm comin' down."
+
+So saying, she swung herself off, and she was then so near me that I was
+able to seize her and make the rest of her descent comparatively easy.
+Mrs. Aleshine proved to be a more difficult subject. Even after I had a
+firm grasp of her capacious waist she refused to let go the ropes, for
+fear that she might drop into the ocean instead of the boat. But the
+reproaches of Mrs. Lecks and the downward weight of myself made her
+loosen her nervous grip; and, although we came very near going overboard
+together, I safely placed her on one of the thwarts.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+I now unhooked the tackle from the stern; but before casting off at the
+bow I hesitated, for I did not wish to desert any of those who might be
+expecting to embark in this boat. But I could hear no approaching
+footsteps, and from my position, close to the side of the steamer, I
+could see nothing. Therefore I cast off, and, taking the oars, I pushed
+away and rowed to a little distance, where I could get whatever view was
+possible of the deck of the steamer. Seeing no forms moving about, I
+called out, and, receiving no answer, I shouted again at the top of my
+voice. I waited for nearly a minute, and, hearing nothing and seeing
+nothing, I became convinced that no one was left on the vessel.
+
+"They are all gone," said I, "and we will pull after them as fast as we
+can."
+
+And I began to row toward the bow of the steamer, in the direction which
+the other boats had taken.
+
+"It's a good thing you can row," said Mrs. Lecks, settling herself
+comfortably in the stern-sheets, "for what Mrs. Aleshine and me would
+ha' done with them oars I am sure I don't know."
+
+"I'd never have got into this boat," said Mrs. Aleshine, "if Mr. Craig
+hadn't been here."
+
+"No, indeed," replied her friend. "You'd ha' gone to the bottom, hangin'
+for dear life to them ropes."
+
+When I had rounded the bow of the steamer, which appeared to me to be
+rapidly settling in the water, I perceived at no great distance several
+lights, which of course belonged to the other boats, and I rowed as hard
+as I could, hoping to catch up with them, or at least to keep
+sufficiently near. It might be my duty to take off some of the people
+who had crowded into the other boats, probably supposing that this one
+had been loaded and gone. How such a mistake could have taken place I
+could not divine, and it was not my business to do so. Quite certain
+that no one was left on the sinking steamer, all I had to do was to row
+after the other boats, and to overtake them as soon as possible. I
+thought it would not take me very long to do this, but after rowing for
+half an hour, Mrs. Aleshine remarked that the lights seemed as far off,
+if not farther, than when we first started after them. Turning, I saw
+that this was the case, and was greatly surprised. With only two
+passengers I ought soon to have come up with those heavily laden boats.
+But after I had thought over it a little, I considered that as each of
+them was probably pulled by half a dozen stout sailors, it was not so
+very strange that they should make as good or better headway than I did.
+
+It was not very long after this that Mrs. Lecks said that she thought
+that the lights on the other boats must be going out, and that this,
+most probably, was due to the fact that the sailors had forgotten to
+fill their lanterns before they started. "That sort of thing often
+happens," she said, "when people leave a place in a hurry."
+
+But when I turned around, and peered over the dark waters, it was quite
+plain to me that it was not want of oil, but increased distance, which
+made those lights so dim. I could now perceive but three of them, and as
+the surface was agitated only by a gentle swell, I could not suppose
+that any of them were hidden from our view by waves. We were being left
+behind, that was certain, and all I could do was to row on as long and
+as well as I could in the direction which the other boats had taken. I
+had been used to rowing, and thought I pulled a good oar, and I
+certainly did not expect to be left behind in this way.
+
+"I don't believe this boat has been emptied out since the last rain,"
+said Mrs. Aleshine, "for my feet are wet, though I didn't notice it
+before."
+
+At this I shipped my oars, and began to examine the boat. The bottom was
+covered with a movable floor of slats, and as I put my hand down I could
+feel the water welling up between the slats. The flooring was in
+sections, and lifting the one beneath me, I felt under it, and put my
+hand into six or eight inches of water.
+
+The exact state of the case was now as plain to me as if it had been
+posted up on a bulletin-board. This boat had been found to be
+unseaworthy, and its use had been forbidden, all the people having been
+crowded into the others. This had caused confusion at the last moment,
+and, of course, we were supposed to be on some one of the other boats.
+
+And now here was I, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, in a leaky boat,
+with two middle-aged women!
+
+"Anythin' the matter with the floor!" asked Mrs. Lecks.
+
+I let the section fall back into its place, and looked aft. By the
+starlight I could see that my two companions had each fixed upon me a
+steadfast gaze. They evidently felt that something was the matter, and
+wanted to know what it was. I did not hesitate for a moment to inform
+them. They appeared to me to be women whom it would be neither advisable
+nor possible to deceive in a case like this.
+
+"This boat has a leak in it," I said. "There is a lot of water in her
+already, and that is the reason we have got along so slowly."
+
+"And that is why," said Mrs. Aleshine, "it was left empty. We ought to
+have known better than to expect to have a whole boat just for three of
+us. It would have been much more sensible, I think, if we had tried to
+squeeze into one of the others."
+
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "don't you begin findin'
+fault with good fortune, when it comes to you. Here we've got a
+comfortable boat, with room enough to set easy and stretch out if we
+want to. If the water is comin' in, what we've got to do is to get it
+out again just as fast as we can. What's the best way to do that, Mr.
+Craig?"
+
+[Illustration: "'WE WILL PULL AFTER THEM.'"]
+
+"We must bail her out, and lose no time about it," said I. "If I can
+find the leak I may be able to stop it."
+
+I now looked about for something to bail with, and the two women aided
+actively in the search. I found one leather scoop in the bow; but as it
+was well that we should all go to work, I took two tin cans that had
+been put in by some one who had begun to provision the boat, and
+proceeded to cut the tops from them with my jack-knife.
+
+"Don't lose what's in 'em," said Mrs. Lecks; "that is, if it's anythin'
+we'd be likely to want to eat. If it's tomatoes, pour it into the sea,
+for nobody ought to eat tomatoes put up in tins."
+
+I hastily passed the cans to Mrs. Lecks, and I saw her empty the
+contents of one into the sea, and those of the other on a newspaper
+which she took from her pocket and placed in the stern.
+
+I pulled up the movable floor and threw it overboard, and then began to
+bail.
+
+"I thought," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that they always had pumps for leaks."
+
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "just gether yourself up on
+one of them seats, and go to work. The less talkin' we do, and the more
+scoopin', the better it'll be for us."
+
+I soon perceived that it would have been difficult to find two more
+valuable assistants in the bailing of a boat than Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine. They were evidently used to work, and were able to accommodate
+themselves to the unusual circumstances in which they were placed. We
+threw out the water very rapidly, and every little while I stopped
+bailing and felt about to see if I could discover where it came in. As
+these attempts met with no success, I gave them up after a time, and set
+about bailing with new vigor, believing that if we could get the boat
+nearly dry I should surely be able to find the leak.
+
+But, after working half an hour more, I found that the job would be a
+long one; and if we all worked at once we would all be tired out at
+once, and that might be disastrous. Therefore I proposed that we should
+take turns in resting, and Mrs. Aleshine was ordered to stop work for a
+time. After this Mrs. Lecks took a rest, and when she went to work I
+stopped bailing and began again to search for the leak.
+
+For about two hours we worked in this way, and then I concluded it was
+useless to continue any longer this vain exertion. With three of us
+bailing we were able to keep the water at the level we first found it;
+but with only two at work, it slightly gained upon us, so that now there
+was more water in the boat than when we first discovered it. The boat
+was an iron one, and the leak in it I could neither find nor remedy. It
+had probably been caused by the warping of the metal under a hot sun, an
+accident which, I am told, frequently occurs to iron boats. The little
+craft, which would have been a life-boat had its air-boxes remained
+intact, was now probably leaking from stem to stern; and in searching
+for the leak without the protection of the flooring, my weight had
+doubtless assisted in opening the seams, for it was quite plain that the
+water was now coming in more rapidly than it did at first. We were very
+tired, and even Mrs. Lecks, who had all along counseled us to keep at
+work, and not to waste one breath in talking, now admitted that it was
+of no use to try to get the water out of that boat.
+
+It had been some hours since I had used the oars, but whether we had
+drifted, or remained where we were when I stopped rowing, of course I
+could not know; but this mattered very little; our boat was slowly
+sinking beneath us, and it could make no difference whether we went down
+in one spot or an other. I sat and racked my brain to think what could
+be done in this fearful emergency. To bail any longer was useless labor,
+and what else was there that we could do?
+
+"When will it be time," asked Mrs. Lecks, "for us to put on the
+life-preservers? When the water gets nearly to the seats?"
+
+I answered that we should not wait any longer than that, but in my own
+mind I could not see any advantage in putting them on at all. Why should
+we wish to lengthen our lives by a few hours of helpless floating upon
+the ocean?
+
+"Very good," said Mrs. Lecks; "I'll keep a watch on the water. One of
+them cans was filled with lobster, which would be more than likely to
+disagree with us, and I've throwed it out; but the other had baked beans
+in it, and the best thing we can do is to eat some of these right away.
+They are mighty nourishin', and will keep up strength as well as
+anythin', and then, as you said there's a keg of water in the boat, we
+can all take a drink of that, and it'll make us feel like new cre'tur's.
+You'll have to take the beans in your hands, for we've got no spoons nor
+forks."
+
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine were each curled up out of reach of the
+water, the first in the stern, and the other on the aft thwart. The day
+was now beginning to break, and we could see about us very distinctly.
+Before reaching out her hands to receive her beans, Mrs. Aleshine washed
+them in the water in the boat, remarking at the same time that she might
+as well make use of it since it was there. Having then wiped her hands
+on some part of her apparel, they were filled with beans from the
+newspaper held by Mrs. Lecks, and these were passed over to me. I was
+very hungry, and when I had finished my beans I agreed with my
+companions that although they would have been a great deal better if
+heated up with butter, pepper, and salt, they were very comforting as
+they were. One of the empty cans was now passed to me, and after having
+been asked by Mrs. Lecks to rinse it out very carefully, we all
+satisfied our taste from the water in the keg.
+
+"Cold baked beans and lukewarm water ain't exactly company vittles,"
+said Mrs. Aleshine, "but there's many a poor wretch would be glad to get
+'em."
+
+I could not imagine any poor wretch who would be glad of the food
+together with the attending circumstances; but I did not say so.
+
+"The water is just one finger from the bottom of the seat," said Mrs.
+Lecks, who had been stooping over to measure, "and it's time to put on
+the life-preservers."
+
+"Very good," said Mrs. Aleshine; "hand me mine."
+
+Each of us now buckled on a life-preserver, and as I did so I stood up
+upon a thwart and looked about me. It was quite light now, and I could
+see for a long distance over the surface of the ocean, which was gently
+rolling in wide, smooth swells. As we rose upon the summit of one of
+these I saw a dark spot upon the water, just on the edge of our near
+horizon, "Is that the steamer?" I thought; "and has she not yet sunk?"
+
+At this there came to me a glimmering of courageous hope. If the
+steamer had remained afloat so long, it was probable that on account of
+water-tight compartments, or for some other reason, her sinking had
+reached its limit, and that if we could get back to her we might be
+saved. But, alas, how were we to get back to her? This boat would sink
+long, long before I could row that distance.
+
+However, I soon proclaimed the news to my companions, whereupon Mrs.
+Aleshine prepared to stand upon a thwart and see for herself. But Mrs.
+Lecks restrained her.
+
+"Don't make things worse, Barb'ry Aleshine," said she, "by tumblin'
+overboard. If we've got to go into the water, let us do it decently and
+in order. If that's the ship, Mr. Craig, don't you suppose we can float
+ourselves to it in some way?"
+
+I replied that by the help of a life-preserver a person who could swim
+might reach the ship.
+
+"But neither of us can swim," said Mrs. Lecks, "for we've lived where
+the water was never more'n a foot deep, except in time of freshets,
+when there's no swimmin' for man or beast. But if we see you swim,
+perhaps we can follow, after a fashion. At any rate, we must do the best
+we can, and that's all there is to be done."
+
+"The water now," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "is so near to the bottom of my
+seat that I've got to stand up, tumble overboard or no."
+
+"All right," remarked Mrs. Lecks; "we'd better all stand up, and let the
+boat sink under us. That will save our jumpin' overboard, or rollin' out
+any which way, which might be awkward."
+
+"Goodness gracious me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine. "You set the oysters
+creepin' over me again! First you talk of the ship sinkin' under us, and
+now it's the boat goin' to the bottom under our feet. Before any sinkin'
+'s to be done I'd ruther get out."
+
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "stand up straight, and don't
+talk so much. It'll be a great deal better to be let down gradual than
+to flop into the water all of a bunch."
+
+"Very well," said Mrs. Aleshine; "it may be best to get used to it by
+degrees; but I must say I wish I was home."
+
+As for me, I would have much preferred to jump overboard at once,
+instead of waiting in this cold-blooded manner; but as my companions had
+so far preserved their presence of mind, I did not wish to do anything
+which might throw them into a panic. I believed there would be no danger
+from the suction caused by the sinking of a small boat like this, and if
+we took care not to entangle ourselves with it in any way, we might as
+well follow Mrs. Lecks's advice as not. So we all stood up, Mrs. Lecks
+in the stern, I in the bow, and Mrs. Aleshine on a thwart between us.
+The last did not appear to have quite room enough for a steady footing,
+but, as she remarked, it did not matter very much, as the footing, broad
+or narrow, would not be there very long.
+
+I am used to swimming, and have never hesitated to take a plunge into
+river or ocean, but I must admit that it was very trying to my nerves to
+stand up this way and wait for a boat to sink beneath me. How the two
+women were affected I do not know. They said nothing, but their faces
+indicated that something disagreeable was about to happen, and that the
+less that was said about it the better.
+
+The boat had now sunk so much that the water was around Mrs. Aleshine's
+feet, her standing-place being rather lower than ours. I made myself
+certain that there were no ropes nor any other means of entanglement
+near my companions or myself, and then I waited. There seemed to be a
+good deal of buoyancy in the bow and stern of the boat, and it was a
+frightfully long time in sinking. The suspense became so utterly
+unendurable that I was tempted to put one foot on the edge of the boat,
+and, by tipping it, put an end to this nerve-rack; but I refrained, for
+I probably would throw the women off their balance, when they might fall
+against some part of the boat, and do themselves a hurt. I had just
+relinquished this intention, when two little waves seemed to rise one on
+each side of Mrs. Aleshine, and gently flowing over the side of the
+boat, they flooded her feet with water.
+
+"Hold your breaths!" I shouted. And now I experienced a sensation which
+must have been very like that which comes to a condemned criminal at the
+first indication of the pulling of the drop. Then there was a horrible
+sinking, a gurgle, and a swash, and the ocean over which I had been
+gazing appeared to rise up and envelop me.
+
+[Illustration: "'STAND UP STRAIGHT, AND DON'T TALK SO MUCH.'"]
+
+In a moment, however, my head was out of the water, and, looking hastily
+about me, I saw, close by, the heads and shoulders of Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine. The latter was vigorously winking her eyes and blowing
+from her mouth some sea-water that had got into it; but as soon as her
+eyes fell upon me she exclaimed: "That was ever so much more suddint
+than I thought it was goin' to be!"
+
+[Illustration: "VIGOROUSLY WINKING AND BLOWING."]
+
+"Are you both all right?"
+
+"I suppose I am," said Mrs. Aleshine, "but I never thought that a person
+with a life-preserver on would go clean under the water."
+
+"But since you've come up again, you ought to be satisfied," said Mrs.
+Lecks. "And now," she added, turning her face toward me, "which way
+ought we to try to swim? and have we got everythin' we want to take with
+us?"
+
+"What we haven't got we can't get," remarked Mrs. Aleshine; "and as for
+swimmin', I expect I'm goin' to make a poor hand at it."
+
+I had a hope, which was not quite strong enough to be a belief, that,
+supported by their life-preservers, the two women might paddle
+themselves along; and that, by giving them in turn a helping hand, I
+might eventually get them to the steamer. There was a strong probability
+that I would not succeed, but I did not care to think of that.
+
+I now swam in front of my companions, and endeavored to instruct them in
+the best method of propelling themselves with their arms and their
+hands. If they succeeded in this, I thought I would give them some
+further lessons in striking out with their feet. After watching me
+attentively, Mrs. Lecks did manage to move herself slowly through the
+smooth water, but poor Mrs. Aleshine could do nothing but splash.
+
+"If there was anythin' to take hold of," she said to me, "I might get
+along; but I can't get any grip on the water, though you seem to do it
+well enough. Look there!" she added in a higher voice. "Isn't that an
+oar floatin' over there? If you can get that for me, I believe I can row
+myself much better than I can swim."
+
+This seemed an odd idea, but I swam over to the floating oar, and
+brought it her. I was about to show her how she could best use it, but
+she declined my advice.
+
+"If I do it at all," she said, "I must do it in my own way." And taking
+the oar in her strong hands, she began to ply it on the water very much
+in the way in which she would handle a broom. At first she dipped the
+blade too deeply, but, correcting this error, she soon began to paddle
+herself along at a slow but steady rate.
+
+"Capital!" I cried. "You do that admirably!"
+
+"Anybody who's swept as many rooms as I have," she said, "ought to be
+able to handle anythin' that can be used like a broom."
+
+"Isn't there another oar?" cried Mrs. Lecks, who had now been left a
+little distance behind us. "If there is, I want one."
+
+Looking about me, I soon discovered another floating oar, and brought it
+to Mrs. Lecks, who, after holding it in various positions, so as to get
+"the hang of it," as she said, soon began to use it with as much skill
+as that shown by her friend. If either of them had been obliged to use
+an oar in the ordinary way, I fear they would have had a bad time of it;
+but, considering the implement in the light of a broom, its use
+immediately became familiar to them, and they got on remarkably well.
+
+[Illustration: "THEY GOT ON REMARKABLY WELL."]
+
+I now took a position a little in advance of my companions, and as I
+swam slowly they were easily able to keep up with me. Mrs. Aleshine,
+being so stout, floated much higher out of the water than either Mrs.
+Lecks or I, and this permitted her to use her oar with a great deal of
+freedom. Sometimes she would give such a vigorous brush to the water
+that she would turn herself almost entirely around, but after a little
+practice she learned to avoid undue efforts of this kind.
+
+I was not positively sure that we were going in the right direction, for
+my position did not allow me to see very far over the water; but I
+remembered that when I was standing up in the boat, and made my
+discovery, the sun was just about to rise in front of me, while the dark
+spot on the ocean lay to my left. Judging, therefore, from the present
+position of the sun, which was not very high, I concluded that we were
+moving toward the north, and therefore in the right direction. How far
+off the steamer might be I had no idea, for I was not accustomed to
+judging distances at sea; but I believed that if we were careful of our
+strength, and if the ocean continued as smooth as it now was, we might
+eventually reach the vessel, provided she were yet afloat.
+
+"After you are fairly in the water," said Mrs. Aleshine, as she swept
+along, although without the velocity which that phrase usually implies,
+"it isn't half so bad as I thought it would be. For one thing, it don't
+feel a bit salt, although I must say it tasted horribly that way when I
+first went into it."
+
+"You didn't expect to find pickle-brine, did you?" said Mrs. Lecks.
+"Though, if it was, I suppose we could float on it settin'."
+
+"And as to bein' cold," said Mrs. Aleshine, "the part of me that's in is
+actually more comfortable than that which is out."
+
+"There's one thing I would have been afraid of," said Mrs. Lecks, "if we
+hadn't made preparations for it, and that's sharks."
+
+"Preparations!" I exclaimed. "How in the world did you prepare for
+sharks?"
+
+"Easy enough," said Mrs. Lecks. "When we went down into our room to get
+ready to go away in the boats we both put on black stockin's. I've read
+that sharks never bite colored people, although if they see a white man
+in the water they'll snap him up as quick as lightnin'; and black
+stockin's was the nearest we could come to it. You see, I thought as
+like as not we'd have some sort of an upset before we got through."
+
+"It's a great comfort," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "and I'm very glad you
+thought of it, Mrs. Lecks. After this I shall make it a rule: Black
+stockin's for sharks."
+
+"I suppose in your case," said Mrs. Lecks, addressing me, "dark trousers
+will do as well."
+
+To which I answered that I sincerely hoped they would.
+
+"Another thing I'm thankful for," said Mrs. Aleshine, "is that I thought
+to put on a flannel skeert."
+
+"And what's the good of it," said Mrs. Lecks, "when it's soppin' wet?"
+
+"Flannel's flannel," replied her friend, "whether it's wet or dry; and
+if you'd had the rheumatism as much as I have, you'd know it."
+
+To this Mrs. Lecks replied with a sniff, and asked me how soon I thought
+we would get sight of the ship; for if we were going the wrong way, and
+had to turn round and go back, it would certainly be very provoking.
+
+I should have been happy indeed to be able to give a satisfactory answer
+to this question. Every time that we rose upon a swell I threw a rapid
+glance around the whole circle of the horizon; and at last, not a
+quarter of an hour after Mrs. Lecks's question, I was rejoiced to see,
+almost in the direction in which I supposed it ought to be, the dark
+spot which I had before discovered. I shouted the glad news, and as we
+rose again my companions strained their eyes in the direction to which I
+pointed. They both saw it, and were greatly satisfied.
+
+"Now, then," said Mrs. Aleshine, "it seems as if there was somethin' to
+work for"; and she began to sweep her oar with great vigor.
+
+"If you want to tire yourself out before you get there, Barb'ry
+Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "you'd better go on in that way. Now what I
+advise is that we stop rowin' altogether, and have somethin' to eat; for
+I'm sure we need it to keep up our strength."
+
+"Eat!" I cried. "What are you going to eat? Do you expect to catch
+fish?"
+
+"And eat 'em raw?" said Mrs. Lecks. "I should think not. But do you
+suppose, Mr. Craig, that Mrs. Aleshine and me would go off and leave
+that ship without takin' somethin' to eat by the way? Let's all gether
+here in a bunch, and see what sort of a meal we can make. And now,
+Barb'ry Aleshine, if you lay your oar down there on the water, I
+recommend you to tie it to one of your bonnet-strings, or it'll be
+floatin' away, and you won't get it again."
+
+As she said this, Mrs. Lecks put her right hand down into the water, and
+fumbled about, apparently in search of a pocket. I could not but smile
+as I thought of the condition of food when, for an hour or more, it had
+been a couple of feet under the surface of the ocean; but my ideas on
+the subject were entirely changed when I saw Mrs. Lecks hold up in the
+air two German sausages, and shake the briny drops from their smooth and
+glittering surfaces.
+
+[Illustration: "'THERE'S NOTHIN' LIKE SAUSAGES FOR SHIPWRECK.'"]
+
+"There's nothin'," she said, "like sausages for shipwreck and that kind
+o' thing. They're very sustainin', and bein' covered with a tight skin,
+water can't get at 'em, no matter how you carry 'em. I wouldn't bring
+these out in the boat, because, havin' the beans, we might as well eat
+them. Have you a knife about you, Mr. Craig?"
+
+I produced a dripping jack-knife, and after the open blade had been
+waved in the air to dry it a little, Mrs. Lecks proceeded to divide one
+of the sausages, handing the other to me to hold meanwhile.
+
+"Now don't go eatin' sausages without bread, if you don't want 'em to
+give you dyspepsy," said Mrs. Aleshine, who was tugging at a submarine
+pocket.
+
+"I'm very much afraid your bread is all soaked," said Mrs. Lecks.
+
+To which her friend replied that that remained to be seen, and forthwith
+produced, with a splash, a glass preserve-jar with a metal top.
+
+"I saw this nearly empty, as I looked into the ship's pantry, and I
+stuffed into it all the soft biscuits it would hold. There was some sort
+of jam left at the bottom, so that the one who gets the last biscuit
+will have somethin' of a little spread on it. And now, Mrs. Lecks," she
+continued triumphantly, as she unscrewed the top, "that rubber ring has
+kept 'em as dry as chips. I'm mighty glad of it, for I had trouble
+enough gettin' this jar into my pocket, and gettin' it out, too, for
+that matter."
+
+Floating thus, with our hands and shoulders above the water, we made a
+very good meal from the sausages and soft biscuit.
+
+"Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, as her friend proceeded to cut the
+second sausage, "don't you lay that knife down, when you've done with
+it, as if 't was an oar; for if you do it'll sink, as like as not, about
+six miles. I've read that the ocean is as deep as that in some places."
+
+"Goodness gracious me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "I hope we are not over
+one of them deep spots."
+
+"There's no knowin'," said Mrs. Lecks, "but if it's more comfortin' to
+think it's shallerer, we'll make up our minds that way. Now, then," she
+continued, "we'll finish off this meal with a little somethin' to drink.
+I'm not given to takin' spirits, but I never travel without a little
+whisky, ready mixed with water, to take if it should be needed."
+
+So saying, she produced from one of her pockets a whisky-flask tightly
+corked, and of its contents we each took a sip, Mrs. Aleshine remarking
+that, leaving out being chilled or colicky, we were never likely to need
+it more than now.
+
+Thus refreshed and strengthened, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine took up
+their oars, while I swam slightly in advance, as before. When, with
+occasional intermissions of rest, and a good deal of desultory
+conversation, we had swept and swam for about an hour, Mrs. Lecks
+suddenly exclaimed: "I can see that thing ever so much plainer now, and
+I don't believe it's a ship at all. To me it looks like bushes."
+
+"You're mighty long-sighted without your specs," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"and I'm not sure but what you're right."
+
+For ten minutes or more I had been puzzling over the shape of the dark
+spot, which was now nearly all the time in sight. Its peculiar form had
+filled me with a dreadful fear that it was the steamer, bottom upward,
+although I knew enough about nautical matters to have no good reason to
+suppose that this could be the case. I am not far-sighted, but when Mrs.
+Lecks suggested bushes, I gazed at the distant object with totally
+different ideas, and soon began to believe that it was not a ship,
+either right side up or wrong side up, but that it might be an island.
+This belief I proclaimed to my companions, and for some time we all
+worked with increased energy in the desire to get near enough to make
+ourselves certain in regard to this point.
+
+"As true as I'm standin' here," said Mrs. Lecks, who, although she could
+not read without spectacles, had remarkably good sight at long range,
+"them is trees and bushes that I see before me, though they do seem to
+be growin' right out of the water."
+
+"There's an island under them; you may be sure of that!" I cried. "Isn't
+this ever so much better than a sinking ship!"
+
+"I'm not so sure about that," said Mrs. Aleshine. "I'm used to the ship,
+and as long as it didn't sink I'd prefer it. There's plenty to eat on
+board of it, and good beds to sleep on, which is more than can be
+expected on a little bushy place like that ahead of us. But then, the
+ship might sink all of a suddint, beds, vittles, and all."
+
+"Do you suppose that is the island the other boats went to?" asked Mrs.
+Lecks.
+
+This question I had already asked of myself. I had been told that the
+island to which the captain intended to take his boats lay about thirty
+miles south of the point where we left the steamer. Now I knew very
+well that we had not come thirty miles, and had reason to believe,
+moreover, that the greater part of the progress we had made had been
+toward the north. It was not at all probable that the position of this
+island was unknown to our captain; and it must, therefore, have been
+considered by him as an unsuitable place for the landing of his
+passengers. There might be many reasons for this unsuitableness: the
+island might be totally barren and desolate; it might be the abode of
+unpleasant natives; and, more important than anything else, it was, in
+all probability, a spot where steamers never touched.
+
+But, whatever its disadvantages, I was most wildly desirous to reach it;
+more so, I believe, than either of my companions. I do not mean that
+they were not sensible of their danger, and desirous to be freed from
+it; but they were women who had probably had a rough time of it during a
+great part of their lives, and on emerging from their little circle of
+rural experiences, accepted with equanimity, and almost as a matter of
+course, the rough times which come to people in the great outside world.
+
+"I do not believe," I said, in answer to Mrs. Lecks, "that that is the
+island to which the captain would have taken us; but, whatever it is, it
+is dry land, and we must get there as soon as we can."
+
+"That's true," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for I'd like to have ground nearer
+to my feet than six miles; and if we don't find anything to eat and any
+place to sleep when we get there, it's no more than can be said of the
+place where we are now."
+
+"You're too particular, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "about your
+comforts. If you find the ground too hard to sleep on, when you get
+there, you can put on your life-preserver, and go to bed in the water."
+
+"Very good," said Mrs. Aleshine; "and if these islands are made of
+coral, as I've heard they are, and if they're as full of small p'ints as
+some coral I've got at home, you'll be glad to take a berth by me, Mrs.
+Lecks."
+
+I counseled my companions to follow me as rapidly as possible, and we
+all pushed vigorously forward. When we had approached near enough to the
+island to see what sort of place it really was, we perceived that it was
+a low-lying spot, apparently covered with verdure, and surrounded, as
+far as we could see as we rose on the swells, by a rocky reef, against
+which a tolerably high surf was running.
+
+I knew enough of the formation of these coral islands to suppose that
+within this reef was a lagoon of smooth water, into which there were
+openings through the rocky barrier. It was necessary to try to find one
+of these, for it would be difficult and perhaps dangerous to attempt to
+land through the surf.
+
+Before us we could see a continuous line of white-capped breakers, and
+so I led my little party to the right, hoping that we would soon see
+signs of an opening in the reef.
+
+We swam and paddled, however, for a long time, and still the surf rolled
+menacingly on the rocks before us. We were now as close to the island as
+we could approach with safety, and I determined to circumnavigate it,
+if necessary, before I would attempt, with these two women, to land upon
+that jagged reef. At last we perceived, at no great distance before us,
+a spot where there seemed to be no breakers; and when we reached it we
+found, to our unutterable delight, that here was smooth water flowing
+through a wide opening in the reef. The rocks were piled up quite high,
+and the reef, at this point at least, was a wide one, but as we neared
+the opening we found that it narrowed very soon, and made a turn to the
+left, so that from the outside we could not see into the lagoon.
+
+I swam into this smooth water, followed closely by Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine, who, however, soon became unable to use their oars, owing to
+the proximity of the rocks. Dropping these useful implements, they
+managed to paddle after me with their hands, and they were as much
+astonished as I was when, just after making the slight turn, we found
+stretched across the narrow passage a great iron bar about eight or ten
+inches above the water. A little farther on, and two or three feet above
+the water, another iron bar extended from one rocky wall to the other.
+Without uttering a word I examined the lower bar, and found one end of
+it fastened by means of a huge padlock to a great staple driven into the
+rock. The lock was securely wrapped in what appeared to be tarred
+canvas. A staple through an eyehole in the bar secured the other end of
+it to the rocks.
+
+"These bars were put here," I exclaimed, "to keep out boats, whether at
+high or low water. You see they can only be thrown out of the way by
+taking off the padlocks."
+
+"They won't keep us out," said Mrs. Lecks, "for we can duck under. I
+suppose whoever put 'em here didn't expect anybody to arrive on
+life-preservers."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+PART II
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Adopting Mrs. Lecks's suggestion, I "ducked" my head under the bar, and
+passed to the other side of it. Mrs. Lecks, with but little trouble,
+followed my example; but Mrs. Aleshine, who, by reason of her stoutness,
+floated so much higher out of the water than her friend and I, found it
+impossible to get herself under the bar. In whatever manner she made the
+attempt, her head or her shoulders were sure to bump and arrest her
+progress.
+
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, who had been watching her, "if
+you ever want to get out of this salt water, you've got to make up your
+mind to take some of it into your mouth and into your eyes, that is, if
+you don't keep 'em shut. Get yourself as close to that bar as you can,
+and I'll come and put you under." So saying, Mrs. Lecks returned to the
+other side of the bar, and having made Mrs. Aleshine bow down her head
+and close her eyes and mouth, she placed both hands upon her companion's
+broad shoulders, and threw as much weight as possible upon them. Mrs.
+Aleshine almost disappeared beneath the water, but she came up
+sputtering and blinking on the other side of the bar, where she was
+quickly joined by Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"Merciful me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, wiping her wet face with her
+still wetter sleeve, "I never supposed the heathens would be up to such
+tricks as makin' us do that!"
+
+I had waited to give any assistance that might be required, and, while
+doing so, had discovered another bar under the water, which proved that
+entrance at almost any stage of the tide had been guarded against.
+Warning my companions not to strike their feet against this submerged
+bar, we paddled and pushed ourselves around the turn in the rocky
+passage, and emerged into the open lagoon.
+
+This smooth stretch of water, which separated the island from its
+encircling reef, was here about a hundred feet wide; and the first thing
+that arrested our attention as we gazed across it was a little wharf or
+landing-stage, erected upon the narrow beach of the island, almost
+opposite to us.
+
+"As sure as I stand here," exclaimed Mrs. Lecks, who never seemed to
+forget her upright position, "somebody lives in this place!"
+
+"And it isn't a stickery coral island, either," cried Mrs. Aleshine,
+"for that sand's as smooth as any I ever saw."
+
+"Whoever does live here," resumed Mrs. Lecks, "has got to take us in,
+whether they like it or not, and the sooner we get over there, the
+better."
+
+Mrs. Aleshine now regretted the loss of her oar, and suggested that some
+one of us who could get under bars easily should go back after it. But
+Mrs. Lecks would listen to no such proposition.
+
+"Let the oars go," she said. "We won't want 'em again, for I'll never
+leave this place if I have to scoop myself out to sea with an oar."
+
+I told the two women that I could easily tow them across this narrow
+piece of water; and instructing Mrs. Lecks to take hold of the tail of
+my coat, while Mrs. Aleshine grasped her companion's dress, I began to
+swim slowly toward the beach, towing my companions behind me.
+
+"Goodnessful gracious me!" suddenly exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, with a
+great bounce and a splash, "look at the fishes!"
+
+The water in the lagoon was so clear that it was almost transparent, and
+beneath us and around us we could see fish, some large and some small,
+swimming about as if they were floating in the air, while down below the
+white sandy bottom seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.
+
+"Now don't jerk my skeert off on account of the fishes," said Mrs.
+Lecks. "I expect there was just as many outside, though we couldn't see
+'em. But I must say that this water looks as if it had been boiled and
+filtered."
+
+If any inhabitant of the island had then been standing on the wharf, he
+would have beheld on the surface of the lagoon the peculiar spectacle of
+a man's head surmounted by a wet and misshapen straw hat, and followed
+by two other heads, each wearing a dripping and bedraggled bonnet, while
+beneath, among the ripples of the clear water, would have been seen the
+figures belonging to these three heads, each dressed in the clothes
+ordinarily worn on land.
+
+As I swam I could see before me, on the island, nothing but a mass of
+low-growing, tropical vegetation, behind which rose some palms and other
+trees. I made for the little wharf, from which steps came down into the
+water, and as soon as we reached it we all clambered rapidly up, and
+stood dripping upon the narrow platform, stamping our feet and shaking
+our clothes.
+
+"Do you see that house?" said Mrs. Lecks. "That's where they live, and I
+wonder which way we must go to get there."
+
+From this somewhat elevated position I could plainly see, over the tops
+of the bushes and low trees, the upper part of the roof of a house. When
+I found the bars across the passage in the reef, I had easily come to
+the conclusion that the inhabitants of this island were not savages; and
+now since I had seen the wharf and the roof of this house, I felt quite
+convinced that we had reached the abode of civilized beings. They might
+be pirates or some other sort of sea miscreants, but they were certainly
+not savages or cannibals.
+
+Leaving the wharf, we soon found a broad path through the bushes, and
+in a few moments reached a wide, open space, in which stood a handsome
+modern-built house. It was constructed after the fashion of tropical
+houses belonging to Europeans, with jalousied porches and shaded
+balconies; the grounds about it were neatly laid out, and behind it was
+a walled inclosure, probably a garden.
+
+"Upon my word," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "I'd like to be less drippin'
+before I make a call on genteel folks!"
+
+"Genteel folks!" exclaimed Mrs. Lecks, indignantly. "If you're too proud
+to go in as you are, Barb'ry Aleshine, you can go set in the sun till
+you're dry. As for me, I'm goin' to ask for the lady of the house, and
+if she don't like me she can lump me, so long as she gives me somethin'
+to eat and a dry bed to get into."
+
+I was too much amazed to speak, but my companions took everything as a
+matter of course. They had expected to see strange things in the outer
+world, and they were not surprised when they saw them. My mind was not
+capable of understanding the existence of an establishment like this on
+a little island in mid-ocean. But it was useless for me to attempt to
+reason on this apparent phenomenon; and, indeed, there was no time for
+it, for Mrs. Lecks walked boldly up to the front door and plied the
+knocker, stepping back immediately, so that she might not drip too much
+water on the porch.
+
+"When they come," she said, "we'll ask 'em to let us in the back way, so
+that we sha'n't slop up their floors any more than we can help."
+
+We waited for a couple of minutes, and then I, as the member of the
+party who dripped the least, went up on the porch and knocked again.
+
+"It's my belief they're not at home," said Mrs. Lecks, after we had
+waited some time longer, "but perhaps we'll find some of the servants
+in," and she led the way to the back part of the house.
+
+As we passed the side of the mansion I noticed that all the
+window-shutters were closed, and my growing belief that the place was
+deserted became a conviction after we had knocked several times at a
+door at the back of the building without receiving any answer.
+
+"Well, they're all gone out, that's certain!" said Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"Yes, and they barred up the entrance to the island when they left," I
+added.
+
+"I wonder if there's another house in the neighborhood?" asked Mrs.
+Aleshine.
+
+"I don't believe," said I, "that the neighborhood is very thickly
+settled; but if you will wait here a few minutes, I will run around this
+wall and see what there is beyond. I may find the huts of some natives
+or work-people."
+
+I followed a path by the side of the garden wall, but when I reached the
+end of the inclosure I could see nothing before me but jungle and
+forest, with paths running in several directions. I followed one of
+these, and very soon came out upon an open beach, with the reef lying
+beyond it. From the form of the beach and the reef, and from the
+appearance of things generally, I began to think that this was probably
+a very small island, and that the house we had seen was the only one
+on it. I returned and reported this belief to my companions.
+
+[Illustration: "MRS. LECKS WALKED BOLDLY UP TO THE FRONT DOOR AND PLIED
+THE KNOCKER."]
+
+Now that Mrs. Aleshine had no fear of appearing in an untidy condition
+before "genteel folks," her manner changed very much. "If the family has
+gone into the country," said she, "or whatever else they've done, I want
+to get into this house as soon as I can. I expect we can find something
+to eat. At any rate, we can get ourselves dry, and lay down somewhere to
+rest, for not a wink has one of us slept since night before last."
+
+"I should think," said Mrs. Lecks, addressing me, "that if you could
+manage to climb up to them second-story windows, you might find one of
+them that you could get in, and then come down and open the door for us.
+Everybody is likely to forget to fasten some of the windows on the upper
+floors. I know it isn't right to force our way into other people's
+houses, but there's nothin' else to be done, and there's no need of our
+talkin' about it."
+
+I agreed with her perfectly, and taking off my coat and shoes, I climbed
+up one of the columns of the veranda, and got upon its roof. This
+extended nearly the whole length of two sides of the house. I walked
+along it and tried all the shutters, and I soon came to one in which
+some of the movable slats had been broken. Thrusting my hand and arm
+through the aperture thus formed, I unhooked the shutters and opened
+them. The sash was fastened down by one of the ordinary contrivances
+used for such purposes, but with the blade of my jack-knife I easily
+pushed the bolt aside, raised the sash, and entered. I found myself in
+a small hall at the head of a flight of stairs. Down these I hurried,
+and, groping my way through the semi-darkness of the lower story, I
+reached a side door. This was fastened by two bolts and a bar, and I
+quickly had it open.
+
+Stepping outside, I called Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"Well," said the latter, "I'm sure I'll be glad to get in, and as we've
+squeezed most of the water out of our clothes, we won't make so much of
+a mess, after all."
+
+We now entered, and I opened one of the shutters.
+
+"Let's go right into the kitchen," said Mrs. Lecks, "and make a fire.
+That's the first thing to do."
+
+[Illustration: "I CLIMBED UP ONE OF THE COLUMNS."]
+
+But Mrs. Lecks soon discovered that this mansion was very different from
+a country dwelling in one of our Middle States. Externally, and as far
+as I had been able to observe its internal arrangements, it resembled
+the houses built by English residents which I had seen in the West
+Indies. It was a dwelling in which modern ideas in regard to
+construction and furnishing adapted themselves to the requirements of a
+tropical climate. Apparently there was no kitchen. There were no stairs
+leading to a lower floor, and the darkened rooms into which my
+companions peered were certainly not used for culinary purposes.
+
+In the meantime I had gone out of the door by which we had entered, and
+soon discovered, on the other side of the house, a small building with a
+chimney to it, which I felt sure must be the kitchen. The door and
+shutters were fastened, but before making any attempt to open them I
+returned to announce my discovery.
+
+"Door locked, is it?" said Mrs. Aleshine. "Just wait a minute."
+
+She then disappeared, but in a very short time came out, carrying a
+bunch of large keys.
+
+"It's always the way," said she, as the two followed me round the back
+of the house, "when people shut up a house and leave it, to put all the
+door-keys in the back corner of some drawer in the hall, and to take
+only the front-door key with them. So, you see, I knew just where to go
+for these."
+
+"It's a poor hen," said Mrs. Lecks, "that begins to cackle when she's
+goin' to her nest; the wise ones wait till they're comin' away. Now
+we'll see if one of them keys fit."
+
+Greatly to the triumph of Mrs. Aleshine, the second or third key I tried
+unlocked the door. Entering, we found ourselves in a good-sized kitchen,
+with a great fireplace at one end of it. A door opened from the room
+into a shed where there was a pile of dry twigs and fire-wood.
+
+"Let's have a fire as quick as we can," said Mrs. Lecks, "for since I
+went into that shet-up house I've been chilled to the bones."
+
+"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "and now I know how a fish keeps
+comfortable in the water, and how dreadfully wet and flabby it must feel
+when it's taken out."
+
+I brought in a quantity of wood and kindling, and finding matches in a
+tin box on the wall, I went to work to make a fire, and was soon
+rewarded by a crackling blaze. Turning around, I was amazed at the
+actions of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine. I had expected to see them
+standing shivering behind me, waiting for the fire to be made; but
+instead of that, they were moving rapidly here and there, saying not a
+word, but going as straight to cupboard, closet, and pantry as the hound
+follows the track of the hare. From a wild chaos of uncongenial
+surroundings, these two women had dropped into a sphere in which they
+were perfectly at home. The kitchen was not altogether like those to
+which they had been accustomed, but it was a well-appointed one, and
+their instincts and practice made them quickly understand where they
+would find what they wanted. I gazed on them with delight while one
+filled a kettle from a little pump in the corner which brought water
+from a cistern, and the other appeared from the pantry, carrying a
+tea-caddy and a tin biscuit-box.
+
+"Now, then," said Mrs. Lecks, hanging the kettle on a crane over the
+fire, and drawing up a chair, "by the time we've got a little dried off
+the kettle will bile, and we'll have some hot tea, and then the best
+thing to do is to go to bed."
+
+"We'll take time to have a bite first," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for I was
+never so near famished in my life. I brought out a box nearly full of
+biscuits, and there's sardines in this, Mr. Craig, which you can easy
+open with your knife."
+
+I piled on more wood, and we gathered close around the genial heat. The
+sunshine was hot outside, but that did not prevent the fire from being
+most comforting and refreshing to us.
+
+As soon as the kettle began to simmer, up jumped Mrs. Aleshine. A
+sugar-bowl and some cups were placed upon a table, and in a short time
+we were cheered and invigorated by hot tea, biscuits, and sardines.
+
+"This isn't much of a meal," said Mrs. Aleshine, apologetically, "but
+there's no time to cook nothin', and the sooner we get off our wet
+things and find some beds, the better."
+
+"If I can once get into bed," said Mrs. Lecks, "all I ask is that the
+family will not come back till I have had a good long nap. After that,
+they can do what they please."
+
+We now went back to the house, and ascended the main stairway, which led
+up to a large central hall.
+
+"We won't go into the front rooms," said Mrs. Lecks, "for we don't want
+to make no more disturbance than we can help; but if we can find the
+smallest kind of rooms in the back, with beds in 'em, it is all we can
+ask."
+
+The first chamber we entered was a good-sized one, neatly furnished,
+containing a bedstead with uncovered mattress and pillows. Opening a
+closet door, Mrs. Lecks exclaimed: "This is a man's room, Mr. Craig, and
+you'd better take it. Look at the trousers and coats! There's no
+bedclothes in here, but I'll see if I can't find some."
+
+In a few minutes she returned, bearing blankets, sheets, and a
+pillow-case. With Mrs. Aleshine on one side of the bedstead and Mrs.
+Lecks on the other, the sheets and blankets were laid with surprising
+deftness and rapidity, and in a few moments I saw before me a most
+inviting bed.
+
+While Mrs. Aleshine held a pillow in her teeth as she pulled on the
+pillow-case with both hands, Mrs. Lecks looked around the room with the
+air of an attentive hostess. "I guess you'll be comfortable, Mr. Craig,"
+she said, "and I advise you to sleep just as long as you can. We'll take
+the room on the other side of the hall; but I'm first goin' down to see
+if the kitchen fire is safe, and to fasten the doors."
+
+[Illustration: "'I GUESS YOU'LL BE COMFORTABLE, MR. CRAIG.'"]
+
+I offered to relieve her of this trouble, but she promptly declined my
+services. "When it's rowin' or swimmin', you can do it, Mr. Craig, but
+when it's lockin' up and lookin' to fires, I'll attend to that myself."
+
+My watch had stopped, but I suppose it was the middle of the afternoon
+when I went to bed, and I slept steadily until some hours after sunrise
+the next morning, when I was awakened by a loud knock at the door.
+
+"It's time to get up," said the voice of Mrs. Lecks, "and if your
+clothes are not entirely dry, you'd better see if there isn't somethin'
+in that closet you can put on. After a while I'll make a big fire in the
+kitchen, and dry all our things."
+
+I found my clothes were still very damp, and after investigating the
+contents of the closet and bureau, I was able to supply myself with
+linen and a light summer suit which fitted me fairly well. I even found
+socks and a pair of slippers.
+
+When I entered the kitchen, I first opened wide my eyes with delight,
+and then I burst out laughing. Before me was a table covered with a
+white cloth, with plates, cups, and everything necessary upon it; at one
+end was a steaming tea-pot, and at the other a dish of some kind of hot
+meat, and Mrs. Aleshine was just taking a pan of newly baked biscuits
+from a small iron oven.
+
+"I don't wonder you laugh," said Mrs. Lecks, "but our clothes was still
+wet, and we had to take just what we could find. I'm not in the habit of
+goin' about in a white muslin wrapper with blue-ribbon trimmin's, and as
+for Mrs. Aleshine, I did think we'd never find anything that she could
+get into; but there must be one stout woman in the family, for that
+yeller frock with black buttons fits her well enough, though I must say
+it's a good deal short."
+
+"I never thought," said Mrs. Aleshine, as she sat down at the tea-pot,
+"that the heathens had so many conveniences, specially bakin'-powders
+and Dutch ovens. For my part, I always supposed that they used their
+altars for bakin', when they wasn't offerin' up victims on 'em."
+
+"Have you got it into your head, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks,
+looking up from the dish of potted beef she was serving, "that this
+house belongs to common heathen? I expect that most of the savages who
+live on these desert islands has been converted by the missionaries, but
+they'd have to take 'em from Genesis to Revelations a good many times
+before they'd get 'em to the p'int of havin' force-pumps in their
+kitchens and spring-mattresses on their beds. As far as I've seen this
+house, it looks as if the family had always been Christians, and
+probably either Catholics or Episcopalians."
+
+"On account of the cross on the mantelpiece in our room, I suppose,"
+said Mrs. Aleshine. "But whether they're given to idols or prayer-books,
+I know they've got a mighty nice house; and considerin' the distance
+from stores, there's a good deal more in that pantry than you'd expect
+to find in any house I know of, when the family is away."
+
+"It is my opinion," said I, "that this house belongs to some rich man,
+probably an American or European merchant, who lives on one of the large
+islands not far away, and who uses this as a sort of summer residence."
+
+"I thought it was always summer in this part of the world," said Mrs.
+Lecks.
+
+"So it is in effect," I replied, "but there are some seasons when it is
+very unpleasant to remain in one of those towns which are found on the
+larger islands, and so the owner of this house may come up here
+sometimes for fresh sea air."
+
+"Or it's just as like," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that he lives somewhere up
+in the iceberg regions, and comes here to spend his winters. It would do
+just as well. But, whichever way it is, I can't help thinkin' it's
+careless not to leave somebody in the house to take care of it. Why, for
+all the family would know about it, tramps might break in and stay as
+long as they like."
+
+"That's just what's happenin' now," said Mrs. Lecks, "and for my part I
+ain't goin' to find no fault. I don't suppose the people would have been
+so hard-hearted as to turn us away from their doors, but I've seen
+enough of folks in this world not to be too sure about that."
+
+[Illustration: "THAT YELLER FROCK."]
+
+"How do you suppose," said Mrs. Aleshine, addressing me, "that the
+family gets here and goes back? Do they keep a private steamboat?"
+
+"Of course they have a private vessel of some kind," I answered,
+"probably a yacht. It is quite certain that ordinary steamers never
+touch here."
+
+"If that's the case," said Mrs. Lecks, "all we can do is to wait here
+till they come, and get them to send us away in their ship. But whether
+they've just gone or are just a-comin' back depends, I suppose, on
+whether they live in a freezin' or a burnin' country; and if they don't
+like our bein' here when they come back, there's one thing they can make
+up their minds to, and that is that I'm never goin' to leave this place
+on a life-preserver."
+
+"Nor me nuther," said Mrs. Aleshine, finishing, with much complacency,
+her third cup of tea.
+
+When breakfast was over, Mrs. Lecks pushed back her chair, but did not
+immediately rise. With an expression of severe thought upon her face,
+she gazed steadfastly before her for a minute, and then she addressed
+Mrs. Aleshine, who had begun to gather together the cups and the plates.
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said she, "don't you begin to clear off the
+table, nor touch a single thing to wash it up, till we've been over this
+house. I want to do it now, before Mr. Craig goes out to prospect around
+and see what else is on the island, which, I suppose, he'll be wantin'
+to do."
+
+I replied that I had that intention, but I was quite willing to go over
+the house first.
+
+"It's come to me," said Mrs. Lecks, speaking very gravely, "that it's no
+use for us to talk of the family bein' here, or bein' there, till we've
+gone over this house. If we find that they have, as far as we know, gone
+away in good health and spirits, that's all well enough; but if
+anything's happened in this house, I don't want to be here with what's
+happened--at least, without knowin' it, and when we do go over the
+house, I want a man to go with us."
+
+"If you'd talked that way last night, Mrs. Lecks," exclaimed Mrs.
+Aleshine, "I'd never slept till after sun-up, and then got up and gone
+huntin' round among them frocks and petticoats to find somethin' that
+would fit me, with the quiet pulse I did have, Mrs. Lecks!"
+
+To this remark Mrs. Lecks made no reply, but, rising, she led the way
+out of the kitchen and into the house.
+
+The rooms on the first floor were very well furnished. There was a large
+parlor, and back of it a study or library, while on the other side of
+the hall was a dining-room and an apartment probably used as a family
+room. We found nothing in these which would indicate that anything
+untoward had happened in them. Then we went up-stairs, I leading the
+way, Mrs. Lecks following, and Mrs. Aleshine in the rear. We first
+entered one of the front chambers, which was quite dark, but Mrs. Lecks
+unfastened and threw open a shutter. Then, with a rigid countenance and
+determined mien, she examined every part of the room, looked into every
+closet, and even under the bed. It was quite plain that it was in one of
+the chambers that she expected to find what had happened, if anything
+had happened.
+
+The room on the other side of the hall was very like the one we first
+examined, except that it had two beds in it. We next visited the chamber
+recently occupied by my two companions, which was now undergoing the
+process of "airing."
+
+"We needn't stop here," remarked Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+But Mrs. Lecks instantly replied: "Indeed, we will stop; I'm going to
+look under the bed."
+
+"Merciful me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, putting her hand on her friend's
+shoulder. "Supposin' you should find somethin', and we sleepin' here
+last night! It curdles me to think of it!"
+
+"It's my duty," said Mrs. Lecks, severely, "and I shall do it."
+
+And do it she did, rising from the task with a sigh of relief.
+
+My room was subjected to the same scrutiny as the others, and then we
+visited some smaller rooms at the extreme back of the house, which we
+had not before noticed. A garret, or loft, was reached by a steep
+stairway in one of these rooms, and into its dusky gloom I ventured by
+myself.
+
+"Now, don't come down, Mr. Craig," said Mrs. Lecks, "till you're sure
+there's nothin' there. Of all places in the house, that cockloft, after
+all, is the most likely."
+
+I had none of the fears which seemed to actuate the two women, but I had
+a very unpleasant time of it groping about in the darkness and heat,
+and, as the place was only partly floored, running the continual risk of
+crashing down through the lath and plaster. I made myself quite sure,
+however, that nothing had happened in that loft, unless some one had
+suffocated there, and had dried up and become the dust which I raised at
+every step.
+
+"Now, then," said Mrs. Lecks, when I descended, "as there is no cellar,
+we'll go wash up the breakfast things; and if you want to take a walk,
+to see if there's any genuwine heathens or anybody else a-livin' in this
+island, we're not afraid to be left alone."
+
+For the whole of the rest of the morning I wandered about the island. I
+investigated the paths that I had before noticed, and found that each of
+them led, after a moderate walk, to some wide and pleasant part of the
+beach. At one of these points I found a rustic bench; and, stuffed in
+between two of the slats which formed the seat, I found a book. It had
+been sadly wet and discolored by rain, and dried and curled up by the
+wind and sun. I pulled it out, and found it to be a novel in French. On
+one of the fly-leaves was written "Emily." Reasoning from the
+dilapidated appearance of this book, I began to believe that the family
+must have left this place some time ago, and that, therefore, their
+return might be expected at a proportionately early period. On second
+thoughts, however, I considered that the state of this book was of
+little value as testimony. A few hours of storm, wind, and sun might
+have inflicted all the damage it had sustained. The two women would be
+better able to judge by the state of the house and the condition of the
+provisions how long the family had been away.
+
+I then started out on a walk along the beach, and in little more than an
+hour I had gone entirely around the island. Nowhere did I see any sign
+of habitation or occupation except at the house which had given us
+shelter, nor any opening through the surrounding reef except the barred
+passageway through which we had come.
+
+When I returned to the house, I found that Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+had been hard at work all the morning. They had, so to speak, gone
+regularly and systematically to housekeeping, and had already divided
+the labors of the establishment between them. Mrs. Aleshine, who prided
+herself on her skill in culinary matters, was to take charge of the
+cooking, while Mrs. Lecks assumed the care of the various rooms and the
+general management of the household. This arrangement was explained to
+me at length, and when I remarked that all this seemed to indicate that
+they expected to remain here for a long time, Mrs. Lecks replied:
+
+"In my part of the country I could tell pretty close, by the dust on the
+tables and on the top of the pianner, how long a family had been out of
+a house; but dust in Pennsylvany and dust on a sea island, where there's
+no wagons nor carriages, is quite different. This house has been left in
+very good order, and though the windows wants washin', and the floors
+and stairs brushin',--which will be easy considerin' that none of 'em
+has carpets,--and everything in the house a reg'lar cleanin' up and
+airin', it may be that the family hasn't been gone away very long, and
+so it may be a good while before they come back again. Mrs. Aleshine and
+me has talked it over, and we've made up our minds that the right thing
+to do is just to go along and attend to things as if we was a-goin' to
+stay here for a month or two; and it may be even longer than that before
+the people come back. And I don't think they'll have anything to
+complain of when they find their house in apple-pie order, their windows
+washed, their floors clean, and not a speck of dust anywhere."
+
+"For my part," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I don't see what they've got to find
+fault with, anyway. I look on this as part of the passage. To be sure,
+we ain't movin' a bit on our way to Japan, but that's not my fault, nor
+yet yours, Mrs. Lecks, nor yours, Mr. Craig. We paid our passage to go
+to Japan, and if the ship was steered wrong and got sunk, we hadn't
+anything to do with it. We didn't want to come here, but here we are,
+and I'd like to know who's got any right to find fault with us."
+
+[Illustration: "MRS. ALESHINE HAD BEEN HARD AT WORK ALL THE MORNING."]
+
+"And bein' here," said Mrs. Lecks, "we'll take care of the things."
+
+"As far as I'm concerned," added Mrs. Aleshine, "if this island was
+movin' on to Japan, I'd a great deal rather be on it than on that ship,
+where, to my way of thinkin', they didn't know much more about
+housekeepin' than they did about steerin'."
+
+"I think your plans and arrangements are very good," I said. "But how
+about the provisions? Are there enough to hold out for any time?"
+
+"There's pretty nigh a barrel of flour," said Mrs. Aleshine, "a good
+deal of tea and coffee and sugar, and lots of things in tins and jars.
+There's a kind of cellar outside where they keep things cool, and
+there's more than half a keg of butter down there. It's too strong to
+use, but I can take that butter and wash it out, and work it over, and
+salt it, and make it just as good butter as any we got on board the
+ship."
+
+"But," said I, "you have given me nothing to do. I shall not be content
+to stand about idle and see you do all the work."
+
+"There's nothin' in the house," said Mrs. Lecks, "which you need put
+your hand to; but, if you choose to go out into that garden, and see if
+there's anything can be done in it, or got out of it,--that is, if you
+know anything about garden work,--I'm sure we'd be very glad of any
+fresh vegetables we could get."
+
+I replied that I had been accustomed to garden work in an amateur way,
+and would be glad to do anything that was possible in that direction.
+
+"I never seed into that garden," said Mrs. Aleshine, "but of all the
+foolish things that ever came under my eye, the buildin' a wall around a
+garden, when a picket fence would do just as well, is the foolishest."
+
+I explained that in these countries it was the fashion to use walls
+instead of fences.
+
+"If it's the fashion," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I suppose there's no use
+sayin' anything ag'in' it; but if the fashion should happen to change,
+they'd find it a good deal easier to take down a barbed-wire fence than
+a stone wall."
+
+This conversation took place in the large lower hall, which Mrs. Lecks
+had been "putting to rights," and where Mrs. Aleshine had just entered
+from the kitchen. Mrs. Lecks now sat down upon a chair, and, dust-cloth
+in hand, she thus addressed me:
+
+"There's another thing, Mr. Craig, that me and Mrs. Aleshine has been
+talkin' about. We haven't made up our minds about it, because we didn't
+think it was fair and right to do that before speakin' to you and
+hearin' what you had to say on one side or another of it. Mrs. Aleshine
+and me has had to bow our heads to afflictions, and to walk sometimes in
+roads we didn't want to; but we've remembered the ways in which we was
+brought up, and have kept in them as far as we've been able. When our
+husbands died, leavin' Mrs. Aleshine with a son, and me without any,
+which, perhaps, is just as well, for there's no knowin' how he might
+have turned out--"
+
+"That's so," interrupted Mrs. Aleshine, "for he might have gone as a
+clerk to Roosher, and then you and me would 'a' had to travel different
+ways."
+
+"And when our husbands died," continued Mrs. Lecks, "they left us
+enough, and plenty, to live on, and we wasn't the women to forget them
+and their ways of thinkin', any more than we'd forget the ways of our
+fathers and mothers before us."
+
+"That's so!" said Mrs. Aleshine, fervently.
+
+"And now, Mr. Craig," continued Mrs. Lecks, "we don't know how you've
+been brought up, nor anything about you, in fact, except that you've
+been as kind to us as if you was some sort of kin, and that we never
+would have thought of comin' here without you, and so me and Mrs.
+Aleshine has agreed to leave this whole matter to you, and to do just as
+you say. When us two started out on this long journey, we didn't expect
+to find it what you call the path of roses, and, dear only knows, we
+haven't found it so."
+
+"That's true!" ejaculated Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"And what we've had to put up with," continued Mrs. Lecks, "we have put
+up with. So, Mr. Craig, whether you say dinner in the middle of the day
+at twelve, as we've always been used to, or at six o'clock in the
+afternoon, as they had it on board that ship,--and how people ever come
+to turn their meals hind part foremost in that way, I can't say,--we are
+goin' to do it; if you've been brought up to six o'clock, you won't hear
+no complainin' from us, think what we may."
+
+I was on the point of laughing aloud at the conclusion of this speech,
+but a glance at the serious faces of the two women, who, with so much
+earnest solicitude, awaited my reply, stopped me, and I hastened to
+assure them that dinner in the middle of the day would be entirely in
+accordance with my every wish.
+
+"Good!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, her eyes sparkling amid the plumpness
+of her face, while an expression of calm relief passed over the features
+of Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"And now I'll be off and get us somethin' to eat in less than no time,"
+said Mrs. Aleshine. "We didn't know whether to make it lunch or dinner
+till we had seen you, so you can't expect much to-day, but to-morrow
+we'll begin, and have everything straight and comfortable. I'm goin' to
+get up early in the mornin' and bake a batch of bread, and you needn't
+be afraid, Mr. Craig, but what I'll have you a bit of hot meat every
+night for your supper."
+
+In the afternoon we all visited the garden, which, although a good deal
+overgrown with luxuriant weeds, showed marks of fair cultivation. Some
+of the beds had been cleared out and left to the weeds, and we found
+some "garden truck," as my companions called it, with which we were not
+familiar. But there were tomato-vines loaded with fruit, plenty of beans
+of various kinds, and a large patch of potatoes, many of which had been
+dug.
+
+From the lower end of the garden, Mrs. Aleshine gave a shout of delight.
+We went to her, and found her standing before a long asparagus bed.
+
+"Well!" she exclaimed. "If there's anything that settles it firm in my
+mind that these people is Christians, it's this bed of grass. I don't
+believe there ever was heathens that growed grass."
+
+"I thought that was all settled when we found the bakin'-powders," said
+Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"But this clinches it," answered her companion. "I can't tell from a
+sparrowgrass bed what church they belong to, but they're no idolaters."
+
+The next morning I delivered to the genial Mrs. Aleshine a large basket
+full of fresh vegetables, and we had a most excellent dinner. Somewhat
+to my surprise, the table was not set in the kitchen, but in the
+dining-room.
+
+"Me and Mrs. Aleshine have made up our minds," said Mrs. Lecks, in
+explanation, "that it's not the proper thing for you to be eatin' in the
+kitchen, nor for us neither. Here's table-cloths, and good glass and
+china, and spoons and forks, which, although they're not solid silver,
+are plated good enough for anybody. Neither you nor us is servants, and
+a kitchen is no place for us."
+
+"That's so!" said Mrs. Aleshine. "We paid our money for first-class
+passages, and it was understood that we'd have everything as good as
+anybody."
+
+"Which I don't see as that has anything to do with it, Barb'ry
+Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "for the steamship people don't generally
+throw in desert islands as part of the accommodation."
+
+"We didn't ask for the island," retorted Mrs. Aleshine, "and if they'd
+steered the ship right we shouldn't have wanted it."
+
+When we had finished our dinner, Mrs. Lecks pushed back her chair, and
+sat for a few moments in thought, as was her wont before saying anything
+of importance.
+
+"There's another thing," said she, "that I've been thinkin' about,
+though I haven't spoke of it yet, even to Mrs. Aleshine. We haven't no
+right to come here and eat up the victuals and use the things of the
+people that own this house, without payin' for 'em. Of course, we're not
+goin' to sleep on the bare ground and starve to death while there's beds
+and food close to our hands. But if we use 'em and take it, we ought to
+pay the people that the place belongs to--that is, if we've got the
+money to do it with--and Mrs. Aleshine and me has got the money. When we
+went down into our cabin to get ready to leave the ship, the first thing
+we did was to put our purses in our pockets, and we've both got drafts
+wrapped up in oil silk, and sewed inside our frock-bodies; and if you
+didn't think to bring your money along with you, Mr. Craig, we can lend
+you all you need."
+
+I thanked her for her offer, but stated that I had brought with me all
+my money.
+
+"Now," continued Mrs. Lecks, "it's my opinion that we ought to pay our
+board regular every week. I don't know what is commonly charged in a
+place like this, but I know you can get very good board where I come
+from for six dollars a week."
+
+[Illustration: "'THERE'S ANOTHER THING,' SAID SHE, 'THAT I'VE BEEN
+THINKIN' ABOUT.'"]
+
+"That is for two in a room," said Mrs. Aleshine; "but havin' a room to
+himself would make it more for Mr. Craig."
+
+"It ain't his fault," said Mrs. Lecks, somewhat severely, "that he
+ain't got a brother or some friend to take part of the room and pay part
+of the expense. But, anyway, the room isn't a large one, and I don't
+think he ought to pay much more for having a room to himself. Seven
+dollars is quite enough."
+
+"But then you've got to consider," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that we do the
+cookin' and housework, and that ought to be counted."
+
+"I was comin' to that," said Mrs. Lecks. "Now, if me and Mrs. Aleshine
+was to go out to service, which you may be sure we wouldn't do unless
+circumstances was very different from what they are now--"
+
+"That's true!" earnestly ejaculated Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"But if we was to do it," continued Mrs. Lecks, "we wouldn't go into
+anybody's family for less than two dollars a week. Now, I've always
+heard that wages is low in this part of the world, and the work isn't
+heavy for two of us; so, considering the family isn't here to make their
+own bargain, I think we'd better put our wages at that, so that'll make
+four dollars a week for each of us two to pay."
+
+"But how about Mr. Craig?" said Mrs. Aleshine. "He oughtn't to work in
+that garden for nothin'."
+
+"Fifty cents a day," said Mrs. Lecks, "is as little as any man would
+work for, and then it oughtn't to take all his time. That will make
+three dollars to take out of Mr. Craig's board, and leave it four
+dollars a week, the same as ours."
+
+I declared myself perfectly satisfied with these arrangements, but Mrs.
+Aleshine did not seem to be altogether convinced that they were just.
+
+"When a woman goes out to service," said she, "she gets her board and
+is paid wages besides, and it's the same for gardeners."
+
+"Then I suppose, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "that we ought to
+charge these people with our wages, and make 'em pay it when they come
+back!"
+
+This remark apparently disposed of Mrs. Aleshine's objections, and her
+friend continued: "There's a jar on the mantelpiece there, of the kind
+the East Indy ginger comes in. It's got nothin' in it now but some brown
+paper in which fish-hooks is wrapped. We came here on a Wednesday, and
+so every Tuesday night we'll each put four dollars in that jar, under
+the fish-hook paper; then if, by night or by day, the family comes back
+and makes a fuss about our bein' here, all we have to say is, 'The board
+money's in the ginger-jar,' and our consciences is free."
+
+Mrs. Lecks's plan was adopted as a very just and proper one, and at the
+expiration of the week we each deposited four dollars in the ginger-jar.
+
+While occupying this house I do not think that any of us endeavored to
+pry into the private concerns of the family who owned it, although we
+each had a very natural curiosity to know something about said family.
+Opportunities of acquiring such knowledge, however, were exceedingly
+scarce. Even if we had been willing to look into such receptacles, the
+several desks and secretaries that the house contained were all locked,
+and nowhere could Mrs. Lecks or Mrs. Aleshine find an old letter or
+piece of wrapping-paper with an address on it. I explained to my
+companions that letters and packages were not likely to come to a place
+like this, but they kept a sharp lookout for anything of the kind,
+asserting that there could be no possible harm in reading the names of
+the people whose house they were in.
+
+In some of the books in the library, which were English and French in
+about equal proportions, with a few volumes in German, I found written
+on the blank pages the names "Emily" and "Lucille," and across the
+title-pages of some French histories was inscribed, in a man's hand, "A.
+Dusante." We discussed these names, but could not make up our minds
+whether the family were French or English. For instance, there was no
+reason why an Englishwoman might not be called Lucille, and even such a
+surname as Dusante was not uncommon either among English or Americans.
+The labels on the boxes and tins of provisions showed that most of them
+came from San Francisco, but this was likely to be the case, no matter
+what the nationality of the family.
+
+The question of the relationship of the three persons, of whose
+existence we had discovered traces, was a very interesting one to Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"I can't make up my mind," said the latter, "whether Emily is the mother
+of Lucille or her daughter, or whether they are both children of Mr.
+Dusante, or whether he's married to Lucille and Emily is his
+sister-in-law, or whether she's his sister and not hers, or whether he's
+the uncle and they're his nieces, or whether Emily is an old lady and
+Mr. Dusante and Lucille are both her children, or whether they are two
+maiden ladies and Mr. Dusante is their brother, or whether Mr. Dusante
+is only a friend of the family, and boards here because no two women
+ought to live in such a lonely place without a man in the house."
+
+"Well," said Mrs. Lecks, "whether Mr. Dusante comes back with two
+nieces, or a wife and daughter, or Mrs. Dusante and a mother-in-law, or
+a pair of sisters, all we've got to say is, 'The board money's in the
+ginger-jar,' and let 'em do their worst."
+
+In my capacity as gardener I do not think I earned the wages which my
+companions had allotted to me, for I merely gathered and brought in such
+fruits and vegetables as I found in proper condition for use. In other
+ways, however, I made my services valuable to our little family. In a
+closet in my chamber I found guns and ammunition, and frequently I was
+able to bring in a few birds. Some of these were pronounced by Mrs.
+Aleshine unsuitable for the table, but others she cooked with much
+skill, and they were found to be very good eating.
+
+Not far from the little wharf which has been mentioned there stood,
+concealed by a mass of low-growing palms, a boat-house in which was a
+little skiff hung up near the roof. This I let down and launched, and
+found great pleasure in rowing it about the lagoon. There was
+fishing-tackle in the boat-house, which I used with success, the lagoon
+abounding in fish. Offerings of this kind were much more acceptable to
+Mrs. Aleshine than birds.
+
+"There's some kinds of fishes that's better than others," said she,
+"but, as a gen'ral rule, a fish is a fish, and if you catch 'em you can
+eat 'em; but it's a very different thing with birds. When you've never
+seen 'em before, how are you goin' to tell but what they're some kin to
+an owl, a pigeon-hawk, or a crow? And if I once get it into my head that
+there's any of that kind of family blood in 'em, they disagree with me
+just the same as if there really was."
+
+One afternoon, as I was returning in the boat from the point on the
+other side of the island where I had found the rustic seat and Emily's
+book, I was surprised to see Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine standing on
+the end of the little wharf. This was an unusual thing for them to do,
+as they were very industrious women and seldom had an idle moment, and
+it seemed to be one of their greatest pleasures to discuss the work they
+were going to do when they had finished that on which they were then
+engaged. I was curious, therefore, to know why they should be standing
+thus idly on the wharf, and pulled toward them as rapidly as possible.
+
+[Illustration: "MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE STANDING ON THE END OF THE
+LITTLE WHARF."]
+
+When I had rowed near enough to hear them, Mrs. Aleshine remarked with
+cheerful placidity:
+
+"The Dusantes are comin'."
+
+The tide was quite low, and I could not see over the reef; but in a few
+moments I had grounded the skiff and had sprung upon the wharf. Out on
+the ocean, about a mile away, I saw a boat, apparently a large one,
+approaching the island.
+
+"Now, then, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "you'll soon see whether
+it's his two nieces, or his daughters, wife and sister-in-law, or
+whatever of them other relationships which you've got so pat."
+
+"Yes," said Mrs. Aleshine; "but, what's more, we'll find out if he's
+goin' to be satisfied with the board money we've put in the ginger-jar."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+PART III
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+When the boat which we saw approaching the island had come near enough
+for us to distinguish its occupants, we found that it contained five
+persons. Three sat in the stern, and two were rowing. Of those in the
+stern, we soon made out one to be a woman, and after putting our
+eyesight to its very best efforts, we were obliged to admit that there
+was only one female on board.
+
+"Now, that's disapp'intin'," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for I've wondered and
+wondered which I should like best, Emily or Lucille, and now that only
+one of 'em has come, of course I can't tell."
+
+The boat came on, almost directly toward the passageway in the reef, and
+it was not long before the two women had been able to decide that Mr.
+Dusante was an elderly man, and that the lady was moderately young, and
+in all probability his daughter.
+
+"It may be," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that the mother, whether she was
+Emily, or whether she was Lucille, has died, and for that reason they
+are comin' back sooner than they expected."
+
+"Well, I hope you're wrong there, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks,
+"for they'll see lots of things here that will freshen up their
+affliction, and that won't make 'em any too lively people to be with."
+
+"On the other hand," said Mrs. Aleshine, "it may be that Emily, or else
+Lucille, has got married, and has gone away with her husband to travel,
+and by the time she's got a little baby she'll come here to live on
+account of the sea air for the child, and that'll make the house
+pleasant, Mrs. Lecks."
+
+"I'd like to know how long you expect to live here," said Mrs. Lecks,
+regarding her friend with some severity.
+
+"That's not for me to say," replied Mrs. Aleshine, "knowin' nothin'
+about it. But this I will say, that I hope they have brought along with
+them some indigo blue, for I nearly used up all there was the last time
+I washed."
+
+During this dialogue I had been thinking that it was a very strange
+thing for the owners of this place to visit their island in such a
+fashion. Why should they be in an open boat? And where did they come
+from? Wherever they might live, it was not at all probable that they
+would choose to be rowed from that point to this. From the general
+character and appointments of the house in which we had found a refuge,
+it was quite plain that its owners were people in good circumstances,
+who were in the habit of attending to their domestic affairs in a very
+orderly and proper way. It was to be presumed that it was their custom
+to come here in a suitable vessel, and to bring with them the stores
+needed during their intended stay. Now, there could be little or nothing
+in that boat, and, on the whole, I did not believe it contained the
+owners of this island.
+
+It would not do, however, to assume anything of the kind. There might
+have been a disaster; in fact, I know nothing about it, but it was my
+immediate duty to go and meet these people at the passage, for, if they
+were unable to unlock the bars, their boat could not enter, and I must
+ferry them across the lagoon. Without communicating my doubts to my
+companions, I hurried into the skiff, and pulled as far as possible into
+the passage through the reef. The bars, of which there were more than I
+at first supposed, were so arranged that it was impossible for a boat to
+go in or out at any stage of the tide.
+
+I had been there but a few minutes when the boat from without came
+slowly in between the rocks; and almost as soon as I saw it, its
+progress was suddenly stopped by a sunken bar.
+
+"Hello!" cried several men at once.
+
+"Hello!" cried I, in return. "Have you the key to these bars?"
+
+A stout man with a red beard stood up in the stern. "Key?" said he,
+"what key?"
+
+"Then you do not belong here?" said I. "Who are you?"
+
+At this, the gentleman who was sitting by the lady arose to his feet. He
+was a man past middle age, rather tall and slim, and when he stood up
+the slight rolling of the boat made him stagger, and he came near
+falling.
+
+"You'd better sit down, sir," said the man with the red beard, who I saw
+was a sailor. "You can talk better that way."
+
+The gentleman now seated himself, and thus addressed me:
+
+"I am, sir, the Reverend Mr. Enderton, lately missionary to Nanfouchong,
+China, and this is my daughter, Miss Enderton. We are returning to the
+United States by way of the Sandwich Islands, and took passage in a
+sailing-vessel for Honolulu. About two weeks ago this vessel, in some
+way which I do not understand, became disabled--"
+
+"Rotten forem'st," interrupted the man with the red beard, "which give
+way in a gale; strained and leaky, besides."
+
+"I did not know the mast was rotten," said the gentleman, "but, since
+the occasion of our first really serviceable wind, she has been making
+very unsatisfactory progress. And, more than that, the whole force of
+seamen was employed night and day in endeavoring to keep the water out
+of the tea, thereby causing such a thumping and pounding that sleep was
+out of the question. Add to this the fact that our meals became very
+irregular, and were sometimes entirely overlooked--"
+
+"Prog was gettin' mighty short," interpolated the red-bearded man.
+
+"You can easily discern, sir," continued the gentleman, "that it was
+impossible for myself and my daughter to remain longer on that vessel,
+on which we were the only passengers. I therefore requested the captain
+to put us ashore at the nearest land, and, after more than a week of
+delay and demur, he consented to do so."
+
+"Couldn't do it," said the man, "till there was land nigh enough."
+
+"The captain informed me," continued the gentleman, "that this island
+was inhabited, and that I could here find shelter and repose until a
+vessel could be sent from Honolulu to take me off. He furnished me with
+this boat and three seamen, one of whom," pointing to the red-bearded
+man, "is a coxswain. We have been rowing ever since early this morning,
+with but a very moderate quantity of food and much discomfort. Now, sir,
+you have heard my story; and I ask you, as one man to another, if you
+still intend to bar your water-gates against us?"
+
+"I did not bar the gates," I said, "and I would gladly unlock them if I
+could. I belong to a shipwrecked party who took refuge here some two
+weeks ago."
+
+"And how did you get in?" hastily inquired the red-bearded coxswain.
+
+"Our boat sunk when we were within sight of the island, and we came here
+on life-preservers, and so got under the bars."
+
+The two men who had been rowing now turned suddenly and looked at me.
+They both had black beards, and they both exclaimed at the same moment,
+"By George!"
+
+"I won't stop here to tell any more of our story," said I. "The great
+point now is to get you all ashore, and have you cared for."
+
+"That's so!" said the coxswain. And the two sailors murmured, "Aye, aye,
+sir."
+
+The bar which stopped the progress of the larger boat was just under the
+surface of the water, while another a foot above the water kept my skiff
+about six feet distant from the other boat. There was some loose
+flooring in the bottom of the coxswain's boat, and he ordered two of the
+boards taken out, and with them a bridge was made, one end resting on
+the bow of the larger boat, and the other on the iron bar by my skiff.
+
+"Now," said the coxswain, "let the lady go first."
+
+The elderly gentleman arose, as if he would prefer to take the lead, but
+his daughter, who had not yet spoken a word, was passed forward by the
+coxswain, steadied over the bridge by one of the sailors, and assisted
+by me into the skiff. Then her father came aboard, and I rowed with them
+to the wharf.
+
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine came forward most cordially to meet them.
+
+"Mr. Dusante, I suppose?" said Mrs. Lecks, while Mrs. Aleshine hurriedly
+whispered in my ear, "Is it Lucille or Emily?"
+
+As quickly as possible I explained the situation. For a few moments Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine stood speechless. Nothing which had happened to
+them, the wreck of the steamer, the sinking of the boat, or our
+experience with life-preservers, affected them so much as this
+disappointment in regard to the problem of the Dusante family. Travel by
+sea was all novel and strange to them, and they had expected all sorts
+of things to which they were not accustomed, but they had never
+imagined that Fate would be so hard upon them as to snatch away the
+solution of this mystery just as they were about to put their hands upon
+it. But, in spite of this sudden blow, the two good women quickly
+recovered themselves, and with hearty and kindly words hurried the
+missionary and his daughter to the house, while I went to bring over the
+men.
+
+I found the three sailors busy in securing their boat so that it would
+not be injured by the rocks during the rising and falling of the tide.
+When they had finished this job, they had to do a good deal of
+scrambling before they reached my skiff.
+
+"We thought at first, sir," said the coxswain, as I rowed them across
+the lagoon, "that it was all gammon about your not livin' here, and
+havin' no keys to them bars; but we've come to the 'pinion that if you'd
+been able to unlock 'em you'd have done it sooner than take all this
+trouble."
+
+I now related my story more fully, and the men were greatly astonished
+when they heard that my companions in this adventure were two women.
+Upon my asking the coxswain why he had come to this island, he replied
+that his captain had heard that people lived on it, although he knew
+nothing about them; and that, as it would be almost impossible to get
+his brig here with the wind that was then prevailing, and as he did not
+wish to go out of his course anyway, he made up his mind that he would
+rather lose the services of three men than keep that missionary on board
+a day longer.
+
+"You see, sir," said the coxswain, as we went ashore, "the parson
+wouldn't never take it into account that we were short of prog, and
+leakin' like Sam Hill; and because things were uncomfortable he growled
+up and he growled down, till he was wuss for the spirits of the men than
+the salt water comin' in or the hard-tack givin' out, and there was
+danger, if he wasn't got rid of, that he'd be pitched overboard and left
+to take his chances for a whale. And then, by sendin' us along, that
+give the crew three half-rations a day extry, and that'll count for a
+good deal in the fix they're in."
+
+When I reached the house I took the men into the kitchen, where Mrs.
+Aleshine already had the table spread. There were bread and cold meat,
+while the tea-kettle steamed by the fire. In a very short time three
+happy mariners sat round that table, while Mrs. Aleshine, with beaming
+face, attended to their wants, and plied them with innumerable
+questions. They had not finished eating when Mrs. Lecks entered the
+kitchen.
+
+"I put that minister and his daughter in the two front bedrooms," said
+she to me, after hospitably greeting the three men, "which me and Mrs.
+Aleshine had run and got ready for the Dusantes, as soon as you went in
+your boat to meet 'em. The young lady was mighty nigh worn out, and glad
+enough of the tea and things, and to get into bed. But the gentleman he
+wanted a soft-boiled egg, and when I told him I hadn't come across no
+hen-house yet on this island, he looked at me as if he didn't half
+believe me, and thought I was keepin' the eggs to sell."
+
+"Which it would be ridiculous to do," said Mrs. Aleshine, "in the middle
+of an ocean like this."
+
+"If he lets you off with soft-b'iled eggs, ma'am," said the coxswain,
+very respectfully, "I think you may bless your stars."
+
+"Aye, aye, sir," said the two sailors with black beards.
+
+Miss Ruth Enderton and her father did not make their appearance until
+the next morning at breakfast-time. I found the young lady a very
+pleasant person. She was rather slight in figure, inclined to be pretty,
+and was what might be called a warm-colored blonde. Her disposition was
+quite sociable, and she almost immediately stepped into the favor of
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+Mr. Enderton, however, was a person of another sort. He was a prim and
+somewhat formal man, and appeared to be entirely self-engrossed, with
+very vague notions in regard to his surroundings. He was not by any
+means an ill-tempered man, being rather inclined to be placid than
+otherwise; but he gave so little attention to circumstances and events
+that he did not appear to understand why he should be incommoded by the
+happenings of life. I have no doubt that he made existence on board the
+disabled brig a hundred times more unsatisfactory than it would
+otherwise have been. With his present condition he seemed very well
+satisfied, and it was quite plain that he looked upon Mrs. Lecks, Mrs.
+Aleshine, and myself as the proprietors of the establishment, having
+forgotten, or paid no attention to, my statement in regard to our coming
+here.
+
+As soon as she thought it fit and proper--and this moment arrived in the
+course of the first forenoon--Mrs. Lecks spoke to Mr. Enderton on the
+subject of the board which should be paid to the Dusantes. She stated
+the arrangements we had made in the matter, and then told him that as he
+and his daughter had the best accommodations in the house, each
+occupying a large, handsome room, she thought that he should pay fifteen
+dollars a week for the two.
+
+"Now, if your daughter," she continued, "can do anything about the house
+which will be of real help, though for the life of me I don't see what
+she can find to do, with me and Mrs. Aleshine here, somethin' might be
+took off on account of her services; but of course you, sir, can't do
+nothin', unless you was to preach on Sundays, and not knowin' what
+denomination the Dusantes belong to, it wouldn't be fair to take their
+money to pay for the preachin' of doctrines which, perhaps, they don't
+believe in."
+
+[Illustration: "MR. ENDERTON WAS A PERSON OF ANOTHER SORT."]
+
+This financial proposal aroused Mr. Enderton's opposition. "When I came
+here, madam," he said, "I did not expect to pay any board whatever, and
+I think, moreover, that your rates are exorbitant. In Nanfouchong, if I
+remember rightly, the best of board did not cost more than two or three
+dollars a week."
+
+"I don't want to say anything, sir," said Mrs. Lecks, "which might look
+disrespectful, but as long as I've got a conscience inside of me I'm
+not goin' to stay here and see the Dusantes lose money by Chinese
+cheapness."
+
+"I don't know anything about the Dusantes," said Mr. Enderton, "but I am
+not going to pay fifteen dollars a week for board for myself and
+daughter."
+
+The discussion lasted for some time, with considerable warmth on each
+side, and was at last ended by Mr. Enderton agreeing to pay board at the
+same rate as the two women and myself, and each week to deposit in the
+ginger-jar eight dollars for himself and daughter.
+
+"You may not care to remember, sir," said Mrs. Lecks, with cold
+severity, "that Mr. Craig and me and Mrs. Aleshine puts in services
+besides, although, to be sure, they don't go into the jar."
+
+"I only remember," said Mr. Enderton, "that I am paying an unjustifiable
+price as it is."
+
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, however, were not at all of this opinion,
+and they agreed that, if it should be in their power, they would see to
+it that the Dusantes lost nothing by this close-fisted missionary.
+
+After dinner--and I may remark that the newcomers were not consulted in
+regard to the hours for meals--Mrs. Lecks had an interview with the
+coxswain on the subject of board for himself and his two companions.
+This affair, however, was very quickly settled, for the three mariners
+had among them only one dollar and forty-three cents, and this, the
+coxswain explained, they would like to keep for tobacco. It was
+therefore settled that, as the three sailors could pay no money, as much
+work as possible should be got out of them, and to this plan they
+agreed heartily and cheerfully.
+
+"There's only one thing we'll ask, ma'am," said the coxswain to Mrs.
+Lecks, "and that is that we be put in a different mess from the parson.
+We've now eat two meals with the passengers, and me and my mates is
+agreed that that's about as much as we can go."
+
+After this, therefore, the three men had their meals in the kitchen,
+where they were generally joined by Mrs. Aleshine, who much delighted in
+their company. But she made it a point sometimes to sit down with us in
+the dining-room, merely to show that she had as much right there as
+anybody.
+
+"As to the work for them sailormen," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I don't see
+what they're goin' to do. Of course they don't know nothin' about
+gardenin', and it seems to me that the best thing to be done is to put
+'em to fishin'."
+
+Mrs. Lecks considered this a good suggestion, and accordingly the
+coxswain and his companions were told that thereafter they would be
+expected to fish for eight hours a day, Sundays excepted. This plan,
+however, did not work very well. During the first two days the sailors
+caught so many fish that, although the fishermen themselves had
+excellent appetites for such food, it was found utterly impossible to
+consume what they brought in. Consequently, it was ordered that
+thereafter they should catch only as many fish as should be needed, and
+then make themselves useful by assisting Mrs. Aleshine and Mrs. Lecks in
+any manner they might direct.
+
+I found it quite easy to become acquainted with Miss Ruth Enderton, as
+she was very much inclined to conversation. "It's ever so long," she
+said, "since I've had anybody to talk to."
+
+She had left the United States when she was quite a little girl, and had
+since seen nothing of her native land. She was, consequently, full of
+questions about America, although quite willing to talk of her life in
+China. Society, at least such kind as she had ever cared for, had been
+extremely scarce in the little missionary station at which she had lived
+so long, and now, coming from a wearisome sojourn on a disabled
+sailing-vessel, with no company but the crew and a preoccupied father,
+she naturally was delighted to get among people she could talk to. With
+Mrs. Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine, and myself she soon became very friendly, and
+showed herself to be a most lively and interesting young person.
+
+I did all that I could to make Miss Ruth's time pass agreeably. I rowed
+with her on the lagoon, taught her to fish, and showed her all the
+pleasant points on the island which could be easily reached by walking.
+Mr. Enderton gave us very little of his company, for, having discovered
+that there was a library in the house, he passed most of his time in
+that room.
+
+"You have made a very fair selection of books, sir," he remarked to me,
+"but it may readily be conceived, from the character of the works, that
+your tastes are neither ecclesiastic nor scientific."
+
+Several times I explained to him the ownership of the library and the
+house, but he immediately forgot what I had said, or paid no attention
+to it. When he paid his board at the end of the week, he handed the
+money to Mrs. Lecks; and although before his eyes she put it into the
+ginger-jar, beneath the paper of fish-hooks, I know very well that he
+considered he was paying it to her for her own use and behoof. He was
+comfortably lodged, he had all that he needed--and very nearly all that
+he wanted--to eat, and I do not know that I ever saw a man more
+contented with his lot.
+
+[Illustration: "I DID ALL THAT I COULD TO MAKE MISS RUTH'S TIME PASS
+AGREEABLY."]
+
+As for the coxswain and the two sailors, they had a very pleasant time
+of it, but Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine would not think of such a thing
+as allowing them to eat in idleness the bread of the Dusantes. After
+they had been with us a few days, Mrs. Lecks told me that she thought
+she could show the coxswain and his mates how to dig and gather the
+garden-stuff which was daily needed.
+
+"To be sure," said she, "that work goes ag'in' part of your board, but
+fishin' and bringin' in fire-wood don't take up quarter of the time of
+them sailors, and so that the garden work is done, I don't suppose it
+matters to the Dusantes who does it. And that'll give you more time to
+make things pleasant for Miss Ruth, for, as far as I can see, there
+isn't a thing for her to do, even if she knows how to do it."
+
+The three mariners were more than willing to do anything desired by Mrs.
+Lecks or Mrs. Aleshine, to whom they looked up with great admiration and
+respect. The latter was their favorite, not only because she was with
+them a great deal during their meals and at other times, but because of
+her genial nature and easy sociability. The men were always trying to
+lighten her labors, and to do something that would please her.
+
+One of them climbed to the top of what she called a "palm-leaf-fan
+tree," and brought therefrom some broad leaves, which he cut and trimmed
+and sewed, in true nautical fashion, until he made some fans which were
+heavy and clumsy, but, as he said, they would stand half a gale of wind
+if she chose to raise it. The coxswain caught or trapped two sea-birds,
+and, having clipped their wings, he spent days in endeavoring to tame
+them, hoping to induce them, as far as the power in them lay, to take
+the place of the barn-yard fowls whose absence Mrs. Aleshine continually
+deplored. Every evening the two black-bearded sailors would dance
+hornpipes for her, much to her diversion and delight.
+
+"I've often heard," she remarked, "that in these hot cocoanut countries
+the tricks of the monkeys was enough to keep everybody on a steady
+laugh, but I'm sure sailormen is a great deal better. When you get tired
+of their pranks and their tomfooleries you can tell 'em to stop, which
+with monkeys you can't."
+
+It was about ten days after the arrival of the missionary's party that,
+as I was going to get ready the boat in which Miss Ruth and myself
+generally rowed in the cool of the evening, I saw Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine sitting on the beach in the shade of some low-growing trees.
+They were evidently waiting for me, and as soon as I appeared Mrs. Lecks
+beckoned to me; whereupon I joined them.
+
+"Sit down," said Mrs. Lecks; "there's somethin' I want to talk to you
+about. Mrs. Aleshine and me have made up our minds that you ought to be
+hurried up a little about poppin' the question to Miss Ruth."
+
+This remark astounded me. "Popping the question!" I exclaimed.
+
+"Yes," continued Mrs. Lecks, "and me and Mrs. Aleshine know very well
+that you haven't done it yet, for both of us havin' been through that
+sort of thing ourselves, we know the signs of it after it has
+happened."
+
+"And we wouldn't say nothin' to hurry you," added Mrs. Aleshine, "if it
+wasn't that the groceries, especially the flour, is a-gettin' low. We've
+been talkin' to them sailormen, and they're pretty well agreed that
+there's no use now in expectin' their captain to send for 'em; for if he
+was a-goin' to do it at all, he'd 'a' done it before this. And perhaps
+he never got nowhere himself, in which case he couldn't. And they say
+the best thing we can all do when the victuals has nearly give out,
+provided the Dusantes don't come back in time, is to take what's left,
+and all get into their big boat, and row away to that island, which I
+don't know just how far it is, that the captain of our ship was goin'
+to. There we can stay pretty comfortable till a ship comes along and
+takes us off."
+
+"But what has all that to do," I asked, "with Miss Ruth and me?"
+
+"Do?" cried Mrs. Lecks. "It has everythin' to do. When it's all settled
+and fixed between you and Miss Ruth, there'll be nothin' to hinder us
+from gettin' ready to start when we please."
+
+"But, my dear friends," I said with much earnestness, "I have not the
+slightest idea of proposing to Miss Enderton."
+
+"That's just what I said to Mrs. Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "and that's
+the reason we let our irons cool, and come out here to talk to you. It's
+just like a young man to keep puttin' off that sort of thing, but this
+can't be put off."
+
+"That's so!" cried Mrs. Aleshine; "and I'll just let you see how the
+matter stands. There is housekeepers who allows a pint of flour a day to
+each person, but this is for farm-hands and people who works hard and
+eats hearty, and I've found that three quarters of a pint will do very
+well, if the dough is kneaded conscientious and made up light, so that
+it'll rise well when it's put into the oven. Now I've measured all the
+flour that's left, and me and Mrs. Lecks we've calculated that, allowin'
+three quarters of a pint of flour a day to each one of us, there's just
+eight days more that we can stay here--that is, if the Dusantes don't
+come back before that time, which, of course, can't be counted on. So
+you can see for yourself, Mr. Craig, there's no time to be lost, even
+considerin' that she hasn't to make up anything to be married in."
+
+[Illustration: "THEY WERE EVIDENTLY WAITING FOR ME."]
+
+"No," said Mrs. Lecks; "just for us and three sailors, that wouldn't be
+needed."
+
+I looked from one to the other in dumb astonishment. Mrs. Lecks gave me
+no time to say anything.
+
+"In common cases," said she, "this might all be put off till we got
+somewhere; but it won't do now. Here you are, with everythin' in your
+own hands, but just get away from here, and there's an end of that.
+She's as pretty a girl as you'll see in a month of Sundays, and if she
+leaves here without your gettin' her, there's no knowing who'll snap her
+up. When we've got to that island, you may see her once a week, but
+maybe you won't. She may go away in one ship, and you in another, and
+there may be somebody right there--a missionary, for all I know--who'll
+have her before you have a chance to put in a word."
+
+"And that's not the worst of it," said Mrs. Aleshine. "Supposin' them
+Dusantes come back before we go. There's no knowin' what that Mr.
+Dusante is. He may be a brother of Emily and Lucille. And what sort of a
+chance would you have then, I'd like to know, with Miss Ruth right here
+in his own house, and he ownin' the rowboat, and everythin'? Or it may
+be he's a widower, and that'll be a mighty sight worse, I can tell you."
+
+"No matter whether they're widowers or never been married," said Mrs.
+Lecks, "there'll be plenty that'll want her as soon as they see her; and
+if it isn't for the girl's own pretty face, it'll be for her father's
+money."
+
+"Her father's money!" I exclaimed. "What are you talking of?"
+
+"There's no good tellin' me anything about that," said Mrs. Lecks, very
+decidedly. "There never was a man as close-fisted as Mr. Enderton who
+hadn't money."
+
+"And you know as well as we do," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that in them
+countries where he's been the heathens worship idols of silver and idols
+of gold, and when them heathens is converted, don't you suppose the
+missionaries get any of that? I expect that Mr. Enderton has converted
+thousands of heathens."
+
+At this suggestion I laughed outright. But Mrs. Lecks reproved me.
+
+"Now, Mr. Craig," said she, "this is no laughin' matter. What me and
+Mrs. Aleshine is sayin' is for your good, and for the good of Miss Ruth
+along with you. I haven't much opinion of her father, but his money is
+as good as anybody else's, and though they had to leave their trunks on
+board their ship, what little they brought with them shows that they've
+been used to havin' the best there is. Mrs. Aleshine and me has set up
+till late into the night talkin' over this thing, and we are both of one
+mind that you two need never expect to have the same chance again that
+you've got now. The very fact that the old gentleman is a preacher, and
+can marry you on the spot, ought to make you tremble when you think of
+the risks you are runnin' by puttin' it off."
+
+"I've got to go into the house now to see about supper," said Mrs.
+Aleshine, rising, "and I hope you'll remember, Mr. Craig, when your
+bread is on your plate, and Miss Ruth is sittin' opposite to you, that
+three quarters of a pint of flour a day is about as little as anybody
+can live on, and that time is flyin'."
+
+Mrs. Lecks now also rose. But I detained the two for a moment.
+
+"I hope you have not said anything to Miss Enderton on this subject," I
+said.
+
+"No," replied Mrs. Aleshine, "we haven't. We are both agreed that as
+you're the one that's to do what's to be done, you are the one that's to
+be spoke to. And havin' been through it ourselves, we understand well
+enough that the more a woman don't know nothin' about it, the more
+likely she is to be ketched if she wants to be."
+
+The two women left me in an amused but also somewhat annoyed state of
+mind. I had no intention whatever of proposing to Miss Ruth Enderton.
+She was a charming girl, very bright and lively, and withal, I had
+reason to believe, very sensible. But it was not yet a fortnight since I
+first saw her, and no thought of marrying her had entered into my head.
+Had Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, or, more important than all, had Miss
+Enderton, any reason to believe that I was acting the part of a lover?
+
+The latter portion of this question was almost immediately answered to
+my satisfaction by the appearance of Miss Ruth, who came skipping down
+to me and calling out to me in that free and hearty manner with which a
+woman addresses a friend or near acquaintance, but never a suspected
+lover. She betrayed no more notion of the Lecks and Aleshine scheme than
+on the day I first met her.
+
+But, as I was rowing her over the lagoon, I felt a certain constraint
+which I had not known before. There was no ground whatever for the wild
+imaginings of the two women, but the fact that they had imagined
+interfered very much with the careless freedom with which I had
+previously talked to Miss Ruth. I do not think, however, that she
+noticed any change in me, for she chatted and laughed, and showed, as
+she had done from the first, the rare delight which she took in this
+novel island life.
+
+When we returned to the house, we were met by Mrs. Aleshine. "I am goin'
+to give you two your supper," she said, "on that table there under the
+tree. We all had ours a little earlier than common, as the sailormen
+seemed hungry; and I took your father's to him in the libr'ry, where I
+expect he's a-sittin' yet, holdin' a book in one hand and stirrin' his
+tea with the other, till he's stirred out nearly every drop on the
+floor; which, however, won't matter at all, for in the mornin' I'll rub
+up that floor till it's as bright as new."
+
+This plan delighted Miss Ruth, but I saw in it the beginning of the
+workings of a deep-laid scheme. I was just about to sit down when Mrs.
+Aleshine said to me in a low voice, as she left us:
+
+"Remember that the first three quarters of a pint apiece begins now!"
+
+"Don't you think that Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine are perfectly
+charming?" said Miss Ruth, as she poured out the tea. "They always seem
+to be trying to think of some kind thing to do for other people."
+
+I agreed entirely with Miss Enderton's remark, but I could not help
+thinking of the surprise she would feel if she knew of the kind thing
+that these two women were trying to do for her.
+
+"Have you taken any steps yet?" asked Mrs. Lecks of me, the next day. On
+my replying that I had taken no steps of the kind to which I supposed
+she alluded, she walked away with a very grave and serious face.
+
+A few hours later Mrs. Aleshine came to me. "There's another reason for
+hurryin' up," said she. "Them sailormen seems able to do without 'most
+anything in this world except tobacco, and Mrs. Lecks has been sellin'
+it to 'em out of a big box she found in a closet up-stairs, at five
+cents a teacupful,--which I think is awful cheap, but she says prices in
+islands is always low,--and wrapping the money up in a paper, with 'Cash
+paid by sailormen for tobacco' written on it, and puttin' it into the
+ginger-jar with the board money. But their dollar and forty-three cents
+is nearly gone, and Mrs. Lecks she says that not a whiff of Mr.
+Dusante's tobacco shall they have if they can't pay for it. And when
+they have nothin' to smoke they'll be wantin' to leave this island just
+as quick as they can, without waitin' for the flour to give out."
+
+Here was another pressure brought to bear upon me. Not only the waning
+flour, but the rapidly disappearing tobacco money was used as a weapon
+to urge me forward to the love-making which Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+had set their hearts upon.
+
+I was in no hurry to leave the island, and hoped very much that when we
+did go we should depart in some craft more comfortable than a ship's
+boat. In order, therefore, to prevent any undue desire to leave on the
+part of the sailors, I gave them money enough to buy a good many teacups
+full of tobacco. By this act I think I wounded the feelings of Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, although I had no idea that such would be the
+effect of my little gift. They said nothing to me on the subject, but
+their looks and manners indicated that they thought I had not been
+acting honorably. For two days they had very little to say to me, and
+then Mrs. Aleshine came to me to make what, I suppose, was their supreme
+effort.
+
+"Mrs. Lecks and me is a-goin' to try," she said,--and as she spoke she
+looked at me with a very sad expression and a watery appearance about
+the eyes,--"to stretch out the time for you a little longer. We are
+goin' to make them sailormen eat more fish; and as for me and her, we'll
+go pretty much without bread, and make it up, as well as we can, on
+other things. You and Miss Ruth and the parson can each have your three
+quarters of a pint of flour a day, just the same as ever, and what we
+save ought to give you three or four days longer."
+
+This speech moved me deeply. I could not allow these two kind-hearted
+women to half starve themselves in order that I might have more time to
+woo, and I spoke very earnestly on the subject to Mrs. Aleshine, urging
+her to give up the fanciful plans which she and Mrs. Lecks had
+concocted.
+
+"Let us drop this idea of love-making," I said, "which is the wildest
+kind of vagary, and all live happily together, as we did before. If the
+provisions give out before the Dusantes come back, I suppose we shall
+have to leave in the boat; but, until that time comes, let us enjoy life
+here as much as we can, and be the good friends that we used to be."
+
+I might as well have talked to one of the palm-trees which waved over
+us.
+
+"As I said before," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "what is saved from Mrs.
+Lecks's and mine and the three sailormen's three quarters of a pint
+apiece ought to give you four days more." And she went into the house.
+
+All this time the Reverend Mr. Enderton had sat and read in the library,
+or meditatively had walked the beach with a book in his hand; while the
+three mariners had caught fish, performed their other work, and lain in
+the shade, smoking their pipes in peace. Miss Ruth and I had taken our
+daily rows and walks, and had enjoyed our usual hours of pleasant
+converse, and all the members of the little colony seemed happy and
+contented except Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine. These two went gravely
+and sadly about their work, and the latter asked no more for the
+hornpipes and the sea-songs of her sailormen.
+
+But, for some unaccountable reason, Mr. Enderton's condition of tranquil
+abstraction did not continue. He began to be fretful and discontented.
+He found fault with his food and his accommodations, and instead of
+spending the greater part of the day in the library, as had been his
+wont, he took to wandering about the island, generally with two or three
+books under his arm, sometimes sitting down in one place, and sometimes
+in another, and then rising suddenly to go grumbling into the house.
+
+One afternoon, as Miss Ruth and I were in the skiff in the lagoon, we
+saw Mr. Enderton approaching us, walking on the beach. As soon as he was
+near enough for us to hear him, he shouted to his daughter:
+
+"Ruth, come out of that boat! If you want to take the air, I should
+think you might as well walk with me as to go rowing round with--with
+anybody."
+
+This rude and heartless speech made my blood boil, while my companion
+turned pale with mortification. The man had never made the slightest
+objection to our friendly intercourse, and this unexpected attack was
+entirely indefensible.
+
+"Please put me ashore," said Miss Ruth, and without a word, for I could
+not trust myself to speak, I landed her; and, petulantly complaining
+that she never gave him one moment of her society, her father led her
+away.
+
+[Illustration: "SMOKING THEIR PIPES IN PEACE."]
+
+An hour later, my soul still in a state of turmoil, but with the
+violence of its tossings somewhat abated, I entered one of the paths
+which led through the woods. After a few turns, I reached a point where
+I could see for quite a long distance to the other end of the path,
+which opened out upon the beach. There I perceived Mr. Enderton sitting
+upon the little bench on which I had found Emily's book. His back was
+toward me, and he seemed to be busily reading. About midway between him
+and myself I saw Miss Ruth slowly walking toward me. Her eyes were fixed
+upon the ground, and she had not seen me.
+
+Stepping to one side, I awaited her approach. When she came near I
+accosted her.
+
+"Miss Ruth," said I, "has your father been talking to you of me?"
+
+She looked up quickly, evidently surprised at my being there. "Yes," she
+said, "he has told me that it is not--suitable that I should be with you
+as much as I have been since we came here."
+
+There was something in this remark that roused again the turmoil which
+had begun to subside within me. There was so much that was unjust and
+tyrannical, and--what perhaps touched me still deeper--there was such a
+want of consideration and respect in this behavior of Mr. Enderton's,
+that it brought to the front some very incongruous emotions. I had been
+superciliously pushed aside, and I found I was angry. Something was
+about to be torn from me, and I found I loved it.
+
+"Ruth," said I, stepping up close to her, "do you like to be with me as
+you have been?"
+
+If Miss Ruth had not spent such a large portion of her life in the
+out-of-the-world village of Nanfouchong, if she had not lived among
+those simple-hearted missionaries, where it was never necessary to
+conceal her emotions or her sentiments, if it had not been that she
+never had had emotions or sentiments that it was necessary to conceal, I
+do not believe that when she answered me she would have raised her eyes
+to me with a look in them of a deep-blue sky seen through a sort of
+Indian-summer mist, and that, gazing thus, she would have said:
+
+"Of course I like it."
+
+"Then let us make it suitable," I said, taking both her hands in mine.
+
+There was another look, in which the skies shone clear and bright, and
+then, in a moment, it was all done.
+
+About five minutes after this I said to her, "Ruth, shall we go to your
+father?"
+
+"Certainly," she answered. And together we walked along the thickly
+shaded path.
+
+The missionary still sat with his back toward us, and, being so intent
+upon his book, I found that by keeping my eyes upon him it was perfectly
+safe to walk with my arm around Ruth until we had nearly reached him.
+Then I took her hand in mine, and we stepped in front of him.
+
+"Father," said Ruth, "Mr. Craig and I are going to be married."
+
+There was something very plump about this remark, and Mr. Enderton
+immediately raised his eyes from his book and fixed them first upon his
+daughter and then upon me; then he let them drop, and through the narrow
+space between us he gazed out over the sea.
+
+"Well, father," said Ruth, a little impatiently, "what do you think of
+it?"
+
+Mr. Enderton leaned forward and picked up a leaf from the ground. This
+he placed between the open pages of his book, and closed it.
+
+"It seems to me," he said, "that on many accounts the arrangement you
+propose may be an excellent one. Yes," he added more decidedly; "I think
+it will do very well indeed. I shall not be at all surprised if we are
+obliged to remain on this island for a considerable time, and, for my
+part, I have no desire to leave it at present. And when you shall place
+yourself, Ruth, in a position in which you will direct the domestic
+economies of the establishment, I hope that you will see to it that
+things generally are made more compatible with comfort and gentility,
+and, as regards the table, I may add with palatability."
+
+[Illustration: "IT WAS PERFECTLY SAFE."]
+
+Ruth and I looked at each other, and then together we promised that as
+far as in us lay we would try to make the life of Mr. Enderton a happy
+one, not only while we were on the island, but ever afterward.
+
+We were promising a great deal, but at that moment we felt very
+grateful.
+
+Then he stood up, shook us both by the hands, and we left him to his
+book.
+
+When Ruth and I came walking out of the woods and approached the house,
+Mrs. Aleshine was standing outside, not far from the kitchen. When she
+saw us she gazed steadily at us for a few moments, a strange expression
+coming over her face. Then she threw up both her hands, and without a
+word she turned and rushed indoors.
+
+We had not reached the house before Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine came
+hurrying out together. Running up to us with a haste and an excitement I
+had never seen in either of them, first one and then the other took Ruth
+into her arms and kissed her with much earnestness. Then they turned
+upon me and shook my hands with hearty vigor, expressing, more by their
+looks and actions than their words, a triumphant approbation of what I
+had done.
+
+"The minute I laid eyes on you," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I knowed it was
+all right. There wasn't no need of askin' questions."
+
+I now became fearful lest, in the exuberance of their satisfaction,
+these good women might reveal to Ruth the plans they had laid for our
+matrimonial future, and the reluctance I had shown in entering into
+them. My countenance must have expressed my apprehensions, for Mrs.
+Aleshine, her ruddy face glowing with warmth, both mental and physical,
+gave me a little wink, and drew me to one side.
+
+"You needn't suppose that we've ever said anything to Miss Ruth, or that
+we're goin' to. It's a great deal better to let her think you did it all
+yourself."
+
+I felt like resenting this imputation upon the independence of my
+love-making, but at this happy moment I did not want to enter into a
+discussion, and therefore merely smiled.
+
+"I'm so glad, I don't know how to tell it," continued Mrs. Aleshine, as
+Mrs. Lecks and Ruth walked toward the house.
+
+I was about to follow, but my companion detained me.
+
+"Have you spoke to the parson?" she asked.
+
+"Oh, yes," said I, "and he seems perfectly satisfied. I am rather
+surprised at this, because of late he has been in such a remarkably bad
+humor."
+
+"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "there's no gettin' round the fact that
+he's been a good deal crosser than two sticks. You see, Mr. Craig, that
+Mrs. Lecks and me we made up our minds that it wasn't fair to the
+Dusantes to let that rich missionary go on payin' nothin' but four
+dollars a week apiece for him and his daughter, and if we couldn't get
+no more out of him one way, we'd do it another. It was fair enough that
+if he didn't pay more he ought to get less; and so we gave him more fish
+and not so much bread, the same as we did the sailormen; and we weakened
+his tea, and sent him just so much sugar, and no more; and as for
+openin' boxes of sardines for him, which there was no reason why they
+shouldn't be left here for the Dusantes, I just wouldn't do it, though
+he said he'd got all the fresh fish he wanted when he was in China. And
+then we agreed that it was high time that that libr'ry should be cleaned
+up, and we went to work at it, not mindin' what he said; for it's no use
+tellin' me that four dollars a week will pay for a front room and good
+board, and the use of a libr'ry all day. And as there wasn't no need of
+both of us cleanin' one room, Mrs. Lecks she went into the parlor,
+where he'd took his books, and begun there. And then, again, we shut
+down on Mr. Dusante's dressing-gown. There was no sense includin' the
+use of that in his four dollars a week, so we brushed it up, and
+camphored it, and put it away. We just wanted to let him know that if he
+undertook to be skinflinty, he'd better try it on somebody else besides
+us. We could see that he was a good deal upset, for if ever a man liked
+to have things quiet and comfortable around him, and everything his own
+way, that man is that missionary. But we didn't care if we did prod him
+up a little. Mrs. Lecks and me we both agreed that it would do him good.
+Why, he'd got into such a way of shettin' himself up in himself that he
+didn't even see that his daughter was goin' about with a young man, and
+fixin' her affections on him more and more every day, when he never had
+no idea, as could be proved by witnesses, of marryin' her."
+
+[Illustration: "'I KNOWED IT WAS ALL RIGHT.'"]
+
+"Mrs. Aleshine," said I, looking at her very steadfastly, "I believe,
+after all, that you and Mrs. Lecks had your own way in regard to
+hurrying up this matter."
+
+"Yes," said she, with happy complacency; "I shouldn't wonder if we had.
+Stirrin' up the parson was our last chance, and it wasn't much trouble
+to do it."
+
+Mrs. Lecks, whose manner toward me for the last few days had been
+characterized by cold severity, now resumed her former friendly
+demeanor, although she was not willing to let the affair pass over
+without some words of reproach.
+
+"I must say, Mr. Craig," she remarked the next morning, "that I was
+gettin' pretty well outdone with you. I was beginnin' to think that a
+young man that couldn't see and wouldn't see what was good for him
+didn't deserve to have it; and if Miss Ruth's father had just come down
+with a heavy foot and put an end to the whole business, I'm not sure I'd
+been sorry for you. But it's all right at last, and bygones is bygones.
+And now, what we've got to do is to get ready for the weddin'."
+
+"The wedding!" I exclaimed.
+
+Mrs. Lecks regarded me with an expression in which there was something
+of virtuous indignation and something of pity. "Mr. Craig," said she,
+"if there ever was anybody that wanted a guardeen, it's you. Now, just
+let me tell you this. That Mr. Enderton ain't to be trusted no further
+than you can see him, and not so fur, neither, if it can be helped. He's
+willin' for you to have Miss Ruth now, because he's pretty much made up
+his mind that we're goin' to stay here, and as he considers you the
+master of this island, of course he thinks it'll be for his good for his
+daughter to be mistress of it. For one thing, he wouldn't expect to pay
+no board then. But just let him get away from this island, and just let
+him set his eyes on some smooth-faced young fellow that'll agree to take
+him into the concern and keep him for nothin' on books and tea, he'll
+just throw you over without winkin'. And Miss Ruth is not the girl to
+marry you against his will, if he opens the Bible and piles texts on
+her, which he is capable of doin'. If in any way you two should get
+separated when you leave here, there's no knowin' when you'd ever see
+each other again, for where he'll take her nobody can tell. He's more
+willin' to set down and stay where he finds himself comfortable than
+anybody I've met yet."
+
+"Of course," I said, "I'm ready to be married at any moment; but I don't
+believe Miss Ruth and her father would consent to anything so speedy."
+
+"Don't you get into the way," said Mrs. Lecks, "of beforehand believin'
+this or that. It don't pay. Just you go to her father and talk to him
+about it, and if you and him agree, it'll be easy enough to make her
+see the sense of it. You attend to them, and I'll see that everythin' is
+got ready. And you'd better fix the day for to-morrow, for we can't stay
+here much longer, and there's a lot of house-cleanin' and bakin' and
+cookin' to be done before we go."
+
+I took this advice, and broached the subject to Mr. Enderton.
+
+"Well, sir," said he, laying down his book, "your proposition is
+decidedly odd; I may say, very odd, indeed. But it is, perhaps, after
+all, no odder than many things I have seen. Among the various
+denominational sects I have noticed occurrences quite as odd; quite as
+odd, sir. For my part, I have no desire to object to an early
+celebration of the matrimonial rites. I may say, indeed, that I am of
+the opinion that a certain amount of celerity in this matter will
+conduce to the comfort of all concerned. It has been a very
+unsatisfactory thing to me to see my daughter occupying a subordinate
+position in our little family, where she has not even the power to turn
+household affairs into the channels of my comfort. To-morrow, I think,
+will do very well indeed. Even if it should rain, I see no reason why
+the ceremony should be postponed."
+
+The proposition of a wedding on the morrow was not received by Ruth with
+favor. She was unprepared for such precipitancy. But she finally yielded
+to arguments; not so much to mine, I fear, as to those offered by Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+For the rest of that day the three mariners were kept very busy,
+bringing in green things to deck the parlor, and doing every imaginable
+kind of work necessary to a wedding which Mrs. Aleshine was willing to
+give into their hands. As for herself and her good friend, they put
+themselves upon their mettle as providers of festivals. They made cakes,
+pies, and I never knew half so well as the three sailors how many other
+kinds of good things. Besides all this, they assisted Ruth to array
+herself in some degree in a manner becoming a bride. Some light and
+pretty adornments of dress were borrowed from Emily or Lucille, they
+knew not which, and, after having been "done up" and fluted and crimped
+by Mrs. Lecks, were incorporated by Ruth into her costume with so much
+taste that on the wedding morning she appeared to me to be dressed more
+charmingly than any bride I had ever seen.
+
+The three sailors had done their own washing and ironing, and appeared
+in cleanly garb, and with hair and beards well wet and brushed. Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine put on their best bibs and tuckers, and Mr.
+Enderton assumed his most clerical air as he stood behind a table in the
+parlor and married Ruth and me.
+
+"This," said Mr. Enderton, as we were seated at the wedding-feast, "is a
+most creditable display of attractive viands, but I may say, my dear
+Ruth, that I think I perceived the influence of the happy event of
+to-day even before it took place. I have lately had a better appetite
+for my food, and have experienced a greater enjoyment of my
+surroundings."
+
+"I should think so," murmured Mrs. Aleshine in my ear, "for we'd no
+sooner knowed that you two were to make a match of it than we put an
+extry spoonful of tea into his pot, and stopped scrubbin' the libr'ry."
+
+For the next two days all was bustle and work on the island. Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine would not consent to depart without leaving everything
+in the best possible order, so that the Dusantes might not be
+dissatisfied with the condition of their house when they returned. It
+was, in fact, the evident desire of the two women to gratify their pride
+in their house-wifely abilities by leaving everything better than they
+found it.
+
+Mr. Enderton was much surprised at these preparations for immediate
+departure. He was very well satisfied with his life on the island, and
+had prepared his mind for an indefinite continuance of it, with the
+position of that annoying and obdurate Mrs. Lecks filled by a compliant
+and affectionate daughter. He had no reasonable cause for complaint, for
+the whole subject of the exhaustion of our supply of provisions, and the
+necessity of an open-boat trip to an inhabited island, had been fully
+discussed before him; but he was so entirely engrossed in the
+consideration of his own well-being that this discussion of our plans
+had made no impression upon him. He now became convinced that a
+conspiracy had been entered into against him, and fell into an
+unpleasant humor. This, however, produced very little effect upon any of
+us, for we were all too busy to notice his whims. But his sudden change
+of disposition made me understand how correct were the opinions of Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine concerning him. If I had left that island
+with my marriage with Ruth depending upon Mr. Enderton's cooperation, my
+prospects of future happiness would have been at the mercy of his
+caprices.
+
+[Illustration: "THEY ASSISTED RUTH TO ARRAY HERSELF."]
+
+Very early on a beautiful morning Ruth and I started out on our wedding
+journey in the long-boat. Mr. Enderton was made as comfortable as
+possible in the stern, with Ruth near him. Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+sat facing each other, each with a brown-paper package by her side,
+containing the life-preserver on which she had arrived. These were to be
+ever cherished as memorials of a wonderful experience. The three sailors
+and I took turns at the oars. The sea was smooth, and there was every
+reason to believe that we should arrive at our destination before the
+end of the day. Mrs. Aleshine had supplied us with an abundance of
+provisions, and, with the exception of Mr. Enderton, who had not been
+permitted to take away any of the Dusante books, we were a contented
+party.
+
+"As long as the flour held out," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "I'd never been
+willin' to leave that island till the Dusantes came back, and we could
+have took Emily or Lucille, whichever it was that kept house, and showed
+her everythin', and told her just what we had done. But when they do
+come back," she added, "and read that letter which Mr. Craig wrote and
+left for them, and find out all that happened in their country-place
+while they was away; and how two of us was made happy for life; and how
+two more of us, meanin' Mrs. Lecks and me, have give up goin' to Japan,
+intendin', instid of that, writin' to my son to come home to America and
+settle down in the country he ought to live in,--why, then, if them
+Dusantes ain't satisfied, it's no use for anybody to ever try to satisfy
+'em."
+
+"I should think not," said Mrs. Lecks, "with the weddin'-cards on the
+parlor table, not a speck of dust in any corner, and the board money in
+the ginger-jar."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+PART IV
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+When the little party, consisting of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, Mr.
+Enderton, my newly made wife, and myself, with the red-bearded coxswain
+and the two sailormen, bade farewell to that island in the Pacific where
+so many happy hours had been passed, where such pleasant friendships had
+been formed, and where I had met my Ruth and made her my wife, we rowed
+away with a bright sky over our heads, a pleasant wind behind us, and a
+smooth sea beneath us. The long-boat was comfortable and well appointed,
+and there was even room enough in it for Mr. Enderton to stretch himself
+out and take a noonday nap. We gave him every advantage of this kind,
+for we had found by experience that our party was happiest when my
+father-in-law was best contented.
+
+Early in the forenoon the coxswain rigged a small sail in the bow of the
+boat, and with this aid to our steady and systematic work at the oars
+we reached, just before nightfall, the large island whither we were
+bound, and to which, by means of the coxswain's pocket-compass, we had
+steered a direct course. Our arrival on this island, which was inhabited
+by some white traders and a moderate population of natives, occasioned
+great surprise; for when the boats containing the crew and passengers of
+our unfortunate steamer had reached the island, it was found that Mrs.
+Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine, and myself were missing. There were many
+suppositions as to our fate. Some persons thought we had been afraid to
+leave the steamer, and, having secreted ourselves on board, had gone
+down with her. Others conjectured that in the darkness we had fallen
+overboard, either from the steamer or from one of the boats; and there
+was even a surmise that we might have embarked in the leaky small
+boat--in which we really did leave the steamer--and so had been lost. At
+any rate, we had disappeared, and our loss was a good deal talked about
+and, in a manner, mourned. In less than a week after their arrival the
+people from the steamer had been taken on board a sailing-vessel and
+carried westward to their destination.
+
+We, however, were not so fortunate, for we remained on this island for
+more than a month. During this time but one ship touched there, and she
+was western bound and of no use to us, for we had determined to return
+to America. Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine had given up their journey to
+Japan, and were anxious to reach once more their country homes, while my
+dear Ruth and I were filled with a desire to found a home on some
+pleasant portion of the Atlantic seaboard. What Mr. Enderton intended to
+do we did not know. He was on his way to the United States when he left
+the leaking ship on which he and his daughter were passengers, and his
+intentions regarding his journey did not appear to have been altered by
+his mishaps.
+
+By the western-bound vessel, however, Mrs. Aleshine sent a letter to her
+son.
+
+Our life on this island was monotonous and to the majority of the party
+uninteresting; but as it was the scene of our honeymoon, Mrs. Craig and
+I will always look back to it with the most pleasurable recollections.
+We were comfortably lodged in a house belonging to one of the traders,
+and although Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine had no household duties to
+occupy their time, they managed to supply themselves with
+knitting-materials from the stores on the island, and filled up their
+hours of waiting with chatty industry. The pipes of our sailor friends
+were always well filled, while the sands of the island were warm and
+pleasant for their backs, and it was only Mr. Enderton who showed any
+signs of impatient repining at our enforced stay. He growled, he
+grumbled, and he inveighed against the criminal neglect of steamship
+companies and the owners of sailing-craft in not making it compulsory in
+every one of their vessels to stop on every voyage at this island,
+where, at any time, intelligent and important personages might be
+stranded.
+
+At last, however, we were taken off by a three-masted schooner bound for
+San Francisco, at which city we arrived in due time and in good health
+and condition.
+
+We did not remain long in this city, but soon started on our way across
+the continent, leaving behind us our three sailor companions, who
+intended to ship from this port as soon as an advantageous opportunity
+offered itself. These men heard no news of their vessel, although they
+felt quite sure that she had reached Honolulu, where she had probably
+been condemned and the crew scattered. As some baggage belonging to my
+wife and my father-in-law had been left on board this vessel, I had
+hopes that Mr. Enderton would remain in San Francisco and order it
+forwarded to him there; or that he would even take a trip to Honolulu to
+attend to the matter personally. But in this I was disappointed. He
+seemed to take very little interest in his missing trunks, and wished
+only to press on to the East. I wrote to Honolulu, desiring the
+necessary steps to be taken to forward the baggage in case it had
+arrived there; and soon afterward our party of five started eastward.
+
+It was now autumn, but, although we desired to reach the end of our
+journey before winter set in, we felt that we had time enough to visit
+some of the natural wonders of the California country before taking up
+our direct course to the East. Therefore, in spite of some petulant
+remonstrances on the part of Mr. Enderton, we made several trips to
+points of interest.
+
+From the last of these excursions we set out in a stage-coach, of which
+we were the only occupants, toward a point on the railroad where we
+expected to take a train. On the way we stopped to change horses at a
+small stage-station at the foot of a range of mountains; and when I
+descended from the coach I found the driver and some of the men at the
+station discussing the subject of our route. It appeared that there were
+two roads, one of which gradually ascended the mountain for several
+miles, and then descended to the level of the railroad, by the side of
+which it ran until it reached the station where we wished to take the
+train. The other road pursued its way along a valley or notch in the
+mountain for a considerable distance, and then, by a short but somewhat
+steep ascending grade, joined the upper road.
+
+It was growing quite cold, and the sky and the wind indicated that bad
+weather might be expected; and as the upper road was considered the
+better one at such a time, our driver concluded to take it. Six horses,
+instead of four, were now attached to our stage; and as two of these
+animals were young and unruly, and promised to be unusually difficult to
+drive in the ordinary way, our driver concluded to ride one of the
+wheel-horses, postilion fashion, and to put a boy on one of the leaders.
+Mr. Enderton was very much afraid of horses, and objected strongly to
+the young animals in our new team. But there were no others to take
+their places, and his protests were disregarded.
+
+My wife and I occupied a back seat, having been ordered to take this
+comfortable position by Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, who had
+constituted themselves a board of instruction and admonition to Mrs.
+Craig, and incidentally to myself. They fancied that my wife's health
+was not vigorous, and that she needed coddling, and if she had had two
+mothers she could not have been more tenderly cared for than by these
+good women. They sat upon the middle seat with their faces toward the
+horses, while Mr. Enderton had the front seat all to himself. He was,
+however, so nervous and fidgety, continually twisting himself about
+endeavoring to get a view of the horses or of the bad places on the
+road, that Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine found that a position facing him
+and in close juxtaposition was entirely too uncomfortable; and
+consequently, the back of their seat being adjustable, they turned
+themselves about and faced us.
+
+The ascent of the mountain was slow and tedious, and it was late in the
+afternoon when we reached the highest point in our route, from which the
+road descended for some eight miles to the level of the railroad. Now
+our pace became rapid, and Mr. Enderton grew wildly excited. He threw
+open the window, and shouted to the driver to go more slowly; but Mrs.
+Lecks seized him by the coat and jerked him back on his seat before he
+could get any answer to his appeals.
+
+"If you want your daughter to ketch her death o' cold you'll keep that
+window open!" As she said this, she leaned back and pulled the window
+down with her own strong right arm. "I guess the driver knows what he is
+about," she continued, "this not bein' the first time he's gone over the
+road."
+
+"Am I to understand, madam," said Mr. Enderton, "that I am not to speak
+to my driver when I wish him to know my will?"
+
+To this question Mrs. Lecks made no answer, but sat up very straight and
+stiff, with her back square upon the speaker. For some time she and Mr.
+Enderton had been "out," and she made no effort to conceal the fact.
+
+Mr. Enderton's condition now became pitiable, for our rapid speed and
+the bumping over rough places in the road seemed almost to deprive him
+of his wits, notwithstanding my assurance that stage-coaches were
+generally driven at a rapid rate down long inclines. In a short time,
+however, we reached a level spot in the road, and the team was drawn up
+and stopped. Mr. Enderton popped out in a moment, and I also got down to
+have a talk with the driver.
+
+[Illustration: "THE ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN WAS SLOW AND TEDIOUS."]
+
+"These hosses won't do much at holdin' back," he said, "and it worries
+'em less to let 'em go ahead with the wheels locked. You needn't be
+afraid. If nothin' breaks, we're all right."
+
+Mr. Enderton seemed endeavoring to satisfy himself that everything about
+the running-gear of the coach was in a safe condition. He examined the
+wheels, the axles, and the whiffletrees, much to the amusement of the
+driver, who remarked to me that the old chap probably knew as much now
+as he did before. I was rather surprised that my father-in-law subjected
+the driver to no further condemnation. On the contrary, he said nothing
+except that for the rest of this downhill drive he should take his place
+on the driver's unoccupied seat. Nobody offered any objection to this,
+and up he climbed.
+
+When we started again, Ruth seemed disturbed that her father should be
+in such an exposed position, but I assured her that he would be
+perfectly safe, and would be much better satisfied at being able to see
+for himself what was going on.
+
+We now began to go downhill again at a rate as rapid as before. Our
+speed, however, was not equal. Sometimes it would slacken a little where
+the road was heavy or more upon a level, and then we would go jolting
+and rattling over some long downward stretch. After a particularly
+unpleasant descent of this kind the coach seemed suddenly to change its
+direction, and with a twist and an uplifting of one side it bumped
+heavily against something, and stopped. I heard a great shout outside,
+and from a window which now commanded a view of the road I saw our team
+of six horses, with the drivers pulling and tugging at the two they
+rode, madly running away at the top of their speed.
+
+Ruth, who had been thrown by the shock into the arms of Mrs. Aleshine,
+was dreadfully frightened, and screamed for her father. I had been
+pitched forward upon Mrs. Lecks, but I quickly recovered myself, and as
+soon as I found that none of the occupants of the coach had been hurt, I
+opened the door and sprang out.
+
+In the middle of the road stood Mr. Enderton, entirely uninjured, with a
+jubilant expression on his face, and in one hand a large closed
+umbrella.
+
+"What has happened?" I exclaimed, hurrying around to the front of the
+coach, where I saw that the pole had been broken off about the middle of
+its length.
+
+"Nothing has happened, sir," replied Mr. Enderton. "You cannot speak of
+a wise and discreet act, determinately performed, as a thing which has
+happened. We have been saved, sir, from being dashed to pieces behind
+that wild and unmanageable team of horses; and I will add that we have
+been saved by my forethought and prompt action."
+
+[Illustration: "'WHAT HAS HAPPENED?' I EXCLAIMED."]
+
+I turned and looked at him in astonishment. "What do you mean?" I said.
+"What could you have had to do with this accident?"
+
+"Allow me to repeat," said Mr. Enderton, "that it was not an accident.
+The moment that we began to go downhill I perceived that we were in a
+position of the greatest danger. The driver was reckless, the boy
+incompetent, and the horses unmanageable. As my remonstrances and
+counsels had no effect upon the man, and as you seemed to have no desire
+to join me in efforts to restrain him to a more prudent rate of speed, I
+determined to take the affair into my own hands. I knew that the first
+thing to be done was to rid ourselves of those horses. So long as we
+were connected with them disaster was imminent. I knew exactly what
+ought to be done. The horses must be detached from the coach. I had
+read, sir, of inventions especially intended to detach runaway horses
+from a vehicle. To all intents and purposes our horses were runaways, or
+would have become so in a very short time. I now made it my object to
+free ourselves from those horses."
+
+"What!" I exclaimed. "You freed us?"
+
+"Yes, sir," he answered; "I did. I got out at our first stop, and
+thoroughly examined the carriage attachments. I found that the movable
+bar to which the whiffletrees were attached was connected to the vehicle
+by two straps and a bolt, the latter having a ring at the top and an
+iron nut at the bottom. While you and that reckless driver were talking
+together, and paying no attention to me, the only person in the party
+who thoroughly comprehended our danger, I unbuckled those straps, and
+with my strong, nervous fingers, without the aid of implements, I
+unscrewed the nut from the bolt. Then, sir, I took my seat on the
+outside of the coach, and felt that I held our safety in my own hands.
+For a time I allowed our vehicle to proceed; but when we approached
+this long slope which stretches before us, and our horses showed signs
+of increasing impetuosity, I leaned forward, hooked the handle of my
+umbrella in the ring of the bolt, and with a mighty effort jerked it
+out. I admit to you, sir, that I had overlooked the fact that the horses
+were also attached to the end of the pole, but I have often noticed that
+when we are discreet in judgment and prompt in action we are also
+fortunate. Thus was I fortunate. The hindermost horses, suddenly
+released, rushed upon those in front of them, and, in a manner, jumbled
+up the whole team, which seemed to throw the animals into such terror
+that they dashed to one side and snapped off the pole, after which they
+went madly tearing down the road, entirely beyond the control of the two
+riders. Our coach turned and ran into the side of the road with but a
+moderate concussion, and as I looked at those flying steeds, with their
+riders vainly endeavoring to restrain them, I could not, sir, keep down
+an emotion of pride that I had been instrumental in freeing myself, my
+daughter, and my traveling companions from their dangerous proximity."
+
+The speaker ceased, a smile of conscious merit upon his face. For the
+moment I could not say a word to him, I was so angry. But had I been
+able to say or do anything to indicate the wild indignation that filled
+my brain, I should have had no opportunity, for Mrs. Lecks stepped up to
+me and took me by the arm. Her face was very stern, and her expression
+gave one the idea of the rigidity of Bessemer steel.
+
+"I've heard what has been said," she remarked, "and I wish to talk to
+this man. Your wife is over there with Mrs. Aleshine. Will you please
+take a walk with her along the road? You may stay away for a quarter of
+an hour."
+
+"Madam," said Mr. Enderton, "I do not wish to talk to you."
+
+"I didn't ask you whether you did or not," said Mrs. Lecks. "Mr. Craig,
+will you please get your wife away as quick and as far as you can?"
+
+I took the hint, and, with Ruth on my arm, walked rapidly down the road.
+She was very glad to go, for she had been much frightened, and wanted to
+be alone with me to have me explain to her what had occurred. Mrs.
+Lecks, imagining from the expression of his countenance that Mr.
+Enderton had, in some way, been at the bottom of the trouble, and
+fearing that she should not be able to restrain her indignation when she
+found how he had done it, had ordered Mrs. Aleshine to keep Ruth away
+from her father. This action had increased the poor girl's anxiety, and
+she was glad enough to have me take her away and tell her all about our
+accident.
+
+I did tell her all that had happened, speaking as mildly as I could of
+Mr. Enderton's conduct. Poor Ruth burst into tears.
+
+"I do wish," she exclaimed, "that father would travel by himself! He is
+so nervous, and so easily frightened, that I am sure he would be happier
+when he could attend to his safety in his own way; and I know, too, that
+we should be happier without him."
+
+I agreed most heartily with these sentiments, although I did not deem it
+necessary to say so, and Ruth now asked me what I supposed would become
+of us.
+
+"If nothing happens to the driver and the boy," I replied, "I suppose
+they will go on until they get to the station to which we were bound,
+and there they will procure a pole, if such a thing can be found, or,
+perhaps, get another coach, and come back for us. It would be useless
+for them to return to our coach in its present condition."
+
+"And how soon do you think they will come back?" she said.
+
+"Not for some hours," I replied. "The driver told me there were no
+houses between the place where we last stopped and the railroad-station,
+and I am sure he will not turn back until he reaches a place where he
+can get either a new pole or another vehicle."
+
+Ruth and I walked to a turn at the bottom of the long hill down which
+our runaway steeds had sped. At this point we had an extended view of
+the road as it wound along the mountain-side, but we could see no signs
+of our horses, nor of any living thing. I did not, in fact, expect to
+see our team, for it would be foolish in the driver to come back until
+he was prepared to do something for us, and even if he had succeeded in
+controlling the runaway beasts, the quicker he got down the mountain the
+better.
+
+By the time we had returned we had taken quite a long walk, but we were
+glad of it, for the exercise tranquilized us both. On our way back we
+noticed that a road which seemed to come up from below us joined the one
+we were on a short distance from the place where our accident occurred.
+This, probably, was the lower road which had been spoken of when we
+changed horses.
+
+We found Mr. Enderton standing by himself. His face was of the hue of
+wood-ashes, his expression haggard. He reminded me of a man who had
+fallen from a considerable height, and who had been frightened and
+stupefied by the shock. I comprehended the situation without difficulty,
+and felt quite sure that had he had the choice he would have much
+preferred a thrashing to the plain talk he had heard from Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"What is the matter, father?" exclaimed Ruth. "Were you hurt?"
+
+Mr. Enderton looked in a dazed way at his daughter, and it was some
+moments before he appeared to have heard what she said. Then he answered
+abruptly: "Hurt? Oh, no! I am not hurt in the least. I was just thinking
+of something. I shall walk on to the village or town, whichever it is,
+to which that man was taking us. It cannot be more than seven or eight
+miles away, if that. The road is downhill, and I can easily reach the
+place before nightfall. I will then personally attend to your rescue,
+and will see that a vehicle is immediately sent to you. There is no
+trusting these ignorant drivers. No," he continued, deprecatingly
+raising his hand; "do not attempt to dissuade me. Your safety and that
+of others is always my first care. Exertion is nothing."
+
+Without further words, and paying no attention to the remonstrances of
+his daughter, he strode off down the road.
+
+I was very glad to see him go. At any time his presence was undesirable
+to me, and under the present circumstances it would be more
+objectionable than ever. He was a good walker, and there was no doubt he
+would easily reach the station, where he might possibly be of some use
+to us.
+
+Mrs. Lecks was sitting on a stone by the roadside. Her face was still
+stern and rigid, but there was an expression of satisfaction upon it
+which had not been there when I left her. Ruth went to the coach to get
+a shawl, and I said to Mrs. Lecks:
+
+"I suppose you had your talk with Mr. Enderton?"
+
+[Illustration: "MRS. LECKS WAS SITTING ON A STONE."]
+
+"Talk!" she replied. "I should say so! If ever a man understands what
+people think of him, and knows what he is, from his crown to his feet,
+inside and outside, soul, body, bones, and skin, and what he may expect
+in this world and the next, he knows it. I didn't keep to what he has
+done for us this day. I went back to the first moment when he began to
+growl at payin' his honest board on the island, and I didn't let him
+off for a single sin that he has committed since. And now I feel that
+I've done my duty as far as he is concerned; and havin' got through with
+that, it's time we were lookin' about to see what we can do for
+ourselves."
+
+It was indeed time, for the day was drawing toward its close. For a
+moment I had thought we would give Mr. Enderton a good start, and then
+follow him down the mountain to the station. But a little reflection
+showed me that this plan would not answer. Ruth was not strong enough to
+walk so far, and although Mrs. Aleshine had plenty of vigor, she was too
+plump to attempt such a tramp. Besides, the sky was so heavily overcast
+that it was not safe to leave the shelter of the coach.
+
+As might have been expected, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine took immediate
+charge of the personal comfort of the party, and the first thing they
+did was to make preparations for a meal. Fortunately, we had plenty of
+provisions. Mrs. Aleshine had had charge of what she called our
+lunch-baskets,--which were, indeed, much more like market-baskets than
+anything else,--and having small faith in the resources of roadside
+taverns, and great faith in the unlimited capabilities of Mr. Enderton
+in the matter of consuming food on a journey, she had provided
+bounteously and even extravagantly.
+
+One side of the road was bordered by a forest, and on the ground was an
+abundance of dead wood. I gathered a quantity of this, and made a fire,
+which was very grateful to us, for the air was growing colder and
+colder. When we had eaten a substantial supper and had thoroughly
+warmed ourselves at the fire, we got into the coach to sit there and
+wait until relief should come. We sat for a long time--all night, in
+fact. We were not uncomfortable, for we each had a corner of the coach,
+and we were plentifully provided with wraps and rugs.
+
+Contrary to their usual habit, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine did not talk
+much. When subjected to the annoyances of an ordinary accident, even if
+it should have been the result of carelessness, their disposition would
+have prompted them to take events as they came, and to make the best of
+whatever might happen to them. But this case was entirely different. We
+were stranded and abandoned on the road, on the side of a lonely,
+desolate mountain, on a cold, bleak night; and all this was the result
+of what they considered the deliberate and fiendish act of a man who was
+afraid of horses, and who cared for no one in the world but himself.
+Their minds were in such a condition that if they said anything they
+must vituperate, and they were so kindly disposed toward my wife, and
+had such a tender regard for her feelings, that they would not, in her
+presence, vituperate her father. So they said very little, and, nestling
+into their corners, were soon asleep.
+
+After a time Ruth followed their example, and, though I was very
+anxiously watching out of the window for an approaching light, and
+listening for the sound of wheels, I, too, fell into a doze. It must
+have been ten or eleven o'clock when I was awakened by some delicate but
+cold touches on my face, the nature of which, when I first opened my
+eyes, I could not comprehend. But I soon understood what these cold
+touches meant. The window in the door of the coach on my side had been
+slightly lowered from the top to give us air, and through the narrow
+aperture the cold particles had come floating in. I looked through the
+window. The night was not very dark, for, although the sky was overcast,
+the moon was in its second quarter, and I could plainly see that it was
+snowing, and that the ground was already white.
+
+This discovery sent a chill into my soul, for I was not unfamiliar with
+snows in mountain regions, and knew well what this might mean to us. But
+there was nothing that we could now do, and it would be useless and
+foolish to awaken my companions and distress them with this new
+disaster. Besides, I thought our situation might not be so very bad,
+after all. It was not yet winter, and the snowfall might prove to be but
+a light one. I gently closed the window, and made my body comfortable in
+its corner; but my mind continued very uncomfortable for I do not know
+how long.
+
+When I awoke I found that there had been a heavy fall of snow in the
+night, and that the flakes were still coming down thick and fast. When
+Ruth first looked out upon the scene she was startled and dismayed. She
+was not accustomed to storms of this kind, and the snow frightened her.
+Upon Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine the sight of the storm produced an
+entirely different effect. Here was a difficulty, a discomfort, a
+hardship; but it came in a natural way, and not by the hand of a
+dastardly coward of a man. With natural-happening difficulties they were
+accustomed to combat without fear or repining. They knew all about
+snow, and were not frightened by this storm. The difficulties which it
+presented to their minds actually raised their spirits, and from the
+grim and quiet beings of the last evening they became the same cheerful,
+dauntless, ready women that I had known before.
+
+"Upon my word," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, as she clapped her face to a
+window of the coach, "if this isn't a reg'lar old-fashioned snow-storm!
+I've shoveled my own way through many a one like it to git to the barn
+to do my milkin' afore the men-folks had begun makin' paths, and I feel
+jus' like as though I could do it ag'in."
+
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "if you're thinkin' of
+shovelin' your way from this place to where your cows is, you'd better
+step right out and get at it, and I really do think that if you felt
+they were sufferin' for want of milkin' you'd make a start."
+
+"I don't say," answered Mrs. Aleshine, with an illuminating grin, "that
+if the case was that way I mightn't have the hankerin', though not the
+capableness; but I don't know that there's any place to shovel our way
+to, jus' now."
+
+Mrs. Lecks and I thought differently. Across the road, under the great
+trees, the ground was comparatively free from snow, and in some places,
+owing to the heavy evergreen foliage, it was entirely bare. It was very
+desirable that we should get to one of these spots and build a fire,
+for, though we had been well wrapped up, we all felt numbed and cold. In
+the boot at the back of the coach I knew that there was an ax, and I
+thought I might possibly find there a shovel. I opened the coach door,
+and saw that the snow was already above the lower step. By standing on
+the spokes of the back wheel I could easily get at the boot, and I soon
+pulled out the ax, but found no shovel. But this did not deter me. I
+made my way to the front wheel, and climbed up to the driver's box,
+where I knocked off one of the thin planks of the foot-board, and this,
+with the ax, I shaped into a rude shovel, with a handle rather too wide,
+but serviceable. With this I went vigorously to work, and soon had made
+a pathway across the road. Here I chopped off some low dead branches,
+picked up others, and soon had a crackling fire, around which my three
+companions gathered with delight.
+
+A strong wind was now blowing, and the snow began to form into heavy
+drifts. The fire was very cheery and pleasant, but the wind was cutting,
+and we soon returned to the shelter of the coach, where we had our
+breakfast. This was not altogether a cold meal, for Mrs. Aleshine had
+provided a little tea-kettle, and, with some snow-water which I brought
+in boiling from the fire in the woods, we had all the hot and comforting
+tea we wanted.
+
+We passed the morning waiting and looking out, and wondering what sort
+of conveyance would be sent for us. It was generally agreed that nothing
+on wheels could now be got over the road, and that we must be taken away
+in a sleigh.
+
+"I like sleigh-ridin'," said Mrs. Aleshine, "if you're well wrapped up,
+with good hosses, and a hot brick for your feet; but I must say I don't
+know but what I'm goin' to be a little skeery goin' down these long
+hills. If we git fairly slidin', hosses, sleigh, and all together,
+there's no knowin' where we'll fetch up."
+
+[Illustration: "I SOON HAD A CRACKLING FIRE."]
+
+"There's one comfort, Barb'ry," remarked Mrs. Lecks, "and that is that
+when we do fetch up it'll be at the bottom of the hills, and not at the
+top; and as the bottom is what we want to get to, we oughtn't to
+complain."
+
+"That depends a good deal whether we come down hind part foremost, or
+fore part front. But nobody's complainin' so fur, 'specially as the
+sleigh isn't here."
+
+I joined in the outlooking and the conjectures, but I could not keep up
+the cheerful courage which animated my companions; for not only were the
+two elder women bright and cheery, but Ruth seemed to be animated and
+encouraged by their example, and showed herself as brave and contented
+as either of them. She was convinced that her father must have reached
+the railroad-station before it began to snow, and therefore she was
+troubled by no fears for his safety. But my mind was filled with many
+fears.
+
+The snow was still coming down thick and fast, and the wind was piling
+it into great drifts, one of which was forming between the coach and a
+low embankment on that side of the road near which it stood.
+
+About every half-hour I took my shovel and cleared out the path across
+the road from the other side of the coach to the woods. Several times
+after doing this I made my way among the trees, where the snow did not
+impede my progress, to points from which I had a view some distance down
+the mountain; and I could plainly see that there were several places
+where the road was blocked up by huge snow-drifts. It would be a slow,
+laborious, and difficult undertaking for any relief-party to come to us
+from the station; and who was there at that place to come? This was the
+question which most troubled me. The settlement at the station was
+probably a very small one, and that there should be found at that place
+a sleigh or a sled with enough men to form a party sufficiently strong
+to open a road up the mountain-side was scarcely to be expected. Men and
+vehicles might be obtained at some point farther along the railroad, but
+action of this kind would require time, and it was not unlikely that the
+railroad itself was blocked up with snow. I could form no idea
+satisfactory to myself of any plan by which relief could come to us that
+day. Even the advent of a messenger on horseback was not to be expected.
+Such an adventurer would be lost in the storm and among the drifts. On
+the morrow relief might come, but I did not like to think too much about
+the morrow; and of any of my thoughts and fears I said nothing to my
+companions.
+
+At intervals, after I had freshly cleared out the pathway, the three
+women, well bundled up, ran across the road to the fire under the trees.
+This was the only way in which they could keep themselves warm, for the
+coach, although it protected us from the storm, was a very cold place to
+sit in. But the wind and the snow which frequently drove in under the
+trees made it impossible to stay very long by the fire, and the frequent
+passages to and from the coach were attended with much exposure and
+wetting of feet. I therefore determined that some better way must be
+devised for keeping ourselves warm; and, shortly after our noonday meal,
+I thought of a plan, and immediately set to work to carry it out.
+
+The drift between the coach and the embankment had now risen higher than
+the top of the vehicle, against one side of which it was tightly packed.
+I dug a path around the back of the coach, and then began to tunnel into
+the huge bank of snow. In about an hour I had made an excavation nearly
+high enough for me to stand in, and close to the stage door on that
+side; and I cleared away the snow so that this door could open into the
+cavern I had formed. At the end opposite the entrance of my cave, I
+worked a hole upward until I reached the outer air. This hole was, about
+a foot in diameter, and for some time the light, unpacked snow from
+above kept falling and filling it up; but I managed, by packing and
+beating the sides with my shovel, to get the whole into a condition in
+which it would retain the form of a rude chimney.
+
+Now I hurried to bring wood and twigs, and having made a hearth of green
+sticks, which I cut with my ax, I built a fire in this snowy fireplace.
+Mrs. Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine, and Ruth had been watching my proceedings
+with great interest; and when the fire began to burn, and the smoke to
+go out of my chimney, the coach door was opened, and the genial heat
+gradually pervaded the vehicle.
+
+"Upon my word," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "if that isn't one of the
+brightest ideas I ever heard of! A fire in the middle of a snowbank,
+with a man there attendin' to it, an' a chimney! 'T isn't every day that
+you can see a thing like that!"
+
+"I should hope not," remarked Mrs. Lecks, "for if the snow drifted this
+way every day, I'd be ready to give up the seein' business out and out!
+But I think, Mr. Craig, you ought to pass that shovel in to us so that
+we can dig you out when the fire begins to melt your little house and it
+all caves in on you."
+
+"You can have the shovel," said I, "but I don't believe this snowbank
+will cave in on me. Of course the heat will melt the snow, but I think
+it will dissolve gradually, so that the caving in, if there is any,
+won't be of much account, and then we shall have a big open space here
+in which we can keep up our fire."
+
+"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Ruth, "you talk as if you expected to stay here
+ever so long, and we certainly can't do that. We should starve to death,
+for one thing."
+
+"Don't be afraid of that," said Mrs. Aleshine. "There's plenty of
+victuals to last till the people come for us. When I pack baskets for
+travelin' or picnickin', I don't do no scrimpin'. An' we've got to keep
+up a fire, you know, for it wouldn't be pleasant for those men, when
+they've cut a way up the mountain to git at us, to find us all froze
+stiff."
+
+Mrs. Lecks smiled. "You're awful tender of the feelin's of other people,
+Barb'ry," she said, "and a heart as warm as yourn ought to keep from
+freezin'."
+
+"Which it has done, so far," said Mrs. Aleshine, complacently.
+
+As I had expected, the water soon began to drip from the top and the
+sides of my cavern, and the chimney rapidly enlarged its dimensions. I
+made a passage for the melted snow to run off into a hollow, back of the
+coach; and as I kept up a good strong fire, the drops of water and
+occasional pieces of snow which fell into it were not able to extinguish
+it. The cavern enlarged rapidly, and in a little more than an hour the
+roof became so thin that while I was outside collecting wood it fell in
+and extinguished the fire. This accident, however, interrupted my
+operations but for a short time. I cleared away the snow at the bottom
+of the excavation, and rebuilt my fire on the bare ground. The high snow
+walls on three sides of it protected it from the wind, so that there was
+no danger of the flames being blown against the stage-coach, while the
+large open space above allowed a free vent for the smoke.
+
+About the middle of the afternoon, to the great delight of us all, it
+stopped snowing, and when I had freshly shoveled out the path across
+the road, my companions gladly embraced the opportunity of walking over
+to the comparatively protected ground under the trees and giving
+themselves a little exercise. During their absence I was busily engaged
+in arranging the fire, when I heard a low crunching sound on one side of
+me, and, turning my head, I saw in the wall of my excavation opposite to
+the stage-coach, and at a distance of four or five feet from the ground,
+an irregular hole in the snow, about a foot in diameter, from which
+protruded the head of a man. This head was wrapped, with the exception
+of the face, in a brown woolen comforter. The features were those of a
+man of about fifty, a little sallow and thin, without beard, whiskers,
+or mustache, although the cheeks and chin were darkened with a recent
+growth.
+
+The astounding apparition of this head projecting itself from the snow
+wall of my cabin utterly paralyzed me, so that I neither moved nor
+spoke, but remained crouching by the fire, my eyes fixed upon the head.
+It smiled a little, and then spoke.
+
+"Could you lend me a small iron pot?" it said.
+
+I rose to my feet, almost ready to run away. Was this a dream? Or was it
+possible that there was a race of beings who inhabited snowbanks?
+
+The face smiled again very pleasantly. "Do not be frightened," it said.
+"I saw you were startled, and spoke first of a familiar pot in order to
+reassure you."
+
+"Who, in the name of Heaven, are you?" I gasped.
+
+"I am only a traveler, sir," said the head, "who has met with an
+accident similar, I imagine, to that which has befallen you. But I
+cannot further converse with you in this position. Lying thus on my
+breast in a tunnel of snow will injuriously chill me. Could you
+conveniently lend me an iron pot?"
+
+[Illustration: "'COULD YOU LEND ME A SMALL IRON POT?'"]
+
+I was now convinced that this was an ordinary human being, and my
+courage and senses returned to me; but my astonishment remained
+boundless. "Before we talk of pots," I said, "I must know who you are,
+and how you got into that snowbank."
+
+"I do not believe," said my visitor, "that I can get down, head
+foremost, to your level. I will therefore retire to my place of refuge,
+and perhaps we can communicate with each other through this aperture."
+
+"Can I get through to your place of refuge?" I asked.
+
+"Certainly," was the answer. "You are young and active, and the descent
+will not be so deep on my side. But I will first retire, and will then
+project toward you this sheepskin rug, which, if kept under you as you
+move forward, will protect your breast and arms from direct contact with
+the snow."
+
+It was difficult to scramble up into the hole, but I succeeded in doing
+it, and found awaiting me the sheepskin rug, which, by the aid of an
+umbrella, the man had pushed toward me for my use. I was in a horizontal
+tunnel barely large enough for the passage of my body, and about six
+feet in length. When I had worked my way through this, and had put my
+head out of the other end, I looked into a small wooden shed, into which
+light entered only through a pane of glass set in a rude door opposite
+to me. I immediately perceived that the whole place was filled with the
+odor of spirituous liquors. The man stood awaiting me, and by his
+assistance I descended to the floor. As I did so I heard something
+which sounded like a titter, and looking around I saw in a corner a
+bundle of clothes and traveling-rugs, near the top of which appeared a
+pair of eyes. Turning again, I could discern in another corner a second
+bundle, similar to, but somewhat larger than, the other.
+
+"These ladies are traveling with me," said the man, who was now wrapping
+about him a large cloak, and who appeared to be of a tall though rather
+slender figure. His manner and voice were those of a gentleman,
+extremely courteous and considerate. "As I am sure you are curious--and
+this I regard as quite natural, sir--to know why we are here, I will at
+once proceed to inform you. We started yesterday in a carriage for the
+railway-station, which is, I believe, some miles beyond this point.
+There were two roads from the last place at which we stopped, and we
+chose the one which ran along a valley, and which we supposed would be
+the pleasanter of the two. We there engaged a pair of horses which did
+not prove very serviceable animals, and, at a point about a hundred
+yards from where we now are, one of them gave out entirely. The driver
+declared that the only thing to be done was to turn loose the disabled
+horse, which would be certain, in time, to find his way back to his
+stable, and for him to proceed on the other animal to the station to
+which we were going, where he would procure some fresh horses and return
+as speedily as possible. To this plan we were obliged to consent, as
+there was no alternative. He told us that if we did not care to remain
+in the carriage, there was a shed by the side of the road, a little
+farther on, which was erected for the accommodation of men who are
+sometimes here in charge of relays of horses. After assuring us that he
+would not be absent more than three hours, he rode away, and we have not
+seen him since.
+
+"Soon after he left us I came to this shed, and finding it tight and
+comparatively comfortable, I concluded it would give us relief from our
+somewhat cramped position in the carriage, and so conducted the ladies
+here. As night drew on it became very cold, and I determined to make a
+fire, a proceeding which, of course, would have been impossible in a
+vehicle. Fortunately I had with me, at the back of the carriage, a case
+of California brandy. By the aid of a stone I knocked the top off this
+case, and brought hither several of the bottles. I found in the shed an
+old tin pan, which I filled with the straw coverings of the bottles, and
+on this I poured brandy, which, being ignited, produced a fire without
+smoke, but which, as we gathered around it, gave out considerable heat."
+
+As the speaker thus referred to his fuel, I understood the reason of the
+strong odor of spirits which filled the shed, and I experienced a
+certain relief in my mind.
+
+The gentleman continued: "At first I attributed the delay of the
+driver's return to those ordinary hindrances which so frequently occur
+in rural and out-of-the-way places; but after a time I could not imagine
+any reasonable cause for his delay. As it began to grow dark I brought
+here our provision-baskets, and we partook of a slight repast. I then
+made the ladies as comfortable as possible, and awaited with much
+anxiety the return of the driver.
+
+"After a time it began to snow, and feeling that the storm might
+interrupt communication with the carriage, I brought hither, making many
+trips for the purpose, the rest of the brandy, our wraps and rugs, and
+the cushions of the carriage. I did not believe that we should be left
+here all night, but thought it prudent to take all precautions, and to
+prepare for remaining in a place where we could have a fire. The morning
+showed me that I had acted wisely. As you know, sir, I found the road in
+each direction completely blocked up by snow, and I have since been
+unable to visit the carriage."
+
+"Have you not all suffered from cold?" I inquired. "Have you food
+enough?"
+
+"I will not say," replied the gentleman, "that in addition to our
+anxiety we have not suffered somewhat from cold, but for the greater
+part of this day I have adopted a plan which has resulted in
+considerable comfort to my companions. I have wrapped them up very
+closely and warmly, and they hold in each hand a hard-boiled egg. I
+thought it better to keep these for purposes of warmth than to eat them.
+About every half-hour I reboil the eggs in a little traveling tea-pot
+which we have. They retain their warmth for a considerable period, and
+this warmth in a moderate degree is communicated through the hands to
+the entire person."
+
+As he said this a low laugh again burst forth from the bundle in one
+corner of the room, and I could not help smiling at this odd way of
+keeping warm. I looked toward the jocose bundle, and remarked that the
+eggs must be pretty hard by this time.
+
+"These ladies," said the gentleman, "are not accustomed to the cold
+atmosphere of this region, and I have therefore forbidden them to talk,
+hoping thus to prevent injury from the inhalation of frosty air. So far
+we have not suffered, and we still have some food left. About noon I
+noticed smoke floating over this shed, and I forced open the door and
+made my way for some little distance outside, hoping to discover whence
+it came. I then heard voices on the other side of the enormous
+snow-drift behind us; but I could see no possible way of getting over
+the drift. Feeling that I must, without fail, open communication with
+any human beings who might be near us, I attempted to shout; but the
+cold had so affected my voice that I could not do so. I thereupon set my
+wits to work. At the back of this shed is a small window closed by a
+wooden shutter. I opened this shutter, and found outside a wall of snow
+packed closely against it. The snow was not very hard, and I believed
+that it would not be difficult to tunnel a way through it to the place
+where the voices seemed to be. I immediately set to work, for I feared
+that if we were obliged to remain here another night without assistance
+we should be compelled to-morrow morning to eat those four hard-boiled
+eggs which the ladies are holding, and which, very shortly, I must boil
+again."
+
+"How did you manage to cut through the snow?" I asked. "Had you a
+shovel?"
+
+"Oh, no," replied the other. "I used the tin pan. I found it answered
+very well as a scoop. Each time that I filled it I threw the contents
+out of our door."
+
+"It must have been slow and difficult work," I said.
+
+"Indeed it was," he replied. "The labor was arduous, and occupied me
+several hours. But when I saw a respectable man at a fire, and a
+stage-coach near by, I felt rewarded for all my trouble. May I ask you,
+sir, how you came to be thus snow-bound?"
+
+I then briefly related the circumstances of our mishap, and had scarcely
+finished when a shrill sound came through the tunnel into the shed. It
+was the voice of Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"Hello!" she screamed, "are you in there? An' you don't mean to tell me
+there are other people in that hole?"
+
+Feeling quite certain that my wife and her companions were in a state of
+mental agitation on the other side of the drift, I called back that I
+would be with them in a moment, and then explained to the gentleman why
+I could not remain with him longer. "But before I go," I said, "is there
+anything I can do for you? Do you really want an iron pot?"
+
+"The food that remains to us," he answered, "is fragmentary and rather
+distasteful to the ladies, and I thought if I could make a little stew
+of it, it might prove more acceptable to them. But do not let me detain
+you another instant from your friends, and I advise you to go through
+that tunnel feet foremost, for you might, otherwise, experience
+difficulties in getting out at the other end."
+
+I accepted his suggestion, and by his assistance and the help of the
+rough window-frame, I got into the hole feet first, and soon ejected
+myself into the midst of my alarmed companions. When they heard where I
+had been, and what I had seen, they were naturally astounded.
+
+"Another party deserted at this very point!" exclaimed Ruth, who was
+both excitable and imaginative. "This looks like a conspiracy! Are we to
+be robbed and murdered?"
+
+At these words Mrs. Aleshine sprang toward me. "Mr. Craig," she
+exclaimed, "if it's robbers, don't lose a minute! Never let 'em get
+ahead of you! Pull out your pistol and fire through the hole!"
+
+"Gracious me! Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "you don't suppose the
+robbers is them poor unfortunates on the other side of the drift! And I
+must say, Mrs. Craig, that if there was any such thing as a conspiracy,
+your father must have been in it, for it was him who landed us just
+here. But of course none of us supposes nothin' of that kind, and the
+first thing we've got to think of is what we can do for them poor
+people."
+
+"They seem to have some food left, but not much," I said, "and I fear
+they must be suffering from cold."
+
+"Couldn't we poke some wood to them through this hole?" said Mrs.
+Aleshine, whose combative feelings had changed to the deepest
+compassion. "I should think they must be nearly froze, with nothin' to
+warm 'em but hard-b'iled eggs."
+
+I explained that there was no place in their shed where they could build
+a fire, and proposed that we should give them some hot tea and some of
+our provisions.
+
+"That's so!" said Mrs. Aleshine. "Just shout in to them that if they'll
+shove them eggs through the hole, I'll bile 'em fur 'em as often as they
+want 'em."
+
+"I've just got to say this," ejaculated Mrs. Lecks, as she and Mrs.
+Aleshine were busily placing a portion of our now very much reduced
+stock of provisions in the smallest of our baskets: "this is the first
+time in my life that I ever heard of people warmin' themselves up with
+hens' eggs and spirits, excep' when mixed up into egg-nog; and that they
+resisted that temptation and contented themselves with plain honest
+heat, though very little of it, shows what kind of people they must be.
+And now, do you suppose we could slide this basket in without upsettin'
+the little kittle?"
+
+[Illustration: "WE WERE ABOUT TO SEND HIM A BASKET."]
+
+I called to the gentleman that we were about to send him a basket, and
+then, by the aid of an umbrella, I gently pushed it through the snow
+tunnel to a point where he could reach it. Hearty thanks came back to us
+through the hole, and when the basket and kettle were returned, we
+prepared our own evening meal.
+
+"For the life of me," said Mrs. Lecks, as she sipped a cup of tea, "I
+can't imagine, if there was a shed so near us, why we didn't know it."
+
+"That has been puzzling me," I replied; "but the other road, on which
+the shed is built, is probably lower than this one, so that the upper
+part of the shed could not have projected far above the embankment
+between the two roads, and if there were weeds and dead grasses on the
+bank, as there probably were, they would have prevented us from noticing
+the top of a weather-worn shed."
+
+"Especially," said Mrs. Lecks, "as we wasn't lookin' for sheds, and, as
+far as I know, we wasn't lookin' for anything on that side of the coach,
+for all my eyes was busy starin' about on the side we got in and out of,
+and down the road."
+
+"Which mine was too," added Mrs. Aleshine. "An' after it begun to snow
+we couldn't see nothin' anyhow, partic'larly when everything was all
+covered up."
+
+"Well," added Mrs. Lecks, in conclusion, "as we didn't see the shed,
+it's a comfort to think there was reasons for it, and that we are not
+born fools."
+
+It was now growing dark, and but few further communications took place
+through the little tunnel.
+
+"Before we get ready to go to sleep," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for, havin'
+no candles, I guess we won't sit up late, hadn't we better rig up some
+kind of a little sled to put in that hole, with strings at both ends, so
+that we kin send in mustard-plasters and peppermint to them poor people
+if they happen to be sick in the night?"
+
+This little project was not considered necessary, and after receiving
+assurances from the gentleman on the other side that he would be able to
+keep his party warm until morning, we bade each other good night; and,
+after having replenished the fire, I got into the stage, where my
+companions had already established themselves in their corners. I slept
+very little, while I frequently went out to attend to the fire, and my
+mind was racked by the most serious apprehensions. Our food was nearly
+gone, and if relief did not come to us very soon I could see nothing but
+a slow death before us, and, so far as I could imagine, there was no
+more reason to expect succor on the following day than there had been on
+the one just passed. Where were the men to be found who could cut a road
+to us through those miles of snow-drifts?
+
+Very little was said during the night by my companions, but I am sure
+that they felt the seriousness of our situation, and that their slumbers
+were broken and unrefreshing. If there had been anything to do, Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine would have been cheered up by the prospect of
+doing it; but we all felt that there was nothing we could do.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+PART V
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+After a second night spent in the stage-coach on that lonely and
+desolate mountain road where we were now snow-bound, I arose early in
+the morning, and went into the forest to collect some fuel; and while
+thus engaged I made the discovery that the snow was covered with a hard
+crust which would bear my weight. After the storm had ceased the day
+before, the sun had shone brightly and the temperature had moderated
+very much, so that the surface of the snow had slightly thawed. During
+the night it became cold again, and this surface froze into a hard
+coating of ice. When I found I could walk where I pleased, my spirits
+rose, and I immediately set out to view the situation. The aspect of the
+road gave me no encouragement. The snowfall had been a heavy one, but
+had it not been for the high wind which accompanied it, it would have
+thrown but moderate difficulties in the way of our rescue. Reaching a
+point which commanded a considerable view along the side of the
+mountain, I could see that in many places the road was completely lost
+to sight on account of the great snow-drifts piled up on it. I then
+walked to the point where the two roads met, and crossing over, I
+climbed a slight rise in the ground which had cut off my view in this
+direction, and found myself in a position from which I could look
+directly down the side of the mountain below the road.
+
+Here, the mountain-side, which I had supposed to be very steep and
+rugged, descended in a long and gradual slope to the plains below, and
+for the greater part of the distance was covered by a smooth, shining
+surface of frozen snow, unbroken by rock or tree. This snowy slope
+apparently extended for a mile or more, and then I could see that it
+gradually blended itself into the greenish-brown turf of the lower
+country. Down in the valley there still were leaves upon the trees, and
+there were patches of verdure over the land. The storm which had piled
+its snows up here had given them rain down there and had freshened
+everything. It was like looking down into another climate and on another
+land. I saw a little smoke coming up behind a patch of trees. It must be
+that there was a house there! Could it be possible that we were within a
+mile or two of a human habitation? Yet, what comfort was there in that
+thought? The people in that house could not get to us, nor we to them,
+nor could they have heard of our situation, for the point where our road
+reached the lower country was miles farther on.
+
+As I stood thus and gazed, it seemed to me that I could make a run and
+slide down the mountain-side into green fields, into safety, into life.
+I remembered those savage warriors who, looking from the summits of the
+Alps upon the fertile plains of Italy, seated themselves upon their
+shields and slid down to conquest and rich spoils.
+
+An idea came into my mind, and I gave it glad welcome. There was no time
+to be lost. The sun was not yet high, but it was mounting in a clear
+sky, and should its rays become warm enough to melt the crust on which I
+stood, our last chance of escape would be gone. To plow our way to any
+place through deep, soft snow would be impossible. I hurried back to our
+coach, and found three very grave women standing around the fire. They
+were looking at a small quantity of food at the bottom of a large
+basket.
+
+"That's every crumb there is left," said Mrs. Aleshine to me, "and when
+we pass in some to them unfortunates on the other side of the
+drift,--which, of course, we're bound to do,--we'll have what I call a
+skimpy meal. And that's not the worst of it. Until somebody gets up to
+us, it will be our last meal."
+
+I took my poor Ruth by the hand, for she was looking very pale and
+troubled, and I said: "My dear friends, nobody can get up to this place
+for a long, long time; and before help could possibly reach us we should
+all be dead. But do not be frightened. It is not necessary to wait for
+any one to come to us. The snow is now covered with a crust which will
+bear our weight. I have thought of a way in which we can slide down the
+mountain-side, which, from a spot where I have been standing this
+morning, is no steeper than some coasting-hills, though very much
+longer. In a few minutes we can pass from this region of snow, where
+death from cold and starvation must soon overtake us, to a grassy valley
+where there is no snow, and where we shall be within walking distance of
+a house in which people are living."
+
+Ruth grasped my arm. "Will it be safe?" she exclaimed.
+
+"I think so," I answered. "I see no reason why we should meet with any
+accident. At any rate, it is much safer than remaining here for another
+hour; for if the crust melts, our last chance is gone."
+
+"Mr. Craig," said Mrs. Lecks, "me and Mrs. Aleshine is no hands at
+coastin' downhill, havin' given up that sort of thing since we was
+little girls with short frocks and it didn't make no matter anyway. But
+you know more about these things than we do; and if you say we can get
+out of this dreadful place by slidin' downhill, we're ready to follow,
+if you'll just go ahead. We followed you through the ocean, with nothin'
+between our feet and the bottom but miles o' water and nobody knows what
+sorts of dreadful fish; and when you say it's the right way to save our
+lives, we're ready to follow you again. And as for you, Mrs. Ruth, don't
+you be frightened. I don't know what we're goin' to slide on, but,
+whatever it is, even if it's our own selves, me and Mrs. Aleshine will
+take you between us, and if anything is run against, we'll get the
+bumps, and not you."
+
+I was delighted to see how rapidly my proposition was accepted, and we
+made a hasty breakfast, first sending in some of our food to the other
+party. The gentleman reported through the hole of communication that
+they were all fairly well, but a good deal stiffened by cold and want of
+exercise. He inquired, in a very anxious voice, if I had discovered any
+signs of approaching relief. To this I replied that I had devised a plan
+by which we could get ourselves out of our present dangerous situation,
+and that in a very short time I would come round to the door of his
+shed--for I could now walk on the crusted snow--and tell him about it.
+He answered that these words cheered his heart, and that he would do
+everything possible to cooperate with me.
+
+I now went to work vigorously. I took the cushions from the coach, four
+of them all together, and carried them to the brink of the slope down
+which I purposed to make our descent. I also conveyed thither a long
+coil of rawhide rope which I had previously discovered in the boot of
+the coach. I then hurried along the other road, which, as has been said
+before, lay at a somewhat lower level than the one we were on, and when
+I reached the shed I found the door had been opened, and the gentleman,
+with his tin pan, had scooped away a good deal of the snow about it, so
+as to admit of a moderately easy passage in and out. He met me outside,
+and grasped my hand.
+
+"Sir, if you have a plan to propose," he said, "state it quickly. We are
+in a position of great danger. Those two ladies inside the shed cannot
+much longer endure this exposure, and I presume that the ladies in your
+party--although their voices, which I occasionally hear, do not seem to
+indicate it--must be in a like condition."
+
+I replied that, so far, my companions had borne up very well, and
+without further waste of words proceeded to unfold my plan of escape.
+
+When he had heard it the gentleman put on a very serious expression. "It
+seems hazardous," he said, "but it may be the only way out of our
+danger. Will you show me the point from which you took your
+observations?"
+
+"Yes," said I; "but we must be in haste. The sun is getting up in the
+sky, and this crust may soon begin to melt. It is not yet really winter,
+you know."
+
+We stepped quickly to the spot where I had carried the cushions. The
+gentleman stood and silently gazed first at the blocked-up roadway, then
+at the long, smooth slope of the mountain-side directly beneath us, and
+then at the verdure of the plain below, which had grown greener under
+the increasing brightness of the day. "Sir," said he, turning to me,
+"there is nothing to be done but to adopt your plan, or to remain here
+and die. We will accompany you in the descent, and I place myself under
+your orders."
+
+"The first thing," said I, "is to bring here your carriage cushions, and
+help me to arrange them."
+
+When he had brought the three cushions from the shed, the gentleman and
+I proceeded to place them with the others on the snow, so that the whole
+formed a sort of wide and nearly square mattress. Then, with the rawhide
+rope, we bound them together in a rough but secure network of cordage.
+In this part of the work I found my companion very apt and skilful.
+
+When this rude mattress was completed, I requested the gentleman to
+bring his ladies to the place, while I went for mine.
+
+"What are we to pack up to take with us?" said Mrs. Aleshine, when I
+reached our coach.
+
+"We take nothing at all," said I, "but the money in our pockets, and our
+rugs and wraps. Everything else must be left in the coach, to be brought
+down to us when the roads shall be cleared out."
+
+With our rugs and shawls on our arms, we left the coach, and as we were
+crossing the other road we saw the gentleman and his companions
+approaching. These ladies were very much wrapped up, but one of them
+seemed to step along lightly and without difficulty, while the other
+moved slowly and was at times assisted by the gentleman.
+
+A breeze had sprung up which filled the air with fine frozen particles
+blown from the uncrusted beds of snow along the edge of the forest, and
+I counseled Ruth to cover up her mouth and breathe as little of this
+snow powder as possible.
+
+"If I'm to go coastin' at all," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I'd as lief do it
+with strangers as friends; and a little liefer, for that matter, if
+there's any bones to be broken. But I must say that I'd like to make the
+acquaintance of them ladies afore I git on to the sled, which"--at that
+moment catching sight of the mattress--"you don't mean to say that
+that's it?"
+
+"Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, from underneath her great woolen
+comforter, "if you want to get your lungs friz, you'd better go on
+talkin'. Manners is manners, but they can wait till we get to the
+bottom of the hill."
+
+Notwithstanding this admonition, I noticed that as soon as the two
+parties met, both Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine advanced and shook hands
+with the ladies who had been their neighbors under such peculiar
+circumstances, and that Mrs. Lecks herself expressed a muffled hope that
+they might all get down safely.
+
+I now pushed the mattress which was to serve as our sled as close as was
+prudent to the edge of the descent, and requested the party to seat
+themselves upon it. Without hesitation Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine sat
+down, taking Ruth between them, as they had promised to do. My young
+wife was very nervous, but the cool demeanor of her companions, and my
+evident belief in the practicability of the plan, gave her courage, and
+she quietly took her seat. The younger of the two strange ladies stepped
+lightly on the cushions, and before seating herself stood up for a good
+look at the far-extending bed of snow over which we were to take our
+way. The prospect did not appear to deter her, and she sat down promptly
+and with an air that seemed to say that she anticipated a certain
+enjoyment from the adventure. The elder lady, however, exhibited very
+different emotions. She shrank back from the cushions toward which the
+gentleman was conducting her, and turned her face away from the
+declivity. Her companion assured her that it was absolutely necessary
+that we should descend from the mountain in this way, for there was no
+other; and asserting his belief that our slide would be a perfectly
+safe one, he gently drew her to the mattress and induced her to sit
+down.
+
+I now noticed, for the first time, that the gentleman carried under one
+arm, and covered by his long cloak, a large package of some sort, and I
+immediately said to him: "It will be very imprudent for us to attempt to
+carry any of our property except what we can put in our pockets or wrap
+around us. Everything else should be left here, either in your carriage
+or our coach, and I have no fear that anything will be lost. But even if
+our luggage were in danger of being molested, we cannot afford to
+consider it under circumstances such as these."
+
+"My dear sir," said the gentleman, speaking very gravely, "I appreciate
+the hazards of our position as keenly as yourself. Our valises, and all
+the light luggage which we had with us in our carriage, I have left
+there, and shall not give them another thought. But with the parcel I
+hold under this arm I cannot part, and if I go down the mountain-side on
+these cushions, it must go with me. If you refuse in such a case to
+allow me to be one of your party, I must remain behind, and endeavor to
+find a board or something else on which I can make the descent of the
+mountain."
+
+He spoke courteously, but with an air of decision which showed me that
+it would be of no use to argue with him. Besides, there was no time for
+parleying, and if this gentleman chose to take his chances with but one
+arm at liberty, it was no longer my affair. I therefore desired him to
+sit down, and I arranged the company so that they sat back to back,
+their feet drawn up to the edge of the mattress. I then took the place
+which had been reserved for me as steersman, and having tied several
+shawls together, end to end, I passed them around the whole of us under
+our arms, thus binding us all firmly together. I felt that one of our
+greatest dangers would be that one or more of the party might slip from
+the mattress during the descent.
+
+When all was ready I asked the gentleman, who, with the elder lady, sat
+near me at the back of the mattress, to assist in giving us a start by
+pushing outward with his heels while I thrust the handle of my wooden
+shovel into the crust and thus pushed the mattress forward. The starting
+was a little difficult, but in a minute or two we had pushed the
+mattress partly over the brink, and then, after a few more efforts, we
+began to slide downward.
+
+The motion, at first slow, suddenly became quite rapid, and I heard
+behind me a cry or exclamation, from whom I knew not, but I felt quite
+sure it did not come from any of my party. I hoped to be able to make
+some use of my shovel in the guidance of our unwieldy raft or
+mattress-sled, but I soon found this impossible, and down we went over
+the smooth, hard-frozen slope, with nothing to direct our course but the
+varying undulations of the mountain-side. Every moment we seemed to go
+faster and faster, and soon we began to revolve, so that sometimes I was
+in front and sometimes behind. Once, when passing over a very smooth
+sheet of snow, we fairly spun around, so that in every direction feet
+were flying out from a common center and heels grating on the frozen
+crust. But there were no more cries or exclamations. Each one of us
+grasped the cordage which held the cushions together, and the rapidity
+of the motion forced us almost to hold our breath.
+
+Down the smooth, white slope we sped, as a bird skims through the air.
+It seemed to me as if we passed over miles and miles of snow. Sometimes
+my face was turned down the mountain, where the snow-surface seemed to
+stretch out illimitably, and then it was turned upward toward the
+apparently illimitable slopes over which we had passed.
+
+[Illustration: "WE BEGAN TO SLIDE DOWNWARD."]
+
+Presently, my position now being in front of the little group that
+glanced along its glittering way, I saw at some distance below me a long
+rise or terrace, which ran along the mountain-side for a considerable
+distance, and which cut off our view of everything below us. As we
+approached this hillock the descent became much more gradual and our
+progress slower, and at last I began to fear that our acquired velocity
+would not be sufficient to carry us up the side of this elevation and so
+enable us to continue our descent. I therefore called to everybody in
+the rear to kick out vigorously, and with my shovel I endeavored to
+assist our progress. As we approached the summit of the elevation we
+moved slower and slower. I became very anxious, for, should we slide
+backward, we might find it difficult or impossible to get ourselves and
+the mattress up this little hill. But the gentleman and myself worked
+valiantly, and as for Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, they kicked their
+heels through the frozen crust with such energy that we moved sidewise
+almost as much as upward. But in a moment the anxious suspense was over,
+and we rested on the ridge of the long hillock, with the mountain-side
+stretching down to the plain, which lay not very far below us.
+
+I should have been glad to remain here a few minutes to regain breath,
+and give some consideration to the rest of our descent, but as some of
+those behind continued to push, the mattress slid over the edge of the
+terrace, and down again we went. Our progress now was not so rapid, but
+it was very much more unpleasant. The snow was thinner; there was little
+or no crust upon it, and we very soon reached a wide extent of exposed
+turf, over which we slid, but not without a good deal of bumping against
+stones and protuberances. Then there was another sheet of snow, which
+quickened our downward impetus; and, after that, the snow was seen only
+in occasional patches, and our progress continued over a long slope of
+short, partly dried grass, which was very slippery, and over which we
+passed with considerable quickness.
+
+I wished now to bring our uncouth sled to a stop, and to endeavor to
+make the rest of the descent on foot. But although I stuck out my
+heels, and tried to thrust the handle of my shovel into the ground, it
+was of no use. On we went, and the inequalities of the surface gave an
+irregularity of motion which was uncomfortable and alarming. We turned
+to this side and that; we bounced and bumped; and the rawhide ropes,
+which must have been greatly frayed and cut by the snow-crust, now gave
+way in several places, and I knew that the mattress would soon separate
+into its original cushions, if indeed they still could be called
+cushions. Fearing increased danger should we now continue bound together
+in a bunch, I jerked apart the shawl-knot under my arms, and the next
+moment, it seemed to me, there was a general dissolution of our
+connection with each other. Fortunately, we were now near the bottom of
+the slope, for while some of us stuck fast to the cushions, others
+rolled over, or slid, independent of any projection, while I, being
+thrown forward on my feet, actually ran downhill! I had just succeeded
+in stopping myself when down upon me came the rest of the company, all
+prostrate in some position or other.
+
+Now from an unwieldy mass of shawls came a cry:
+
+"Oh, Albert Dusante! Where are you? Lucille! Lucille!"
+
+Instantly sprang to one foot good Mrs. Aleshine, her other foot being
+entangled in a mass of shawls which dragged behind her. Her bonnet was
+split open and mashed down over her eyes. In her left hand she waved a
+piece of yellow flannel, which in her last mad descent she had torn from
+some part of the person of Mrs. Lecks, and in the other a bunch of stout
+dead weeds, which she had seized and pulled up by the roots as she had
+passed them. Her dress was ripped open down her rotund back, and the
+earth from the weed roots had bespattered her face. From the midst of
+this dilapidation her round eyes sparkled with excitement. Hopping on
+one foot, the shawls and a part of a cushion dragging behind her, she
+shouted:
+
+"The Dusantes! They are the Dusantes!"
+
+Then, pitching forward on her knees before the two strange ladies, who
+had now tumbled into each other's arms, she cried:
+
+"Oh, which is Emily, and which is Lucille?"
+
+I had rushed toward Ruth, who had clung to a cushion and was now sitting
+upon it, when Mrs. Lecks, who was close beside her, arose to her feet
+and stood upright. One foot was thrust through her own bonnet, and her
+clothes gave evidence of the frenzy and power of Mrs. Aleshine's grasp,
+but her mien was dignified and her aspect stately.
+
+"Barb'ry Aleshine!" she exclaimed, "if them Dusantes has dropped down
+from heaven at your very feet, can't you give 'em a minute to feel their
+ribs and see if their legs and arms is broken?"
+
+The younger lady now turned her head toward Mrs. Aleshine. "I am
+Lucille," she said.
+
+In a moment the good woman's arms were around her neck. "I always liked
+you the best of the two," she whispered into the ear of the astonished
+young lady.
+
+Having found that Ruth was unhurt, I ran to the assistance of the
+others. The gentleman had just arisen from a cushion, upon which, lying
+flat on his back, he had slid over the grass, still holding under one
+arm the package from which he had refused to part. I helped him to raise
+the elder lady to her feet. She had been a good deal shaken, and much
+frightened, but although a little bruised, she had received no important
+injury.
+
+[Illustration: "'OH, WHICH IS EMILY, AND WHICH IS LUCILLE?'"]
+
+I went to fill a leather pocket-cup from a brook nearby, and when I
+returned I found the gentleman standing, confronted by Mrs. Lecks, Mrs.
+Aleshine, and Ruth, while his own companions were regarding the group
+with eager interest.
+
+"Yes," he was saying, "my name is Dusante. But why do you ask at this
+moment? Why do you show such excited concern on the subject?"
+
+"Why?" exclaimed Mrs. Lecks. "I will tell you why, sir. My name is Mrs.
+Lecks, and this is Mrs. Aleshine, and if you are the Mr. Dusante with
+the house on the desert island, this is the Mrs. Craig who was married
+in that very house, and the gentleman here with the water is Mr. Craig,
+who wrote you the letter, which I hope you got. And if that isn't reason
+enough for our wanting to know if you are Mr. Dusante, I'd like to be
+told what more there could be!"
+
+"It's them! Of course it's them!" cried Mrs. Aleshine. "I had a feelin'
+while we were scootin' downhill that they was near and dear to us,
+though exactly why and how, I didn't know. And she's told me she's
+Lucille, and of course the other must be Emily, though what relations--"
+
+"Am I to understand," interrupted the gentleman, looking with earnest
+animation from one to the other of us, "that these are the good people
+who inhabited my house on the island?"
+
+"The very ones!" cried Mrs. Aleshine. "And what relation are you to
+Emily? and Lucille to her?"
+
+The gentleman stepped backward and laid down the package which he had
+held under his arm, and advancing toward me with outstretched hands, and
+with tears starting to his eyes, he exclaimed:
+
+"And this man, then, to whom I owe so much, is Mr. Craig!"
+
+"Owe me!" I said. "It is to you that we owe our very lives, and our
+escape from death in mid-ocean."
+
+"Do not speak of it," he said, shaking his head, with a sorrowful
+expression on his face. "You owe me nothing. I would to Heaven it were
+not so! But we will not talk of that now. And this is Mrs. Craig," he
+continued, taking Ruth by the hand, "the fair lady whose nuptials were
+celebrated in my house. And Mrs. Lecks, and Mrs. Aleshine." As he spoke
+he shook hands with each. "How I have longed to meet you! I have thought
+of you every day since I returned to my island and discovered that you
+had been--I wish I could say--my guests. And where is the reverend
+gentleman? and the three mariners? I hope that nothing has befallen
+them!"
+
+"Alas!--for three of them at least," ejaculated Mrs. Aleshine; "they
+have left us, but they are all right. And now, sir, if you could tell us
+what relation you are to Emily, and what Lucille--"
+
+"Barb'ry!" cried Mrs. Lecks, making a dash toward her friend, "can't you
+give the man a minute to breathe? Don't you see he's so dumflustered
+that he hardly knows who he is himself! If them two women was to sink
+down dead with hunger and hard slidin' right afore your very eyes while
+you was askin' what relation they was to each other and to him, it would
+no more'n serve you right! We'd better be seem' if anythin' 's the
+matter with 'em, and what we can do for 'em."
+
+At this moment the younger of Mr. Dusante's ladies quickly stepped
+forward. "Oh, Mrs. Craig, Mrs. Lecks, and Mrs. Aleshine!" she exclaimed,
+"I'm just dying to know all about you!"
+
+"And which, contrariwise," cried Mrs. Aleshine, "is the same with us,
+exactly."
+
+"And of all places in the world," continued the young lady, "that we
+should meet here!"
+
+No one could have been more desirous than I was to know all about these
+Dusantes, and to discuss the strange manner of our meeting; but I saw
+that Ruth was looking very pale and faint, and that the elder Dusante
+lady had sat down again upon the ground as though obliged to do so by
+sheer exhaustion, and I therefore hailed with a double delight the
+interruption of further explanations by the appearance of two men on
+horseback who came galloping toward us.
+
+They belonged to the house which I had noticed from the road above, and
+one of them had seen our swift descent down the mountain-side. At first
+he had thought the black object he saw sliding over the snow-slopes was
+a rock or a mass of underbrush, but his keen eye soon told him that it
+was a group of human beings, and summoning a companion, he had set out
+for the foot of the mountain as soon as horses could be caught and
+saddled.
+
+The men were much surprised when they heard the details of our
+adventure, but as it was quite plain that some members of our party
+needed immediate nourishment and attention, the questions and
+explanations were made very short. The men dismounted from their horses,
+and the elder Dusante lady was placed upon one of them, one man leading
+the animal and the other supporting the lady. Ruth mounted the other
+horse, and I walked by her to assist her in keeping her seat; but she
+held fast to the high pommel of the saddle, and got on very well. Mr.
+Dusante took his younger companion on one arm, and his package under the
+other, while Mrs. Lecks, having relieved her foot from the encircling
+bonnet, and Mrs. Aleshine, now free from the entangling shawls, followed
+in the rear. The men offered to come back with the horses for them, if
+they would wait; but the two women declared that they were quite able to
+walk, and intended to do no waiting, and they trudged vigorously after
+us. The sun was now high, and the air down here was quite different from
+that of the mountain-side, being pleasant and almost warm. The men said
+that the snows above would probably soon melt, as it was much too early
+in the season for snow to lie long on these lower sides of the
+mountains.
+
+Our way lay over an almost level plain for about a mile. A portion of it
+was somewhat rough, so that when we reached the low house to which we
+were bound, we were all very glad indeed to get there. The house
+belonged to the two men, who owned a small ranch here. One of them was
+married, and his wife immediately set herself to work to attend to our
+needs. Her home was small, its rooms few, and her larder very plain in
+quality; but everything she had was placed at our disposal. Her own bed
+was given to the elder Dusante lady, who took immediate possession of
+it; and after a quickly prepared but plentiful meal of fried pork,
+corn-bread, and coffee, the rest of us stretched ourselves out to rest
+wherever we could find a place. Before lying down, however, I had, at
+Ruth's earnest solicitation, engaged one of the men to ride to the
+railroad-station to inquire about Mr. Enderton, and to inform him of our
+safety. By taking a route which ran parallel with the mountain-chain,
+but at some distance from it, the station, the man said, could be
+reached without encountering snow.
+
+None of us had had proper rest during the past two nights, and we slept
+soundly until dark, when we were aroused to partake of supper. All of
+us, except the elder Dusante lady, who preferred to remain in bed,
+gathered around the table. After supper a large fire, principally of
+brushwood, was built upon the hearth; and with the bright blaze, two
+candles, and a lamp, the low room appeared light and cheery. We drew up
+about the fire--for the night was cool--on whatever chairs, stools, or
+boxes we could find, and no sooner had we all seated ourselves than Mrs.
+Aleshine exclaimed:
+
+"Now, Mr. Dusante, it ain't in the power of mortal man, nor woman
+neither,--an' if put the other way it might be stronger,--to wait any
+longer before knowin' what relation Lucille is to Emily, an' you to
+them, an' all about that house of yours on the island. If I'd blown up
+into bits this day through holdin' in my wantin' to know, I shouldn't
+have wondered! An' if it hadn't been for hard sleep, I don't believe I
+could have held in, nohow!"
+
+[Illustration: "WE DREW UP ABOUT THE FIRE."]
+
+"That's my mind exactly," said Mrs. Lecks; "and though I know there's a
+time for all things, and don't believe in crowdin' questions on
+played-out people, I do think, Mr. Dusante, that if I could have caught
+up with you when we was comin' over here, I'd have asked you to speak
+out on these p'ints. But you're a long-legged walker, which Mrs.
+Aleshine is not, and it wouldn't have done to leave her behind."
+
+"Which she wouldn't 'a' been," said Mrs. Aleshine, "long legs or short."
+
+Ruth and I added our entreaties that Mr. Dusante should tell his story,
+and the good ranchman and his wife said that if there was anything to
+be done in the story-telling line they were in for it, strong; and
+quitting their work of clearing away supper things, they brought an old
+hair trunk from another room, and sat down just behind Mrs. Lecks.
+
+The younger Dusante lady, who, having been divested of her wraps, her
+veil, and the woolen shawl that had been tied over her head, had proved
+to be a very pretty girl with black eyes, here declared that it had been
+her intention at the first opportunity to get us to tell our story, but
+as we had asked first, she supposed we ought to be satisfied first.
+
+"I do not wish, my good friends," said Mr. Dusante, "to delay for a
+moment longer than necessary your very pardonable curiosity concerning
+me and my family; and I must say at the same time that, although your
+letter, sir, gave me a very clear account of your visit to my island,
+there are many things which naturally could not be contained within the
+limits of a letter, and about which I am most anxious to make inquiries.
+But these I will reserve until my own narration is finished.
+
+"My name is Albert Dusante. It may interest you to know that my father
+was a Frenchman and my mother an American lady from New England. I was
+born in France, but have lived very little in that country, and for a
+great part of my life have been a merchant in Honolulu. For the past few
+years, however, I have been enabled to free myself in a great degree
+from the trammels of business, and to devote myself to the pursuits of a
+man of leisure. I have never married, and this young lady is my
+sister."
+
+"Then what relation," began Mrs. Aleshine, "is she to--?"
+
+At this moment the hand of Mrs. Lecks, falling heavily into the lap of
+the speaker, stopped this question, and Mr. Dusante proceeded:
+
+"Our parents died when Lucille was an infant, and we have no near blood
+relations."
+
+At this the faces of both Mrs. Aleshine and Mrs. Lecks assumed
+expressions as if they had each just received a letter superscribed in
+an unknown hand, and were wondering who it could possibly be from.
+
+"The lady who is now resting in the adjoining room," continued Mr.
+Dusante, "is a dear friend who has been adopted by me as a mother."
+
+"Upon my word!" burst from Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, in as much
+unison of time and tone as if the words had been a response in a church
+service, while Miss Lucille leaned back against the wall near which she
+sat, and laughed gleefully. Mr. Dusante, however, continued his
+statements with the same quiet gravity with which he had begun.
+
+"This lady was a dear friend of my mother, although younger than she. I
+adopted her as a mother to my little orphan sister, and, consequently,
+placed her in the same maternal relation to myself, doing this with much
+earnest satisfaction, for I hoped to be able to return, as a son,
+something of the tender care and affection which she would bestow on
+Lucille as a daughter."
+
+"And she is Emily?" cried Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"She adopted our name," answered the speaker, "and she is Mrs. Emily
+Dusante."
+
+"And she is your adopted _mother?_" said Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"Adopted mother!" ejaculated Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"Yes," answered Mr. Dusante.
+
+"And that is the only relation she is to you two?" said Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"And you to her?" added Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"Most assuredly," answered Mr. Dusante.
+
+Here Mrs. Lecks leaned back in her chair, folded her hands in her lap,
+and ejaculated, "Well, well!" and then allowed her face to assume a
+rigid intention of having nothing more to say at the present moment.
+
+"One thing is certain," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, in a tone which
+indicated that she did not care who heard her; "I always liked Lucille
+the best!"
+
+At this Ruth and I exchanged smiles with Miss Lucille, and Mr. Dusante
+proceeded:
+
+"I do not wish to occupy too much of your time with our personal
+affairs, and will therefore state that the island on which you found
+refuge, and where I wish most heartily I had been present to act as
+host, was bought by me as a retreat from the annoyances of business and
+the exactions of society. I built there a good house--"
+
+"Which it truly was," said Mrs. Aleshine, "with fixtures in it for
+water, and letting it off, which I never saw in a house so far out of
+town."
+
+"I furnished it suitably," said Mr. Dusante. "We had books and music,
+and for several years we passed vacations there which were both
+enjoyable and profitable. But of late my sister has found the place
+lonely, and we have traveled a good deal, making intermittent and often
+short visits to the island.
+
+"As I never cared to leave any one on that lonely spot during our
+absences from it, I arranged a gateway of bars across the only opening
+in the reef, with the intention of preventing marauding visits from
+fishing-boats or other small craft which might be passing that way. As
+the island was out of the ordinary track of vessels, I did not imagine
+that my bars would ever prove an obstacle to unfortunate castaways who
+might seek a refuge there."
+
+"Which they didn't," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "for under we bobbed."
+
+"I never exactly understood," said Mr. Dusante, "and I hope to have it
+explained to me in due time, how you passed my bars without removing
+them; and I have had a sore weight upon my conscience since I discovered
+that shipwrecked persons, fleeing to my house from the perils of the
+sea, should have found those inhospitable bars in their way--"
+
+"Which is a weight you might as well cast off, and be done with it,"
+said Mrs. Lecks, her deep-set notions on the rights of property obliging
+her to speak; "for if a man hasn't a right to lock up his house when he
+goes away and leaves it, I don't know what rights anybody has about
+anything. Me, or Mrs. Aleshine, or anybody else here who has a house,
+might just as well go off travelin', or to town visitin', and leave our
+front door unlocked, and the yard gate swingin' on its hinges, because
+we was afraid that some tramp or other body with no house or home might
+come along and not be able to get in and make himself comfortable. Your
+business, sir, when you left that house and all your belongin's on that
+island, was to leave everything tight and safe; and the business of
+people sailin' in ships was to go on their proper way, and not be
+runnin' into each other. And if these last mentioned didn't see fit to
+do that, and so got into trouble, they should have gone to some island
+where there were people to attend to 'em, just as the tramps should go
+to the poorhouse. And this is what we would have done--not meanin' the
+poorhouse--if we hadn't been so over long-headed as to get into a leaky
+boat, which, I wish it understood, is sayin' nothin' against Mr. Craig."
+
+"That's true," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for nobody has got a right to
+complain that a fellow-bein' locks his own door after him. But it does
+seem to me, sir, that in such scattered neighborhoods as your island is
+in, it might be a good thing to leave something to eat an'
+drink--perhaps in a bottle or in a tin pail--at the outside of your bars
+for them as might come along shipwrecked, an' not be able to get inside
+on account of bein' obliged to come in a boat, an' not as we did; an'
+so, when they found they'd have to go on, they might have somethin' to
+keep up their strength till they got to another house."
+
+"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "when you start off on a
+journey to Japan or any other place, an' leave mince-pies and buttered
+toast a-stickin' on the p'ints of your pickets for tramps that might
+come along and need 'em, you can do that kind of talkin'. But as that
+time hasn't come, let's hear the rest of Mr. Dusante's story."
+
+"When I first visited my island this year," continued the narrator, "we
+made but a short stay, as we were all desirous of taking a somewhat
+extended sea-voyage in my steam-yacht. We visited several places of
+interest, and when we returned, just six weeks ago to-day--"
+
+"Just one week, lackin' a day," exclaimed Mrs. Lecks, "after we left
+that spot!"
+
+"If I'd 'a' knowed," said Mrs. Aleshine, rising to her feet, "that you'd
+be back so soon, I'd 'a' made them sailormen live on fish, I'd 'a' eat
+garden-truck myself, and I'd be bound I'd 'a' made the flour hold out
+for six days more for the rest of 'em, if I'd 'a' had to work my fingers
+to the skin and bone to do it!" Then she sat down solemnly.
+
+"When we returned," continued Mr. Dusante, "I was pleased to find my
+bars intact; and when these were unlocked, and the boat from our yacht
+went through with ourselves and our servants, it was very agreeable to
+notice the good order which seemed to prevail everywhere. As we passed
+from the wharf to the house, not even fallen boughs or weeds were seen
+to indicate that we had been away from the place for more than two
+months. When we entered the house, my mother and sister immediately
+ascended to their chambers, and when the windows had been opened I heard
+them from above calling to each other and remarking upon the freshness
+and cleanliness of the rooms. I went to my library, and when I had
+thrown open the window I was struck with the somewhat peculiar air of
+order which seemed to obtain in the room. The books stood upon their
+shelves with a remarkable regularity, and the chairs and other
+furniture were arranged with a precision which impressed me as unusual.
+In a moment, sir, I saw your letter upon the table addressed to me.
+Greatly astonished, I opened and read it.
+
+"When I had finished it my amazement was great indeed; but obeying an
+instant impulse, I stepped into the dining-room, which a servant had
+opened, and took the ginger-jar from the mantelpiece. When I lifted from
+it the little brown-paper parcel, and beneath it saw the money which had
+been mentioned in the letter, you may imagine the condition of my mind.
+I did not take out the money, nor count it; but covering it again with
+the paper parcel, which I believed contained fish-hooks, and with the
+jar in my hands, I returned to the library, where I sat down to ponder
+upon these most astounding revelations. While so doing my mother and
+sister hastily entered the room. Lucille declared in an excited manner
+that she believed that the brownies or some other fairies had been there
+while we were away and had kept the house in order. The whole place was
+actually cleaner, she said, than when we left it. She had taken down a
+thin dress from her closet, and it looked as if it had just come from
+the hand of a laundress, with the ruffles ironed smoother and more
+evenly than they had ever been since it was first stitched together.
+'Albert,' said my mother, her face pale, 'there has been somebody in
+this house!' Then she went on to say that the windows, which were left
+unwashed because we went away in somewhat of a hurry, were as bright and
+clean as if the maids had just been rubbing them; the floors and
+furniture were cleaner and freer from dust than they had ever been
+before; and the whole house looked as if we had just left it yesterday.
+'In fact,' she said, 'it is unnaturally clean!'"
+
+During this part of Mr. Dusante's story Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine sat
+very quiet, with an air of sedate humility upon their faces; but I could
+see by the proud light in their eyes that they felt their superiority to
+ordinary women, although they were properly resolved not to show such
+feeling.
+
+"At that moment," continued Mr. Dusante, "a servant came hurrying into
+the room, and informed us that the flour was all gone, and that there
+was scarcely anything in the pantries to eat. At this my mother and my
+sister, who knew that an abundance of provisions had been left in the
+house, looked at each other aghast. But before they could express their
+consternation in words, I addressed them. 'My dear mother,' said I, 'and
+Lucille, there truly has been some one in this house. By this letter I
+am informed that for several weeks eight persons have lived here under
+this roof; a marriage has been solemnized, and the happy couple have
+gone forth from our doors. These persons have eaten our food, they have
+made use of our property, and this has been their temporary home. But
+they are good people, honest and true-hearted, for they have left the
+house in better order than they found it, and more than the price of all
+they have consumed is in that ginger-jar.' And thereupon I read them
+your letter, sir.
+
+"I cannot undertake to describe the wonder and absorbing interest with
+which this letter filled our minds. All needful stores were brought
+ashore from the yacht, which lay outside the reef, and we began our
+usual life on the island; but none of the occupations or recreations in
+which we formerly employed our time now possessed any attractions for
+us. Our minds were filled with thoughts of the persons who had been so
+strangely living in our house; and our conversation was mainly made up
+of surmises as to what sort of people they were, whether or not we
+should ever see them, and similar suppositions."
+
+"Yes, indeed!" exclaimed Miss Lucille. "I thought of you by day and by
+night, and pictured you all in various ways, but never as you really
+are. Sometimes I used to think that the boat in which you went away had
+been sunk in a storm in which you were all drowned, and that perhaps
+your ghosts would come back and live in our house, and sleep in our
+beds, and clean our windows, and wash and iron our clothes, and do all
+sorts of things in the night."
+
+"Goodnessful, gracious me!" cried Mrs. Aleshine, "don't talk that way!
+The idea of bein' a cold ghost, goin' about in the dark, is worse than
+slidin' down a snow-mountain, even if you had to do it on the bare of
+your back."
+
+"Barb'ry!" said Mrs. Lecks, severely.
+
+"The idea is jus' as chillin'," replied her undaunted friend.
+
+"Two things connected with this matter," continued Mr. Dusante, "weighed
+heavily on my mind. One of these I have already mentioned--the cruel
+inhospitality of the barred entrance."
+
+I had refrained from adding to the interruptions to Mr. Dusante's
+narrative, but I now felt impelled to assure the gentleman, on behalf of
+myself and wife, that we shared the opinions of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine, and felt that he could in no way be blamed for thus protecting
+his private property.
+
+"You are very good," said Mr. Dusante, "but I will say here that there
+are now no bars to that entrance. I have left some people on the island,
+who will take care of my property and succor any unfortunate castaways
+who may arrive there. The other matter to which I alluded was, however,
+the heavier load which oppressed me. This was the money in the
+ginger-jar. I could not endure to reflect that I had been paid actual
+money for the hospitality I would have been so glad to offer to you poor
+shipwrecked people. Every sentiment of my being rebelled against such a
+thing. I was grieved. I was ashamed. At last I determined I would bear
+no longer the ignominy of this brand of inhospitality, and that, with
+the ginger-jar in my hand, I would search over the world, if necessary,
+for the persons who in my absence had paid board to me, and return to
+them the jar with its contents uncounted and untouched. Your letter
+informed me of the island to which you were bound, and if I did not find
+you there I could discover to what port you had taken your departure.
+There I could make further inquiries, and so follow you. When I proposed
+this plan to my family they agreed to it instantly, for their interest
+in the matter was almost as great as mine; and in a day or two we
+started on our quest.
+
+"I easily traced you to San Francisco, and found the hotel at which you
+had stopped. Here I obtained fresh news of you, and learned that you
+had started East, and that the destination of the party was believed to
+be Philadelphia. I had hoped that I should meet with you before you left
+California; but supposing that by that time you had reached your
+destination, or were, at least, far on your way, I yielded to the
+solicitations of my sister and made some excursions in California,
+intending then to follow you to Philadelphia, and there to advertise for
+Mr. Craig, if he could not otherwise be found. However, by the rarest
+and most fortunate of chances, we have met thus early, and for this I
+can never be too devoutly thankful."
+
+"Nor we," said I, earnestly; "for our greatly desired acquaintance with
+you and your family could not have begun too soon."
+
+"Now," said Mr. Dusante, "I will perform the duty for which my journey
+was undertaken, and I assure you it is a great pleasure to me to be able
+so soon to carry out this cherished purpose."
+
+He then took up from the floor by his side the package which he had so
+safely guarded during his swift and perilous descent of the
+mountain-side, and which he had since kept close by him. Placing this
+upon his knee, he removed the light shawl in which it had been rolled,
+and then several pieces of wrapping-paper, revealing to our eyes the
+familiar fat little ginger-jar which had stood on the mantelpiece of the
+dining-room in the house on the island, and in which we had deposited
+our board money.
+
+"It would be simply impossible for me," said Mr. Dusante, "to consent to
+retain in my possession money paid for the aid which I involuntarily
+rendered to shipwrecked people. Had I been present on the island, that
+aid would have been most heartily and freely given, and the fact of my
+absence makes no difference whatever in regard to my feelings on the
+subject of your paying for the food and shelter you found at my house.
+Having understood from Mr. Craig's letter that it was Mrs. Lecks who
+superintended the collection and depositing of the money, I now return
+to you, madam, this jar with its contents."
+
+"And which," said Mrs. Lecks, sitting up very rigidly, with her hands
+clasped behind her, "I don't take. If it had been a day and a night, or
+even two nights and over a Sunday, it wouldn't have mattered; but when
+me and Mrs. Aleshine--and the rest of the party can speak for
+themselves--stays for weeks and weeks, without leave or license, in a
+man's house, we pay our board--of course deductin' services. Good
+night."
+
+[Illustration: "REVEALING THE FAMILIAR FAT LITTLE GINGER-JAR."]
+
+With that she arose, and walked, very erect, into the adjoining room.
+
+"It was all very well, Mr. Dusante," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for you to try
+to carry out what you thought was right; but we have our ideas as to
+what our duty is, an' you have your ideas as to what your duty is, an'
+consciences is even."
+
+Having said this, she followed her friend.
+
+Mr. Dusante looked surprised and troubled, and he turned toward me. "My
+dear sir," said I, "those two good women are very sensitive in regard to
+right and justice, and I think it will be well not to press this subject
+upon them. As for my wife and me, neither of us would consent to touch
+money which was placed in that jar by Mrs. Lecks with the expectation
+that no one but you or one of your family would take it out."
+
+"Very well, sir," said Mr. Dusante, replacing the wrapping-paper around
+the jar; "I will drop the subject for the present. But you will allow me
+to say, sir, that I also am very sensitive in regard to right and
+justice."
+
+Early the next morning the man who had been sent to the railroad-station
+came back, bringing news that a four-horse wagon would shortly be sent
+for us, and also bearing a letter from Mr. Enderton to Ruth. In this
+that gentleman informed his daughter that he was quite well, but that he
+had suffered anxiety on account of her probable hardships in the
+abandoned stage-coach. He had hoped, however, that the snow which had
+precluded his return with assistance had fallen lightly in the elevated
+position in which she had been left; and he had trusted also that Mr.
+Craig had bethought himself to build a fire somewhere near the coach,
+where his daughter might be warmed; and that the provisions, of which he
+knew an ample quantity had been packed for the trip, had been properly
+heated for her and given to her at suitable intervals. This anxiety, he
+said, had added very much to his own mental disquietude occasioned by
+the violent vituperations and unjust demands of the driver of the
+stage-coach, who had seen fit to attack him with all manner of abuse,
+and might even have resorted to personal violence had it not been for
+the interference of by-standers and the locking of his room door. He was
+now, however, much relieved by the departure of this driver, and by the
+news that his daughter had reached a place of safety, which, of course,
+he had supposed she would do, her detention having occurred on an
+ordinary route of travel.
+
+While waiting for the arrival of the wagon, the adventures of Mrs.
+Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine, and myself, as well as those of Ruth and her
+father, from the time the one party left America and the other China,
+were related at length to the Dusantes, who showed a deep interest in
+every detail, and asked many questions.
+
+Mrs. Dusante, whose nervous equilibrium had been fully restored by her
+night's rest, and who, although feeling a little stiff and bruised, now
+declared herself quite well, proved to be a very pleasant lady of
+fifty-five or thereabouts. She was of a quiet disposition, but her
+speech and manner showed that in former years, at least, she had been a
+woman of society, and I soon found out that she was much interested in
+the study of character. This interest was principally shown in the
+direction of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, whom she evidently looked
+upon as most remarkable women. If any of her sentiments were those of
+admiration, however, they were not returned in kind; Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine had but a small opinion of her.
+
+"There's mother-in-laws, and stepmothers, and real mothers, and
+grandmothers, and sometimes great-grandmothers livin'," said Mrs. Lecks
+to me, apart; "but though Mr. Dusante may be a well-meanin' man,--and I
+don't doubt he is,--and wishin', I haven't the least reason to
+disbelieve, to do his whole duty by his fellow-men, still I must say,
+bein' brought up as I was, he hasn't any right to make a new kind of
+mother. To be sure, a man can adopt children, but that isn't goin'
+backward, like this is, which is ag'in' nat'ral law and gospel."
+
+"I expect," said Mrs. Aleshine, who was with us, "that them French has
+got fashions that we don't know about, and thankful we ought to be that
+we don't! I never had no patience with French heels an' French
+arsenic-green beans; an' now, if there's to be adoptin' of mothers in
+this country, the next thing will be gullotynes."
+
+"I don't see," said I, "why you look upon the Dusantes as French people.
+They are just as much American as French."
+
+"Well," said Mrs. Lecks, "it's not for me and Mrs. Aleshine to set
+ourselves up to judge other people. In our part of the country we don't
+adopt mothers; but if they do it in France, or the Sandwich Islands, or
+down East, I don't know that we ought to have anything to say."
+
+"He might as well have adopted a father at the same time," said Mrs.
+Aleshine, "although, to be sure, he would 'a' had to been particular to
+take one that was acquainted with Mrs. Dusante, and not had 'em
+strangers to each other, though parents to him."
+
+"If I was you, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "I'd adopt some sort
+of rag to the top of my head to serve for a bonnet; for here comes the
+wagon, and I suppose now we'll be off."
+
+We took leave of the kind-hearted ranch people, who looked upon us as a
+godsend into their lonely life, and disposed ourselves as comfortably as
+we could in the large wagon. Our journey of seven or eight miles to the
+railroad-station was slow, and over ways that were rough. Mrs. Dusante
+was a delicate woman and not used to hardship, whereas Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine were exceedingly vigorous and tough. The consequence of
+this difference was that the kindly hearts of the latter prompted them
+to do everything they could to prevent Mrs. Dusante feeling the bumps
+and jolts, and to give her such advantages of wraps and position as
+would help her to bear better the fatigues of the journey.
+
+In doing this these good women gradually forgot the adopted mother, and
+came to think only of the very pleasant lady who needed their
+attentions, and who took such a lively and agreeable interest in their
+family histories, their homes, their manner of living, and everything
+that pertained to them; and before we reached the end of our trip these
+three were talking together like old friends. Ruth and Miss Lucille had
+also struck up a warm acquaintance, while I found Mr. Dusante a very
+entertaining man--of sedate and careful speech, ingenious ideas, and of
+a very courteous disposition.
+
+When we arrived at the railroad-station we were met by Mr. Enderton, who
+showed a moderate degree of pleasure at seeing us, and an immoderate
+amount of annoyance, exhibited principally to me, in being obliged to
+give up to the women of our party the large room he had occupied in the
+only lodging-house in the little settlement.
+
+[Illustration: "RUTH AND MISS LUCILLE STRUCK UP A WARM ACQUAINTANCE."]
+
+When I informed him that the strangers with us were the Dusantes, on
+whose island we had been staying, he at first listened vaguely. He had
+always looked upon the Dusante family as a sort of fable used by Mrs.
+Lecks to countenance her exactions of money from the unfortunate
+sojourners on the island. But when I told him what Mr. Dusante had done,
+and related how he had brought the board money with him, and had offered
+to pay it back to us, an eager interest was aroused in him.
+
+"I do not wonder," he exclaimed, "that the conscience-stricken man
+wishes to give the money back, but that any one should refuse what
+actually belongs to him or her is beyond my comprehension! One thing is
+certain--I shall receive my portion. Fifteen dollars a week for my
+daughter and myself that woman charged me, and I will have it back."
+
+"My dear sir," I said, "your board was reduced to the same sum as that
+paid by the rest of us--four dollars a week each."
+
+"I call to mind no reduction," said Mr. Enderton. "I remember distinctly
+the exorbitant sum charged me for board on a desert island. It made a
+deep impression upon me."
+
+"I do not care to talk any further on this subject," I said. "You must
+settle it with Mrs. Lecks."
+
+Mr. Enderton gave a great sniff, and walked away with dignity. I could
+not but laugh as I imagined his condition two minutes after he had
+stated his opinions on this subject to Mrs. Lecks.
+
+When Mr. Dusante had started from San Francisco on his search for us, he
+had sent his heavy baggage ahead of him to Ogden City, where he purposed
+to make his first stop. He supposed that we might possibly here diverge
+from our homeward-bound route in order to visit the Mormon metropolis;
+and, if we had done so, he did not wish to pass us. It was therefore now
+agreed that we should all go to Ogden City, and there await the arrival
+of our effects left in the snowed-up vehicles on the mountain-side. We
+made arrangements with the station-master that these should be forwarded
+to us as soon as the stage-coach and the carriage could be brought down.
+All the baggage of my party was on the coach, and it consisted only of a
+few valises bought in San Francisco, and a package containing two
+life-preservers, which Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine said they would
+take home with them, if they took nothing else.
+
+On the morning after our arrival at Ogden City, Mr. Dusante took me
+aside. "Sir," he said, "I wish to confide to you my intentions regarding
+the jar containing the money left by your party in my house, and I trust
+you will do nothing to thwart them. When your baggage arrives, you, with
+your party, will doubtless continue your eastern way, and we shall
+return to San Francisco. But the jar, with its contents, shall be left
+behind to be delivered to Mrs. Lecks. If you will take charge of the
+jar, and hand it to her, sir, I shall be obliged greatly."
+
+I promised Mr. Dusante that I would not interfere with his intentions,
+but asserted that I could, on no account, take charge of the jar. The
+possession of that piece of pottery, with its contents, was now a matter
+of dispute between him and Mrs. Lecks, and must be settled by them.
+
+"Very well, then, sir," he said. "I shall arrange to depart before you
+and your company, and I shall leave the jar, suitably packed, in the
+care of the clerk of this hotel, with directions to hand it to Mrs.
+Lecks after I am gone. Thus there will be nothing for her to do but to
+receive it."
+
+Some one now came into the smoking-room, where we were sitting, and no
+more was said on this subject. Mr. Dusante's statement of his intention
+very much amused me, for Mrs. Lecks had previously taken me into her
+confidence in regard to her intentions in this matter. "Mr. Dusante,"
+she had said, "hasn't dropped a word more about the money in that
+ginger-jar, but I know just as well as he does what he's goin' to do
+about it. When the time comes to go, he's goin' to slip off quietly,
+leavin' that jar behind him, thinkin' then I'll be obliged to take it,
+there bein' nobody to give it back to. But he'll find me just as sharp
+as he is. I've got the street and number of his business place in
+Honolulu from his sister,--askin' about it in an offhand way, as if it
+didn't mean anything,--an' if that jar is left for me, I'll pack it in a
+box, money and all, and I'll express it to Mr. Dusante; and when he gets
+to Honolulu he'll find it there, and then he'll know that two can play
+at that sort of game."
+
+Knowing Mr. Dusante, and knowing Mrs. Lecks, I pictured to myself a box
+containing a ginger-jar, and covered with numerous half-obliterated
+addresses, traveling backward and forward between the Sandwich Islands
+and Pennsylvania during the lifetime of the contestants, and, probably,
+if testamentary desires should be regarded, during a great part of the
+lifetime of their heirs. That the wear and tear of the box might make it
+necessary to inclose it in a keg, and that, eventually, the keg might
+have to be placed in a barrel, and that, after a time, in a hogshead,
+seemed to me as likely as any other contingencies which might befall
+this peregrinating ginger-jar.
+
+We spent three days in Ogden City, and then, the weather having
+moderated very much, and the snow on the mountains having melted
+sufficiently to allow the vehicles to be brought down, our effects were
+forwarded to us, and my party and that of Mr. Dusante prepared to
+proceed on our different ways. An eastward-bound train left that
+evening an hour after we received our baggage, but we did not care to
+depart upon such short notice, and so determined to remain until the
+next day.
+
+In the evening Mr. Dusante came to me to say that he was very glad to
+find that the westward train would leave Ogden City early in the
+morning, so that he and his family would start on their journey some
+hours before we should leave. "This suits my plans exactly," he said. "I
+have left the ginger-jar, securely wrapped, and addressed to Mrs. Lecks,
+with the clerk of the hotel, who will deliver it to-morrow immediately
+after my departure. All our preparations are made, and we purpose this
+evening to bid farewell to you and our other kind friends, from whom, I
+assure you, we are most deeply grieved to part."
+
+I had just replied that we also regretted extremely the necessity for
+this separation, when a boy brought me a letter. I opened it, and found
+it was from Mr. Enderton. It read as follows:
+
+     DEAR SIR: I have determined not to wait here until to-morrow,
+     but to proceed eastward by this evening's train. I desire to
+     spend a day in Chicago, and as you and the others will probably
+     not wish to stop there, I shall, by this means, attain my
+     object without detaining you. My sudden resolution will not
+     give me time to see you all before I start, but I have taken a
+     hurried leave of my daughter, and this letter will explain
+     my departure to the rest.
+
+     I will also mention that I have thought it proper, as the
+     natural head of our party both by age and position, to settle
+     the amicable dispute in regard to the reception and disposition
+     of the money paid, under an excusable misapprehension, for our
+     board and lodging upon a desert island. I discovered that the
+     receptacle of this money had been left in the custody of the
+     clerk, addressed to Mrs. Lecks, who has not only already
+     refused to receive it, and would probably do so again, but who
+     is, in my opinion, in no wise entitled to hold, possess, or
+     dispose of it. I therefore, without making any disturbance
+     whatever, have taken charge of the package, and shall convey it
+     with me to Chicago. When you arrive there, I will apportion the
+     contents among us according to our several claims. This I
+     regard as a very sensible and prudent solution of the little
+     difficulty which has confronted us in regard to the disposition
+     of this money. Yours hurriedly,
+
+                                                   DAVID J. ENDERTON.
+
+     P.S. I shall stop at Brandiger's Hotel, where I shall await
+     you.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+PART VI
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Mr. Enderton's letter astonished and angered me, but in spite of my
+indignation, I could not help smiling at the unexpected way in which he
+had put a stop to the probable perpetual peregrinations of the
+ginger-jar. I handed the letter to Mr. Dusante, and when he had read it
+his face flushed, and I could see that he was very angry, although he
+kept his temper under excellent control.
+
+"Sir," he said presently, "this shall not be allowed. That jar, with its
+contents, is my property until Mrs. Lecks has consented to receive it.
+It is of my own option that I return it at all, and I have decided to
+return it to Mrs. Lecks. Any one interfering with my intentions steps
+entirely beyond the line of just and warrantable procedure. Sir, I shall
+not go westward to-morrow morning, but, with my family, will accompany
+you to Chicago, where I shall require Mr. Enderton to return to me my
+property, which I shall then dispose of as I see fit. You must excuse
+me, sir, if anything I have said regarding this gentleman with whom you
+are connected has wounded your sensibilities."
+
+"Oh, don't think of that," I exclaimed. "Pitch into Enderton as much as
+you please, and you may be sure that I shall not object. When I took the
+daughter to wife, I did not marry the father. But, of course, for my
+wife's sake I hope this matter will not be made the subject of public
+comment."
+
+"You need have no fear of that," said Mr. Dusante; "and you will allow
+me to remark that Mr. Enderton's wife must have been a most charming
+lady."
+
+"Why do you think so?" I asked.
+
+"I judge so," he answered, with a bow, "from my acquaintance with Mrs.
+Craig."
+
+I now went immediately to Ruth, who, I found, knew nothing of what had
+occurred, except that her father had gone on to Chicago in advance of
+our party, and had had time only to bid her a hasty good-by. I made no
+remarks on this haste, which would not allow Mr. Enderton to take leave
+of us, but which gave him time to write a letter of some length; and as
+Ruth knew nothing of this letter, I determined not to mention it to her.
+Her father's sudden departure surprised her but little, for she told me
+that he always liked to get to places before the rest of the party with
+whom he might be journeying.
+
+"Even when we go to church," she said, "he always walks ahead of the
+rest of us. I don't understand why he likes to do so, but this is one of
+his habits."
+
+When I informed Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine of what had happened, they
+fairly blazed.
+
+"I don't know what Mr. Dusante calls it," exclaimed Mrs. Lecks, "but I
+know what I call it."
+
+"Yes, indeed!" cried Mrs. Aleshine, her round eyes sparkling with
+excitement; "if that isn't ex-honesty, then he ain't no ex-missionary! I
+pity the heathen he converted!"
+
+"I'll convert him," said Mrs. Lecks, "if ever I lay eyes on him! Walkin'
+away with a package with my name on it! He might as well take my gold
+spectacles or my tortoise-shell comb! I suppose there's no such thing
+as ketchin' up with him, but I'll telegraph after him; an' I'll let him
+know that if he dares to open a package of mine, I'll put the law on
+him!"
+
+"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine. "You kin send telegraphs all along the
+line to one station an' another for conductors to give to him in the
+cars, an' directed to Mr. Enderton, a tall man with gray-mixed hair an'
+a stolen bundle. That's the way they did in our place when Abram Marly's
+wife fell into the cistern, an' he'd jus' took the cars to the city, an'
+they telegraphed to him at five different stations to know where he'd
+left the ladder."
+
+"Which ain't a bad idea," said Mrs. Lecks, "though his name will be
+enough on it without no description; an' I'll do that this minute, an'
+find out about the stations from the clerk."
+
+"You must be very careful," I said, "about anything of that kind, for
+the telegrams will be read at the stations, and Mr. Enderton might be
+brought into trouble in a way which we all should regret; but a
+despatch may be worded so that he, and no one else, would understand
+it."
+
+"Very well," said Mrs. Lecks, "an' let's get at it; but I must say that
+he don't deserve bein' saved no trouble, for I'm as sure as that I'm a
+livin' woman that he never saved nobody else no trouble sence the first
+minute he was born."
+
+The following despatch was concocted and sent on to Bridger, to be
+delivered to Mr. Enderton on the train:
+
+     The package you know of has been stolen. You will recognize the
+     thief. If he leaves it at Chicago hotel, let him go. If he
+     opens it, clap him in jail.
+
+                                                         MRS. LECKS.
+
+"I think that will make him keep his fingers off it," said Mrs. Lecks;
+"an' if Mr. Dusante chooses to send somethin' of the same kind to some
+other station, it won't do no harm. An' if that Enderton gets so skeered
+that he keeps out of sight and hearin' of all of us, it'll be the best
+thing that's happened yet. An' I want you to understan', Mr. Craig, that
+nothin' 's goin' to be said or done to make your wife feel bad; an'
+there's no need of her hearin' about what's been done or what's goin' to
+be done. But I'll say for her that though, of course, Mr. Enderton is
+her father, and she looks up to him as such, she's a mighty deal
+livelier and gayer-hearted when he's away than when he's with her. An'
+as for the rest of us, there's no use sayin' anything about our
+resignedness to the loss of his company."
+
+"I should say so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "for if there ever was a man who
+thought of himself ninety-nine times before he thought of anybody else
+once, an' then as like as not to forgit that once, he's the man. An'
+it's not, by no means, that I'm down on missionaries, for it's many a
+box I've made up for 'em, an' never begrudged neither money nor trouble,
+an' will do it ag'in many times, I hope. But he oughtn't to be called
+one, havin' given it up,--unless they gave him up, which there's no
+knowin' which it was,--for if there's anything which shows the good in a
+man, it's his bein' willin' to give up the comforts of a Christian land
+an' go an' convert heathens; though bein' willin' to give up the
+heathens an' go for the comforts shows him quite different, besides, as
+like as not, chargin' double, an' only half convertin'."
+
+Mr. Dusante was fully determined to go on with us until he had recovered
+possession of the ginger-jar. His courteous feelings toward Mrs. Craig
+and myself prevented his saying much about Mr. Enderton, but I had good
+reason to believe that his opinions in regard to my father-in-law were
+not very different from those of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine. Ever
+since Mr. Enderton had shown his petulant selfishness, when obliged to
+give up his room at the railroad-station for the use of the women of his
+party, Mr. Dusante had looked upon him coldly, and the two had had but
+little to say to each other.
+
+We were all very glad that our pleasant party was not to be broken up;
+and although there was no resignation at the absence of the ginger-jar,
+we started on our journey the next day in a pleasanter mood for the
+absence of Mr. Enderton. Before we left, Mr. Dusante sent a telegram to
+Kearney Junction, to be delivered to Mr. Enderton when he arrived
+there. What this message was I do not know, but I imagine its tone was
+decided.
+
+Our journey to Chicago was a pleasant one. We had now all become very
+well acquainted with each other, and there was no discordant element in
+the combined party. Some of us were a little apprehensive of trouble, or
+annoyance at least, awaiting us in Chicago, but we did not speak of it;
+and while Ruth knew nothing of her father's misbehavior, it might have
+been supposed that the rest had forgotten it.
+
+At Chicago we went at once to Brandiger's Hotel, and there we found,
+instead of Mr. Enderton, a letter from him to Ruth. It read as follows:
+
+     MY DEAR DAUGHTER: I have determined not to wait here, as
+     originally intended, but to go on by myself. I am sorry not to
+     meet you here, but it will not be long before we are together
+     again, and you know I do not like to travel with a party. Its
+     various members always incommode me in one way or another. I
+     had proposed to go to Philadelphia and wait for you there, but
+     have since concluded to stop at Meadowville, a village in the
+     interior of Pennsylvania, where, as they have informed me, the
+     two women, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, reside. I wish to see
+     the party all together before I take final leave of them, and I
+     suppose the two women will not consent to go any farther than
+     the country town in which they live. Inclosed is a note to your
+     husband relating to business matters. I hope that he will take
+     the best of care of you during the rest of the journey, and
+     thus very much oblige
+
+                                         YOUR AFFECTIONATE FATHER.
+
+This was my note:
+
+     MR. CRAIG. SIR: I should have supposed that you would have been
+     able to prevent the insolent messages which have been
+     telegraphed to me from some members of your party, but it is
+     my lot to be disappointed in those in whom I trust. I shall
+     make no answer to these messages, but will say to you that I am
+     not to be browbeaten in my intention to divide among its
+     rightful claimants the money now in my possession. It is not
+     that I care for the comparatively paltry sum that will fall to
+     myself and my daughter, but it is the principle of the matter
+     for which I am contending. It was due to me that the amount
+     should have been returned to me, and to no other, that I might
+     make the proper division. I therefore rest upon my principles
+     and my rights; and, desiring to avoid needless altercations,
+     shall proceed to Meadowville, where, when the rest of my party
+     arrive, I shall justly apportion the money. I suppose the man
+     Dusante will not be foolish enough to protract his useless
+     journey farther than Chicago. It is your duty to make him see
+     the impropriety of so doing. Yours, etc.,
+
+                                                   D. J. ENDERTON.
+
+Ruth's letter was shown to all the party, and mine in private to Mr.
+Dusante, Mrs. Lecks, and Mrs. Aleshine. When the first moments of
+astonishment were over, Mrs. Lecks exclaimed:
+
+"Well, after all, I don't know that I'm so very sorry that the old sneak
+has done this, for now we're rid of him for the rest of the trip; and
+I'm pretty certain, from the way he writes, that he hasn't dipped into
+that jar yet. We've skeered him from doin' that."
+
+"But the impidence of him!" said Mrs. Aleshine. "Think of his goin' to
+the very town where we live an' gittin' there fust! He'll be settin' on
+that tavern porch, with every loafer in the place about him, an' tellin'
+'em the whole story of what happened to us from beginnin' to end, till
+by the time we git there it'll be all over the place an' as stale as
+last week's bread."
+
+"'The man Dusante,'" quietly remarked that individual, "will not
+abandon the purpose of his journey. He left his island to place in the
+hands of Mrs. Lecks, on behalf of her party, the ginger-jar with the
+money inclosed. He will therefore go on with you to Meadowville, and
+will there make formal demand, and, if necessary, legal requisition, for
+the possession of that jar and that money; after which he will proceed
+to carry out his original intentions."
+
+[Illustration: "'THE IMPIDENCE OF HIM!'"]
+
+We all expressed our pleasure at having him, with his ladies, as
+companions for the remainder of our journey, and Mrs. Lecks immediately
+offered them the hospitalities of her house for as long a time as they
+might wish to stay with her.
+
+"The weather there," she said, "is often splendid till past Thanksgivin'
+day, an' nobody could be welcomer than you."
+
+"I'd have asked you myself," said Mrs. Aleshine, "if Mrs. Lecks hadn't
+done it,--which of course she would, bein' alive,--but I'm goin' to have
+Mr. Craig an' his wife, an' as our houses is near, we'll see each other
+all the time. An' if Mr. Enderton chooses to stay awhile at the tavern,
+he can come over to see his daughter whenever he likes. I'll go as fur
+as that, though no further can I go. I'm not the one to turn anybody
+from my door, be he heathen, or jus' as bad, or wuss. But tea once, or
+perhaps twice, is all that I can find it in my heart to offer that man
+after what he's done."
+
+As the Dusantes and Ruth expressed a desire to see something of Chicago,
+where they had never been before, we remained in this city for two days,
+feeling that, as Mr. Enderton would await our coming, there was no
+necessity for haste.
+
+Early in the afternoon of the second day I went into the parlor of the
+hotel, where I expected to find our party prepared for a sight-seeing
+excursion; but I found the room tenanted only by Mrs. Aleshine, who was
+sitting with her bonnet and wraps on, ready to start forth. I had said
+but a few words to her when Mrs. Lecks entered, without bonnet or shawl,
+and with her knitting in her hand. She took a seat in a large
+easy-chair, put on her spectacles, and proceeded to knit.
+
+"Mrs. Lecks!" exclaimed her friend, in surprise, "don't you intend goin'
+out this afternoon?"
+
+"No," said Mrs. Lecks. "I've seen all I want to see, an' I'm goin' to
+stay in the house an' keep quiet."
+
+"Isn't Mr. Dusante goin' out this afternoon?" asked Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+Mrs. Lecks laid her knitting in her lap; then she took off her
+spectacles, folded them, and placed them beside the ball of yarn, and,
+turning her chair around, she faced her friend. "Barb'ry Aleshine," said
+she, speaking very deliberately, "has any such a thing got into your
+mind as that I'm settin' my cap at Mr. Dusante?"
+
+"I don't say you have, an' I don't say you haven't," answered Mrs.
+Aleshine, her fat hands folded on her knees, and her round face shining
+from under her new bonnet with an expression of hearty good will; "but
+this I will say,--an' I don't care who hears it,--that if you was to set
+your cap at Mr. Dusante, there needn't nobody say anythin' ag'in' it, so
+long as you are content. He isn't what I'd choose for you, if I had the
+choosin', for I'd git one with an American name an' no islands. But
+that's neither here nor there, for you're a grown woman an' can do your
+own choosin'. An' whether there's any choosin' to be done is your own
+business, too, for it's full eleven years sence you've been done with
+widder fixin's; an' if Mr. Lecks was to rise up out of his grave this
+minute, he couldn't put his hand on his heart an' say that you hadn't
+done your full duty by him, both before an' after he was laid away. An'
+so, if you did want to do choosin', an' made up your mind to set your
+cap at Mr. Dusante, there's no word to be said. Both of you is ripe-aged
+an' qualified to know your own minds, an' both of you is well off
+enough, to all intents an' purposes, to settle down together, if so
+inclined. An' as to his sister, I don't expect she will be on his hands
+for long. An' if you can put up with an adopted mother-in-law, that's
+your business, not mine; though I allus did say, Mrs. Lecks, that if
+you'd been 'Piscopalian, you'd been Low-church."
+
+"Is that all?" said Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"Yes," replied the other; "it's all I have to say jus' now, though more
+might come to me if I gave my mind to it."
+
+"Well, then," said Mrs. Lecks, "I've somethin' to say on this p'int, and
+I'm very glad Mr. Craig is here to hear it. If I had a feelin' in the
+direction of Mr. Dusante that he was a man, though not exactly what I
+might wish, havin' somethin' of foreign manners, with ties in the
+Sandwich Islands, which I shouldn't have had so if I'd had the orderin'
+of it, who was still a Christian gentleman,--as showed by his acts, not
+his words,--a lovin' brother, an' a kind an' attentive son by his own
+adoption, and who would make me a good husband for the rest of our two
+lives, then I'd go and I'd set my cap at him--not bold nor flauntin' nor
+unbecomin' to a woman of my age, but just so much settin' of it at him
+that if he had any feelin's in my direction, and thought, although it
+was rather late in life for him to make a change, that if he was goin'
+to do it he'd rather make that change with a woman who had age enough,
+and experience enough, in downs as well as ups, and in married life as
+well as single, to make him feel that as he got her so he'd always find
+her, then I say all he'd have to do would be to come to me an' say what
+he thought, an' I'd say what I thought, an' the thing would be settled,
+an' nobody in this world need have one word to say, except to wish us
+joy, an' then go along and attend to their own business.
+
+"But now I say to you, Barb'ry Aleshine, an' just the same to you, Mr.
+Craig, that I haven't got no such feelin's in the direction of Mr.
+Dusante, an' I don't intend to set my cap at him; an' if he wore such a
+thing, and set it at me, I'd say to him, kind, though firm, that he
+could put it straight again as far as I was concerned, an' that if he
+chose to set it at any other woman, if the nearest an' dearest friend I
+have on earth, I'd do what I could to make their married lives as happy
+as they could be under the circumstances, and no matter what happened, I
+wouldn't say one word, though I might think what I pleased. An' now you
+have it, all straight and plain: if I wanted to set caps, I'd set 'em;
+and if I didn't want to set 'em, I wouldn't. I don't want to, and I
+don't."
+
+And, putting on her spectacles, she resumed her knitting.
+
+Mrs. Aleshine turned upon her friend a beaming face.
+
+"Mrs. Lecks," she said, "your words has lifted a load from off my mind.
+It wouldn't ha' broke me down, an' you wouldn't never have knowed I
+carried it; but it's gone, an' I'm mighty glad of it. An' as for me an'
+my cap,--an' when you spoke of nearest and dearest friends you couldn't
+mean nobody but me,--you needn't be afraid. No matter what I was, nor
+what he was, nor what I thought of him, nor what he thought of me, I
+couldn't never say to my son, when he comes to his mother's arms all the
+way from Japan: 'George, here's a Frenchman who I give to you for a
+father!'"
+
+Here I burst out laughing; but Mrs. Lecks gravely remarked: "Now I hope
+this business of cap-settin' is settled an' done with."
+
+"Which it is," said Mrs. Aleshine, as she rose to meet the rest of our
+party as they entered the room.
+
+For several days I could not look upon the dignified and almost courtly
+Mr. Dusante without laughing internally, and wondering what he would
+think if he knew how, without the slightest provocation on his side, a
+matrimonial connection with him had been discussed by these good women,
+and how the matter had been finally settled. I think he would have
+considered this the most surprising incident in the whole series of his
+adventures.
+
+On our journey from Chicago to the little country town in the interior
+of Pennsylvania we made a few stops at points of interest for the sake
+of Ruth and the Dusante ladies, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine generously
+consenting to these delays, although I knew they felt impatient to reach
+their homes. They were now on most social terms with Mrs. Dusante, and
+the three chatted together like old friends.
+
+"I asked her if we might call her Emily," said Mrs. Aleshine in
+confidence to me, "an' she said yes, an' we're goin' to do it. I've all
+along wanted to, because it seemed to come nat'ral, considerin' we
+knowed 'em as Emily and Lucille before we set eyes on 'em. But as long
+as I had that load on my mind about Mrs. Lecks and Mr. Dusante I
+couldn't 'Emily' his adopted mother. My feelin's wouldn't ha' stood it.
+But now it's all right; an' though Emily isn't the woman I expected her
+to be, Lucille is the very picter of what I thought she was. And as for
+Emily, I never knowed a nicer-mannered lady, an' more willin' to learn
+from people that's had experience, than she is."
+
+We arrived at Meadowville early in the afternoon, and when our party
+alighted from the train we were surprised not to see Mr. Enderton on the
+platform of the little station. Instead of him, there stood three
+persons whose appearance amazed and delighted us. They were the
+red-bearded coxswain and the two sailormen, all in neat new clothes, and
+with their hands raised in maritime salute.
+
+There was a cry of joy. Mrs. Aleshine dropped her bag and umbrella, and
+rushed toward them with outstretched hands. In a moment Mrs. Lecks,
+Ruth, and myself joined the group, and greeted warmly our nautical
+companions of the island.
+
+The Dusante party, when they were made acquainted with the mariners,
+were almost as much delighted as we were, and Mr. Dusante expressed in
+cordial words his pleasure in meeting the other members of the party to
+whom his island had given refuge.
+
+"I am so glad to see you," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that I don't know my
+bonnet from my shoes! But how, in the name of all that's wonderful, did
+you get here?"
+
+"'T ain't much of a story," said the coxswain, "an' this is just the
+whole of it. When you left us at 'Frisco we felt pretty downsome, an'
+the more that way because we couldn't find no vessel that we cared to
+ship on; an' then there come to town the agent of the house that owned
+our brig, and we was paid off for our last v'yage. Then, when we had
+fitted ourselves out with new togs, we began to think different about
+this shippin' on board a merchant-vessel, an' gettin' cussed at, an'
+livin' on hard-tack an' salt prog, an' jus' as like as not the ship
+springin' a leak an' all hands pumpin' night an' day, an' goin' to Davy
+Jones, after all. An' after talkin' this all over, we was struck hard on
+the weather-bow with a feelin' that it was a blamed sight
+better--beggin' your pardon, ma'am--to dig garden-beds in nice soft
+dirt, an' plant peas, an' ketch fish, an' all that kind of shore work,
+an' eatin' them good things you used to cook for us, Mrs. Aleshine, and
+dancin' hornpipes for ye, and tamin' birds when our watch was off.
+Wasn't that so, Jim an' Bill?"
+
+"Aye, aye, sir!" said the black-bearded sailormen.
+
+"Then says I, 'Now look here, mates; don't let's go and lark away all
+this money, but take it an' make a land trip to where Mrs. Aleshine
+lives'--which port I had the name of on a piece of paper which you gave
+me, ma'am."
+
+And here Mrs. Aleshine nodded vigorously, not being willing to interrupt
+this entrancing story.
+
+"'An' if she's got another garden, an' wants it dug in, an' things
+planted, an' fish caught, an' any other kind of shore work done, why,
+we're the men for her; an' we'll sign the papers for as long a v'yage as
+she likes, and stick by her in fair weather or foul, bein' good for day
+work an' night work, an' allus ready to fall in when she passes the
+word.' Ain't that so, Jim an' Bill?"
+
+"Aye, aye, sir!" returned the sailormen, with sonorous earnestness.
+
+"Upon my word!" cried Mrs. Aleshine, tears of joy running down her
+cheeks, "them papers shall be signed, if I have to work night an' day to
+find somethin' for you to do. I've got a man takin' keer of my place
+now; but many a time have I said to myself that if I had anybody I could
+trust to do the work right, I'd buy them two fields of Squire Ramsey's,
+an' go into the onion business. An' now you sailormen has come like
+three sea angels, an' if it suits you we'll go into the onion business
+on sheers."
+
+"That suits us tiptop, ma'am," said the coxswain; "an' we'll plant
+inyans for ye on the shears, on the stocks, or in the dry-dock. It don't
+make no dif'rence to us where you have 'em; just pass the word."
+
+"Well, well," said Mrs. Lecks, "I don't know how that's goin' to work,
+but we won't talk about it now. An' so you came straight on to this
+place?"
+
+"That did we, ma'am," said the coxswain. "An' when we got here we found
+the parson, but none of you folks. That took us aback a little at fust,
+but he said he didn't live here, an' you was comin' pretty soon. An' so
+we took lodgin's at the tavern, an' for three days we've been down here
+to meet every train, expectin' you might be on it."
+
+Our baggage had been put on the platform, the train had moved on, and we
+had stood engrossed in the coxswain's narrative; but now I thought it
+necessary to make a move. There was but one small vehicle to hire at the
+station. This would hold but two persons, and in it I placed Mrs.
+Dusante and Ruth, the first being not accustomed to walking, and the
+latter very anxious to meet her father. I ordered the man to drive them
+to the inn, where we would stay until Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine'
+should get their houses properly aired and ready for our reception.
+
+"Mrs. Craig will be glad to get to the tavern and see her father," said
+Mrs. Aleshine. "I expect he forgot all about its bein' time for the
+train to come."
+
+"Bless you, ma'am!" exclaimed the coxswain, "is she gone to the tavern?
+The parson's not there!"
+
+"Where is he, then?" asked Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"He's at your house, ma'am," replied the coxswain.
+
+"An' what, in the name of common sense, is he doin' at my house?"
+exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, her eyes sparkling with amazement and
+indignation.
+
+"Well, ma'am, for one thing," said the coxswain, "he's had the front
+door painted."
+
+"What!" cried Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, in one breath.
+
+"Yes," continued the coxswain; "the parson said he hated to see men
+hangin' around doin' nothin'. An' then he looked about, an' said the
+paint was all wore off the front door, an' we might as well go to work
+an' paint that; an' he sent Jim to a shop to git the paint an'
+brushes--"
+
+"An' have 'em charged to me?" cried Mrs. Aleshine.
+
+"Yes, ma'am," continued the coxswain. "An' Jim an' Bill holystoned all
+the old paint off the door, an' I painted it, havin' done lots of that
+sort of thing on shipboard; an' I think it's a pretty good job,
+ma'am--red at top and bottom, an' white in the middle, like a steamer's
+smoke-stack."
+
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine looked at each other. "An' he told you to
+do that?" said Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"Yes, ma'am," answered the coxswain. "The parson said he never liked to
+be nowhere without doin' what good he could. An' there was some other
+paintin' he talked of havin' done, but we ain't got at it yet. I s'posed
+he was actin' under your orders, an' I hope I haven't done no wrong,
+ma'am."
+
+"You're not a bit to blame," said Mrs. Aleshine; "but I'll look into
+this thing. No fear about that! An' how did he come to go to my house?
+An' how did he get in, I'd like to know?"
+
+"All I know about that," said the coxswain, "is what the gal that's
+livin' there told me, which she did along of askin' us if we was comin'
+to live there too, an' if she should rig up beds for us somewhere in the
+top-loft; but we told her no, not havin' no orders, an' payin' our own
+way at the tavern. She said, said she, that the parson come there, an'
+'lowed he was a friend of Mrs. Aleshine's an' travelin' with her, an'
+that if she was at home she wouldn't let him stay at no tavern; an'
+that, knowin' her wishes, he'd come right there, an' 'spected to be took
+care of till she come. She said she felt uncertain about it, but she
+tuck him in till she could think it over, an' then we come an' certified
+that he was the parson who'd been along with Mrs. Aleshine an' the rest
+of us. Arter that she thought it was all right, an', beggin' your pardon
+if we was wrong, so did Jim an' Bill an' me, ma'am."
+
+"Now," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "if that isn't exactly like Elizabeth
+Grootenheimer! To think of Elizabeth Grootenheimer thinkin'! The
+Grootenheimers always was the dumbest family in the township, an'
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer is the dumbest of 'em all! I did say to myself,
+when I went away: 'Now, Elizabeth Grootenheimer is so stone dumb that
+she'll jus' stay here an' do the little I tell her to do, an' hasn't
+sense enough to get into no mischief.' An' now, look at her!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+She waved her hand in the direction of the invisible Elizabeth
+Grootenheimer.
+
+Mrs. Lecks had said very little during this startling communication, but
+her face had assumed a stern and determined expression. Now she spoke:
+
+"I guess we've heard about enough, an' we'd better be steppin' along an'
+see what else Mr. Enderton an' Elizabeth Grootenheimer is doin'."
+
+The homes of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine were not far from each other,
+and were situated about midway between the station and the village inn,
+and in the direction of these our party now started. Mrs. Aleshine,
+contrary to her custom, took the lead, and walked away with strides of
+unusual length. Mrs. Lecks was close behind her, followed by the two
+Dusantes and myself, while the three mariners, who insisted upon
+carrying all the hand-baggage, brought up the rear. We stepped quickly,
+for we were all much interested in what might happen next; and very soon
+we reached Mrs. Aleshine's house. It was a good-sized and
+pleasant-looking dwelling, painted white, with green shutters, and with
+a long covered piazza at the front. Between the road and the house was a
+neat yard with grass and flower-beds, and from the gate of the
+picket-fence in front of the yard a brick-paved path led up to the
+house.
+
+Our approach had been perceived, for on the piazza, in front of the
+gaily painted door, stood Mr. Enderton, erect, and with a bland and
+benignant smile upon his face. One hand was stretched out as if in
+welcome, and with the other he gracefully held the ginger-jar, now
+divested of its wrappings.
+
+At this sight Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine made a simultaneous dash at
+the gate; but it was locked. The two women stamped their feet in fury.
+
+"Put down that jar!" shouted Mrs. Lecks.
+
+"Elizabeth Grootenheimer! Elizabeth Grootenheimer!" screamed Mrs.
+Aleshine. "Come here and open this gate."
+
+"Break it down!" said Mrs. Lecks, turning to the sailors.
+
+"Don't you do it!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, throwing herself in front of
+it. "Don't you break my gate! Elizabeth Grootenheimer!"
+
+"My friends," said Mr. Enderton, in clear, distinct tones, "be calm. I
+have the key of that gate in my pocket. I locked it because I feared
+that on your first arrival you would hurry up to the house in a
+promiscuous way, and give heed to irrelevant matters. I wished to
+address you in a body, and in a position where your attention would not
+be diverted from me. I hold here, my friends, the receptacle containing
+the money which, under a misapprehension, was paid for our board while
+on a desert island. This money I have taken care of, and have carefully
+guarded for the benefit of us all. Unfortunately, objections have arisen
+to this guardianship, which were forwarded to me by telegraph; but I
+have not heeded them. If you cannot see for yourselves the propriety of
+my assumption of this trust, I will not now undertake to enlighten you.
+But I hope there is no necessity for this, for, having had time to give
+the matter your fullest attention, I doubt not that you entirely agree
+with me. I will merely add, for I see you are impatient, that the sum
+which will fall to the share of each of us is comparatively
+insignificant and in itself not worth striving for; but what I have done
+has been for the sake of principle. For the sake of principle I have
+insisted that this money should be received by its rightful owners; for
+the sake of principle I assumed the custody of it; and for the sake of
+principle I shall now empty the contents of this jar--which by me has
+not been examined or touched--upon the floor of this piazza, and I shall
+then proceed to divide said contents into five suitable portions--the
+three mariners, as I understand, having paid no board. The gate can then
+be opened, and each one can come forward and take the portion which
+belongs to him or to her. The portion of my daughter, whom I saw pass
+here in a carriage, going, doubtless, to the inn, will be taken charge
+of by myself."
+
+"You man!" shrieked Mrs. Lecks, shaking her fist over the fence, "if you
+as much as lift that paper of fish-hooks from out the top of that
+ginger-jar, I'll--"
+
+Here she was interrupted by the loud, clear voice of Mr. Dusante, who
+called out: "Sir, I require you to put down that jar, which is my
+property."
+
+"I'll let you know," said Mrs. Lecks, "that other people have
+principles!"
+
+But what more she said was drowned by the voice of Mrs. Aleshine, who
+screamed for Elizabeth Grootenheimer, and who was now so much excited
+that she was actually trying to break open her own gate.
+
+I called out to Mr. Enderton not to make trouble by disturbing the
+contents of the jar; and even Miss Lucille, who was intensely amused at
+the scene, could be heard joining her voice to the general clamor.
+
+But the threats and demands of our united party had no effect upon Mr.
+Enderton. He stood up, serene and bland, fully appreciating the
+advantage of having the key of the gate's padlock in his pocket and the
+ginger-jar in his hand.
+
+[Illustration: "'YOU MAN!' SHRIEKED MRS. LECKS."]
+
+"I will now proceed," said he. But at that moment his attention was
+attracted by the three mariners, who had clambered over the pointed
+pales of the fence, and who now appeared on the piazza, Bill to the
+right hand of Mr. Enderton, Jim to the left, and the red-bearded
+coxswain at his back. They all seemed to speak at once, though what they
+said we could not hear, nothing but a few hoarse mutterings coming down
+to us.
+
+But in consequence of what Bill said, Mr. Enderton handed him the key of
+the gate; and in consequence of what Jim said, Mr. Enderton delivered to
+him the ginger-jar; and in consequence of what the coxswain said, he and
+Mr. Enderton walked off the piazza; and the two proceeded to a distant
+corner of the yard, where they stood out of the way, as it were, while
+the gate was opened. Bill bungled a little, but the padlock was soon
+removed, and we all hurried through the gate and up to the piazza, where
+Jim still stood, the ginger-jar held reverently in his hands.
+
+The coxswain now left Mr. Enderton, and that gentleman proceeded to the
+open gate, through which he passed into the road, and then turned, and
+in a loud and severe tone addressed Mrs. Aleshine:
+
+"I leave your inhospitable house, and go to join my daughter at the inn,
+where I request you to send my valise and umbrella as soon as possible."
+
+Mrs. Aleshine's indignation at this invasion of her home and this
+trampling on her right to open her own gate had entirely driven away her
+accustomed geniality, and in angry tones she cried:
+
+"Jus' you stop at that paint-shop, when you git to the village, an' pay
+for the paint you had charged to me; an' when you've done that you can
+send for your things."
+
+"Come, now, Barb'ry," said Mrs. Lecks, "don't let your feelin's run away
+with you. You ought to be thankful that he's let you off so easy, an'
+that he's gone."
+
+"I'm all that," said Mrs. Aleshine; "an', on second thoughts, every
+whip-stitch of his bag and baggage shall be trundled after him as soon
+as I kin git it away."
+
+We all now stood upon the piazza, and Mrs. Aleshine, in calmer tones,
+but with her face still flushed from her recent excitement, turned to us
+and said: "Now, isn't this a pretty comin' home? My front gate fastened
+in my very face; my front door painted red and white; the inside of the
+house, as like as not, turned upside down by that man jus' as much as
+the outside; an' where in the world, I'd like to know, is Elizabeth
+Grootenheimer?"
+
+"Now don't you be too hard on her," said Mrs. Lecks, "after havin' been
+away from her so long. I haven't a doubt she's feedin' the pigs; and you
+know very well she never would leave them as long as she felt they
+needed her. You needn't mind if your house is upset, for none of us is
+comin' in, havin' only intended to see you to your door, which I must
+say is a pretty blazin' one."
+
+"And now, Mrs. Lecks," said Mr. Dusante, taking, as he spoke, the
+ginger-jar from the hand of Jim, "I think this is a suitable opportunity
+for me to accomplish the object for which my present journey was
+undertaken, and to return to you the contents of this jar."
+
+"Which," said Mrs. Lecks, in a very decided tone, "I don't take now no
+more'n I did before."
+
+Mr. Dusante looked surprised and troubled. After all the dangers and
+adventures through which that ginger-jar had gone, I believe that he
+expected Mrs. Lecks would at last relent and consent to accept it from
+him.
+
+"Now, look here," said Mrs. Aleshine, "don't let us have any more fuss
+about the ginger-jar, or anything else. Let's put off talkin' about that
+till we're all settled and fixed. It won't do for you to take the jar to
+the tavern with you, Mr. Dusante, for like as not Mr. Enderton will git
+hold of it ag'in, an' I know Mrs. Lecks won't let it come into her
+house; so, if you like, you may jus' leave it here for the present, and
+you may make up your minds nobody'll touch it while I'm about. An' about
+I intend to be."
+
+This arrangement was gladly agreed upon, and the jar being delivered to
+Mrs. Aleshine, we took our leave of her.
+
+Mrs. Lecks found no difficulty in entering her gate, where she was duly
+welcomed by a man and his wife she had left in charge, while the
+Dusantes and myself walked on to the inn, or "Hotel," as its sign
+imported, about which the greater part of the little town clustered. The
+three mariners remained behind to await further orders from Mrs.
+Aleshine.
+
+By the afternoon of the next day the abodes of those two most energetic
+and capable housewives, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, were fully
+prepared for the reception of their visitors, and the Dusante family
+were ensconced beneath the roof of the one, while my wife and I were
+most warmly welcomed at the gaily adorned door of the other.
+
+Mr. Enderton remained at the inn, where he found very comfortable
+quarters, an arrangement satisfactory to all parties.
+
+In Mrs. Aleshine's dwelling, where, from the very first, Lucille took
+her position as a most constant visitor, being equally welcomed by Ruth
+and the mistress of the house, all was satisfaction and high good humor.
+The ceaseless activity and cheerful spirits of our hostess seemed to
+animate us all. At Mrs. Lecks's home the case was different. There, I
+could plainly see, there was a certain uneasiness amounting almost to
+stiffness between Mrs. Lecks and Mr. Dusante. The latter had not
+accomplished the purpose for which he had made this long journey; and
+though, if things had turned out as he wished, he would have been very
+glad to be the guest of Mrs. Lecks, still, under the present
+circumstances, the situation did not suit him. Mrs. Lecks, too,
+possessed an unsettled mind. She did not know when Mr. Dusante would
+again endeavor to force back upon her the board money in the ginger-jar,
+and in this state of uneasy expectancy she was not at her best.
+
+"He's not satisfied," said she to me, on the morning after the Dusantes
+had come to her; "he wants to do somethin', or else to go away. I wish
+that ginger-jar had dropped into the bottom of the sea while he was
+bringin' it, or else had smashed itself into a thousand bits while he
+was slidin' down the mountain, and the money had melted itself into the
+snow. S'posin' at the end of the week he was to come to me and offer to
+pay me board for himself and his family, sayin' that was no more than
+I'd done to him! Of course the two cases are not a bit alike; for we
+went to his house strangers, without leave or license, while he comes to
+mine as a friend, bein' fully invited and pressed. But I don't suppose I
+could make him see it in that light, and it worries me."
+
+I was convinced that something ought to be done to end this unpleasant
+state of affairs, and I took my wife and Miss Lucille into council on
+the subject. After we had deliberated a little while an idea came to
+Ruth.
+
+"In my opinion," said she, "the best thing we can do with that board
+money is to give it to those three sailors. They are poor and will be
+glad to get it; Mr. Dusante and Mrs. Lecks ought to be fully satisfied,
+for the one doesn't keep it and the other doesn't take it back; and I'm
+sure that this plan will please all the rest of us."
+
+This proposition was agreed to by the council, and I was appointed to go
+immediately and lay it before the parties interested.
+
+Mr. Dusante gave his ready consent to this proposal. "It is not what I
+intended to do," said he, "but it amounts to almost the same thing. The
+money is in fact restored to its owners, and they agree to make a
+certain disposition of it. I am satisfied."
+
+Mrs. Lecks hesitated a little. "All right," said she. "He takes the
+money and gives it to who he chooses. I've nothin' to say against it."
+
+Of course no opposition to the plan was to be expected from anybody
+else, except Mr. Enderton. But when I mentioned it to him, I found, to
+my surprise, that he was not unwilling to agree to it. Half closing the
+book he had been reading, he said: "What I have done was on behalf of
+principle. I did not believe, and do not believe, that upon an entirely
+deserted island money should be paid for board. I paid it under protest,
+and I do not withdraw that protest. According to all the laws of justice
+and hospitality, the man who owned that island should not retain that
+money, and Mrs. Lecks had no right to insist upon such retention. But if
+it is proposed to give the sum total to three mariners who paid no
+board, and to whom the gift is an absolute charity, I am content. To be
+sure, they interfered with me at a moment when I was about to make a
+suitable settlement of the matter, but I have no doubt they were told to
+do so; and I must admit that while they carried out their orders with a
+certain firmness, characteristic of persons accustomed to unreasoning
+obedience, they treated me with entire respect. If equal respect had
+been shown to me at the beginning of these disputes, it would have been
+much better for all concerned."
+
+And opening his book, he recommenced his reading.
+
+That afternoon all of us, except Mr. Enderton, assembled on Mrs.
+Aleshine's piazza to witness the presentation of the board money. The
+three sailors, who had been informed of the nature of the proceedings,
+stood in line on the second step of the piazza, clad in their best
+toggery, and with their new tarpaulin hats in their hands. Mrs. Aleshine
+went into the house, and soon reappeared carrying the ginger-jar, which
+she presented to Mr. Dusante. That gentleman took it, and stood holding
+it for a moment as if he were about to speak; but even if he had
+intended to say anything, he had no further opportunity, for Mrs. Lecks
+now stepped forward and addressed him.
+
+"Mr. Dusante," said she, "from what I have seen of you myself and heard
+tell of you from others, I believe you are a man who tries to do his
+duty, as he sees it, with a single heart and no turnin' from one side to
+the other. You made up your mind that you'd travel over the whole world,
+if it had to be done, with that ginger-jar and the board money inside of
+it, till you'd found the people who'd been livin' in your house; and
+then that you'd give back that jar, jus' as you'd found it, to the
+person who took upon herself the overseein' of the reg'lar payin' of the
+money and the puttin' of it therein. With that purpose in your mind you
+carried that jar over the ocean; you wandered with it up and down
+California; and holdin' it tight fast in your arms, you slid down the
+slipperiest mountain that was ever made yet, I believe, and if it had
+been your only infant child, you couldn't have held it firmer, nor
+regarded it more careful. Through ups and downs, and thicks and smooths,
+you carried that jar or followed it, and for the sake of doin' what
+you'd set your mind on you came all the way to this place; to which, if
+it hadn't been for that one idea, it isn't likely you'd ever dreamed of
+comin'. Now, Mr. Dusante, we've all agreed on what we think is the right
+thing to do, and you agreed with us, but I can see by your face that
+you're disapp'inted. The thing you set out to do you haven't done; and
+I'm not goin' to have it to say to myself that you was the only one of
+all of us that wasn't satisfied, and that I was the stumblin'-block
+that stood in your way. So I'll back down from sayin' that I'd never
+touch that jar again, and you can put it into my hands, as you set out
+to do."
+
+Mr. Dusante made no answer, but stepped forward, and taking Mrs. Lecks's
+large brown and work-worn hand, he respectfully touched it with his
+lips. It is not probable that Mrs. Lecks's hand had ever before been
+kissed. It is not probable that she had ever seen any one kiss the hand
+of another. But the hard sense and keen insight of that independent
+countrywoman made her instantly aware of what was meant by that
+old-fashioned act of courteous homage. Her tall form grew more erect;
+she slightly bowed her head, and received the salute with a quiet
+dignity which would have become a duchess.
+
+This little scene touched us all, and Mrs. Aleshine afterward informed
+me that for a moment she hadn't a dry eye in her head.
+
+Mr. Dusante now handed the ginger-jar to Mrs. Lecks, who immediately
+stepped toward Ruth and Lucille.
+
+"You two young ones," she said, "can jus' take this jar, an' your hands
+can be the first to lift off that paper of fish-hooks and take out the
+money, which you will then divide among our good friends, these
+sailormen."
+
+Ruth and Lucille immediately sat down on the floor of the piazza, and
+the one emptied the board money into the lap of the other, where it was
+speedily divided into three equal portions, one of which was placed in
+the hands of each mariner.
+
+The men stood motionless, each holding his money in his open right
+hand, and then the red-bearded coxswain spoke.
+
+"It ain't for me, nor for Bill, nor for Jim nuther, to say a word ag'in'
+what you all think is right and square. We've stood by ye an' obeyed
+orders since we first shipped on that island, an' we intend to do so
+straight along. Don't we, Jim an' Bill?"
+
+[Illustration: "HE RESPECTFULLY TOUCHED IT WITH HIS LIPS."]
+
+"Aye, aye, sir!" said Jim and Bill, in hearty hoarse response.
+
+"There's some of ye, specially Mrs. Aleshine, though meanin' no
+disrespec' to anybody else, that we'd follow to the crosstrees of the
+topgallantmast of the tallest ship that ever floated in the middle of
+the ragin'est typhoon that ever blowed. Wouldn't we, Jim an' Bill?"
+
+"Aye, aye, sir!" sang out Jim and Bill.
+
+"But though we stand ready to obey orders," said the coxswain, "we made
+up our minds, when we heard what was goin' to be done, that we'd listen
+keerful fer one thing, an' we have listened keerful, an' we haven't
+heard that one thing, an' that thing was what we should do with this
+money. An' not havin' heard it, an' so bein' under no orders as to the
+spendin' of it, we take the money, an' thank you kindly, one an' all.
+Don't we, Jim an' Bill?"
+
+"Aye, aye, sir!" said Jim and Bill.
+
+And into the pocket of each mariner clinked the money.
+
+Mr. Dusante now took up the ginger-jar, and approached Mrs. Lecks. "I
+hope, madam," he said, "that as the subject of our little differences
+has now been removed from this jar, you will consent to accept it from
+me as a memento of the somewhat remarkable experiences through which it
+has accompanied us."
+
+"Take it, sir?" said she. "To be sure I will. An' very glad am I to get
+it. As long as I live it shall stand on the mantelpiece in my parlor;
+an' when I die it shall be left to my heirs, to be taken care of as long
+as it holds together."
+
+Every reason for dissatisfaction having now been banished from our
+little company, we all settled down for a season of enjoyment. Even Mr.
+Enderton, who had found on the top shelf of a closet in his room at the
+inn a lot of old books, appeared to be in a state of perfect content. To
+the Dusantes a residence in this absolutely rural portion of our Middle
+States in the autumnal season was an entirely novel experience. The
+crisp and invigorating air, the mists and the glowing hues of the
+Indian-summer time, the softness of the sunshine, and even those masses
+of limbs and twigs which had already dropped their leaves and spread
+themselves in a delicate network against the clear blue sky, were all
+full of a novel beauty for these people who had lived so long in
+tropical lands and among perennial foliage, and had never known the
+delights of an American country life out of season. Having enjoyed Mrs.
+Lecks's hospitality for a suitable period, they proposed to that
+sensible woman that she should receive them as boarders until the winter
+should set in; and to this practical proposition she gave a ready
+assent, hoping that the really cold weather would long defer its coming.
+
+Ruth and I established ourselves on the same terms with Mrs. Aleshine. A
+prolonged holiday from the labors of my business had been the object of
+my attempted journey to Japan, and I could think of no place where it
+would better please my young wife and myself to rest for a time than
+here among these good friends.
+
+A continual source of amusement to us were the acts and doings of Mrs.
+Aleshine and her three sailormen. These bold mariners had enlisted, soul
+and body, into the service of the thrifty housewife; and as it was
+impossible to do anything in connection with the growing of the onions
+until the desired fields should be acquired and the spring should open,
+many and diverse were the labors at which the coxswain and those two
+able-bodied seamen Bill and Jim set themselves, or were set by Mrs.
+Aleshine.
+
+The brilliantly painted front door, which at first had excited the good
+woman's ire, gradually came to command her admiration; and when her
+sailormen had done everything else that they could in the barns, the
+fields, or at the woodpile, she gave them the privilege to paint various
+portions of her property, leaving designs and colors to their own taste
+and fancy. Whether they milked the cows, cut the wood, or painted the
+sides of the house, they always worked like good fellows, and in
+nautical costume. They holystoned the front deck, as they called the
+floor of the piazza, until it seemed sacrilegious to set foot upon it;
+and when the house and the pale-fence had been suitably painted, they
+allowed their fancies lofty flights in the decoration of the smaller
+outbuildings and various objects in the grounds. One of the men had a
+pocket-chart of the colors adopted by the different steamship companies
+all over the world, and now smoke-houses, corn-cribs, chicken-houses,
+and so on, down to pumps and hitching-posts, were painted in great bands
+of blue and red and white and black, arranged in alternating orders,
+until an observer might have supposed that a commercial navy had been
+sunk beneath Mrs. Aleshine's house grounds, leaving nothing but its
+smoke-stacks visible.
+
+The greatest work of decoration, however, was reserved by the
+red-bearded coxswain for himself, designed by his own brain, and
+executed by his own hands. This was the tattooing of the barn. Around
+this building, the sides of which were already of a color sufficiently
+resembling a well-tanned human skin, the coxswain painted, in blue spots
+resembling tattooing, an immense cable passing several times about the
+structure, a sea-serpent almost as long as the cable, eight anchors, two
+ships under full sail, with a variety of cannons and flags which filled
+up all the remaining spaces. This great work was a long time in
+execution, and before it was half finished its fame had spread over the
+surrounding country.
+
+[Illustration: "THE GREATEST WORK OF DECORATION WAS RESERVED BY THE
+RED-BEARDED COXSWAIN FOR HIMSELF."]
+
+The decoration of her premises was greatly enjoyed by Mrs. Aleshine. "It
+gives 'em somethin' to do," said she, "till the onion season comes on;
+it makes 'em happy; an' the leaves an' flowers bein' pretty nigh gone, I
+like to see the place blossomin' out as if it was a cold-weather
+garden."
+
+In the evenings, in the large kitchen, the sailormen danced their
+hornpipes, and around the great fireplace they spun long yarns of haps
+and mishaps on distant seas. Mrs. Aleshine always, and the rest of us
+often, sat by the fire and enjoyed these nautical recreations.
+
+"Havin' myself done housekeepin' in the torrid zone," she once said, "a
+lot of the things they tell come home to me quite nat'ral. An' I'd do
+anything in the world to make 'em content to live on dry land like
+common Christians, instead of cavortin' about on the pitchin' ocean,
+runnin' into each other, an' springin' leaks, with no likelihood of
+findin' a furnished island at every p'int where their ship happened to
+go down."
+
+On one subject only did any trouble now come into the mind of Mrs.
+Aleshine, and she once had a little talk with me in regard to it.
+
+"I've been afeard from the very beginnin'," she said, "an' after a while
+I more'n half believed it, that Elizabeth Grootenheimer was settin' her
+cap at the coxswain; so I just went to him an' I spoke to him plain.
+'This sort o' thing won't do at all,' says I; 'an' although I haven't a
+doubt you see it for yourself, I thought it my dooty to speak my mind
+about it. There's plenty of young women in this township that would make
+you sailormen fust-rate wives, an' glad enough I'd be to see you all
+married an' settled an' gone to farmin' right here amongst us; but
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer won't do. Settin' aside everythin' else, if
+there was to be any children, they might be little coxswains, but they'd
+be Grootenheimers too, stone-dumb Grootenheimers; an' I tell you plain
+that this county can't stand no more Grootenheimers!' To which he says,
+says he, 'I want you to understan', ma'am, that if ever me or Jim or
+Bill makes up our mind to set sail for any sort of a weddin' port, we
+won't weigh anchor till we've got our clearance papers from you.' By
+which he meant that he'd ask my advice about courtin'. An' now my mind
+is easy, an' I can look ahead with comfort to onion-time."
+
+I found it necessary to go to Philadelphia for a day or two to attend to
+some business matters; and, the evening before I started, the coxswain
+came to me and asked a favor for himself and his mates.
+
+"It mayn't have passed out of your mind, sir," said he, "that when me
+an' Jim an' Bill took that money that you all give us, which wasn't
+'zackly like prize-money, because the rest of the crew, to put it that
+way, didn't get any, we listened keerful to see if anything was said as
+to what we was to do with the money; an' nothin' bein' said, we took it,
+and we wasn't long makin' up our minds as to what we was goin' to do
+with it. What we wanted to do was to put up some sort of signal what
+couldn't get blowed away, or, more like, a kind of reg'lar moniment as
+would make them that looked at it remember the rough squalls and the
+jolly larks we've gone through with together; an' it was when we was
+talkin' about Mrs. Lecks bein' give' the ginger-jar to put on her
+mantelpiece an' keep forever that me an' Jim an' Bill we said, says we,
+that Mrs. Aleshine should have a ginger-jar too, havin' as much right to
+one as her mate, an' that that would be the signal-flag or the moniment
+that we'd put up. Now, sir, as you're goin' to town, we ask you to take
+this money, which is the whole lot that was give' us, an' have a
+ginger-jar built, jus' the size an' shape an' gen'ral trim of that other
+one, but of no pottery-stuff, for you kin buy 'em jus' like that, an'
+that ain't what we want. We want her built of good oak, stout an'
+strong, with live-oak knees inside to keep her stiff an' save her from
+bein' stove in, in case of a collision. We want her bottom coppered up
+above the water-line with real silver, an' we want a turtle-back deck
+with a round hatchway, with a tight-fittin' hatch, jus' like common
+jars. We want her sides calked with oakum, an' well scraped an' painted,
+so that with water inside of her or outside of her she won't leak. An'
+on the bottom of her, so they kin be seen if she keels over, we wants
+the names of me an' Jim an' Bill, which we've wrote on this piece of
+paper. An' on her sides, below the water-line, on the silver copperin',
+we want the names of all the rest of you, an' the latitood an'
+longitood of that island, an' anything out of the logs that might 'a'
+been kep' by any of you, as might help to be remembered the thing what
+happened. An' then, if there's any room left on the copperin', an' any
+money lef' to pay for 'em, you might have cut on as many anchors, an'
+hearts, an' bits of cable, an' such like suitable things as would fill
+up. An' that jar we're goin' to give to Mrs. Aleshine to put on her
+mantelpiece, to stay there as long as she lives, or anybody that belongs
+to her. An', by George, sir!" he added behind his hand, although there
+was nobody to hear, "if ever them two jars run into each other, it won't
+be Mrs. Aleshine's that'll go down!"
+
+I undertook this commission, and in due course of time there came to the
+village the most astonishing ginger-jar that was ever built, and which
+satisfied the three mariners in every particular. When it was presented
+to Mrs. Aleshine, her admiration of this work of art, her delight in its
+ownership, and her gratitude to the donors were alike boundless.
+
+"However could I have had the idee," said she privately to me, "that any
+one of them noble sailormen could have brought himself down to marry
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer!"
+
+It was not long after this happy event that another great joy came to
+Mrs. Aleshine. Her son returned from Japan. He had heard of the loss of
+the steamer in which his mother and Mrs. Lecks had set sail, and was in
+great trouble of mind until he received a letter from his mother which
+brought him speedily home. He had no intention of settling in
+Meadowville, but it had been a long time since he had seen his mother.
+
+He was a fine young man, handsome and well educated, and we were all
+delighted with him; and in a very short time he and Lucille Dusante,
+being the only young bachelor and maiden of the company, became so
+intimate and super-friendly that it was easy to see that to Mrs.
+Aleshine might come the unexpected rapture of eventually being the
+mother of Lucille.
+
+We stayed much later at Meadowville than we had expected. Even after the
+little hills and vales had been well covered with snow, sleighing and
+coasting parties, led by the lively new-comer, offered attractions,
+especially to Lucille, which bound us to the cheery homes of Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine. But, after a time, the Dusantes considered it prudent
+to go to Florida for the rest of the winter; Mr. Enderton had long since
+read all the books on his closet shelf and departed for New York; and
+Ruth and I determined that we, too, must move eastward.
+
+But, before our little company separated, Mrs. Aleshine's son and
+Lucille Dusante had settled it between them that when the springtime
+came they would set sail for a wedding port. This match was a highly
+satisfactory one to all concerned, for Mr. Dusante could scarcely have
+found a young brother-in-law who would make his sister so happy, and who
+was, at the same time, so well fitted by disposition and previous
+occupation to assist in his increasing business cares.
+
+In the spring the Dusante family came North again, and Lucille and her
+lover were married; and then all of us, except Mr. Enderton, who had
+obtained a most congenial position as assistant librarian in a public
+institution seldom visited, gathered at Meadowville to spend a week or
+two together, after which Ruth and I would repair to the New England
+town which was to be our home, and the Dusante family, the young husband
+included, would set out on a tour, partly of business and partly of
+pleasure, through Canada and the far Northwest.
+
+It was arranged that, whenever it should be possible, Lucille and Mrs.
+Dusante should spend their summers at Meadowville; and as this would
+also give her much of the society of her son, the heart of Mrs. Aleshine
+could ask no more.
+
+This visit to Meadowville was in the onion season; and one morning Ruth
+and I sat upon a fence and watched the three sailormen busily at work.
+The soil looked so fine and smooth that one might almost have supposed
+that it had been holystoned; and the three nautical farmers, in their
+tight-waisted, loose-bottomed trousers, their tarpaulin hats, and their
+wide-collared shirts, were seated on the ground at different points,
+engrossed in the absorbing task of setting out young onions as onions
+had never been set out before. All the careful attention to patient
+minutiae which nautical handiwork had taught them was now displayed in
+their new vocation. In a portion of the field which had been first
+planted the onions had sprouted, and we could see evidences of
+astonishing designs. Here were anchors in onions; hearts in onions;
+brigs, barks, and schooners in onions; and more things pertaining to
+ships, the heart's affections, and the raging main outlined in onions
+than Ruth and I could give names to.
+
+"It seems to me," said I, "that there must have been some sort of
+enchantment in that little island in the Pacific, for in one way or
+another it has made us all very happy."
+
+"That is true," answered Ruth, "and, do you know, I believe the cause of
+a great part of that happiness was the board money in the ginger-jar!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine, by Frank R. Stockton
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CASTING AWAY ***
+
+***** This file should be named 35570.txt or 35570.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        http://www.gutenberg.org/3/5/5/7/35570/
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Jane Robins and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+http://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
+To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
diff --git a/old/20110313-35570.zip b/old/20110313-35570.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d5db9fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/20110313-35570.zip
diff --git a/old/35570-h/20110313-35570-h.htm b/old/35570-h/20110313-35570-h.htm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5d10c8a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/20110313-35570-h.htm
@@ -0,0 +1,8637 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
+    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
+<!-- $Id: header.txt 236 2009-12-07 18:57:00Z vlsimpson $ -->
+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">
+  <head>
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" />
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" />
+    <title>
+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, by Frank R. Stockton.
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css">
+
+body {
+    margin-left: 10%;
+    margin-right: 10%;
+}
+
+    h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {
+    text-align: center; /* all headings centered */
+    clear: both;
+}
+
+p {
+    margin-top: .75em;
+    text-align: justify;
+    margin-bottom: .75em;
+}
+
+hr {
+    width: 33%;
+    margin-top: 2em;
+    margin-bottom: 2em;
+    margin-left: auto;
+    margin-right: auto;
+    clear: both;
+}
+
+table {
+    margin-left: auto;
+    margin-right: auto;
+}
+
+.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */
+    /*  visibility: hidden;  */
+    position: absolute;
+    left: 92%;
+    font-size: smaller;
+    text-align: right;
+} /* page numbers */
+
+.blockquot {
+    margin-left: 5%;
+    margin-right: 10%;
+}
+
+.br       {border-right: solid 2px;}
+
+.center   {text-align: center;}
+
+.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
+
+.caption  {font-weight: bold;}
+
+/* Images */
+.figcenter   {
+    margin: auto;
+    text-align: center;
+}
+
+.figleft {
+    float: left;
+    clear: left;
+    margin-left: 0;
+    margin-bottom: 1em;
+    margin-top: 1em;
+    margin-right: 1em;
+    padding: 0;
+    text-align: center;
+}
+
+.figright {
+    float: right;
+    clear: right;
+    margin-left: 1em;
+    margin-bottom:
+    1em;
+    margin-top: 1em;
+    margin-right: 0;
+    padding: 0;
+    text-align: center;
+}
+
+    </style>
+  </head>
+<body>
+
+
+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine, by Frank R. Stockton
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+
+Author: Frank R. Stockton
+
+Illustrator: Frederic Dorr Steele
+
+Release Date: March 13, 2011 [EBook #35570]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CASTING AWAY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Jane Robins and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 550px;">
+<img src="images/cover01.jpg" width="550" height="363" alt="Cover" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Cover</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2"></a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1"></a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 399px;">
+<img src="images/003.png" width="399" height="550" alt="&quot;THESE TWO WORTHY DAMES SPENT THE GREATER PART OF THEIR TIME ON DECK.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;THESE TWO WORTHY DAMES SPENT THE GREATER PART OF THEIR TIME ON DECK.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 62px;">
+<img src="images/002.png" width="62" height="60" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<h1> <span class="smcap">The</span> CASTING AWAY of Mrs. LECKS and Mrs. ALESHINE<br /></h1>
+<p><br /></p>
+<h2>BY</h2>
+<p><br /></p>
+<h3><big>FRANK R. STOCKTON</big></h3>
+<p><br /></p>
+<p style="text-align: center"><span class="smcap"> WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY<br />
+FREDERIC DORR STEELE</span><br />
+<br /></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;">
+<img src="images/004.png" width="300" height="288" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+<p><br />
+<br /></p>
+<p style="text-align: center">NEW YORK<br />
+THE CENTURY <span class="smcap">Co</span>.<br />
+1903
+<br /><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4"></a></span></p>
+
+
+<p style="text-align: center"><span class="smcap">Copyright, 1886, 1892, 1898.<br />
+By The Century Co.</span><br /></p>
+<p><br />
+<br /></p>
+<p style="text-align: center"><span class="smcap">The DeVinne Press.</span><br />
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5"></a></span></p>
+
+<div class="center">
+<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" summary="Table of Contents">
+<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><b>CONTENTS</b></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="center"><a href="#Page_11"><b>PART I</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="center"><a href="#Page_50"><b>PART II</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="center"><a href="#Page_85"><b>PART III</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="center"><a href="#Page_126"><b>PART IV</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="center"><a href="#Page_164"><b>PART V</b></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="center"><a href="#Page_208"><b>PART VI</b></a></td></tr>
+</table></div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[vii]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 210px;">
+<img src="images/006.png" width="210" height="204" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS" id="LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS"></a>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2>
+
+
+<div class="center">
+<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" summary="Table of Contents">
+<tr><td align="left" colspan="2"><b>PART I</b></td></tr>
+<tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left">&nbsp;</td><td align="left">PAGE</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">These Two Worthy Dames Spent the Greater Part</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;of their Time on Deck</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_2"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Do You See That Boat There?</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_17">6</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Mrs. Aleshine Proved to be a More Difficult </span></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Subject</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_22">11</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">We Will Pull After Them</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_26">15</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Stand up Straight, and Don't Talk so Much</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_34">23</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Vigorously Winking and Blowing</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_35">25</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">They got on Remarkably Well</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_38">27</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">There's Nothin' like Sausages for Shipwreck</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_42">31</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left" colspan="2"><b>PART II</b></td></tr>
+<tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Mrs. Lecks Walked Boldly up to the Front Door</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and Plied the Knocker</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_56">45</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">I Climbed up One of the Columns</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_59">48</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">I Guess You'll be Comfortable, Mr. Craig</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_63">52</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">That Yeller Frock</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_66">55</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Mrs. Aleshine had been Hard at Work all the</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Morning</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_72">61</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[viii]</a></span></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">"There's Another Thing," Said She, "that i've</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;been Thinkin' About"</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_78">67</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine Standing on the End</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;of the Little Wharf</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_83">72</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left" colspan="2"><b>PART III</b></td></tr>
+<tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Mr. Enderton was a Person of Another Sort</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_94">83</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">I Did all that i Could to Make Miss Ruth's Time</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pass Agreeably</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_98">87</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">They were Evidently Waiting for Me</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_102">91</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Smoking Their Pipes in Peace</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_110">99</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">It was Perfectly Safe</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_113">102</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">I Knowed it was all Right</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_116">105</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">They Assisted Ruth to Array Herself</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_122">111</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left" colspan="2"><b>PART IV</b></td></tr>
+<tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Ascent of the Mountain was Slow and Tedious</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_132">121</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">"What has Happened?" I Exclaimed</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_134">123</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Mrs. Lecks was Sitting on a Stone</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_140">129</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">I Soon had a Crackling Fire</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_146">135</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Could You Lend Me A Small Iron Pot?</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_152">141</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">We WERE About to Send Him A Basket</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_161">150, </a><a href="#Page_161">150</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left" colspan="2"><b>PART V</b></td></tr>
+<tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">We Began to Slide Downward</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_174">163</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Oh, Which is Emily, and Which is Lucille?</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_178">167</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">We Drew up About the Fire</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_185">174</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Revealing the Familiar Fat Little Ginger-Jar</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_197">186</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Ruth AND Miss Lucille Struck UP A Warm Acquaintance</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_202">191</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9"></a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[ix]</a></span></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left" colspan="2"><b>PART VI</b></td></tr>
+<tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Impidence OF Him!</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_215">204</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Elizabeth Grootenheimer</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_226">215</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">"You Man!" Shrieked Mrs. Lecks</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_229">218</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">He Respectfully Touched it with His Lips</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_238">227</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Greatest Work of Decoration was Reserved</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;by the Red-Bearded Coxswain for Himself</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_242">231</a></td></tr>
+</table></div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 310px;">
+<img src="images/008.png" width="310" height="190" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12"></a></span></p><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[1]</a></span></p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="THE_CASTING_AWAY_OF_MRS" id="THE_CASTING_AWAY_OF_MRS"></a>THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE</h2>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 384px;">
+<img src="images/012.png" width="384" height="235" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="THE_CASTING_AWAY_OF" id="THE_CASTING_AWAY_OF"></a>THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="PART_I" id="PART_I"></a>PART I</h2>
+
+
+<p>I was on my way from San Francisco to Yokohama,
+when in a very desultory and gradual
+manner I became acquainted with Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine. The steamer, on which I was making
+a moderately rapid passage toward the land of the
+legended fan and the lacquered box, carried a fair
+complement of passengers, most of whom were Americans;
+and, among these, my attention was attracted
+from the very first day of the voyage to two middle-aged
+women who appeared to me very unlike the ordinary
+traveler or tourist. At first sight they might<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[2]</a></span>
+have been taken for farmers' wives who, for some
+unusual reason, had determined to make a voyage
+across the Pacific; but, on closer observation, one
+would have been more apt to suppose that they
+belonged to the families of prosperous tradesmen
+in some little country town, where, besides the arts
+of rural housewifery, there would be opportunities
+of becoming acquainted in some degree with the
+ways and manners of the outside world. They
+were not of that order of persons who generally
+take first-class passages on steamships, but the stateroom
+occupied by Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine was
+one of the best in the vessel; and although they kept
+very much to themselves, and showed no desire for the
+company or notice of the other passengers, they evidently
+considered themselves quite as good as any
+one else, and with as much right to voyage to any
+part of the world in any manner or style which
+pleased them.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks was a rather tall woman, large-boned
+and muscular, and her well-browned countenance gave
+indications of that conviction of superiority which
+gradually grows up in the minds of those who for a
+long time have had absolute control of the destinies
+of a state, or the multifarious affairs of a country
+household. Mrs. Aleshine was somewhat younger
+than her friend, somewhat shorter, and a great deal
+fatter. She had the same air of reliance upon her
+individual worth that characterized Mrs. Lecks, but
+there was a certain geniality about her which indicated
+that she would have a good deal of forbearance
+for those who never had had the opportunity or the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[3]</a></span>
+ability of becoming the thoroughly good housewife
+which she was herself.</p>
+
+<p>These two worthy dames spent the greater part of
+their time on deck, where they always sat together in
+a place at the stern of the vessel which was well sheltered
+from wind and weather. As they sat thus they
+were generally employed in knitting, although this
+occupation did not prevent them from keeping up
+what seemed to me, as I passed them in my walks
+about the deck, a continuous conversation. From
+a question which Mrs. Lecks once asked me about a
+distant sail, our acquaintance began. There was no
+one on board for whose society I particularly cared,
+and as there was something quaint and odd about
+these countrywomen on the ocean which interested
+me, I was glad to vary my solitary promenades by an
+occasional chat with them. They were not at all
+backward in giving me information about themselves.
+They were both widows, and Mrs. Aleshine was going
+out to Japan to visit a son who had a position there
+in a mercantile house. Mrs. Lecks had no children,
+and was accompanying her friend because, as she
+said, she would not allow Mrs. Aleshine to make such
+a voyage as that by herself, and because, being quite
+able to do so, she did not know why she should not
+see the world as well as other people.</p>
+
+<p>These two friends were not educated women. They
+made frequent mistakes in their grammar, and a good
+deal of Middle States provincialism showed itself in
+their pronunciation and expressions. But although
+they brought many of their rural ideas to sea with
+them, they possessed a large share of that common<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[4]</a></span>
+sense which is available anywhere, and they frequently
+made use of it in a manner which was very
+amusing to me. I think, also, that they found in me
+a quarry of information concerning nautical matters,
+foreign countries, and my own affairs, the working of
+which helped to make us very good ship friends.</p>
+
+<p>Our steamer touched at the Sandwich Islands; and
+it was a little more than two days after we left Honolulu
+that, about nine o'clock in the evening, we had
+the misfortune to come into collision with an eastern-bound
+vessel. The fault was entirely due to the other
+ship, the lookout on which, although the night was
+rather dark and foggy, could easily have seen our
+lights in time to avoid collision, if he had not been
+asleep or absent from his post. Be this as it may,
+this vessel, which appeared to be a small steamer,
+struck us with great force near our bows, and then,
+backing, disappeared into the fog, and we never saw
+or heard of her again. The general opinion was that
+she was injured very much more than we were, and
+that she probably sank not very long after the accident;
+for when the fog cleared away, about an hour
+afterward, nothing could be seen of her lights.</p>
+
+<p>As it usually happens on occasions of accidents at
+sea, the damage to our vessel was at first reported to
+be slight; but it was soon discovered that our injuries
+were serious and, indeed, disastrous. The hull of our
+steamer had been badly shattered on the port bow,
+and the water came in at a most alarming rate. For
+nearly two hours the crew and many of the passengers
+worked at the pumps, and everything possible was
+done to stop the enormous leak; but all labor to save<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[5]</a></span>
+the vessel was found to be utterly unavailing, and a
+little before midnight the captain announced that it
+was impossible to keep the steamer afloat, and that we
+must all take to the boats. The night was now clear,
+the stars were bright, and, as there was but little
+wind, the sea was comparatively smooth. With all
+these advantages, the captain assured us that there
+was no reason to apprehend danger, and he thought
+that by noon of the following day we could easily
+make a small inhabited island, where we could be
+sheltered and cared for until we should be taken off
+by some passing vessel.</p>
+
+<p>There was plenty of time for all necessary preparations,
+and these were made with much order and
+subordination. Some of the ladies among the cabin
+passengers were greatly frightened, and inclined to
+be hysterical. There were pale faces also among the
+gentlemen. But everybody obeyed the captain's
+orders, and all prepared themselves for the transfer
+to the boats. The first officer came among us, and
+told each of us what boats we were to take, and where
+we were to place ourselves on deck. I was assigned to
+a large boat which was to be principally occupied by
+steerage passengers; and as I came up from my stateroom,
+where I had gone to secure my money and some
+portable valuables, I met on the companionway Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, who expressed considerable
+dissatisfaction when they found that I was not going
+in the boat with them. They, however, hurried below,
+and I went on deck, where in about ten minutes I was
+joined by Mrs. Lecks, who apparently had been looking
+for me. She told me she had something very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[6]</a></span>
+particular to say to me, and conducted me toward the
+stern of the vessel, where, behind one of the deck-houses,
+we found Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/017.png" width="500" height="456" alt="&quot;DO YOU SEE THAT BOAT THERE?&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;DO YOU SEE THAT BOAT THERE?&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"Look here," said Mrs. Lecks, leading me to the
+rail, and pointing downward; "do you see that boat
+there? It has been let down, and there is nobody in
+it. The boat on the other side has just gone off, full
+to the brim. I never saw so many people crowded
+into a boat. The other ones will be just as packed, I
+expect. I don't see why we shouldn't take this empty
+boat, now we've got a chance, instead of squeezin'
+ourselves into those crowded ones. If any of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[7]</a></span>
+other people come afterward, why, we shall have our
+choice of seats, and that's considerable of a p'int, I
+should say, in a time like this."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "and me and Mrs.
+Lecks would 'a' got right in when we saw the boat
+was empty, if we hadn't been afraid to be there without
+any man, for it might have floated off, and neither
+of us don't know nothin' about rowin'. And then Mrs.
+Lecks she thought of you, supposin' a young man who
+knew so much about the sea would know how to row."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, yes," said I; "but I cannot imagine why this
+boat should have been left empty. I see a keg of
+water in it, and the oars, and some tin cans, and so I
+suppose it has been made ready for somebody. Will
+you wait here a minute until I run forward and see
+how things are going on there?"</p>
+
+<p>Amidships and forward I saw that there was some
+confusion among the people who were not yet in their
+boats, and I found that there was to be rather more
+crowding than at first was expected. People who had
+supposed that they were to go in a certain boat found
+there no place, and were hurrying to other boats. It
+now became plain to me that no time should be lost
+in getting into the small boat which Mrs. Lecks had
+pointed out, and which was probably reserved for
+some favored persons, as the officers were keeping the
+people forward and amidships, the other stern-boat
+having already departed. But as I acknowledged no
+reason why any one should be regarded with more
+favor than myself and the two women who were
+waiting for me, I slipped quietly aft, and joined Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[8]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"We must get in as soon as we can," said I, in a
+low voice, "for this boat may be discovered, and then
+there will be a rush for it. I suspect it may have been
+reserved for the captain and some of the officers, but
+we have as much right in it as they."</p>
+
+<p>"And more too," replied Mrs. Lecks; "for we had
+nothin' to do with the steerin' and smashin'."</p>
+
+<p>"But how are we goin' to get down there?" said
+Mrs. Aleshine. "There's no steps."</p>
+
+<p>"That is true," said I. "I shouldn't wonder if this
+boat is to be taken forward when the others are filled.
+We must scramble down as well as we can by the
+tackle at the bow and stern. I'll get in first and
+keep her close to the ship's side."</p>
+
+<p>"That's goin' to be a scratchy business," said Mrs.
+Lecks, "and I'm of the opinion we ought to wait till
+the ship has sunk a little more, so we'll be nearer to
+the boat."</p>
+
+<p>"It won't do to wait," said I, "or we shall not get
+in it at all."</p>
+
+<p>"And goodness gracious!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine,
+"I can't stand here and feel the ship sinkin'
+cold-blooded under me, till we've got where we can
+make an easy jump!"</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, then," said Mrs. Lecks, "we won't wait.
+But the first thing to be done is for each one of us to
+put on one of these life-preservers. Two of them I
+brought from Mrs. Aleshine's and my cabin, and the
+other one I got next door, where the people had gone
+off and left it on the floor. I thought if anythin'
+happened on the way to the island, these would give
+us a chance to look about us; but it seems to me<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[9]</a></span>
+we'll need 'em more gettin' down them ropes than
+anywhere else. I did intend puttin' on two myself to
+make up for Mrs. Aleshine's fat; but you must wear
+one of 'em, sir, now that you are goin' to join the party."</p>
+
+<p>As I knew that two life-preservers would not be
+needed by Mrs. Lecks, and would greatly inconvenience
+her, I accepted the one offered me, but declined
+to put it on until it should be necessary, as it would
+interfere with my movements.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," said Mrs. Lecks, "if you think you
+are safe in gettin' down without it. But Mrs. Aleshine
+and me will put ours on before we begin sailor-scramblin'.
+We know how to do it, for we tried 'em
+on soon after we started from San Francisco. And
+now, Barb'ry Aleshine, are you sure you've got everythin'
+you want? for it'll be no use thinkin' about
+anythin' you've forgot after the ship has sunk out of
+sight."</p>
+
+<p>"There's nothin' else I can think of," said Mrs.
+Aleshine; "at least, nothin' I can carry; and so I suppose
+we may as well begin, for your talk of the ship
+sinkin' under our feet gives me a sort o' feelin' like an
+oyster creepin' up and down my back."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks looked over the side at the boat, into
+which I had already descended. "I'll go first, Barb'ry
+Aleshine," said she, "and show you how."</p>
+
+<p>The sea was quiet, and the steamer had already
+sunk so much that Mrs. Lecks's voice sounded frightfully
+near me, although she spoke in a low tone.</p>
+
+<p>"Watch me," said she to her companion. "I'm
+goin' to do just as he did, and you must follow in the
+same way."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[10]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>So saying, she stepped on a bench by the rail; then,
+with one foot on the rail itself, she seized the ropes
+which hung from one of the davits to the bow of the
+boat. She looked down for a moment, and then she
+drew back.</p>
+
+<p>"It's no use," she said. "We must wait until she
+sinks more, and I can get in easier."</p>
+
+<p>This remark made me feel nervous. I did not know
+at what moment there might be a rush for this boat,
+nor when, indeed, the steamer might go down. The
+boat amidships on our side had rowed away some
+minutes before, and through the darkness I could
+distinguish another boat, near the bows, pushing off.
+It would be too late now for us to try to get into any
+other boat, and I did not feel that there was time
+enough for me to take this one to a place where the
+two women could more easily descend to her. Standing
+upright, I urged them not to delay.</p>
+
+<p>"You see," said I, "I can reach you as soon as you
+swing yourself off the ropes, and I'll help you down."</p>
+
+<p>"If you're sure you can keep us from comin' down
+too sudden, we'll try it," said Mrs. Lecks; "but I'd
+as soon be drowned as to get to an island with a broken
+leg. And as to Mrs. Aleshine, if she was to slip she'd
+go slam through that boat to the bottom of the sea.
+Now, then, be ready! I'm comin' down."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[11]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 92px;">
+<img src="images/022.png" width="92" height="310" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p>So saying, she swung herself off, and she was then so near me that I
+was able to seize her and make the rest of her descent comparatively
+easy. Mrs. Aleshine proved to be a more difficult subject. Even after I
+had a firm grasp of her capacious waist she refused to let go the ropes,
+for fear that she might drop into the ocean instead of the boat. But the
+reproaches of Mrs. Lecks and the downward weight of myself made her
+loosen her nervous grip; and, although we came very near going overboard
+together, I safely placed her on one of the thwarts.</p>
+
+<p>I now unhooked the tackle from the stern; but before casting off at the
+bow I hesitated, for I did not wish to desert any of those who might be
+expecting to embark in this boat. But I could hear not approaching
+footsteps, and from my position, close to the side of the steamer, I
+could see nothing. Therefore I cast off, and, taking the oars, I pushed
+away and rowed to a little distance, where I could get whatever view was
+possible of the deck of the steamer. Seeing no forms moving about, I
+called out, and, receiving no answer, I shouted again at the top of my
+voice. I waited for nearly a minute, and, hearing nothing and seeing
+nothing, I became convinced that no one was left on the vessel.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[12]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"They are all gone," said I, "and we will pull after
+them as fast as we can."</p>
+
+<p>And I began to row toward the bow of the steamer,
+in the direction which the other boats had taken.</p>
+
+<p>"It's a good thing you can row," said Mrs. Lecks,
+settling herself comfortably in the stern-sheets, "for
+what Mrs. Aleshine and me would ha' done with them
+oars I am sure I don't know."</p>
+
+<p>"I'd never have got into this boat," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"if Mr. Craig hadn't been here."</p>
+
+<p>"No, indeed," replied her friend. "You'd ha' gone
+to the bottom, hangin' for dear life to them ropes."</p>
+
+<p>When I had rounded the bow of the steamer, which
+appeared to me to be rapidly settling in the water, I
+perceived at no great distance several lights, which of
+course belonged to the other boats, and I rowed as
+hard as I could, hoping to catch up with them, or at
+least to keep sufficiently near. It might be my duty
+to take off some of the people who had crowded into
+the other boats, probably supposing that this one had
+been loaded and gone. How such a mistake could
+have taken place I could not divine, and it was not
+my business to do so. Quite certain that no one was
+left on the sinking steamer, all I had to do was to row
+after the other boats, and to overtake them as soon
+as possible. I thought it would not take me very long
+to do this, but after rowing for half an hour, Mrs.
+Aleshine remarked that the lights seemed as far off,
+if not farther, than when we first started after them.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[13]</a></span>
+Turning, I saw that this was the case, and was greatly
+surprised. With only two passengers I ought soon
+to have come up with those heavily laden boats. But
+after I had thought over it a little, I considered that
+as each of them was probably pulled by half a dozen
+stout sailors, it was not so very strange that they
+should make as good or better headway than I did.</p>
+
+<p>It was not very long after this that Mrs. Lecks said
+that she thought that the lights on the other boats
+must be going out, and that this, most probably, was
+due to the fact that the sailors had forgotten to fill
+their lanterns before they started. "That sort of
+thing often happens," she said, "when people leave a
+place in a hurry."</p>
+
+<p>But when I turned around, and peered over the
+dark waters, it was quite plain to me that it was not
+want of oil, but increased distance, which made those
+lights so dim. I could now perceive but three of them,
+and as the surface was agitated only by a gentle swell,
+I could not suppose that any of them were hidden
+from our view by waves. We were being left behind,
+that was certain, and all I could do was to row on as
+long and as well as I could in the direction which the
+other boats had taken. I had been used to rowing,
+and thought I pulled a good oar, and I certainly did
+not expect to be left behind in this way.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't believe this boat has been emptied out
+since the last rain," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for my feet
+are wet, though I didn't notice it before."</p>
+
+<p>At this I shipped my oars, and began to examine
+the boat. The bottom was covered with a movable
+floor of slats, and as I put my hand down I could feel<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[14]</a></span>
+the water welling up between the slats. The flooring
+was in sections, and lifting the one beneath me, I felt
+under it, and put my hand into six or eight inches of
+water.</p>
+
+<p>The exact state of the case was now as plain to me
+as if it had been posted up on a bulletin-board. This
+boat had been found to be unseaworthy, and its use
+had been forbidden, all the people having been crowded
+into the others. This had caused confusion at the last
+moment, and, of course, we were supposed to be on
+some one of the other boats.</p>
+
+<p>And now here was I, in the middle of the Pacific
+Ocean, in a leaky boat, with two middle-aged women!</p>
+
+<p>"Anythin' the matter with the floor!" asked Mrs.
+Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>I let the section fall back into its place, and looked
+aft. By the starlight I could see that my two companions
+had each fixed upon me a steadfast gaze.
+They evidently felt that something was the matter,
+and wanted to know what it was. I did not hesitate
+for a moment to inform them. They appeared to me
+to be women whom it would be neither advisable nor
+possible to deceive in a case like this.</p>
+
+<p>"This boat has a leak in it," I said. "There is a lot
+of water in her already, and that is the reason we have
+got along so slowly."</p>
+
+<p>"And that is why," said Mrs. Aleshine, "it was left
+empty. We ought to have known better than to expect
+to have a whole boat just for three of us. It
+would have been much more sensible, I think, if we
+had tried to squeeze into one of the others."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "don't<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[15]</a></span>
+you begin findin' fault with good fortune, when it
+comes to you. Here we've got a comfortable boat,
+with room enough to set easy and stretch out if we
+want to. If the water is comin' in, what we've got to
+do is to get it out again just as fast as we can. What's
+the best way to do that, Mr. Craig?"</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/026.png" width="400" height="254" alt="&quot;WE WILL PULL AFTER THEM.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;WE WILL PULL AFTER THEM.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"We must bail her out, and lose no time about it,"
+said I. "If I can find the leak I may be able to stop
+it."</p>
+
+<p>I now looked about for something to bail with, and
+the two women aided actively in the search. I found
+one leather scoop in the bow; but as it was well that
+we should all go to work, I took two tin cans that had
+been put in by some one who had begun to provision
+the boat, and proceeded to cut the tops from them
+with my jack-knife.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't lose what's in 'em," said Mrs. Lecks; "that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[16]</a></span>
+is, if it's anythin' we'd be likely to want to eat. If
+it's tomatoes, pour it into the sea, for nobody ought
+to eat tomatoes put up in tins."</p>
+
+<p>I hastily passed the cans to Mrs. Lecks, and I saw
+her empty the contents of one into the sea, and those
+of the other on a newspaper which she took from her
+pocket and placed in the stern.</p>
+
+<p>I pulled up the movable floor and threw it overboard,
+and then began to bail.</p>
+
+<p>"I thought," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that they always
+had pumps for leaks."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "just
+gether yourself up on one of them seats, and go to
+work. The less talkin' we do, and the more scoopin',
+the better it'll be for us."</p>
+
+<p>I soon perceived that it would have been difficult to
+find two more valuable assistants in the bailing of a
+boat than Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine. They were
+evidently used to work, and were able to accommodate
+themselves to the unusual circumstances in which they
+were placed. We threw out the water very rapidly,
+and every little while I stopped bailing and felt about
+to see if I could discover where it came in. As these
+attempts met with no success, I gave them up after a
+time, and set about bailing with new vigor, believing
+that if we could get the boat nearly dry I should
+surely be able to find the leak.</p>
+
+<p>But, after working half an hour more, I found that
+the job would be a long one; and if we all worked
+at once we would all be tired out at once, and that
+might be disastrous. Therefore I proposed that we
+should take turns in resting, and Mrs. Aleshine was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[17]</a></span>
+ordered to stop work for a time. After this Mrs.
+Lecks took a rest, and when she went to work I
+stopped bailing and began again to search for the
+leak.</p>
+
+<p>For about two hours we worked in this way, and
+then I concluded it was useless to continue any longer
+this vain exertion. With three of us bailing we were
+able to keep the water at the level we first found it;
+but with only two at work, it slightly gained upon us,
+so that now there was more water in the boat than
+when we first discovered it. The boat was an iron
+one, and the leak in it I could neither find nor remedy.
+It had probably been caused by the warping of the
+metal under a hot sun, an accident which, I am told,
+frequently occurs to iron boats. The little craft,
+which would have been a life-boat had its air-boxes
+remained intact, was now probably leaking from stem
+to stern; and in searching for the leak without the
+protection of the flooring, my weight had doubtless
+assisted in opening the seams, for it was quite plain
+that the water was now coming in more rapidly than
+it did at first. We were very tired, and even Mrs.
+Lecks, who had all along counseled us to keep at work,
+and not to waste one breath in talking, now admitted
+that it was of no use to try to get the water out of
+that boat.</p>
+
+<p>It had been some hours since I had used the oars,
+but whether we had drifted, or remained where we
+were when I stopped rowing, of course I could not
+know; but this mattered very little; our boat was
+slowly sinking beneath us, and it could make no
+difference whether we went down in one spot or an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[18]</a></span>
+other. I sat and racked my brain to think what
+could be done in this fearful emergency. To bail any
+longer was useless labor, and what else was there that
+we could do?</p>
+
+<p>"When will it be time," asked Mrs. Lecks, "for us
+to put on the life-preservers? When the water gets
+nearly to the seats?"</p>
+
+<p>I answered that we should not wait any longer than
+that, but in my own mind I could not see any advantage
+in putting them on at all. Why should we wish
+to lengthen our lives by a few hours of helpless floating
+upon the ocean?</p>
+
+<p>"Very good," said Mrs. Lecks; "I'll keep a watch
+on the water. One of them cans was filled with lobster,
+which would be more than likely to disagree
+with us, and I've throwed it out; but the other had
+baked beans in it, and the best thing we can do is to
+eat some of these right away. They are mighty
+nourishin', and will keep up strength as well as anythin',
+and then, as you said there's a keg of water in
+the boat, we can all take a drink of that, and it'll
+make us feel like new cre'tur's. You'll have to take
+the beans in your hands, for we've got no spoons nor
+forks."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine were each curled up
+out of reach of the water, the first in the stern, and
+the other on the aft thwart. The day was now beginning
+to break, and we could see about us very distinctly.
+Before reaching out her hands to receive
+her beans, Mrs. Aleshine washed them in the water in
+the boat, remarking at the same time that she might
+as well make use of it since it was there. Having<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[19]</a></span>
+then wiped her hands on some part of her apparel,
+they were filled with beans from the newspaper held
+by Mrs. Lecks, and these were passed over to me. I
+was very hungry, and when I had finished my beans
+I agreed with my companions that although they
+would have been a great deal better if heated up with
+butter, pepper, and salt, they were very comforting
+as they were. One of the empty cans was now passed
+to me, and after having been asked by Mrs. Lecks to
+rinse it out very carefully, we all satisfied our taste
+from the water in the keg.</p>
+
+<p>"Cold baked beans and lukewarm water ain't exactly
+company vittles," said Mrs. Aleshine, "but there's
+many a poor wretch would be glad to get 'em."</p>
+
+<p>I could not imagine any poor wretch who would be
+glad of the food together with the attending circumstances;
+but I did not say so.</p>
+
+<p>"The water is just one finger from the bottom of
+the seat," said Mrs. Lecks, who had been stooping
+over to measure, "and it's time to put on the life-preservers."</p>
+
+<p>"Very good," said Mrs. Aleshine; "hand me mine."</p>
+
+<p>Each of us now buckled on a life-preserver, and as
+I did so I stood up upon a thwart and looked about
+me. It was quite light now, and I could see for a
+long distance over the surface of the ocean, which
+was gently rolling in wide, smooth swells. As we
+rose upon the summit of one of these I saw a dark
+spot upon the water, just on the edge of our near
+horizon, "Is that the steamer?" I thought; "and
+has she not yet sunk?"</p>
+
+<p>At this there came to me a glimmering of coura<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[20]</a></span>geous
+hope. If the steamer had remained afloat so long,
+it was probable that on account of water-tight compartments,
+or for some other reason, her sinking had
+reached its limit, and that if we could get back to her
+we might be saved. But, alas, how were we to get
+back to her? This boat would sink long, long before
+I could row that distance.</p>
+
+<p>However, I soon proclaimed the news to my companions,
+whereupon Mrs. Aleshine prepared to stand
+upon a thwart and see for herself. But Mrs. Lecks
+restrained her.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't make things worse, Barb'ry Aleshine," said
+she, "by tumblin' overboard. If we've got to go into
+the water, let us do it decently and in order. If that's
+the ship, Mr. Craig, don't you suppose we can float
+ourselves to it in some way?"</p>
+
+<p>I replied that by the help of a life-preserver a person
+who could swim might reach the ship.</p>
+
+<p>"But neither of us can swim," said Mrs. Lecks, "for
+we've lived where the water was never more'n a foot
+deep, except in time of freshets, when there's no
+swimmin' for man or beast. But if we see you swim,
+perhaps we can follow, after a fashion. At any rate,
+we must do the best we can, and that's all there is to
+be done."</p>
+
+<p>"The water now," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "is so
+near to the bottom of my seat that I've got to stand
+up, tumble overboard or no."</p>
+
+<p>"All right," remarked Mrs. Lecks; "we'd better
+all stand up, and let the boat sink under us. That
+will save our jumpin' overboard, or rollin' out any
+which way, which might be awkward."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[21]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Goodness gracious me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine.
+"You set the oysters creepin' over me again!
+First you talk of the ship sinkin' under us, and now
+it's the boat goin' to the bottom under our feet. Before
+any sinkin' 's to be done I'd ruther get out."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "stand
+up straight, and don't talk so much. It'll be a great
+deal better to be let down gradual than to flop into
+the water all of a bunch."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," said Mrs. Aleshine; "it may be best
+to get used to it by degrees; but I must say I wish I
+was home."</p>
+
+<p>As for me, I would have much preferred to jump
+overboard at once, instead of waiting in this cold-blooded
+manner; but as my companions had so far
+preserved their presence of mind, I did not wish to do
+anything which might throw them into a panic. I
+believed there would be no danger from the suction
+caused by the sinking of a small boat like this, and if
+we took care not to entangle ourselves with it in any
+way, we might as well follow Mrs. Lecks's advice as
+not. So we all stood up, Mrs. Lecks in the stern, I
+in the bow, and Mrs. Aleshine on a thwart between
+us. The last did not appear to have quite room
+enough for a steady footing, but, as she remarked, it
+did not matter very much, as the footing, broad or
+narrow, would not be there very long.</p>
+
+<p>I am used to swimming, and have never hesitated
+to take a plunge into river or ocean, but I must admit
+that it was very trying to my nerves to stand up this
+way and wait for a boat to sink beneath me. How
+the two women were affected I do not know. They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[22]</a></span>
+said nothing, but their faces indicated that something
+disagreeable was about to happen, and that the less
+that was said about it the better.</p>
+
+<p>The boat had now sunk so much that the water
+was around Mrs. Aleshine's feet, her standing-place
+being rather lower than ours. I made myself certain
+that there were no ropes nor any other means of entanglement
+near my companions or myself, and then
+I waited. There seemed to be a good deal of buoyancy
+in the bow and stern of the boat, and it was a
+frightfully long time in sinking. The suspense became
+so utterly unendurable that I was tempted to
+put one foot on the edge of the boat, and, by tipping
+it, put an end to this nerve-rack; but I refrained, for
+I probably would throw the women off their balance,
+when they might fall against some part of the boat,
+and do themselves a hurt. I had just relinquished
+this intention, when two little waves seemed to rise
+one on each side of Mrs. Aleshine, and gently flowing
+over the side of the boat, they flooded her feet with
+water.</p>
+
+<p>"Hold your breaths!" I shouted. And now I experienced
+a sensation which must have been very like
+that which comes to a condemned criminal at the first
+indication of the pulling of the drop. Then there
+was a horrible sinking, a gurgle, and a swash, and the
+ocean over which I had been gazing appeared to rise
+up and envelop me.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[23]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 363px;">
+<img src="images/034.png" width="363" height="550" alt="&quot;STAND UP STRAIGHT, AND DONT TALK SO MUCH.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;STAND UP STRAIGHT, AND DONT TALK SO MUCH.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>In a moment, however, my head was out of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36"></a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[25]</a></span>
+water, and, looking hastily about me, I saw, close by,
+the heads and shoulders of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.
+The latter was vigorously winking her eyes
+and blowing from her mouth some sea-water that had
+got into it; but as soon as her eyes fell upon me she
+exclaimed: "That was ever so much more suddint
+than I thought it was goin'
+to be!"</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 150px;">
+<img src="images/036.png" width="150" height="150" alt="&quot;VIGOROUSLY WINKING AND BLOWING.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;VIGOROUSLY WINKING AND BLOWING.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"Are you both all right?"</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose I am," said
+Mrs. Aleshine, "but I never
+thought that a person with
+a life-preserver on would go
+clean under the water."</p>
+
+<p>"But since you've come
+up again, you ought to be
+satisfied," said Mrs. Lecks.
+"And now," she added,
+turning her face toward me, "which way ought we
+to try to swim? and have we got everythin' we want
+to take with us?"</p>
+
+<p>"What we haven't got we can't get," remarked
+Mrs. Aleshine; "and as for swimmin', I expect I'm
+goin' to make a poor hand at it."</p>
+
+<p>I had a hope, which was not quite strong enough to
+be a belief, that, supported by their life-preservers,
+the two women might paddle themselves along; and
+that, by giving them in turn a helping hand, I might
+eventually get them to the steamer. There was a
+strong probability that I would not succeed, but I
+did not care to think of that.</p>
+
+<p>I now swam in front of my companions, and endeavored
+to instruct them in the best method of propelling
+themselves with their arms and their hands.
+If they succeeded in this, I thought I would give them
+some further lessons in striking out with their feet.
+After watching me attentively, Mrs. Lecks did manage
+to move herself slowly through the smooth water,
+but poor Mrs. Aleshine could do nothing but splash.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[26]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"If there was anythin' to take hold of," she said to
+me, "I might get along; but I can't get any grip on
+the water, though you seem to do it well enough.
+Look there!" she added in a higher voice. "Isn't
+that an oar floatin' over there? If you can get that
+for me, I believe I can row myself much better than
+I can swim."</p>
+
+<p>This seemed an odd idea, but I swam over to the
+floating oar, and brought it her. I was about to
+show her how she could best use it, but she declined
+my advice.</p>
+
+<p>"If I do it at all," she said, "I must do it in my own
+way." And taking the oar in her strong hands, she
+began to ply it on the water very much in the way in
+which she would handle a broom. At first she dipped
+the blade too deeply, but, correcting this error, she
+soon began to paddle herself along at a slow but
+steady rate.</p>
+
+<p>"Capital!" I cried. "You do that admirably!"</p>
+
+<p>"Anybody who's swept as many rooms as I have,"
+she said, "ought to be able to handle anythin' that
+can be used like a broom."</p>
+
+<p>"Isn't there another oar?" cried Mrs. Lecks, who
+had now been left a little distance behind us. "If
+there is, I want one."</p>
+
+<p>Looking about me, I soon discovered another floating
+oar, and brought it to Mrs. Lecks, who, after
+holding it in various positions, so as to get "the hang<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[27]</a></span>
+of it," as she said, soon began to use it with as much
+skill as that shown by her friend. If either of them
+had been obliged to use an oar in the ordinary way, I
+fear they would have had a bad time of it; but, considering
+the implement in the light of a broom, its
+use immediately became familiar to them, and they
+got on remarkably well.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 350px;">
+<img src="images/038.png" width="350" height="402" alt="&quot;THEY GOT ON REMARKABLY WELL.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;THEY GOT ON REMARKABLY WELL.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[28]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>I now took a position a little in advance of my
+companions, and as I swam slowly they were easily
+able to keep up with me. Mrs. Aleshine, being so
+stout, floated much higher out of the water than either
+Mrs. Lecks or I, and this permitted her to use her oar
+with a great deal of freedom. Sometimes she would
+give such a vigorous brush to the water that she
+would turn herself almost entirely around, but after
+a little practice she learned to avoid undue efforts
+of this kind.</p>
+
+<p>I was not positively sure that we were going in the
+right direction, for my position did not allow me to
+see very far over the water; but I remembered that
+when I was standing up in the boat, and made my
+discovery, the sun was just about to rise in front of
+me, while the dark spot on the ocean lay to my left.
+Judging, therefore, from the present position of the
+sun, which was not very high, I concluded that we
+were moving toward the north, and therefore in the
+right direction. How far off the steamer might be I
+had no idea, for I was not accustomed to judging
+distances at sea; but I believed that if we were careful
+of our strength, and if the ocean continued as
+smooth as it now was, we might eventually reach the
+vessel, provided she were yet afloat.</p>
+
+<p>"After you are fairly in the water," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+as she swept along, although without the velocity
+which that phrase usually implies, "it isn't half so
+bad as I thought it would be. For one thing, it don't
+feel a bit salt, although I must say it tasted horribly
+that way when I first went into it."</p>
+
+<p>"You didn't expect to find pickle-brine, did you?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[29]</a></span>
+said Mrs. Lecks. "Though, if it was, I suppose we
+could float on it settin'."</p>
+
+<p>"And as to bein' cold," said Mrs. Aleshine, "the
+part of me that's in is actually more comfortable than
+that which is out."</p>
+
+<p>"There's one thing I would have been afraid of,"
+said Mrs. Lecks, "if we hadn't made preparations for
+it, and that's sharks."</p>
+
+<p>"Preparations!" I exclaimed. "How in the world
+did you prepare for sharks?"</p>
+
+<p>"Easy enough," said Mrs. Lecks. "When we went
+down into our room to get ready to go away in the
+boats we both put on black stockin's. I've read that
+sharks never bite colored people, although if they see
+a white man in the water they'll snap him up as quick
+as lightnin'; and black stockin's was the nearest we
+could come to it. You see, I thought as like as not
+we'd have some sort of an upset before we got
+through."</p>
+
+<p>"It's a great comfort," remarked Mrs. Aleshine,
+"and I'm very glad you thought of it, Mrs. Lecks.
+After this I shall make it a rule: Black stockin's for
+sharks."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose in your case," said Mrs. Lecks, addressing
+me, "dark trousers will do as well."</p>
+
+<p>To which I answered that I sincerely hoped they would.</p>
+
+<p>"Another thing I'm thankful for," said Mrs. Aleshine, "is that I thought to put on a flannel skeert."</p>
+
+<p>"And what's the good of it," said Mrs. Lecks, "when it's soppin' wet?"</p>
+
+<p>"Flannel's flannel," replied her friend, "whether<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[30]</a></span>
+it's wet or dry; and if you'd had the rheumatism as
+much as I have, you'd know it."</p>
+
+<p>To this Mrs. Lecks replied with a sniff, and asked
+me how soon I thought we would get sight of the
+ship; for if we were going the wrong way, and had to
+turn round and go back, it would certainly be very
+provoking.</p>
+
+<p>I should have been happy indeed to be able to give
+a satisfactory answer to this question. Every time
+that we rose upon a swell I threw a rapid glance
+around the whole circle of the horizon; and at last,
+not a quarter of an hour after Mrs. Lecks's question,
+I was rejoiced to see, almost in the direction in which
+I supposed it ought to be, the dark spot which I had
+before discovered. I shouted the glad news, and as
+we rose again my companions strained their eyes in
+the direction to which I pointed. They both saw it,
+and were greatly satisfied.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, then," said Mrs. Aleshine, "it seems as if
+there was somethin' to work for"; and she began to
+sweep her oar with great vigor.</p>
+
+<p>"If you want to tire yourself out before you get
+there, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "you'd
+better go on in that way. Now what I advise is
+that we stop rowin' altogether, and have somethin'
+to eat; for I'm sure we need it to keep up our
+strength."</p>
+
+<p>"Eat!" I cried. "What are you going to eat? Do
+you expect to catch fish?"</p>
+
+<p>"And eat 'em raw?" said Mrs. Lecks. "I should
+think not. But do you suppose, Mr. Craig, that Mrs.
+Aleshine and me would go off and leave that ship<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[31]</a></span>
+without takin' somethin' to eat by the way? Let's
+all gether here in a bunch, and see what sort of a
+meal we can make. And now, Barb'ry Aleshine,
+if you lay your oar down there on the water, I
+recommend you to tie it to one of your bonnet-strings,
+or it'll be floatin' away, and you won't get
+it again."</p>
+
+<p>As she said this, Mrs. Lecks put her right hand
+down into the water, and fumbled about, apparently
+in search of a pocket. I could not but smile as I
+thought of the condition of food when, for an hour
+or more, it had been a couple of feet under the
+surface of the ocean; but my ideas on the subject
+were entirely changed when I saw Mrs. Lecks hold
+up in the air two German sausages, and shake the
+briny drops from their smooth and glittering surfaces.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 550px;">
+<img src="images/042.png" width="550" height="259" alt="&quot;&lsquo;THERE&apos;S NOTHIN&apos; LIKE SAUSAGES FOR SHIPWRECK.&rsquo;quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;&lsquo;THERE&apos;S NOTHIN&apos; LIKE SAUSAGES FOR SHIPWRECK.&rsquo;&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"There's nothin'," she said, "like sausages for
+shipwreck and that kind o' thing. They're very sustainin',
+and bein' covered with a tight skin, water can't<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[32]</a></span>
+get at 'em, no matter how you carry 'em. I wouldn't
+bring these out in the boat, because, havin' the beans,
+we might as well eat them. Have you a knife about
+you, Mr. Craig?"</p>
+
+<p>I produced a dripping jack-knife, and after the open
+blade had been waved in the air to dry it a little, Mrs.
+Lecks proceeded to divide one of the sausages, handing
+the other to me to hold meanwhile.</p>
+
+<p>"Now don't go eatin' sausages without bread, if
+you don't want 'em to give you dyspepsy," said
+Mrs. Aleshine, who was tugging at a submarine
+pocket.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm very much afraid your bread is all soaked,"
+said Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>To which her friend replied that that remained to
+be seen, and forthwith produced, with a splash, a glass
+preserve-jar with a metal top.</p>
+
+<p>"I saw this nearly empty, as I looked into the ship's
+pantry, and I stuffed into it all the soft biscuits it
+would hold. There was some sort of jam left at the
+bottom, so that the one who gets the last biscuit will
+have somethin' of a little spread on it. And now,
+Mrs. Lecks," she continued triumphantly, as she unscrewed
+the top, "that rubber ring has kept 'em as
+dry as chips. I'm mighty glad of it, for I had trouble
+enough gettin' this jar into my pocket, and gettin' it
+out, too, for that matter."</p>
+
+<p>Floating thus, with our hands and shoulders above
+the water, we made a very good meal from the sausages
+and soft biscuit.</p>
+
+<p>"Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, as her friend
+proceeded to cut the second sausage, "don't you lay<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[33]</a></span>
+that knife down, when you've done with it, as if
+'t was an oar; for if you do it'll sink, as like as not,
+about six miles. I've read that the ocean is as deep
+as that in some places."</p>
+
+<p>"Goodness gracious me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine,
+"I hope we are not over one of them deep spots."</p>
+
+<p>"There's no knowin'," said Mrs. Lecks, "but if it's
+more comfortin' to think it's shallerer, we'll make up
+our minds that way. Now, then," she continued,
+"we'll finish off this meal with a little somethin' to
+drink. I'm not given to takin' spirits, but I never
+travel without a little whisky, ready mixed with water,
+to take if it should be needed."</p>
+
+<p>So saying, she produced from one of her pockets a
+whisky-flask tightly corked, and of its contents we
+each took a sip, Mrs. Aleshine remarking that, leaving
+out being chilled or colicky, we were never likely to
+need it more than now.</p>
+
+<p>Thus refreshed and strengthened, Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine took up their oars, while I swam slightly
+in advance, as before. When, with occasional intermissions
+of rest, and a good deal of desultory conversation,
+we had swept and swam for about an hour,
+Mrs. Lecks suddenly exclaimed: "I can see that thing
+ever so much plainer now, and I don't believe it's a
+ship at all. To me it looks like bushes."</p>
+
+<p>"You're mighty long-sighted without your specs,"
+said Mrs. Aleshine, "and I'm not sure but what
+you're right."</p>
+
+<p>For ten minutes or more I had been puzzling over
+the shape of the dark spot, which was now nearly all
+the time in sight. Its peculiar form had filled me<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[34]</a></span>
+with a dreadful fear that it was the steamer, bottom
+upward, although I knew enough about nautical
+matters to have no good reason to suppose that this
+could be the case. I am not far-sighted, but when
+Mrs. Lecks suggested bushes, I gazed at the distant
+object with totally different ideas, and soon began
+to believe that it was not a ship, either right side up
+or wrong side up, but that it might be an island.
+This belief I proclaimed to my companions, and for
+some time we all worked with increased energy in the
+desire to get near enough to make ourselves certain
+in regard to this point.</p>
+
+<p>"As true as I'm standin' here," said Mrs. Lecks,
+who, although she could not read without spectacles,
+had remarkably good sight at long range, "them is
+trees and bushes that I see before me, though they do
+seem to be growin' right out of the water."</p>
+
+<p>"There's an island under them; you may be sure
+of that!" I cried. "Isn't this ever so much better
+than a sinking ship!"</p>
+
+<p>"I'm not so sure about that," said Mrs. Aleshine.
+"I'm used to the ship, and as long as it didn't
+sink I'd prefer it. There's plenty to eat on board of
+it, and good beds to sleep on, which is more than can
+be expected on a little bushy place like that ahead of
+us. But then, the ship might sink all of a suddint,
+beds, vittles, and all."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you suppose that is the island the other boats
+went to?" asked Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>This question I had already asked of myself. I had
+been told that the island to which the captain intended
+to take his boats lay about thirty miles south of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[35]</a></span>
+point where we left the steamer. Now I knew very
+well that we had not come thirty miles, and had reason
+to believe, moreover, that the greater part of the
+progress we had made had been toward the north. It
+was not at all probable that the position of this island
+was unknown to our captain; and it must, therefore,
+have been considered by him as an unsuitable place
+for the landing of his passengers. There might be
+many reasons for this unsuitableness: the island
+might be totally barren and desolate; it might be the
+abode of unpleasant natives; and, more important
+than anything else, it was, in all probability, a spot
+where steamers never touched.</p>
+
+<p>But, whatever its disadvantages, I was most wildly
+desirous to reach it; more so, I believe, than either of
+my companions. I do not mean that they were not
+sensible of their danger, and desirous to be freed from
+it; but they were women who had probably had a rough
+time of it during a great part of their lives, and on
+emerging from their little circle of rural experiences,
+accepted with equanimity, and almost as a matter of
+course, the rough times which come to people in the
+great outside world.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not believe," I said, in answer to Mrs. Lecks,
+"that that is the island to which the captain would
+have taken us; but, whatever it is, it is dry land, and
+we must get there as soon as we can."</p>
+
+<p>"That's true," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for I'd like to
+have ground nearer to my feet than six miles; and if
+we don't find anything to eat and any place to sleep
+when we get there, it's no more than can be said of
+the place where we are now."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[36]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You're too particular, Barb'ry Aleshine," said
+Mrs. Lecks, "about your comforts. If you find the
+ground too hard to sleep on, when you get there, you
+can put on your life-preserver, and go to bed in the
+water."</p>
+
+<p>"Very good," said Mrs. Aleshine; "and if these
+islands are made of coral, as I've heard they are,
+and if they're as full of small p'ints as some coral
+I've got at home, you'll be glad to take a berth by
+me, Mrs. Lecks."</p>
+
+<p>I counseled my companions to follow me as rapidly
+as possible, and we all pushed vigorously forward.
+When we had approached near enough to the island
+to see what sort of place it really was, we perceived
+that it was a low-lying spot, apparently covered with
+verdure, and surrounded, as far as we could see as
+we rose on the swells, by a rocky reef, against which
+a tolerably high surf was running.</p>
+
+<p>I knew enough of the formation of these coral
+islands to suppose that within this reef was a lagoon
+of smooth water, into which there were openings
+through the rocky barrier. It was necessary
+to try to find one of these, for it would be difficult
+and perhaps dangerous to attempt to land through
+the surf.</p>
+
+<p>Before us we could see a continuous line of white-capped
+breakers, and so I led my little party to the
+right, hoping that we would soon see signs of an
+opening in the reef.</p>
+
+<p>We swam and paddled, however, for a long time,
+and still the surf rolled menacingly on the rocks before
+us. We were now as close to the island as we could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[37]</a></span>
+approach with safety, and I determined to circumnavigate
+it, if necessary, before I would attempt, with
+these two women, to land upon that jagged reef. At
+last we perceived, at no great distance before us, a
+spot where there seemed to be no breakers; and when
+we reached it we found, to our unutterable delight,
+that here was smooth water flowing through a wide
+opening in the reef. The rocks were piled up quite
+high, and the reef, at this point at least, was a wide
+one, but as we neared the opening we found that it
+narrowed very soon, and made a turn to the left,
+so that from the outside we could not see into the
+lagoon.</p>
+
+<p>I swam into this smooth water, followed closely by
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, who, however, soon became
+unable to use their oars, owing to the proximity
+of the rocks. Dropping these useful implements, they
+managed to paddle after me with their hands, and
+they were as much astonished as I was when, just after
+making the slight turn, we found stretched across the
+narrow passage a great iron bar about eight or ten
+inches above the water. A little farther on, and two
+or three feet above the water, another iron bar extended
+from one rocky wall to the other. Without
+uttering a word I examined the lower bar, and found
+one end of it fastened by means of a huge padlock to
+a great staple driven into the rock. The lock was
+securely wrapped in what appeared to be tarred canvas.
+A staple through an eyehole in the bar secured the
+other end of it to the rocks.</p>
+
+<p>"These bars were put here," I exclaimed, "to keep
+out boats, whether at high or low water. You see<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[38]</a></span>
+they can only be thrown out of the way by taking off
+the padlocks."</p>
+
+<p>"They won't keep us out," said Mrs. Lecks, "for
+we can duck under. I suppose whoever put 'em here
+didn't expect anybody to arrive on life-preservers."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/049.png" width="400" height="393" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[39]</a></span></p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="PART_II" id="PART_II"></a>PART II</h2>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 350px;">
+<img src="images/050.png" width="350" height="223" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p>Adopting Mrs. Lecks's suggestion, I "ducked"
+my head under the bar, and passed to the
+other side of it. Mrs. Lecks, with but little trouble,
+followed my example; but Mrs. Aleshine, who, by
+reason of her stoutness, floated so much higher out
+of the water than her friend and I, found it impossible
+to get herself under the bar. In whatever manner
+she made the attempt, her head or her shoulders
+were sure to bump and arrest her progress.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, who had
+been watching her, "if you ever want to get out of
+this salt water, you've got to make up your mind to
+take some of it into your mouth and into your eyes,
+that is, if you don't keep 'em shut. Get yourself as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[40]</a></span>
+close to that bar as you can, and I'll come and put
+you under." So saying, Mrs. Lecks returned to the
+other side of the bar, and having made Mrs. Aleshine
+bow down her head and close her eyes and mouth,
+she placed both hands upon her companion's broad
+shoulders, and threw as much weight as possible upon
+them. Mrs. Aleshine almost disappeared beneath the
+water, but she came up sputtering and blinking on
+the other side of the bar, where she was quickly joined
+by Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"Merciful me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, wiping
+her wet face with her still wetter sleeve, "I never
+supposed the heathens would be up to such tricks as
+makin' us do that!"</p>
+
+<p>I had waited to give any assistance that might be
+required, and, while doing so, had discovered another
+bar under the water, which proved that entrance at
+almost any stage of the tide had been guarded against.
+Warning my companions not to strike their feet
+against this submerged bar, we paddled and pushed
+ourselves around the turn in the rocky passage, and
+emerged into the open lagoon.</p>
+
+<p>This smooth stretch of water, which separated the
+island from its encircling reef, was here about a hundred
+feet wide; and the first thing that arrested our
+attention as we gazed across it was a little wharf or
+landing-stage, erected upon the narrow beach of the
+island, almost opposite to us.</p>
+
+<p>"As sure as I stand here," exclaimed Mrs. Lecks,
+who never seemed to forget her upright position,
+"somebody lives in this place!"</p>
+
+<p>"And it isn't a stickery coral island, either," cried<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[41]</a></span>
+Mrs. Aleshine, "for that sand's as smooth as any I
+ever saw."</p>
+
+<p>"Whoever does live here," resumed Mrs. Lecks,
+"has got to take us in, whether they like it or not,
+and the sooner we get over there, the better."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Aleshine now regretted the loss of her oar,
+and suggested that some one of us who could get
+under bars easily should go back after it. But Mrs.
+Lecks would listen to no such proposition.</p>
+
+<p>"Let the oars go," she said. "We won't want 'em
+again, for I'll never leave this place if I have to scoop
+myself out to sea with an oar."</p>
+
+<p>I told the two women that I could easily tow them
+across this narrow piece of water; and instructing
+Mrs. Lecks to take hold of the tail of my coat, while
+Mrs. Aleshine grasped her companion's dress, I began
+to swim slowly toward the beach, towing my companions
+behind me.</p>
+
+<p>"Goodnessful gracious me!" suddenly exclaimed
+Mrs. Aleshine, with a great bounce and a splash,
+"look at the fishes!"</p>
+
+<p>The water in the lagoon was so clear that it was
+almost transparent, and beneath us and around us we
+could see fish, some large and some small, swimming
+about as if they were floating in the air, while down
+below the white sandy bottom seemed to sparkle in
+the sunlight.</p>
+
+<p>"Now don't jerk my skeert off on account of the
+fishes," said Mrs. Lecks. "I expect there was just as
+many outside, though we couldn't see 'em. But I
+must say that this water looks as if it had been boiled
+and filtered."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[42]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>If any inhabitant of the island had then been
+standing on the wharf, he would have beheld on the
+surface of the lagoon the peculiar spectacle of a man's
+head surmounted by a wet and misshapen straw hat,
+and followed by two other heads, each wearing a
+dripping and bedraggled bonnet, while beneath,
+among the ripples of the clear water, would have
+been seen the figures belonging to these three heads,
+each dressed in the clothes ordinarily worn on land.</p>
+
+<p>As I swam I could see before me, on the island,
+nothing but a mass of low-growing, tropical vegetation,
+behind which rose some palms and other trees.
+I made for the little wharf, from which steps came
+down into the water, and as soon as we reached it we
+all clambered rapidly up, and stood dripping upon
+the narrow platform, stamping our feet and shaking
+our clothes.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you see that house?" said Mrs. Lecks. "That's
+where they live, and I wonder which way we must go
+to get there."</p>
+
+<p>From this somewhat elevated position I could
+plainly see, over the tops of the bushes and low trees,
+the upper part of the roof of a house. When I found
+the bars across the passage in the reef, I had easily
+come to the conclusion that the inhabitants of this
+island were not savages; and now since I had seen
+the wharf and the roof of this house, I felt quite convinced
+that we had reached the abode of civilized
+beings. They might be pirates or some other sort of
+sea miscreants, but they were certainly not savages or
+cannibals.</p>
+
+<p>Leaving the wharf, we soon found a broad path<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[43]</a></span>
+through the bushes, and in a few moments reached a
+wide, open space, in which stood a handsome modern-built
+house. It was constructed after the fashion of
+tropical houses belonging to Europeans, with jalousied
+porches and shaded balconies; the grounds about it
+were neatly laid out, and behind it was a walled inclosure,
+probably a garden.</p>
+
+<p>"Upon my word," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "I'd
+like to be less drippin' before I make a call on genteel
+folks!"</p>
+
+<p>"Genteel folks!" exclaimed Mrs. Lecks, indignantly.
+"If you're too proud to go in as you are, Barb'ry
+Aleshine, you can go set in the sun till you're dry.
+As for me, I'm goin' to ask for the lady of the house,
+and if she don't like me she can lump me, so long as
+she gives me somethin' to eat and a dry bed to get
+into."</p>
+
+<p>I was too much amazed to speak, but my companions
+took everything as a matter of course. They had
+expected to see strange things in the outer world, and
+they were not surprised when they saw them. My
+mind was not capable of understanding the existence
+of an establishment like this on a little island in mid-ocean.
+But it was useless for me to attempt to reason
+on this apparent phenomenon; and, indeed, there was
+no time for it, for Mrs. Lecks walked boldly up to the
+front door and plied the knocker, stepping back immediately,
+so that she might not drip too much water
+on the porch.</p>
+
+<p>"When they come," she said, "we'll ask 'em to let
+us in the back way, so that we sha'n't slop up their
+floors any more than we can help."</p>
+
+<p>We waited for a couple of minutes, and then I, as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[44]</a></span>
+the member of the party who dripped the least, went
+up on the porch and knocked again.</p>
+
+<p>"It's my belief they're not at home," said Mrs.
+Lecks, after we had waited some time longer, "but perhaps
+we'll find some of the servants in," and she led
+the way to the back part of the house.</p>
+
+<p>As we passed the side of the mansion I noticed that
+all the window-shutters were closed, and my growing
+belief that the place was deserted became a conviction
+after we had knocked several times at a door at the
+back of the building without receiving any answer.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, they're all gone out, that's certain!" said
+Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and they barred up the entrance to the island
+when they left," I added.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder if there's another house in the neighborhood?"
+asked Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't believe," said I, "that the neighborhood is
+very thickly settled; but if you will wait here a few
+minutes, I will run around this wall and see what
+there is beyond. I may find the huts of some natives
+or work-people."</p>
+
+<p>I followed a path by the side of the garden wall,
+but when I reached the end of the inclosure I could
+see nothing before me but jungle and forest, with
+paths running in several directions. I followed one
+of these, and very soon came out upon an open beach,
+with the reef lying beyond it. From the form of the
+beach and the reef, and from the appearance of things
+generally, I began to think that this was probably a
+very small island, and that the house we had seen
+was the only one on it. I returned and reported this
+belief to my companions.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[45]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 289px;">
+<img src="images/056.png" width="289" height="450" alt="&quot;MRS. LECKS WALKED BOLDLY UP TO THE FRONT DOOR AND PLIED THE KNOCKER.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;MRS. LECKS WALKED BOLDLY UP TO THE FRONT DOOR AND PLIED THE KNOCKER.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Now that Mrs. Aleshine had no fear of appearing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[47]</a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57"></a></span>
+in an untidy condition before "genteel folks," her
+manner changed very much. "If the family has gone
+into the country," said she, "or whatever else they've
+done, I want to get into this house as soon as I can.
+I expect we can find something to eat. At any rate,
+we can get ourselves dry, and lay down somewhere
+to rest, for not a wink has one of us slept since night
+before last."</p>
+
+<p>"I should think," said Mrs. Lecks, addressing me,
+"that if you could manage to climb up to them second-story
+windows, you might find one of them that you
+could get in, and then come down and open the door
+for us. Everybody is likely to forget to fasten some
+of the windows on the upper floors. I know it isn't
+right to force our way into other people's houses, but
+there's nothin' else to be done, and there's no need
+of our talkin' about it."</p>
+
+<p>I agreed with her perfectly, and taking off my coat
+and shoes, I climbed up one of the columns of the
+veranda, and got upon its roof. This extended nearly
+the whole length of two sides of the house. I walked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[48]</a></span>
+along it and tried all the shutters, and I soon came to
+one in which some of the movable slats had been broken.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 76px;">
+<img src="images/059.png" width="76" height="210" alt="&quot;I CLIMBED UP ONE OF THE COLUMNS.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;I CLIMBED UP ONE OF THE COLUMNS.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Thrusting my hand and arm through the
+aperture thus formed, I unhooked the shutters and
+opened them. The sash was fastened down by one of
+the ordinary contrivances used for such purposes, but
+with the blade of my jack-knife I easily pushed the
+bolt aside, raised the sash, and entered. I found
+myself in a small hall at the head of a flight of stairs.
+Down these I hurried, and, groping my way through
+the semi-darkness of the lower story,
+I reached a side door. This was fastened
+by two bolts and a bar, and I
+quickly had it open.</p>
+
+<p>Stepping outside, I called Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said the latter, "I'm sure
+I'll be glad to get in, and as we've
+squeezed most of the water out of
+our clothes, we won't make so much
+of a mess, after all."</p>
+
+<p>We now entered, and I opened one
+of the shutters.</p>
+
+<p>"Let's go right into the kitchen,"
+said Mrs. Lecks, "and make a fire.
+That's the first thing to do."</p>
+
+<p>But Mrs. Lecks soon discovered
+that this mansion was very different
+from a country dwelling in one of
+our Middle States. Externally, and as far as I had
+been able to observe its internal arrangements, it resembled
+the houses built by English residents which
+I had seen in the West Indies. It was a dwelling in
+which modern ideas in regard to construction and
+furnishing adapted themselves to the requirements of
+a tropical climate. Apparently there was no kitchen.
+There were no stairs leading to a lower floor, and the
+darkened rooms into which my companions peered
+were certainly not used for culinary purposes.</p>
+
+<p>In the meantime I had gone out of the door by
+which we had entered, and soon discovered, on the other
+side of the house, a small building with a chimney to
+it, which I felt sure must be the kitchen. The door and
+shutters were fastened, but before making any attempt
+to open them I returned to announce my discovery.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[49]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Door locked, is it?" said Mrs. Aleshine. "Just
+wait a minute."</p>
+
+<p>She then disappeared, but in a very short time came
+out, carrying a bunch of large keys.</p>
+
+<p>"It's always the way," said she, as the two followed
+me round the back of the house, "when people shut
+up a house and leave it, to put all the door-keys in
+the back corner of some drawer in the hall, and to
+take only the front-door key with them. So, you see,
+I knew just where to go for these."</p>
+
+<p>"It's a poor hen," said Mrs. Lecks, "that begins to
+cackle when she's goin' to her nest; the wise ones
+wait till they're comin' away. Now we'll see if one
+of them keys fit."</p>
+
+<p>Greatly to the triumph of Mrs. Aleshine, the second
+or third key I tried unlocked the door. Entering, we
+found ourselves in a good-sized kitchen, with a great
+fireplace at one end of it. A door opened from the
+room into a shed where there was a pile of dry twigs
+and fire-wood.</p>
+
+<p>"Let's have a fire as quick as we can," said Mrs.
+Lecks, "for since I went into that shet-up house I've
+been chilled to the bones."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "and now I know
+how a fish keeps comfortable in the water, and how
+dreadfully wet and flabby it must feel when it's
+taken out."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[50]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>I brought in a quantity of wood and kindling, and
+finding matches in a tin box on the wall, I went to
+work to make a fire, and was soon rewarded by a
+crackling blaze. Turning around, I was amazed at
+the actions of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine. I had
+expected to see them standing shivering behind me,
+waiting for the fire to be made; but instead of that,
+they were moving rapidly here and there, saying not
+a word, but going as straight to cupboard, closet, and
+pantry as the hound follows the track of the hare.
+From a wild chaos of uncongenial surroundings, these
+two women had dropped into a sphere in which they
+were perfectly at home. The kitchen was not altogether
+like those to which they had been accustomed,
+but it was a well-appointed one, and their instincts
+and practice made them quickly understand where
+they would find what they wanted. I gazed on them
+with delight while one filled a kettle from a little
+pump in the corner which brought water from a cistern,
+and the other appeared from the pantry, carrying
+a tea-caddy and a tin biscuit-box.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, then," said Mrs. Lecks, hanging the kettle
+on a crane over the fire, and drawing up a chair, "by
+the time we've got a little dried off the kettle will
+bile, and we'll have some hot tea, and then the best
+thing to do is to go to bed."</p>
+
+<p>"We'll take time to have a bite first," said Mrs.
+Aleshine, "for I was never so near famished in my
+life. I brought out a box nearly full of biscuits, and
+there's sardines in this, Mr. Craig, which you can
+easy open with your knife."</p>
+
+<p>I piled on more wood, and we gathered close around<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[51]</a></span>
+the genial heat. The sunshine was hot outside, but
+that did not prevent the fire from being most comforting
+and refreshing to us.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the kettle began to simmer, up jumped
+Mrs. Aleshine. A sugar-bowl and some cups were
+placed upon a table, and in a short time we were
+cheered and invigorated by hot tea, biscuits, and sardines.</p>
+
+<p>"This isn't much of a meal," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+apologetically, "but there's no time to cook nothin',
+and the sooner we get off our wet things and find some
+beds, the better."</p>
+
+<p>"If I can once get into bed," said Mrs. Lecks, "all
+I ask is that the family will not come back till I have
+had a good long nap. After that, they can do what
+they please."</p>
+
+<p>We now went back to the house, and ascended the
+main stairway, which led up to a large central hall.</p>
+
+<p>"We won't go into the front rooms," said Mrs.
+Lecks, "for we don't want to make no more disturbance
+than we can help; but if we can find the smallest
+kind of rooms in the back, with beds in 'em, it is
+all we can ask."</p>
+
+<p>The first chamber we entered was a good-sized one,
+neatly furnished, containing a bedstead with uncovered
+mattress and pillows. Opening a closet door, Mrs.
+Lecks exclaimed: "This is a man's room, Mr. Craig,
+and you'd better take it. Look at the trousers and
+coats! There's no bedclothes in here, but I'll see if
+I can't find some."</p>
+
+<p>In a few minutes she returned, bearing blankets,
+sheets, and a pillow-case. With Mrs. Aleshine on one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[52]</a></span>
+side of the bedstead and Mrs. Lecks on the other, the
+sheets and blankets were laid with surprising deftness
+and rapidity, and in a few moments I saw before me
+a most inviting bed.</p>
+
+<p>While Mrs. Aleshine held a pillow in her teeth as
+she pulled on the pillow-case with both hands, Mrs.
+Lecks looked around the room with the air of an
+attentive hostess. "I guess you'll be comfortable,
+Mr. Craig," she said, "and I advise you to sleep just
+as long as you can. We'll take the room on the other
+side of the hall; but I'm first goin' down to see if the
+kitchen fire is safe, and to fasten the doors."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 380px;">
+<img src="images/063.png" width="380" height="185" alt="&quot;&lsquo;I GUESS YOU&apos;LL BE COMFORTABLE, MR. CRAIG.&rsquo;&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;&lsquo;I GUESS YOU&apos;LL BE COMFORTABLE, MR. CRAIG.&rsquo;&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>I offered to relieve her of this trouble, but she
+promptly declined my services. "When it's rowin'
+or swimmin', you can do it, Mr. Craig, but when it's
+lockin' up and lookin' to fires, I'll attend to that
+myself."</p>
+
+<p>My watch had stopped, but I suppose it was the
+middle of the afternoon when I went to bed, and I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[53]</a></span>
+slept steadily until some hours after sunrise the next
+morning, when I was awakened by a loud knock at
+the door.</p>
+
+<p>"It's time to get up," said the voice of Mrs. Lecks,
+"and if your clothes are not entirely dry, you'd better
+see if there isn't somethin' in that closet you can put
+on. After a while I'll make a big fire in the kitchen,
+and dry all our things."</p>
+
+<p>I found my clothes were still very damp, and after
+investigating the contents of the closet and bureau,
+I was able to supply myself with linen and a light
+summer suit which fitted me fairly well. I even found
+socks and a pair of slippers.</p>
+
+<p>When I entered the kitchen, I first opened wide
+my eyes with delight, and then I burst out laughing.
+Before me was a table covered with a white cloth,
+with plates, cups, and everything necessary upon it;
+at one end was a steaming tea-pot, and at the other a
+dish of some kind of hot meat, and Mrs. Aleshine
+was just taking a pan of newly baked biscuits from a
+small iron oven.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't wonder you laugh," said Mrs. Lecks, "but
+our clothes was still wet, and we had to take just
+what we could find. I'm not in the habit of goin'
+about in a white muslin wrapper with blue-ribbon
+trimmin's, and as for Mrs. Aleshine, I did think we'd
+never find anything that she could get into; but there
+must be one stout woman in the family, for that
+yeller frock with black buttons fits her well enough,
+though I must say it's a good deal short."</p>
+
+<p>"I never thought," said Mrs. Aleshine, as she sat
+down at the tea-pot, "that the heathens had so many<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[54]</a></span>
+conveniences, specially bakin'-powders and Dutch
+ovens. For my part, I always supposed that they
+used their altars for bakin', when they wasn't offerin'
+up victims on 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"Have you got it into your head, Barb'ry Aleshine,"
+said Mrs. Lecks, looking up from the dish of potted
+beef she was serving, "that this house belongs to
+common heathen? I expect that most of the savages
+who live on these desert islands has been converted
+by the missionaries, but they'd have to take 'em from
+Genesis to Revelations a good many times before
+they'd get 'em to the p'int of havin' force-pumps in
+their kitchens and spring-mattresses on their beds.
+As far as I've seen this house, it looks as if the family
+had always been Christians, and probably either
+Catholics or Episcopalians."</p>
+
+<p>"On account of the cross on the mantelpiece in our
+room, I suppose," said Mrs. Aleshine. "But whether
+they're given to idols or prayer-books, I know they've
+got a mighty nice house; and considerin' the distance
+from stores, there's a good deal more in that pantry
+than you'd expect to find in any house I know of,
+when the family is away."</p>
+
+<p>"It is my opinion," said I, "that this house belongs
+to some rich man, probably an American or European
+merchant, who lives on one of the large islands not
+far away, and who uses this as a sort of summer
+residence."</p>
+
+<p>"I thought it was always summer in this part of
+the world," said Mrs. Lecks.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[55]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 80px;">
+<img src="images/066.png" width="80" height="170" alt="&quot;THAT YELLER FROCK.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;THAT YELLER FROCK.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"So it is in effect," I replied, "but there are some
+seasons when it is very unpleasant to remain in one
+of those towns which are found on the larger islands,
+and so the owner of this house may come up here
+sometimes for fresh sea air."</p>
+
+<p>"Or it's just as like," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that he
+lives somewhere up in the iceberg regions, and comes
+here to spend his winters.
+It would do just as well.
+But, whichever way it is,
+I can't help thinkin' it's
+careless not to leave somebody
+in the house to take
+care of it. Why, for all
+the family would know
+about it, tramps might
+break in and stay as long
+as they like."</p>
+
+<p>"That's just what's
+happenin' now," said Mrs.
+Lecks, "and for my part
+I ain't goin' to find no
+fault. I don't suppose
+the people would have
+been so hard-hearted as
+to turn us away from
+their doors, but I've seen
+enough of folks in this
+world not to be too sure
+about that."</p>
+
+<p>"How do you suppose," said Mrs. Aleshine, addressing
+me, "that the family gets here and goes back?
+Do they keep a private steamboat?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course they have a private vessel of some kind,"
+I answered, "probably a yacht. It is quite certain
+that ordinary steamers never touch here."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[56]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"If that's the case," said Mrs. Lecks, "all we can
+do is to wait here till they come, and get them to send
+us away in their ship. But whether they've just
+gone or are just a-comin' back depends, I suppose, on
+whether they live in a freezin' or a burnin' country;
+and if they don't like our bein' here when they come
+back, there's one thing they can make up their minds
+to, and that is that I'm never goin' to leave this place
+on a life-preserver."</p>
+
+<p>"Nor me nuther," said Mrs. Aleshine, finishing, with
+much complacency, her third cup of tea.</p>
+
+<p>When breakfast was over, Mrs. Lecks pushed back
+her chair, but did not immediately rise. With an
+expression of severe thought upon her face, she gazed
+steadfastly before her for a minute, and then she
+addressed Mrs. Aleshine, who had begun to gather
+together the cups and the plates. "Now, Barb'ry
+Aleshine," said she, "don't you begin to clear off the
+table, nor touch a single thing to wash it up, till
+we've been over this house. I want to do it now,
+before Mr. Craig goes out to prospect around and see
+what else is on the island, which, I suppose, he'll be
+wantin' to do."</p>
+
+<p>I replied that I had that intention, but I was quite
+willing to go over the house first.</p>
+
+<p>"It's come to me," said Mrs. Lecks, speaking very
+gravely, "that it's no use for us to talk of the family
+bein' here, or bein' there, till we've gone over this
+house. If we find that they have, as far as we know,
+gone away in good health and spirits, that's all well<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[57]</a></span>
+enough; but if anything's happened in this house, I
+don't want to be here with what's happened&mdash;at least,
+without knowin' it, and when we do go over the
+house, I want a man to go with us."</p>
+
+<p>"If you'd talked that way last night, Mrs. Lecks,"
+exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "I'd never slept till after
+sun-up, and then got up and gone huntin' round
+among them frocks and petticoats to find somethin'
+that would fit me, with the quiet pulse I did have,
+Mrs. Lecks!"</p>
+
+<p>To this remark Mrs. Lecks made no reply, but, rising,
+she led the way out of the kitchen and into the
+house.</p>
+
+<p>The rooms on the first floor were very well furnished.
+There was a large parlor, and back of it a study or
+library, while on the other side of the hall was a dining-room
+and an apartment probably used as a family
+room. We found nothing in these which would indicate
+that anything untoward had happened in them.
+Then we went up-stairs, I leading the way, Mrs. Lecks
+following, and Mrs. Aleshine in the rear. We first
+entered one of the front chambers, which was quite
+dark, but Mrs. Lecks unfastened and threw open a
+shutter. Then, with a rigid countenance and determined
+mien, she examined every part of the room,
+looked into every closet, and even under the bed. It
+was quite plain that it was in one of the chambers
+that she expected to find what had happened, if anything
+had happened.</p>
+
+<p>The room on the other side of the hall was very
+like the one we first examined, except that it had two
+beds in it. We next visited the chamber recently<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[58]</a></span>
+occupied by my two companions, which was now
+undergoing the process of "airing."</p>
+
+<p>"We needn't stop here," remarked Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>But Mrs. Lecks instantly replied: "Indeed, we will
+stop; I'm going to look under the bed."</p>
+
+<p>"Merciful me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, putting
+her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Supposin' you
+should find somethin', and we sleepin' here last night!
+It curdles me to think of it!"</p>
+
+<p>"It's my duty," said Mrs. Lecks, severely, "and I
+shall do it."</p>
+
+<p>And do it she did, rising from the task with a sigh
+of relief.</p>
+
+<p>My room was subjected to the same scrutiny as the
+others, and then we visited some smaller rooms at the
+extreme back of the house, which we had not before
+noticed. A garret, or loft, was reached by a steep
+stairway in one of these rooms, and into its dusky
+gloom I ventured by myself.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, don't come down, Mr. Craig," said Mrs. Lecks,
+"till you're sure there's nothin' there. Of all places
+in the house, that cockloft, after all, is the most
+likely."</p>
+
+<p>I had none of the fears which seemed to actuate
+the two women, but I had a very unpleasant time of
+it groping about in the darkness and heat, and, as
+the place was only partly floored, running the continual
+risk of crashing down through the lath and
+plaster. I made myself quite sure, however, that
+nothing had happened in that loft, unless some one
+had suffocated there, and had dried up and become
+the dust which I raised at every step.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[59]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Now, then," said Mrs. Lecks, when I descended,
+"as there is no cellar, we'll go wash up the breakfast
+things; and if you want to take a walk, to see if
+there's any genuwine heathens or anybody else a-livin'
+in this island, we're not afraid to be left alone."</p>
+
+<p>For the whole of the rest of the morning I wandered
+about the island. I investigated the paths that I had
+before noticed, and found that each of them led, after
+a moderate walk, to some wide and pleasant part of
+the beach. At one of these points I found a rustic
+bench; and, stuffed in between two of the slats which
+formed the seat, I found a book. It had been sadly
+wet and discolored by rain, and dried and curled up
+by the wind and sun. I pulled it out, and found it to
+be a novel in French. On one of the fly-leaves was
+written "Emily." Reasoning from the dilapidated
+appearance of this book, I began to believe that the
+family must have left this place some time ago, and
+that, therefore, their return might be expected at a
+proportionately early period. On second thoughts,
+however, I considered that the state of this book was
+of little value as testimony. A few hours of storm,
+wind, and sun might have inflicted all the damage it
+had sustained. The two women would be better able
+to judge by the state of the house and the condition
+of the provisions how long the family had been
+away.</p>
+
+<p>I then started out on a walk along the beach, and
+in little more than an hour I had gone entirely around
+the island. Nowhere did I see any sign of habitation
+or occupation except at the house which had given
+us shelter, nor any opening through the surrounding<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[60]</a></span>
+reef except the barred passageway through which
+we had come.</p>
+
+<p>When I returned to the house, I found that Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine had been hard at work all
+the morning. They had, so to speak, gone regularly
+and systematically to housekeeping, and had already
+divided the labors of the establishment between them.
+Mrs. Aleshine, who prided herself on her skill in culinary
+matters, was to take charge of the cooking, while
+Mrs. Lecks assumed the care of the various rooms
+and the general management of the household. This
+arrangement was explained to me at length, and when
+I remarked that all this seemed to indicate that they
+expected to remain here for a long time, Mrs. Lecks
+replied:</p>
+
+<p>"In my part of the country I could tell pretty
+close, by the dust on the tables and on the top of the
+pianner, how long a family had been out of a house;
+but dust in Pennsylvany and dust on a sea island,
+where there's no wagons nor carriages, is quite different.
+This house has been left in very good order, and
+though the windows wants washin', and the floors and
+stairs brushin',&mdash;which will be easy considerin' that
+none of 'em has carpets,&mdash;and everything in the house
+a reg'lar cleanin' up and airin', it may be that the
+family hasn't been gone away very long, and so it
+may be a good while before they come back again.
+Mrs. Aleshine and me has talked it over, and we've
+made up our minds that the right thing to do is just
+to go along and attend to things as if we was a-goin'
+to stay here for a month or two; and it may be even
+longer than that before the people come back. And
+I don't think they'll have anything to complain of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[61]</a></span>
+when they find their house in apple-pie order, their
+windows washed, their
+floors clean, and not
+a speck of dust anywhere."</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 92px;">
+<img src="images/072.png" width="92" height="200" alt="&quot;MRS ALESHEIN HAD BEEN HARD AT WORK ALL THE MORNING.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;MRS ALESHEIN HAD BEEN HARD AT WORK ALL THE MORNING.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"For my part," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I don't see what they've got to find
+fault with, anyway. I look on this as part of the passage. To be sure,
+we ain't movin' a bit on our way to Japan, but that's not my fault, nor
+yet yours, Mrs. Lecks, nor yours, Mr. Craig. We paid our passage to go
+to Japan, and if the ship was steered wrong and got sunk, we hadn't
+anything to do with it. We didn't want to come here, but here we are,
+and I'd like to know who's got any right to find fault with us."</p>
+
+<p>"And bein' here," said Mrs. Lecks, "we'll take care
+of the things."</p>
+
+<p>"As far as I'm concerned," added Mrs. Aleshine,
+"if this island was movin' on to Japan, I'd a great deal
+rather be on it than on that ship, where, to my way of
+thinkin', they didn't know much more about housekeepin'
+than they did about steerin'."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[62]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I think your plans and arrangements are very
+good," I said. "But how about the provisions? Are
+there enough to hold out for any time?"</p>
+
+<p>"There's pretty nigh a barrel of flour," said Mrs.
+Aleshine, "a good deal of tea and coffee and sugar,
+and lots of things in tins and jars. There's a kind
+of cellar outside where they keep things cool, and
+there's more than half a keg of butter down there.
+It's too strong to use, but I can take that butter and
+wash it out, and work it over, and salt it, and make
+it just as good butter as any we got on board the
+ship."</p>
+
+<p>"But," said I, "you have given me nothing to do.
+I shall not be content to stand about idle and see you
+do all the work."</p>
+
+<p>"There's nothin' in the house," said Mrs. Lecks,
+"which you need put your hand to; but, if you choose
+to go out into that garden, and see if there's anything
+can be done in it, or got out of it,&mdash;that is, if you
+know anything about garden work,&mdash;I'm sure we'd
+be very glad of any fresh vegetables we could get."</p>
+
+<p>I replied that I had been accustomed to garden
+work in an amateur way, and would be glad to do
+anything that was possible in that direction.</p>
+
+<p>"I never seed into that garden," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"but of all the foolish things that ever came under
+my eye, the buildin' a wall around a garden, when a
+picket fence would do just as well, is the foolishest."</p>
+
+<p>I explained that in these countries it was the
+fashion to use walls instead of fences.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[63]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"If it's the fashion," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I suppose
+there's no use sayin' anything ag'in' it; but if the
+fashion should happen to change, they'd find it a good
+deal easier to take down a barbed-wire fence than a
+stone wall."</p>
+
+<p>This conversation took place in the large lower hall,
+which Mrs. Lecks had been "putting to rights," and
+where Mrs. Aleshine had just entered from the kitchen.
+Mrs. Lecks now sat down upon a chair, and, dust-cloth
+in hand, she thus addressed me:</p>
+
+<p>"There's another thing, Mr. Craig, that me and
+Mrs. Aleshine has been talkin' about. We haven't
+made up our minds about it, because we didn't think
+it was fair and right to do that before speakin' to you
+and hearin' what you had to say on one side or another
+of it. Mrs. Aleshine and me has had to bow our heads
+to afflictions, and to walk sometimes in roads we
+didn't want to; but we've remembered the ways in
+which we was brought up, and have kept in them as
+far as we've been able. When our husbands died,
+leavin' Mrs. Aleshine with a son, and me without any,
+which, perhaps, is just as well, for there's no knowin'
+how he might have turned out&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"That's so," interrupted Mrs. Aleshine, "for he
+might have gone as a clerk to Roosher, and then you
+and me would 'a' had to travel different ways."</p>
+
+<p>"And when our husbands died," continued Mrs.
+Lecks, "they left us enough, and plenty, to live on,
+and we wasn't the women to forget them and their
+ways of thinkin', any more than we'd forget the ways
+of our fathers and mothers before us."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so!" said Mrs. Aleshine, fervently.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[64]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"And now, Mr. Craig," continued Mrs. Lecks, "we
+don't know how you've been brought up, nor anything
+about you, in fact, except that you've been as kind to
+us as if you was some sort of kin, and that we never
+would have thought of comin' here without you, and
+so me and Mrs. Aleshine has agreed to leave this whole
+matter to you, and to do just as you say. When us
+two started out on this long journey, we didn't expect
+to find it what you call the path of roses, and, dear
+only knows, we haven't found it so."</p>
+
+<p>"That's true!" ejaculated Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"And what we've had to put up with," continued
+Mrs. Lecks, "we have put up with. So, Mr. Craig,
+whether you say dinner in the middle of the day at
+twelve, as we've always been used to, or at six o'clock
+in the afternoon, as they had it on board that ship,&mdash;and
+how people ever come to turn their meals hind
+part foremost in that way, I can't say,&mdash;we are goin'
+to do it; if you've been brought up to six o'clock,
+you won't hear no complainin' from us, think what
+we may."</p>
+
+<p>I was on the point of laughing aloud at the conclusion
+of this speech, but a glance at the serious faces
+of the two women, who, with so much earnest solicitude,
+awaited my reply, stopped me, and I hastened
+to assure them that dinner in the middle of the day
+would be entirely in accordance with my every wish.</p>
+
+<p>"Good!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, her eyes sparkling
+amid the plumpness of her face, while an expression
+of calm relief passed over the features of Mrs.
+Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"And now I'll be off and get us somethin' to eat in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[65]</a></span>
+less than no time," said Mrs. Aleshine. "We didn't
+know whether to make it lunch or dinner till we had
+seen you, so you can't expect much to-day, but to-morrow
+we'll begin, and have everything straight and
+comfortable. I'm goin' to get up early in the mornin'
+and bake a batch of bread, and you needn't be afraid,
+Mr. Craig, but what I'll have you a bit of hot meat
+every night for your supper."</p>
+
+<p>In the afternoon we all visited the garden, which,
+although a good deal overgrown with luxuriant weeds,
+showed marks of fair cultivation. Some of the beds
+had been cleared out and left to the weeds, and we
+found some "garden truck," as my companions called
+it, with which we were not familiar. But there were
+tomato-vines loaded with fruit, plenty of beans of
+various kinds, and a large patch of potatoes, many of
+which had been dug.</p>
+
+<p>From the lower end of the garden, Mrs. Aleshine
+gave a shout of delight. We went to her, and found
+her standing before a long asparagus bed.</p>
+
+<p>"Well!" she exclaimed. "If there's anything that
+settles it firm in my mind that these people is Christians,
+it's this bed of grass. I don't believe there
+ever was heathens that growed grass."</p>
+
+<p>"I thought that was all settled when we found the
+bakin'-powders," said Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"But this clinches it," answered her companion. "I
+can't tell from a sparrowgrass bed what church they
+belong to, but they're no idolaters."</p>
+
+<p>The next morning I delivered to the genial Mrs.
+Aleshine a large basket full of fresh vegetables, and
+we had a most excellent dinner. Somewhat to my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[66]</a></span>
+surprise, the table was not set in the kitchen, but in
+the dining-room.</p>
+
+<p>"Me and Mrs. Aleshine have made up our minds,"
+said Mrs. Lecks, in explanation, "that it's not the
+proper thing for you to be eatin' in the kitchen, nor
+for us neither. Here's table-cloths, and good glass
+and china, and spoons and forks, which, although
+they're not solid silver, are plated good enough for
+anybody. Neither you nor us is servants, and a
+kitchen is no place for us."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so!" said Mrs. Aleshine. "We paid our
+money for first-class passages, and it was understood
+that we'd have everything as good as anybody."</p>
+
+<p>"Which I don't see as that has anything to do with
+it, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "for the steamship
+people don't generally throw in desert islands as
+part of the accommodation."</p>
+
+<p>"We didn't ask for the island," retorted Mrs.
+Aleshine, "and if they'd steered the ship right we
+shouldn't have wanted it."</p>
+
+<p>When we had finished our dinner, Mrs. Lecks pushed
+back her chair, and sat for a few moments in thought,
+as was her wont before saying anything of importance.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[67]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 138px;">
+<img src="images/078.png" width="138" height="250" alt="&quot;&lsquo;THERE&apos;S ANOTHER THING&rsquo; SAID SHE &lsquo;THAT I&apos;V BEEN THINKIN&apos; ABOUT.&rsquo;&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;&lsquo;THERE&apos;S ANOTHER THING&rsquo; SAID SHE &lsquo;THAT I&apos;V BEEN THINKIN&apos; ABOUT.&rsquo;&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"There's another thing," said she, "that I've been
+thinkin' about, though I haven't spoke of it yet, even
+to Mrs. Aleshine. We haven't no right to come here
+and eat up the victuals and use the things of the
+people that own this house, without payin' for 'em.
+Of course, we're not goin' to sleep on the bare ground
+and starve to death while there's beds and food close
+to our hands. But if we use 'em and take it, we ought
+to pay the people that the place belongs to&mdash;that is, if
+we've got the money to do it with&mdash;and Mrs. Aleshine
+and me has got the money. When we went down
+into our cabin to get ready to leave the ship, the first
+thing we did was to
+put our purses in our
+pockets, and we've
+both got drafts
+wrapped up in oil silk,
+and sewed inside our
+frock-bodies; and if
+you didn't think to
+bring your money
+along with you, Mr.
+Craig, we can lend you
+all you need."</p>
+
+
+<p>I thanked her for
+her offer, but stated
+that I had brought
+with me all my money.</p>
+
+<p>"Now," continued
+Mrs. Lecks, "it's my
+opinion that we ought
+to pay our board regular
+every week. I
+don't know what is
+commonly charged in a place like this, but I know
+you can get very good board where I come from for
+six dollars a week."</p>
+
+<p>"That is for two in a room," said Mrs. Aleshine;
+"but havin' a room to himself would make it more
+for Mr. Craig."</p>
+
+<p>"It ain't his fault," said Mrs. Lecks, somewhat<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[68]</a></span>
+severely, "that he ain't got a brother or some friend
+to take part of the room and pay part of the expense.
+But, anyway, the room isn't a large one, and I don't
+think he ought to pay much more for having a room
+to himself. Seven dollars is quite enough."</p>
+
+<p>"But then you've got to consider," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"that we do the cookin' and housework, and
+that ought to be counted."</p>
+
+<p>"I was comin' to that," said Mrs. Lecks. "Now, if
+me and Mrs. Aleshine was to go out to service, which
+you may be sure we wouldn't do unless circumstances
+was very different from what they are now&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"That's true!" earnestly ejaculated Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"But if we was to do it," continued Mrs. Lecks,
+"we wouldn't go into anybody's family for less than
+two dollars a week. Now, I've always heard that
+wages is low in this part of the world, and the work
+isn't heavy for two of us; so, considering the family
+isn't here to make their own bargain, I think we'd
+better put our wages at that, so that'll make four
+dollars a week for each of us two to pay."</p>
+
+<p>"But how about Mr. Craig?" said Mrs. Aleshine.
+"He oughtn't to work in that garden for nothin'."</p>
+
+<p>"Fifty cents a day," said Mrs. Lecks, "is as little
+as any man would work for, and then it oughtn't to
+take all his time. That will make three dollars to
+take out of Mr. Craig's board, and leave it four dollars
+a week, the same as ours."</p>
+
+<p>I declared myself perfectly satisfied with these arrangements,
+but Mrs. Aleshine did not seem to be
+altogether convinced that they were just.</p>
+
+<p>"When a woman goes out to service," said she,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[69]</a></span>
+"she gets her board and is paid wages besides, and
+it's the same for gardeners."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I suppose, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs.
+Lecks, "that we ought to charge these people with
+our wages, and make 'em pay it when they come
+back!"</p>
+
+<p>This remark apparently disposed of Mrs. Aleshine's
+objections, and her friend continued: "There's a jar
+on the mantelpiece there, of the kind the East Indy
+ginger comes in. It's got nothin' in it now but some
+brown paper in which fish-hooks is wrapped. We
+came here on a Wednesday, and so every Tuesday
+night we'll each put four dollars in that jar, under
+the fish-hook paper; then if, by night or by day,
+the family comes back and makes a fuss about our
+bein' here, all we have to say is, 'The board money's
+in the ginger-jar,' and our consciences is free."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks's plan was adopted as a very just and
+proper one, and at the expiration of the week we each
+deposited four dollars in the ginger-jar.</p>
+
+<p>While occupying this house I do not think that any
+of us endeavored to pry into the private concerns of
+the family who owned it, although we each had a very
+natural curiosity to know something about said family.
+Opportunities of acquiring such knowledge, however,
+were exceedingly scarce. Even if we had been willing
+to look into such receptacles, the several desks and
+secretaries that the house contained were all locked,
+and nowhere could Mrs. Lecks or Mrs. Aleshine find
+an old letter or piece of wrapping-paper with an
+address on it. I explained to my companions that
+letters and packages were not likely to come to a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[70]</a></span>
+place like this, but they kept a sharp lookout for anything
+of the kind, asserting that there could be no
+possible harm in reading the names of the people
+whose house they were in.</p>
+
+<p>In some of the books in the library, which were
+English and French in about equal proportions, with
+a few volumes in German, I found written on the
+blank pages the names "Emily" and "Lucille," and
+across the title-pages of some French histories was
+inscribed, in a man's hand, "A. Dusante." We discussed
+these names, but could not make up our minds
+whether the family were French or English. For instance,
+there was no reason why an Englishwoman
+might not be called Lucille, and even such a surname
+as Dusante was not uncommon either among English
+or Americans. The labels on the boxes and tins of
+provisions showed that most of them came from San
+Francisco, but this was likely to be the case, no matter
+what the nationality of the family.</p>
+
+<p>The question of the relationship of the three persons,
+of whose existence we had discovered traces, was a very
+interesting one to Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"I can't make up my mind," said the latter, "whether
+Emily is the mother of Lucille or her daughter, or
+whether they are both children of Mr. Dusante, or
+whether he's married to Lucille and Emily is his sister-in-law,
+or whether she's his sister and not hers, or
+whether he's the uncle and they're his nieces, or
+whether Emily is an old lady and Mr. Dusante and
+Lucille are both her children, or whether they are two
+maiden ladies and Mr. Dusante is their brother, or
+whether Mr. Dusante is only a friend of the family,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[71]</a></span>
+and boards here because no two women ought to live
+in such a lonely place without a man in the house."</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said Mrs. Lecks, "whether Mr. Dusante
+comes back with two nieces, or a wife and daughter,
+or Mrs. Dusante and a mother-in-law, or a pair of
+sisters, all we've got to say is, 'The board money's
+in the ginger-jar,' and let 'em do their worst."</p>
+
+<p>In my capacity as gardener I do not think I earned
+the wages which my companions had allotted to me,
+for I merely gathered and brought in such fruits and
+vegetables as I found in proper condition for use. In
+other ways, however, I made my services valuable to
+our little family. In a closet in my chamber I found
+guns and ammunition, and frequently I was able to
+bring in a few birds. Some of these were pronounced
+by Mrs. Aleshine unsuitable for the table, but others
+she cooked with much skill, and they were found to
+be very good eating.</p>
+
+<p>Not far from the little wharf which has been mentioned
+there stood, concealed by a mass of low-growing
+palms, a boat-house in which was a little skiff
+hung up near the roof. This I let down and launched,
+and found great pleasure in rowing it about the lagoon.
+There was fishing-tackle in the boat-house,
+which I used with success, the lagoon abounding in
+fish. Offerings of this kind were much more acceptable
+to Mrs. Aleshine than birds.</p>
+
+<p>"There's some kinds of fishes that's better than
+others," said she, "but, as a gen'ral rule, a fish is a
+fish, and if you catch 'em you can eat 'em; but it's a
+very different thing with birds. When you've never
+seen 'em before, how are you goin' to tell but what<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[72]</a></span>
+they're some kin to an owl, a pigeon-hawk, or a crow?
+And if I once get it into my head that there's any of
+that kind of family blood in 'em, they disagree with me
+just the same as if there really was."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 317px;">
+<img src="images/083.png" width="317" height="250" alt="&quot;MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE STANDING ON THE END OF THELITTLE WHARF.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE STANDING ON THE END OF THE LITTLE WHARF.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>One afternoon, as I was returning in the boat from
+the point on the other side of the island where I had
+found the rustic seat and Emily's book, I was surprised
+to see Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine standing
+on the end of the little wharf. This was an unusual
+thing for them to do, as they were very industrious
+women and seldom had an idle moment, and it
+seemed to be one of their greatest pleasures to discuss
+the work they were going to do when they had
+finished that on which they were then engaged. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[73]</a></span>
+was curious, therefore, to know why they should be
+standing thus idly on the wharf, and pulled toward
+them as rapidly as possible.</p>
+
+<p>When I had rowed near enough to hear them, Mrs.
+Aleshine remarked with cheerful placidity:</p>
+
+<p>"The Dusantes are comin'."</p>
+
+<p>The tide was quite low, and I could not see over the
+reef; but in a few moments I had grounded the skiff
+and had sprung upon the wharf. Out on the ocean,
+about a mile away, I saw a boat, apparently a large
+one, approaching the island.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, then, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks,
+"you'll soon see whether it's his two nieces, or his
+daughters, wife and sister-in-law, or whatever of them
+other relationships which you've got so pat."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said Mrs. Aleshine; "but, what's more, we'll
+find out if he's goin' to be satisfied with the board
+money we've put in the ginger-jar."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 350px;">
+<img src="images/084.png" width="350" height="206" alt="" title="" />
+</div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[74]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="PART_III" id="PART_III"></a>PART III</h2>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/085.png" width="450" height="238" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p>When the boat which we saw approaching the
+island had come near enough for us to distinguish
+its occupants, we found that it contained five
+persons. Three sat in the stern, and two were rowing.
+Of those in the stern, we soon made out one to
+be a woman, and after putting our eyesight to its very
+best efforts, we were obliged to admit that there was
+only one female on board.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, that's disapp'intin'," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"for I've wondered and wondered which I should
+like best, Emily or Lucille, and now that only one of
+'em has come, of course I can't tell."</p>
+
+<p>The boat came on, almost directly toward the passageway
+in the reef, and it was not long before the
+two women had been able to decide that Mr. Dusante
+was an elderly man, and that the lady was moderately
+young, and in all probability his daughter.</p>
+
+<p>"It may be," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that the mother,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[75]</a></span>
+whether she was Emily, or whether she was Lucille,
+has died, and for that reason they are comin' back
+sooner than they expected."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I hope you're wrong there, Barb'ry Aleshine,"
+said Mrs. Lecks, "for they'll see lots of things
+here that will freshen up their affliction, and that
+won't make 'em any too lively people to be with."</p>
+
+<p>"On the other hand," said Mrs. Aleshine, "it may
+be that Emily, or else Lucille, has got married, and
+has gone away with her husband to travel, and by
+the time she's got a little baby she'll come here to
+live on account of the sea air for the child, and that'll
+make the house pleasant, Mrs. Lecks."</p>
+
+<p>"I'd like to know how long you expect to live
+here," said Mrs. Lecks, regarding her friend with some
+severity.</p>
+
+<p>"That's not for me to say," replied Mrs. Aleshine,
+"knowin' nothin' about it. But this I will say, that
+I hope they have brought along with them some indigo
+blue, for I nearly used up all there was the last time
+I washed."</p>
+
+<p>During this dialogue I had been thinking that it
+was a very strange thing for the owners of this place
+to visit their island in such a fashion. Why should
+they be in an open boat? And where did they come
+from? Wherever they might live, it was not at all
+probable that they would choose to be rowed from
+that point to this. From the general character and
+appointments of the house in which we had found a
+refuge, it was quite plain that its owners were people
+in good circumstances, who were in the habit of attending
+to their domestic affairs in a very orderly and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[76]</a></span>
+proper way. It was to be presumed that it was their
+custom to come here in a suitable vessel, and to bring
+with them the stores needed during their intended
+stay. Now, there could be little or nothing in that
+boat, and, on the whole, I did not believe it contained
+the owners of this island.</p>
+
+<p>It would not do, however, to assume anything of
+the kind. There might have been a disaster; in fact,
+I know nothing about it, but it was my immediate
+duty to go and meet these people at the passage, for,
+if they were unable to unlock the bars, their boat
+could not enter, and I must ferry them across the
+lagoon. Without communicating my doubts to my
+companions, I hurried into the skiff, and pulled as far
+as possible into the passage through the reef. The
+bars, of which there were more than I at first supposed,
+were so arranged that it was impossible for a boat to
+go in or out at any stage of the tide.</p>
+
+<p>I had been there but a few minutes when the boat
+from without came slowly in between the rocks; and
+almost as soon as I saw it, its progress was suddenly
+stopped by a sunken bar.</p>
+
+<p>"Hello!" cried several men at once.</p>
+
+<p>"Hello!" cried I, in return. "Have you the key
+to these bars?"</p>
+
+<p>A stout man with a red beard stood up in the stern.
+"Key?" said he, "what key?"</p>
+
+<p>"Then you do not belong here?" said I. "Who
+are you?"</p>
+
+<p>At this, the gentleman who was sitting by the lady
+arose to his feet. He was a man past middle age,
+rather tall and slim, and when he stood up the slight<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[77]</a></span>
+rolling of the boat made him stagger, and he came
+near falling.</p>
+
+<p>"You'd better sit down, sir," said the man with the
+red beard, who I saw was a sailor. "You can talk
+better that way."</p>
+
+<p>The gentleman now seated himself, and thus addressed
+me:</p>
+
+<p>"I am, sir, the Reverend Mr. Enderton, lately missionary
+to Nanfouchong, China, and this is my
+daughter, Miss Enderton. We are returning to the
+United States by way of the Sandwich Islands, and
+took passage in a sailing-vessel for Honolulu. About
+two weeks ago this vessel, in some way which I do
+not understand, became disabled&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Rotten forem'st," interrupted the man with the
+red beard, "which give way in a gale; strained and
+leaky, besides."</p>
+
+<p>"I did not know the mast was rotten," said the
+gentleman, "but, since the occasion of our first really
+serviceable wind, she has been making very unsatisfactory
+progress. And, more than that, the whole
+force of seamen was employed night and day in endeavoring
+to keep the water out of the tea, thereby
+causing such a thumping and pounding that sleep
+was out of the question. Add to this the fact that
+our meals became very irregular, and were sometimes
+entirely overlooked&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Prog was gettin' mighty short," interpolated the
+red-bearded man.</p>
+
+<p>"You can easily discern, sir," continued the gentleman,
+"that it was impossible for myself and my
+daughter to remain longer on that vessel, on which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[78]</a></span>
+we were the only passengers. I therefore requested
+the captain to put us ashore at the nearest land, and,
+after more than a week of delay and demur, he consented
+to do so."</p>
+
+<p>"Couldn't do it," said the man, "till there was
+land nigh enough."</p>
+
+<p>"The captain informed me," continued the gentleman,
+"that this island was inhabited, and that I could
+here find shelter and repose until a vessel could be sent
+from Honolulu to take me off. He furnished me with
+this boat and three seamen, one of whom," pointing
+to the red-bearded man, "is a coxswain. We have
+been rowing ever since early this morning, with but
+a very moderate quantity of food and much discomfort.
+Now, sir, you have heard my story; and I ask
+you, as one man to another, if you still intend to bar
+your water-gates against us?"</p>
+
+<p>"I did not bar the gates," I said, "and I would gladly
+unlock them if I could. I belong to a shipwrecked
+party who took refuge here some two weeks ago."</p>
+
+<p>"And how did you get in?" hastily inquired the
+red-bearded coxswain.</p>
+
+<p>"Our boat sunk when we were within sight of the
+island, and we came here on life-preservers, and so
+got under the bars."</p>
+
+<p>The two men who had been rowing now turned
+suddenly and looked at me. They both had black
+beards, and they both exclaimed at the same moment,
+"By George!"</p>
+
+<p>"I won't stop here to tell any more of our story,"
+said I. "The great point now is to get you all ashore,
+and have you cared for."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[79]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"That's so!" said the coxswain. And the two
+sailors murmured, "Aye, aye, sir."</p>
+
+<p>The bar which stopped the progress of the larger
+boat was just under the surface of the water, while
+another a foot above the water kept my skiff about
+six feet distant from the other boat. There was some
+loose flooring in the bottom of the coxswain's boat,
+and he ordered two of the boards taken out, and with
+them a bridge was made, one end resting on the bow
+of the larger boat, and the other on the iron bar by
+my skiff.</p>
+
+<p>"Now," said the coxswain, "let the lady go first."</p>
+
+<p>The elderly gentleman arose, as if he would prefer
+to take the lead, but his daughter, who had not yet
+spoken a word, was passed forward by the coxswain,
+steadied over the bridge by one of the sailors, and
+assisted by me into the skiff. Then her father came
+aboard, and I rowed with them to the wharf.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine came forward most
+cordially to meet them.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Dusante, I suppose?" said Mrs. Lecks, while
+Mrs. Aleshine hurriedly whispered in my ear, "Is it
+Lucille or Emily?"</p>
+
+<p>As quickly as possible I explained the situation.
+For a few moments Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+stood speechless. Nothing which had happened to
+them, the wreck of the steamer, the sinking of the
+boat, or our experience with life-preservers, affected
+them so much as this disappointment in regard to the
+problem of the Dusante family. Travel by sea was
+all novel and strange to them, and they had expected
+all sorts of things to which they were not accustomed,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[80]</a></span>
+but they had never imagined that Fate would be so
+hard upon them as to snatch away the solution of this
+mystery just as they were about to put their hands
+upon it. But, in spite of this sudden blow, the two
+good women quickly recovered themselves, and with
+hearty and kindly words hurried the missionary and
+his daughter to the house, while I went to bring over
+the men.</p>
+
+<p>I found the three sailors busy in securing their boat
+so that it would not be injured by the rocks during
+the rising and falling of the tide. When they had
+finished this job, they had to do a good deal of scrambling
+before they reached my skiff.</p>
+
+<p>"We thought at first, sir," said the coxswain, as I
+rowed them across the lagoon, "that it was all gammon
+about your not livin' here, and havin' no keys to
+them bars; but we've come to the 'pinion that if
+you'd been able to unlock 'em you'd have done it
+sooner than take all this trouble."</p>
+
+<p>I now related my story more fully, and the men
+were greatly astonished when they heard that my
+companions in this adventure were two women. Upon
+my asking the coxswain why he had come to this
+island, he replied that his captain had heard that
+people lived on it, although he knew nothing about
+them; and that, as it would be almost impossible to
+get his brig here with the wind that was then prevailing,
+and as he did not wish to go out of his course
+anyway, he made up his mind that he would rather
+lose the services of three men than keep that missionary
+on board a day longer.</p>
+
+<p>"You see, sir," said the coxswain, as we went<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[81]</a></span>
+ashore, "the parson wouldn't never take it into account
+that we were short of prog, and leakin' like
+Sam Hill; and because things were uncomfortable
+he growled up and he growled down, till he was wuss
+for the spirits of the men than the salt water comin'
+in or the hard-tack givin' out, and there was danger,
+if he wasn't got rid of, that he'd be pitched overboard
+and left to take his chances for a whale. And then,
+by sendin' us along, that give the crew three half-rations
+a day extry, and that'll count for a good deal
+in the fix they're in."</p>
+
+<p>When I reached the house I took the men into the
+kitchen, where Mrs. Aleshine already had the table
+spread. There were bread and cold meat, while the
+tea-kettle steamed by the fire. In a very short time
+three happy mariners sat round that table, while Mrs.
+Aleshine, with beaming face, attended to their wants,
+and plied them with innumerable questions. They had
+not finished eating when Mrs. Lecks entered the kitchen.</p>
+
+<p>"I put that minister and his daughter in the two
+front bedrooms," said she to me, after hospitably
+greeting the three men, "which me and Mrs. Aleshine
+had run and got ready for the Dusantes, as soon as
+you went in your boat to meet 'em. The young lady
+was mighty nigh worn out, and glad enough of the tea
+and things, and to get into bed. But the gentleman
+he wanted a soft-boiled egg, and when I told him I
+hadn't come across no hen-house yet on this island, he
+looked at me as if he didn't half believe me, and
+thought I was keepin' the eggs to sell."</p>
+
+<p>"Which it would be ridiculous to do," said Mrs.
+Aleshine, "in the middle of an ocean like this."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[82]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"If he lets you off with soft-b'iled eggs, ma'am,"
+said the coxswain, very respectfully, "I think you may
+bless your stars."</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, aye, sir," said the two sailors with black
+beards.</p>
+
+<p>Miss Ruth Enderton and her father did not make
+their appearance until the next morning at breakfast-time.
+I found the young lady a very pleasant person.
+She was rather slight in figure, inclined to be pretty,
+and was what might be called a warm-colored blonde.
+Her disposition was quite sociable, and she almost
+immediately stepped into the favor of Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Enderton, however, was a person of another
+sort. He was a prim and somewhat formal man, and
+appeared to be entirely self-engrossed, with very
+vague notions in regard to his surroundings. He
+was not by any means an ill-tempered man, being
+rather inclined to be placid than otherwise; but he
+gave so little attention to circumstances and events
+that he did not appear to understand why he should
+be incommoded by the happenings of life. I have no
+doubt that he made existence on board the disabled
+brig a hundred times more unsatisfactory than it
+would otherwise have been. With his present condition
+he seemed very well satisfied, and it was quite
+plain that he looked upon Mrs. Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine,;
+and myself as the proprietors of the establishment,
+having forgotten, or paid no attention to, my statement
+in regard to our coming here.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[83]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 112px;">
+<img src="images/094.png" width="112" height="100" alt="&quot;MR. ENDERTON WAS A PERSON OF ANOTHER SORT.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;MR. ENDERTON WAS A PERSON OF ANOTHER SORT.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>As soon as she thought it fit and proper&mdash;and this
+moment arrived in the course of the first forenoon&mdash;Mrs.
+Lecks spoke to Mr. Enderton on the subject of
+the board which should be paid to the Dusantes. She
+stated the arrangements we had made in the matter,
+and then told him that as he and his daughter had
+the best accommodations in the house, each occupying
+a large, handsome
+room, she thought that he
+should pay fifteen dollars
+a week for the two.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, if your daughter,"
+she continued, "can
+do anything about the
+house which will be of
+real help, though for the
+life of me I don't see what
+she can find to do, with
+me and Mrs. Aleshine here, somethin' might be took
+off on account of her services; but of course you, sir,
+can't do nothin', unless you was to preach on Sundays,
+and not knowin' what denomination the Dusantes
+belong to, it wouldn't be fair to take their
+money to pay for the preachin' of doctrines which,
+perhaps, they don't believe in."</p>
+
+<p>This financial proposal aroused Mr. Enderton's opposition.
+"When I came here, madam," he said, "I
+did not expect to pay any board whatever, and I
+think, moreover, that your rates are exorbitant. In
+Nanfouchong, if I remember rightly, the best of
+board did not cost more than two or three dollars
+a week."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[84]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I don't want to say anything, sir," said Mrs. Lecks,
+"which might look disrespectful, but as long as I've
+got a conscience inside of me I'm not goin' to stay
+here and see the Dusantes lose money by Chinese
+cheapness."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know anything about the Dusantes," said
+Mr. Enderton, "but I am not going to pay fifteen
+dollars a week for board for myself and daughter."</p>
+
+<p>The discussion lasted for some time, with considerable
+warmth on each side, and was at last ended by
+Mr. Enderton agreeing to pay board at the same rate
+as the two women and myself, and each week to deposit
+in the ginger-jar eight dollars for himself and
+daughter.</p>
+
+<p>"You may not care to remember, sir," said Mrs.
+Lecks, with cold severity, "that Mr. Craig and me
+and Mrs. Aleshine puts in services besides, although,
+to be sure, they don't go into the jar."</p>
+
+<p>"I only remember," said Mr. Enderton, "that I am
+paying an unjustifiable price as it is."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, however, were not
+at all of this opinion, and they agreed that, if it should
+be in their power, they would see to it that the Dusantes
+lost nothing by this close-fisted missionary.</p>
+
+<p>After dinner&mdash;and I may remark that the newcomers
+were not consulted in regard to the hours for meals&mdash;Mrs.
+Lecks had an interview with the coxswain on
+the subject of board for himself and his two companions.
+This affair, however, was very quickly settled,
+for the three mariners had among them only one dollar
+and forty-three cents, and this, the coxswain explained,
+they would like to keep for tobacco. It was
+therefore settled that, as the three sailors could pay
+no money, as much work as possible should be got out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[85]</a></span>
+of them, and to this plan they agreed heartily and
+cheerfully.</p>
+
+<p>"There's only one thing we'll ask, ma'am," said
+the coxswain to Mrs. Lecks, "and that is that we be
+put in a different mess from the parson. We've now
+eat two meals with the passengers, and me and my
+mates is agreed that that's about as much as we
+can go."</p>
+
+<p>After this, therefore, the three men had their meals
+in the kitchen, where they were generally joined by
+Mrs. Aleshine, who much delighted in their company.
+But she made it a point sometimes to sit down with
+us in the dining-room, merely to show that she had as
+much right there as anybody.</p>
+
+<p>"As to the work for them sailormen," said Mrs.
+Aleshine, "I don't see what they're goin' to do. Of
+course they don't know nothin' about gardenin', and
+it seems to me that the best thing to be done is to put
+'em to fishin'."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks considered this a good suggestion, and
+accordingly the coxswain and his companions were
+told that thereafter they would be expected to fish
+for eight hours a day, Sundays excepted. This plan,
+however, did not work very well. During the first
+two days the sailors caught so many fish that, although
+the fishermen themselves had excellent appetites
+for such food, it was found utterly impossible to
+consume what they brought in. Consequently, it was
+ordered that thereafter they should catch only as
+many fish as should be needed, and then make themselves
+useful by assisting Mrs. Aleshine and Mrs.
+Lecks in any manner they might direct.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[86]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>I found it quite easy to become acquainted with
+Miss Ruth Enderton, as she was very much inclined
+to conversation. "It's ever so long," she said, "since
+I've had anybody to talk to."</p>
+
+<p>She had left the United States when she was quite
+a little girl, and had since seen nothing of her native
+land. She was, consequently, full of questions about
+America, although quite willing to talk of her life in
+China. Society, at least such kind as she had ever
+cared for, had been extremely scarce in the little missionary
+station at which she had lived so long, and
+now, coming from a wearisome sojourn on a disabled
+sailing-vessel, with no company but the crew and a
+preoccupied father, she naturally was delighted to get
+among people she could talk to. With Mrs. Lecks,
+Mrs. Aleshine, and myself she soon became very
+friendly, and showed herself to be a most lively and
+interesting young person.</p>
+
+<p>I did all that I could to make Miss Ruth's time pass
+agreeably. I rowed with her on the lagoon, taught
+her to fish, and showed her all the pleasant points on
+the island which could be easily reached by walking.
+Mr. Enderton gave us very little of his company, for,
+having discovered that there was a library in the
+house, he passed most of his time in that room.</p>
+
+<p>"You have made a very fair selection of books, sir,"
+he remarked to me, "but it may readily be conceived,
+from the character of the works, that your tastes are
+neither ecclesiastic nor scientific."</p>
+
+<p>Several times I explained to him the ownership of
+the library and the house, but he immediately forgot
+what I had said, or paid no attention to it. When he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[87]</a></span>
+paid his board at the end of the week, he handed the
+money to Mrs. Lecks; and although before his eyes
+she put it into the ginger-jar, beneath the paper of
+fish-hooks, I know very well that he considered he was
+paying it to her for her own use and behoof. He
+was comfortably lodged, he had all that he needed&mdash;and
+very nearly all that he wanted&mdash;to eat, and I do not
+know that I ever saw a man more contented with his lot.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 380px;">
+<img src="images/098.png" width="380" height="410" alt="&quot;I DID ALL THAT I COULD TO MAKE MISS RUTH&apos;S TIME PASS
+AGREEABLY.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;I DID ALL THAT I COULD TO MAKE MISS RUTH&apos;S TIME PASS
+AGREEABLY.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>As for the coxswain and the two sailors, they had
+a very pleasant time of it, but Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine would not think of such a thing as allowing
+them to eat in idleness the bread of the Dusantes.
+After they had been with us a few days, Mrs. Lecks
+told me that she thought she could show the coxswain
+and his mates how to dig and gather the garden-stuff
+which was daily needed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[88]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"To be sure," said she, "that work goes ag'in' part
+of your board, but fishin' and bringin' in fire-wood
+don't take up quarter of the time of them sailors, and
+so that the garden work is done, I don't suppose it
+matters to the Dusantes who does it. And that'll
+give you more time to make things pleasant for Miss
+Ruth, for, as far as I can see, there isn't a thing for
+her to do, even if she knows how to do it."</p>
+
+<p>The three mariners were more than willing to do
+anything desired by Mrs. Lecks or Mrs. Aleshine, to
+whom they looked up with great admiration and respect.
+The latter was their favorite, not only because
+she was with them a great deal during their meals
+and at other times, but because of her genial nature
+and easy sociability. The men were always trying to
+lighten her labors, and to do something that would
+please her.</p>
+
+<p>One of them climbed to the top of what she called
+a "palm-leaf-fan tree," and brought therefrom some
+broad leaves, which he cut and trimmed and sewed, in
+true nautical fashion, until he made some fans which
+were heavy and clumsy, but, as he said, they would
+stand half a gale of wind if she chose to raise it. The
+coxswain caught or trapped two sea-birds, and, having<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[89]</a></span>
+clipped their wings, he spent days in endeavoring
+to tame them, hoping to induce them, as far as the
+power in them lay, to take the place of the barn-yard
+fowls whose absence Mrs. Aleshine continually deplored.
+Every evening the two black-bearded sailors
+would dance hornpipes for her, much to her diversion
+and delight.</p>
+
+<p>"I've often heard," she remarked, "that in these
+hot cocoanut countries the tricks of the monkeys was
+enough to keep everybody on a steady laugh, but I'm
+sure sailormen is a great deal better. When you get
+tired of their pranks and their tomfooleries you can
+tell 'em to stop, which with monkeys you can't."</p>
+
+<p>It was about ten days after the arrival of the missionary's
+party that, as I was going to get ready the
+boat in which Miss Ruth and myself generally rowed
+in the cool of the evening, I saw Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine sitting on the beach in the shade of some
+low-growing trees. They were evidently waiting for
+me, and as soon as I appeared Mrs. Lecks beckoned
+to me; whereupon I joined them.</p>
+
+<p>"Sit down," said Mrs. Lecks; "there's somethin' I
+want to talk to you about. Mrs. Aleshine and me
+have made up our minds that you ought to be hurried
+up a little about poppin' the question to Miss Ruth."</p>
+
+<p>This remark astounded me. "Popping the question!"
+I exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," continued Mrs. Lecks, "and me and Mrs.
+Aleshine know very well that you haven't done it
+yet, for both of us havin' been through that sort of
+thing ourselves, we know the signs of it after it has
+happened."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[90]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"And we wouldn't say nothin' to hurry you,"
+added Mrs. Aleshine, "if it wasn't that the groceries,
+especially the flour, is a-gettin' low. We've been
+talkin' to them sailormen, and they're pretty well
+agreed that there's no use now in expectin' their
+captain to send for 'em; for if he was a-goin' to do it at
+all, he'd 'a' done it before this. And perhaps he never
+got nowhere himself, in which case he couldn't. And
+they say the best thing we can all do when the victuals
+has nearly give out, provided the Dusantes don't
+come back in time, is to take what's left, and all get
+into their big boat, and row away to that island, which
+I don't know just how far it is, that the captain of our
+ship was goin' to. There we can stay pretty comfortable
+till a ship comes along and takes us off."</p>
+
+<p>"But what has all that to do," I asked, "with Miss
+Ruth and me?"</p>
+
+<p>"Do?" cried Mrs. Lecks. "It has everythin' to do.
+When it's all settled and fixed between you and Miss
+Ruth, there'll be nothin' to hinder us from gettin'
+ready to start when we please."</p>
+
+<p>"But, my dear friends," I said with much earnestness,
+"I have not the slightest idea of proposing to
+Miss Enderton."</p>
+
+<p>"That's just what I said to Mrs. Aleshine," said
+Mrs. Lecks, "and that's the reason we let our irons
+cool, and come out here to talk to you. It's just like
+a young man to keep puttin' off that sort of thing,
+but this can't be put off."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so!" cried Mrs. Aleshine; "and I'll just
+let you see how the matter stands. There is housekeepers
+who allows a pint of flour a day to each person,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[91]</a></span>
+but this is for farm-hands and people who works
+hard and eats hearty, and I've found that three
+quarters of a pint will do very well, if the dough is
+kneaded conscientious and made up light, so that it'll
+rise well when it's put into the oven. Now I've
+measured all the flour that's left, and me and Mrs.
+Lecks we've calculated that, allowin' three quarters
+of a pint of flour a day to each one of us, there's just
+eight days more that we can stay here&mdash;that is, if the
+Dusantes don't come back before that time, which, of
+course, can't be counted on. So you can see for
+yourself, Mr. Craig, there's no time to be lost, even
+considerin' that she hasn't to make up anything to be
+married in."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 380px;">
+<img src="images/102.png" width="380" height="209" alt="&quot;THEY WERE EVIDENTLY WAITING FOR ME.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;THEY WERE EVIDENTLY WAITING FOR ME.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"No," said Mrs. Lecks; "just for us and three
+sailors, that wouldn't be needed."</p>
+
+<p>I looked from one to the other in dumb astonishment.
+Mrs. Lecks gave me no time to say anything.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[92]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"In common cases," said she, "this might all be
+put off till we got somewhere; but it won't do now.
+Here you are, with everythin' in your own hands, but
+just get away from here, and there's an end of that.
+She's as pretty a girl as you'll see in a month of
+Sundays, and if she leaves here without your gettin'
+her, there's no knowing who'll snap her up. When
+we've got to that island, you may see her once a
+week, but maybe you won't. She may go away in one
+ship, and you in another, and there may be somebody
+right there&mdash;a missionary, for all I know&mdash;who'll
+have her before you have a chance to put in a word."</p>
+
+<p>"And that's not the worst of it," said Mrs. Aleshine.
+"Supposin' them Dusantes come back before
+we go. There's no knowin' what that Mr. Dusante
+is. He may be a brother of Emily and Lucille. And
+what sort of a chance would you have then, I'd like
+to know, with Miss Ruth right here in his own house,
+and he ownin' the rowboat, and everythin'? Or it
+may be he's a widower, and that'll be a mighty sight
+worse, I can tell you."</p>
+
+<p>"No matter whether they're widowers or never
+been married," said Mrs. Lecks, "there'll be plenty
+that'll want her as soon as they see her; and if it
+isn't for the girl's own pretty face, it'll be for her
+father's money."</p>
+
+<p>"Her father's money!" I exclaimed. "What are
+you talking of?"</p>
+
+<p>"There's no good tellin' me anything about that,"
+said Mrs. Lecks, very decidedly. "There never was
+a man as close-fisted as Mr. Enderton who hadn't
+money."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[93]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"And you know as well as we do," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"that in them countries where he's been the
+heathens worship idols of silver and idols of gold, and
+when them heathens is converted, don't you suppose
+the missionaries get any of that? I expect that Mr.
+Enderton has converted thousands of heathens."</p>
+
+<p>At this suggestion I laughed outright. But Mrs.
+Lecks reproved me.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Mr. Craig," said she, "this is no laughin'
+matter. What me and Mrs. Aleshine is sayin' is for
+your good, and for the good of Miss Ruth along with
+you. I haven't much opinion of her father, but his
+money is as good as anybody else's, and though they
+had to leave their trunks on board their ship, what
+little they brought with them shows that they've been
+used to havin' the best there is. Mrs. Aleshine and
+me has set up till late into the night talkin' over this
+thing, and we are both of one mind that you two need
+never expect to have the same chance again that you've
+got now. The very fact that the old gentleman is a
+preacher, and can marry you on the spot, ought to
+make you tremble when you think of the risks you
+are runnin' by puttin' it off."</p>
+
+<p>"I've got to go into the house now to see about
+supper," said Mrs. Aleshine, rising, "and I hope
+you'll remember, Mr. Craig, when your bread is on
+your plate, and Miss Ruth is sittin' opposite to you,
+that three quarters of a pint of flour a day is about
+as little as anybody can live on, and that time is
+flyin'."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks now also rose. But I detained the two
+for a moment.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[94]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I hope you have not said anything to Miss Enderton
+on this subject," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"No," replied Mrs. Aleshine, "we haven't. We are
+both agreed that as you're the one that's to do what's
+to be done, you are the one that's to be spoke to.
+And havin' been through it ourselves, we understand
+well enough that the more a woman don't know
+nothin' about it, the more likely she is to be ketched
+if she wants to be."</p>
+
+<p>The two women left me in an amused but also
+somewhat annoyed state of mind. I had no intention
+whatever of proposing to Miss Ruth Enderton. She
+was a charming girl, very bright and lively, and
+withal, I had reason to believe, very sensible. But it
+was not yet a fortnight since I first saw her, and no
+thought of marrying her had entered into my head.
+Had Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, or, more important
+than all, had Miss Enderton, any reason to believe
+that I was acting the part of a lover?</p>
+
+<p>The latter portion of this question was almost immediately
+answered to my satisfaction by the appearance of Miss Ruth,
+who came skipping down to me and
+calling out to me in that free and hearty manner with
+which a woman addresses a friend or near acquaintance,
+but never a suspected lover. She betrayed no
+more notion of the Lecks and Aleshine scheme than
+on the day I first met her.</p>
+
+<p>But, as I was rowing her over the lagoon, I felt a
+certain constraint which I had not known before.
+There was no ground whatever for the wild imaginings
+of the two women, but the fact that they had
+imagined interfered very much with the careless<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[95]</a></span>
+freedom with which I had previously talked to Miss
+Ruth. I do not think, however, that she noticed any
+change in me, for she chatted and laughed, and showed,
+as she had done from the first, the rare delight which
+she took in this novel island life.</p>
+
+<p>When we returned to the house, we were met by
+Mrs. Aleshine. "I am goin' to give you two your
+supper," she said, "on that table there under the
+tree. We all had ours a little earlier than common,
+as the sailormen seemed hungry; and I took your
+father's to him in the libr'ry, where I expect he's
+a-sittin' yet, holdin' a book in one hand and stirrin'
+his tea with the other, till he's stirred out nearly
+every drop on the floor; which, however, won't
+matter at all, for in the mornin' I'll rub up that floor
+till it's as bright as new."</p>
+
+<p>This plan delighted Miss Ruth, but I saw in it the
+beginning of the workings of a deep-laid scheme. I
+was just about to sit down when Mrs. Aleshine said
+to me in a low voice, as she left us:</p>
+
+<p>"Remember that the first three quarters of a pint
+apiece begins now!"</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you think that Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+are perfectly charming?" said Miss Ruth, as she
+poured out the tea. "They always seem to be trying
+to think of some kind thing to do for other people."</p>
+
+<p>I agreed entirely with Miss Enderton's remark, but
+I could not help thinking of the surprise she would
+feel if she knew of the kind thing that these two
+women were trying to do for her.</p>
+
+<p>"Have you taken any steps yet?" asked Mrs. Lecks
+of me, the next day. On my replying that I had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[96]</a></span>
+taken no steps of the kind to which I supposed she
+alluded, she walked away with a very grave and serious
+face.</p>
+
+<p>A few hours later Mrs. Aleshine came to me.
+"There's another reason for hurryin' up," said she.
+"Them sailormen seems able to do without 'most
+anything in this world except tobacco, and Mrs. Lecks
+has been sellin' it to 'em out of a big box she found in
+a closet up-stairs, at five cents a teacupful,&mdash;which I
+think is awful cheap, but she says prices in islands is
+always low,&mdash;and wrapping the money up in a paper,
+with 'Cash paid by sailormen for tobacco' written
+on it, and puttin' it into the ginger-jar with the
+board money. But their dollar and forty-three cents
+is nearly gone, and Mrs. Lecks she says that not a
+whiff of Mr. Dusante's tobacco shall they have if they
+can't pay for it. And when they have nothin' to smoke
+they'll be wantin' to leave this island just as quick as
+they can, without waitin' for the flour to give out."</p>
+
+<p>Here was another pressure brought to bear upon
+me. Not only the waning flour, but the rapidly disappearing
+tobacco money was used as a weapon to
+urge me forward to the love-making which Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine had set their hearts upon.</p>
+
+<p>I was in no hurry to leave the island, and hoped
+very much that when we did go we should depart in
+some craft more comfortable than a ship's boat. In
+order, therefore, to prevent any undue desire to leave
+on the part of the sailors, I gave them money enough
+to buy a good many teacups full of tobacco. By this
+act I think I wounded the feelings of Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine, although I had no idea that such would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[97]</a></span>
+be the effect of my little gift. They said nothing to
+me on the subject, but their looks and manners indicated
+that they thought I had not been acting honorably.
+For two days they had very little to say to me,
+and then Mrs. Aleshine came to me to make what, I
+suppose, was their supreme effort.</p>
+
+<p>"Mrs. Lecks and me is a-goin' to try," she said,&mdash;and
+as she spoke she looked at me with a very sad expression
+and a watery appearance about the eyes,&mdash;"to
+stretch out the time for you a little longer.
+We are goin' to make them sailormen eat more fish;
+and as for me and her, we'll go pretty much without
+bread, and make it up, as well as we can, on other
+things. You and Miss Ruth and the parson can each
+have your three quarters of a pint of flour a day, just
+the same as ever, and what we save ought to give you
+three or four days longer."</p>
+
+<p>This speech moved me deeply. I could not allow
+these two kind-hearted women to half starve themselves
+in order that I might have more time to woo,
+and I spoke very earnestly on the subject to Mrs.
+Aleshine, urging her to give up the fanciful plans
+which she and Mrs. Lecks had concocted.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us drop this idea of love-making," I said,
+"which is the wildest kind of vagary, and all live
+happily together, as we did before. If the provisions
+give out before the Dusantes come back, I suppose we
+shall have to leave in the boat; but, until that time
+comes, let us enjoy life here as much as we can, and
+be the good friends that we used to be."</p>
+
+<p>I might as well have talked to one of the palm-trees
+which waved over us.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[98]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"As I said before," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "what
+is saved from Mrs. Lecks's and mine and the three
+sailormen's three quarters of a pint apiece ought to
+give you four days more." And she went into the
+house.</p>
+
+<p>All this time the Reverend Mr. Enderton had sat
+and read in the library, or meditatively had walked
+the beach with a book in his hand; while the three
+mariners had caught fish, performed their other work,
+and lain in the shade, smoking their pipes in peace.
+Miss Ruth and I had taken our daily rows and walks,
+and had enjoyed our usual hours of pleasant converse,
+and all the members of the little colony seemed happy
+and contented except Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.
+These two went gravely and sadly about their work,
+and the latter asked no more for the hornpipes and
+the sea-songs of her sailormen.</p>
+
+<p>But, for some unaccountable reason, Mr. Enderton's
+condition of tranquil abstraction did not continue.
+He began to be fretful and discontented. He found
+fault with his food and his accommodations, and instead
+of spending the greater part of the day in the
+library, as had been his wont, he took to wandering
+about the island, generally with two or three books
+under his arm, sometimes sitting down in one place,
+and sometimes in another, and then rising suddenly
+to go grumbling into the house.</p>
+
+<p>One afternoon, as Miss Ruth and I were in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[99]</a></span>
+skiff in the lagoon, we saw Mr. Enderton approaching
+us, walking on the beach. As soon as he was near
+enough for us to hear him, he shouted to his daughter:</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 160px;">
+<img src="images/110.png" width="160" height="210" alt="&quot;SMOKING THEIR PIPES IN PEACE.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;SMOKING THEIR PIPES IN PEACE.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"Ruth, come out of that boat! If you want to take
+the air, I should think you might as well walk with me
+as to go rowing round with&mdash;with anybody."</p>
+
+<p>This rude and heartless speech made my blood boil,
+while my companion turned pale with mortification.
+The man had never made the slightest objection to
+our friendly intercourse,
+and this
+unexpected attack
+was entirely indefensible.</p>
+
+<p>"Please put me
+ashore," said Miss
+Ruth, and without
+a word, for I
+could not trust myself
+to speak, I
+landed her; and,
+petulantly complaining
+that she
+never gave him one
+moment of her society,
+her father led
+her away.</p>
+
+<p>An hour later, my soul still in a state of turmoil,
+but with the violence of its tossings somewhat abated,
+I entered one of the paths which led through the
+woods. After a few turns, I reached a point where I
+could see for quite a long distance to the other end of
+the path, which opened out upon the beach. There I
+perceived Mr. Enderton sitting upon the little bench
+on which I had found Emily's book. His back was
+toward me, and he seemed to be busily reading.
+About midway between him and myself I saw Miss
+Ruth slowly walking toward me. Her eyes were fixed
+upon the ground, and she had not seen me.</p>
+
+<p>Stepping to one side, I awaited her approach.
+When she came near I accosted her.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[100]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Miss Ruth," said I, "has your father been talking
+to you of me?"</p>
+
+<p>She looked up quickly, evidently surprised at my
+being there. "Yes," she said, "he has told me that it
+is not&mdash;suitable that I should be with you as much as
+I have been since we came here."</p>
+
+<p>There was something in this remark that roused
+again the turmoil which had begun to subside within
+me. There was so much that was unjust and tyrannical,
+and&mdash;what perhaps touched me still deeper&mdash;there
+was such a want of consideration and respect in
+this behavior of Mr. Enderton's, that it brought to the
+front some very incongruous emotions. I had been
+superciliously pushed aside, and I found I was angry.
+Something was about to be torn from me, and I
+found I loved it.</p>
+
+<p>"Ruth," said I, stepping up close to her, "do you
+like to be with me as you have been?"</p>
+
+<p>If Miss Ruth had not spent such a large portion of
+her life in the out-of-the-world village of Nanfouchong,
+if she had not lived among those simple-hearted
+missionaries, where it was never necessary to
+conceal her emotions or her sentiments, if it had not
+been that she never had had emotions or sentiments
+that it was necessary to conceal, I do not believe that
+when she answered me she would have raised her
+eyes to me with a look in them of a deep-blue sky seen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[101]</a></span>
+through a sort of Indian-summer mist, and that, gazing
+thus, she would have said:</p>
+
+<p>"Of course I like it."</p>
+
+<p>"Then let us make it suitable," I said, taking both
+her hands in mine.</p>
+
+<p>There was another look, in which the skies shone
+clear and bright, and then, in a moment, it was all
+done.</p>
+
+<p>About five minutes after this I said to her, "Ruth,
+shall we go to your father?"</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly," she answered. And together we
+walked along the thickly shaded path.</p>
+
+<p>The missionary still sat with his back toward us,
+and, being so intent upon his book, I found that by
+keeping my eyes upon him it was perfectly safe to
+walk with my arm around Ruth until we had nearly
+reached him. Then I took her hand in mine, and we
+stepped in front of him.</p>
+
+<p>"Father," said Ruth, "Mr. Craig and I are going to
+be married."</p>
+
+<p>There was something very plump about this remark,
+and Mr. Enderton immediately raised his eyes from
+his book and fixed them first upon his daughter and
+then upon me; then he let them drop, and through
+the narrow space between us he gazed out over the
+sea.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, father," said Ruth, a little impatiently,
+"what do you think of it?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[102]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 127px;">
+<img src="images/113.png" width="127" height="190" alt="&quot;IT WAS PERFECTLY SAFE.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;IT WAS PERFECTLY SAFE.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Mr. Enderton leaned forward and picked up a leaf
+from the ground. This he placed between the open
+pages of his book, and closed it.</p>
+
+<p>"It seems to me," he said, "that on many accounts
+the arrangement you propose may be an excellent one.
+Yes," he added more decidedly; "I think it will do
+very well indeed. I shall not be at all surprised if
+we are obliged to remain on this island for a considerable
+time, and, for my
+part, I have no desire
+to leave it at present.
+And when you shall
+place yourself, Ruth,
+in a position in which
+you will direct the domestic
+economies of
+the establishment, I
+hope that you will see
+to it that things generally
+are made more
+compatible with comfort
+and gentility, and,
+as regards the table, I
+may add with palatability."</p>
+
+<p>Ruth and I looked
+at each other, and then
+together we promised that as far as in us lay we would
+try to make the life of Mr. Enderton a happy one, not
+only while we were on the island, but ever afterward.</p>
+
+<p>We were promising a great deal, but at that moment
+we felt very grateful.</p>
+
+<p>Then he stood up, shook us both by the hands, and
+we left him to his book.</p>
+
+<p>When Ruth and I came walking out of the woods
+and approached the house, Mrs. Aleshine was standing
+outside, not far from the kitchen. When she saw
+us she gazed steadily at us for a few moments, a
+strange expression coming over her face. Then she
+threw up both her hands, and without a word she
+turned and rushed indoors.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[103]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>We had not reached the house before Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine came hurrying out together. Running
+up to us with a haste and an excitement I had
+never seen in either of them, first one and then the
+other took Ruth into her arms and kissed her with
+much earnestness. Then they turned upon me and
+shook my hands with hearty vigor, expressing, more
+by their looks and actions than their words, a triumphant
+approbation of what I had done.</p>
+
+<p>"The minute I laid eyes on you," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"I knowed it was all right. There wasn't no
+need of askin' questions."</p>
+
+<p>I now became fearful lest, in the exuberance of
+their satisfaction, these good women might reveal to
+Ruth the plans they had laid for our matrimonial
+future, and the reluctance I had shown in entering
+into them. My countenance must have expressed
+my apprehensions, for Mrs. Aleshine, her ruddy face
+glowing with warmth, both mental and physical, gave
+me a little wink, and drew me to one side.</p>
+
+<p>"You needn't suppose that we've ever said anything
+to Miss Ruth, or that we're goin' to. It's a great
+deal better to let her think you did it all yourself."</p>
+
+<p>I felt like resenting this imputation upon the independence
+of my love-making, but at this happy moment
+I did not want to enter into a discussion, and
+therefore merely smiled.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[104]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I'm so glad, I don't know how to tell it," continued
+Mrs. Aleshine, as Mrs. Lecks and Ruth walked toward
+the house.</p>
+
+<p>I was about to follow, but my companion detained
+me.</p>
+
+<p>"Have you spoke to the parson?" she asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, yes," said I, "and he seems perfectly satisfied.
+I am rather surprised at this, because of late he has
+been in such a remarkably bad humor."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "there's no
+gettin' round the fact that he's been a good deal
+crosser than two sticks. You see, Mr. Craig, that
+Mrs. Lecks and me we made up our minds that it
+wasn't fair to the Dusantes to let that rich missionary
+go on payin' nothin' but four dollars a week apiece
+for him and his daughter, and if we couldn't get no
+more out of him one way, we'd do it another. It was
+fair enough that if he didn't pay more he ought to
+get less; and so we gave him more fish and not so
+much bread, the same as we did the sailormen; and
+we weakened his tea, and sent him just so much
+sugar, and no more; and as for openin' boxes of sardines
+for him, which there was no reason why they
+shouldn't be left here for the Dusantes, I just wouldn't
+do it, though he said he'd got all the fresh fish he
+wanted when he was in China. And then we agreed
+that it was high time that that libr'ry should be
+cleaned up, and we went to work at it, not mindin'
+what he said; for it's no use tellin' me that four dollars
+a week will pay for a front room and good board,
+and the use of a libr'ry all day. And as there wasn't
+no need of both of us cleanin' one room, Mrs. Lecks<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[105]</a></span>
+she went into the parlor, where he'd took his books,
+and begun there. And then, again, we shut down on
+Mr. Dusante's dressing-gown. There was no sense
+includin' the use of that in his four dollars a week, so
+we brushed it up, and camphored it, and put it away.
+We just wanted to let him know that if he undertook
+to be skinflinty, he'd better try it on somebody else
+besides us. We could see that he was a good deal
+upset, for if ever a man liked to have things quiet
+and comfortable around him, and everything his own
+way, that man is that missionary.But we didn't
+care if we did prod him up a little. Mrs. Lecks and
+me we both agreed that it would do him good. Why,
+he'd got into such a way of shettin' himself up in
+himself that he didn't even see that his daughter was
+goin' about with a young man, and fixin' her affections
+on him more and more every day, when he never had
+no idea, as could be proved by witnesses, of marryin'
+her."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 350px;">
+<img src="images/116.png" width="350" height="389" alt="&quot;&lsquo;I KNOWED IT WAS ALL RIGHT.&rsquo;&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;&lsquo;I KNOWED IT WAS ALL RIGHT.&rsquo;&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"Mrs. Aleshine," said I, looking at her very steadfastly,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[106]</a></span>
+"I believe, after all, that you and Mrs. Lecks
+had your own way in regard to hurrying up this
+matter."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said she, with happy complacency; "I
+shouldn't wonder if we had. Stirrin' up the parson
+was our last chance, and it wasn't much trouble to
+do it."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks, whose manner toward me for the last
+few days had been characterized by cold severity, now
+resumed her former friendly demeanor, although she
+was not willing to let the affair pass over without
+some words of reproach.</p>
+
+<p>"I must say, Mr. Craig," she remarked the next morning,
+"that I was gettin' pretty well outdone with you. I
+was beginnin' to think that a young man that couldn't
+see and wouldn't see what was good for him didn't
+deserve to have it; and if Miss Ruth's father had just
+come down with a heavy foot and put an end to the
+whole business, I'm not sure I'd been sorry for you.
+But it's all right at last, and bygones is bygones.
+And now, what we've got to do is to get ready for
+the weddin'."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[107]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"The wedding!" I exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks regarded me with an expression in which
+there was something of virtuous indignation and
+something of pity. "Mr. Craig," said she, "if there
+ever was anybody that wanted a guardeen, it's you.
+Now, just let me tell you this. That Mr. Enderton
+ain't to be trusted no further than you can see him,
+and not so fur, neither, if it can be helped. He's
+willin' for you to have Miss Ruth now, because he's
+pretty much made up his mind that we're goin' to
+stay here, and as he considers you the master of this
+island, of course he thinks it'll be for his good for
+his daughter to be mistress of it. For one thing, he
+wouldn't expect to pay no board then. But just let
+him get away from this island, and just let him set his
+eyes on some smooth-faced young fellow that'll agree
+to take him into the concern and keep him for nothin'
+on books and tea, he'll just throw you over without
+winkin'. And Miss Ruth is not the girl to marry you
+against his will, if he opens the Bible and piles texts
+on her, which he is capable of doin'. If in any way
+you two should get separated when you leave here,
+there's no knowin' when you'd ever see each other
+again, for where he'll take her nobody can tell. He's
+more willin' to set down and stay where he finds himself
+comfortable than anybody I've met yet."</p>
+
+<p>"Of course," I said, "I'm ready to be married at
+any moment; but I don't believe Miss Ruth and her
+father would consent to anything so speedy."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you get into the way," said Mrs. Lecks, "of
+beforehand believin' this or that. It don't pay. Just
+you go to her father and talk to him about it, and if<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[108]</a></span>
+you and him agree, it'll be easy enough to make her
+see the sense of it. You attend to them, and I'll see
+that everythin' is got ready. And you'd better fix
+the day for to-morrow, for we can't stay here much
+longer, and there's a lot of house-cleanin' and bakin'
+and cookin' to be done before we go."</p>
+
+<p>I took this advice, and broached the subject to Mr.
+Enderton.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, sir," said he, laying down his book, "your
+proposition is decidedly odd; I may say, very odd,
+indeed. But it is, perhaps, after all, no odder than
+many things I have seen. Among the various denominational
+sects I have noticed occurrences quite
+as odd; quite as odd, sir. For my part, I have no
+desire to object to an early celebration of the matrimonial
+rites. I may say, indeed, that I am of the
+opinion that a certain amount of celerity in this matter
+will conduce to the comfort of all concerned. It
+has been a very unsatisfactory thing to me to see my
+daughter occupying a subordinate position in our little
+family, where she has not even the power to turn
+household affairs into the channels of my comfort.
+To-morrow, I think, will do very well indeed. Even
+if it should rain, I see no reason why the ceremony
+should be postponed."</p>
+
+<p>The proposition of a wedding on the morrow was
+not received by Ruth with favor. She was unprepared
+for such precipitancy. But she finally yielded
+to arguments; not so much to mine, I fear, as to those
+offered by Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>For the rest of that day the three mariners were
+kept very busy, bringing in green things to deck the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[109]</a></span>
+parlor, and doing every imaginable kind of work
+necessary to a wedding which Mrs. Aleshine was willing
+to give into their hands. As for herself and her
+good friend, they put themselves upon their mettle as
+providers of festivals. They made cakes, pies, and
+I never knew half so well as the three sailors how
+many other kinds of good things. Besides all this,
+they assisted Ruth to array herself in some degree in
+a manner becoming a bride. Some light and pretty
+adornments of dress were borrowed from Emily or
+Lucille, they knew not which, and, after having been
+"done up" and fluted and crimped by Mrs. Lecks,
+were incorporated by Ruth into her costume with so
+much taste that on the wedding morning she appeared
+to me to be dressed more charmingly than any bride
+I had ever seen.</p>
+
+<p>The three sailors had done their own washing and
+ironing, and appeared in cleanly garb, and with hair
+and beards well wet and brushed. Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine put on their best bibs and tuckers, and
+Mr. Enderton assumed his most clerical air as he
+stood behind a table in the parlor and married Ruth
+and me.</p>
+
+<p>"This," said Mr. Enderton, as we were seated at the
+wedding-feast, "is a most creditable display of attractive
+viands, but I may say, my dear Ruth, that I
+think I perceived the influence of the happy event of
+to-day even before it took place. I have lately had a
+better appetite for my food, and have experienced
+a greater enjoyment of my surroundings."</p>
+
+<p>"I should think so," murmured Mrs. Aleshine in
+my ear, "for we'd no sooner knowed that you two<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[110]</a></span>
+were to make a match of it than we put an extry
+spoonful of tea into his pot, and stopped scrubbin' the
+libr'ry."</p>
+
+<p>For the next two days all was bustle and work on
+the island. Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine would not
+consent to depart without leaving everything in the
+best possible order, so that the Dusantes might not be
+dissatisfied with the condition of their house when
+they returned. It was, in fact, the evident desire of
+the two women to gratify their pride in their house-wifely
+abilities by leaving everything better than
+they found it.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Enderton was much surprised at these preparations
+for immediate departure. He was very well
+satisfied with his life on the island, and had prepared
+his mind for an indefinite continuance of it, with the
+position of that annoying and obdurate Mrs. Lecks
+filled by a compliant and affectionate daughter. He
+had no reasonable cause for complaint, for the whole
+subject of the exhaustion of our supply of provisions,
+and the necessity of an open-boat trip to an inhabited
+island, had been fully discussed before him; but he
+was so entirely engrossed in the consideration of his
+own well-being that this discussion of our plans had
+made no impression upon him. He now became convinced
+that a conspiracy had been entered into against
+him, and fell into an unpleasant humor. This, however,
+produced very little effect upon any of us, for
+we were all too busy to notice his whims. But his
+sudden change of disposition made me understand
+how correct were the opinions of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine concerning him. If I had left that island
+with my marriage with Ruth depending upon Mr.
+Enderton's co�peration, my prospects of future happiness
+would have been at the mercy of his caprices.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[111]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 296px;">
+<img src="images/122.png" width="296" height="450" alt="&quot;THEY ASSISTED RUTH TO ARRAY HERSELF.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;THEY ASSISTED RUTH TO ARRAY HERSELF.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124"></a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[113]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Very early on a beautiful morning Ruth and I
+started out on our wedding journey in the long-boat.
+Mr. Enderton was made as comfortable as possible in
+the stern, with Ruth near him. Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine sat facing each other, each with a brown-paper
+package by her side, containing the life-preserver
+on which she had arrived. These were to be
+ever cherished as memorials of a wonderful experience.
+The three sailors and I took turns at the oars. The
+sea was smooth, and there was every reason to believe
+that we should arrive at our destination before the
+end of the day. Mrs. Aleshine had supplied us with
+an abundance of provisions, and, with the exception
+of Mr. Enderton, who had not been permitted to take
+away any of the Dusante books, we were a contented
+party.</p>
+
+<p>"As long as the flour held out," remarked Mrs. Aleshine,
+"I'd never been willin' to leave that island till
+the Dusantes came back, and we could have took
+Emily or Lucille, whichever it was that kept house,
+and showed her everythin', and told her just what we
+had done. But when they do come back," she added,
+"and read that letter which Mr. Craig wrote and left
+for them, and find out all that happened in their
+country-place while they was away; and how two of
+us was made happy for life; and how two more of us,
+meanin' Mrs. Lecks and me, have give up goin' to
+Japan, intendin', instid of that, writin' to my son to
+come home to America and settle down in the country<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[114]</a></span>
+he ought to live in,&mdash;why, then, if them Dusantes
+ain't satisfied, it's no use for anybody to ever try to
+satisfy 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"I should think not," said Mrs. Lecks, "with the
+weddin'-cards on the parlor table, not a speck of dust
+in any corner, and the board money in the ginger-jar."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 250px;">
+<img src="images/125.png" width="250" height="313" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[115]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="PART_IV" id="PART_IV"></a>PART IV</h2>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/126.png" width="500" height="261" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p>When the little party, consisting of Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine, Mr. Enderton, my newly
+made wife, and myself, with the red-bearded coxswain
+and the two sailormen, bade farewell to that island in
+the Pacific where so many happy hours had been
+passed, where such pleasant friendships had been
+formed, and where I had met my Ruth and made her
+my wife, we rowed away with a bright sky over our
+heads, a pleasant wind behind us, and a smooth sea
+beneath us. The long-boat was comfortable and well
+appointed, and there was even room enough in it for
+Mr. Enderton to stretch himself out and take a noonday
+nap. We gave him every advantage of this kind,
+for we had found by experience that our party was
+happiest when my father-in-law was best contented.</p>
+
+<p>Early in the forenoon the coxswain rigged a small
+sail in the bow of the boat, and with this aid to our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[116]</a></span>
+steady and systematic work at the oars we reached,
+just before nightfall, the large island whither we were
+bound, and to which, by means of the coxswain's
+pocket-compass, we had steered a direct course. Our
+arrival on this island, which was inhabited by some
+white traders and a moderate population of natives,
+occasioned great surprise; for when the boats containing
+the crew and passengers of our unfortunate
+steamer had reached the island, it was found that
+Mrs. Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine, and myself were missing.
+There were many suppositions as to our fate. Some
+persons thought we had been afraid to leave the
+steamer, and, having secreted ourselves on board, had
+gone down with her. Others conjectured that in the
+darkness we had fallen overboard, either from the
+steamer or from one of the boats; and there was even
+a surmise that we might have embarked in the leaky
+small boat&mdash;in which we really did leave the steamer&mdash;and
+so had been lost. At any rate, we had disappeared,
+and our loss was a good deal talked about
+and, in a manner, mourned. In less than a week
+after their arrival the people from the steamer had
+been taken on board a sailing-vessel and carried
+westward to their destination.</p>
+
+<p>We, however, were not so fortunate, for we remained
+on this island for more than a month. During
+this time but one ship touched there, and she was
+western bound and of no use to us, for we had determined
+to return to America. Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine had given up their journey to Japan, and
+were anxious to reach once more their country homes,
+while my dear Ruth and I were filled with a desire to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[117]</a></span>
+found a home on some pleasant portion of the Atlantic
+seaboard. What Mr. Enderton intended to do
+we did not know. He was on his way to the United
+States when he left the leaking ship on which he and
+his daughter were passengers, and his intentions regarding
+his journey did not appear to have been
+altered by his mishaps.</p>
+
+<p>By the western-bound vessel, however, Mrs. Aleshine
+sent a letter to her son.</p>
+
+<p>Our life on this island was monotonous and to the
+majority of the party uninteresting; but as it was the
+scene of our honeymoon, Mrs. Craig and I will always
+look back to it with the most pleasurable recollections.
+We were comfortably lodged in a house belonging to
+one of the traders, and although Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine had no household duties to occupy their
+time, they managed to supply themselves with knitting-materials
+from the stores on the island, and filled
+up their hours of waiting with chatty industry. The
+pipes of our sailor friends were always well filled,
+while the sands of the island were warm and pleasant
+for their backs, and it was only Mr. Enderton who
+showed any signs of impatient repining at our
+enforced stay. He growled, he grumbled, and he
+inveighed against the criminal neglect of steamship
+companies and the owners of sailing-craft in not
+making it compulsory in every one of their vessels
+to stop on every voyage at this island, where, at any
+time, intelligent and important personages might be
+stranded.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[118]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>At last, however, we were taken off by a three-masted
+schooner bound for San Francisco, at which
+city we arrived in due time and in good health and
+condition.</p>
+
+<p>We did not remain long in this city, but soon
+started on our way across the continent, leaving
+behind us our three sailor companions, who intended
+to ship from this port as soon as an advantageous
+opportunity offered itself. These men heard no news
+of their vessel, although they felt quite sure that she
+had reached Honolulu, where she had probably been
+condemned and the crew scattered. As some baggage
+belonging to my wife and my father-in-law had been
+left on board this vessel, I had hopes that Mr. Enderton
+would remain in San Francisco and order it forwarded
+to him there; or that he would even take a
+trip to Honolulu to attend to the matter personally.
+But in this I was disappointed. He seemed to take
+very little interest in his missing trunks, and wished
+only to press on to the East. I wrote to Honolulu,
+desiring the necessary steps to be taken to forward
+the baggage in case it had arrived there; and soon
+afterward our party of five started eastward.</p>
+
+<p>It was now autumn, but, although we desired to
+reach the end of our journey before winter set in, we
+felt that we had time enough to visit some of the
+natural wonders of the California country before
+taking up our direct course to the East. Therefore,
+in spite of some petulant remonstrances on the part
+of Mr. Enderton, we made several trips to points of
+interest.</p>
+
+<p>From the last of these excursions we set out in a
+stage-coach, of which we were the only occupants,
+toward a point on the railroad where we expected to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[119]</a></span>
+take a train. On the way we stopped to change horses
+at a small stage-station at the foot of a range of
+mountains; and when I descended from the coach I
+found the driver and some of the men at the station
+discussing the subject of our route. It appeared that
+there were two roads, one of which gradually ascended
+the mountain for several miles, and then descended
+to the level of the railroad, by the side of which it
+ran until it reached the station where we wished to
+take the train. The other road pursued its way along
+a valley or notch in the mountain for a considerable
+distance, and then, by a short but somewhat steep
+ascending grade, joined the upper road.</p>
+
+<p>It was growing quite cold, and the sky and the wind
+indicated that bad weather might be expected; and
+as the upper road was considered the better one at
+such a time, our driver concluded to take it. Six
+horses, instead of four, were now attached to our
+stage; and as two of these animals were young and
+unruly, and promised to be unusually difficult to drive
+in the ordinary way, our driver concluded to ride one
+of the wheel-horses, postilion fashion, and to put a boy
+on one of the leaders. Mr. Enderton was very much
+afraid of horses, and objected strongly to the young
+animals in our new team. But there were no others
+to take their places, and his protests were disregarded.</p>
+
+<p>My wife and I occupied a back seat, having been
+ordered to take this comfortable position by Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, who had constituted themselves
+a board of instruction and admonition to Mrs.
+Craig, and incidentally to myself. They fancied that
+my wife's health was not vigorous, and that she needed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[120]</a></span>
+coddling, and if she had had two mothers she could
+not have been more tenderly cared for than by these
+good women. They sat upon the middle seat with
+their faces toward the horses, while Mr. Enderton
+had the front seat all to himself. He was, however,
+so nervous and fidgety, continually twisting himself
+about endeavoring to get a view of the horses or of
+the bad places on the road, that Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine found that a position facing him and in close
+juxtaposition was entirely too uncomfortable; and
+consequently, the back of their seat being adjustable,
+they turned themselves about and faced us.</p>
+
+<p>The ascent of the mountain was slow and tedious,
+and it was late in the afternoon when we reached the
+highest point in our route, from which the road descended
+for some eight miles to the level of the railroad.
+Now our pace became rapid, and Mr. Enderton
+grew wildly excited. He threw open the window, and
+shouted to the driver to go more slowly; but Mrs.
+Lecks seized him by the coat and jerked him back on
+his seat before he could get any answer to his appeals.</p>
+
+<p>"If you want your daughter to ketch her death o'
+cold you'll keep that window open!" As she said
+this, she leaned back and pulled the window down
+with her own strong right arm. "I guess the driver
+knows what he is about," she continued, "this not
+bein' the first time he's gone over the road."</p>
+
+<p>"Am I to understand, madam," said Mr. Enderton,
+"that I am not to speak to my driver when I wish
+him to know my will?"</p>
+
+<p>To this question Mrs. Lecks made no answer, but
+sat up very straight and stiff, with her back square<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[121]</a></span>
+upon the speaker. For some time she and Mr. Enderton
+had been "out," and she made no effort to
+conceal the fact.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Enderton's condition now became pitiable, for
+our rapid speed and the bumping over rough places
+in the road seemed almost to deprive him of his wits,
+notwithstanding my assurance that stage-coaches
+were generally driven at a rapid rate down long
+inclines. In a short time, however, we reached a
+level spot in the road, and the team was drawn up
+and stopped. Mr. Enderton popped out in a moment,
+and I also got down to have a talk with the driver.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 380px;">
+<img src="images/132.png" width="380" height="293" alt="&quot;THE ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN WAS SLOW AND TEDIOUS.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;THE ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN WAS SLOW AND TEDIOUS.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"These hosses won't do much at holdin' back," he
+said, "and it worries 'em less to let 'em go ahead
+with the wheels locked. You needn't be afraid. If
+nothin' breaks, we're all right."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Enderton seemed endeavoring to satisfy himself
+that everything about the running-gear of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[122]</a></span>
+coach was in a safe condition. He examined the
+wheels, the axles, and the whiffletrees, much to the
+amusement of the driver, who remarked to me that
+the old chap probably knew as much now as he did
+before. I was rather surprised that my father-in-law
+subjected the driver to no further condemnation. On
+the contrary, he said nothing except that for the rest
+of this downhill drive he should take his place on
+the driver's unoccupied seat. Nobody offered any
+objection to this, and up he climbed.</p>
+
+<p>When we started again, Ruth seemed disturbed
+that her father should be in such an exposed position,
+but I assured her that he would be perfectly
+safe, and would be much better satisfied at being able
+to see for himself what was going on.</p>
+
+<p>We now began to go downhill again at a rate as
+rapid as before. Our speed, however, was not equal.
+Sometimes it would slacken a little where the road
+was heavy or more upon a level, and then we would
+go jolting and rattling over some long downward
+stretch. After a particularly unpleasant descent of
+this kind the coach seemed suddenly to change its
+direction, and with a twist and an uplifting of one
+side it bumped heavily against something, and stopped.
+I heard a great shout outside, and from a window
+which now commanded a view of the road I saw our
+team of six horses, with the drivers pulling and tugging
+at the two they rode, madly running away at
+the top of their speed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[123]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 179px;">
+<img src="images/134.png" width="179" height="250" alt="&quot;&lsquo;WHAT HAS HAPPENED?&rsquo; I EXCLAIMED.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;&lsquo;WHAT HAS HAPPENED?&rsquo; I EXCLAIMED.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Ruth, who had been thrown by the shock into the
+arms of Mrs. Aleshine, was dreadfully frightened,
+and screamed for her father. I had been pitched forward
+upon Mrs. Lecks, but I quickly recovered
+myself, and as soon as I found that none of the
+occupants of the coach had been hurt, I opened the
+door and sprang out.</p>
+
+<p>In the middle of the road stood Mr. Enderton, entirely
+uninjured, with a jubilant expression on his
+face, and in one hand a
+large closed umbrella.</p>
+
+<p>"What has happened?"
+I exclaimed, hurrying
+around to the front of the
+coach, where I saw that
+the pole had been broken
+off about the middle of its
+length.</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing has happened,
+sir," replied Mr. Enderton.
+"You cannot speak of a
+wise and discreet act, determinately
+performed, as
+a thing which has happened.
+We have been
+saved, sir, from being dashed to pieces behind that
+wild and unmanageable team of horses; and I will
+add that we have been saved by my forethought and
+prompt action."</p>
+
+<p>I turned and looked at him in astonishment.
+"What do you mean?" I said. "What could you
+have had to do with this accident?"</p>
+
+<p>"Allow me to repeat," said Mr. Enderton, "that it
+was not an accident. The moment that we began to
+go downhill I perceived that we were in a position of
+the greatest danger. The driver was reckless, the
+boy incompetent, and the horses unmanageable. As
+my remonstrances and counsels had no effect upon
+the man, and as you seemed to have no desire to join<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[124]</a></span>
+me in efforts to restrain him to a more prudent rate
+of speed, I determined to take the affair into my own
+hands. I knew that the first thing to be done was to
+rid ourselves of those horses. So long as we were
+connected with them disaster was imminent. I knew
+exactly what ought to be done. The horses must be
+detached from the coach. I had read, sir, of inventions
+especially intended to detach runaway horses
+from a vehicle. To all intents and purposes our
+horses were runaways, or would have become so in
+a very short time. I now made it my object to free
+ourselves from those horses."</p>
+
+<p>"What!" I exclaimed. "You freed us?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir," he answered; "I did. I got out at
+our first stop, and thoroughly examined the carriage
+attachments. I found that the movable bar
+to which the whiffletrees were attached was connected
+to the vehicle by two straps and a bolt, the
+latter having a ring at the top and an iron nut
+at the bottom. While you and that reckless driver
+were talking together, and paying no attention to
+me, the only person in the party who thoroughly
+comprehended our danger, I unbuckled those straps,
+and with my strong, nervous fingers, without the aid
+of implements, I unscrewed the nut from the bolt.
+Then, sir, I took my seat on the outside of the coach,
+and felt that I held our safety in my own hands.
+For a time I allowed our vehicle to proceed; but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[125]</a></span>
+when we approached this long slope which stretches
+before us, and our horses showed signs of increasing
+impetuosity, I leaned forward, hooked the handle of
+my umbrella in the ring of the bolt, and with a mighty
+effort jerked it out. I admit to you, sir, that I had
+overlooked the fact that the horses were also attached
+to the end of the pole, but I have often noticed that
+when we are discreet in judgment and prompt in
+action we are also fortunate. Thus was I fortunate.
+The hindermost horses, suddenly released, rushed
+upon those in front of them, and, in a manner, jumbled
+up the whole team, which seemed to throw the
+animals into such terror that they dashed to one side
+and snapped off the pole, after which they went madly
+tearing down the road, entirely beyond the control of
+the two riders. Our coach turned and ran into the side
+of the road with but a moderate concussion, and as I
+looked at those flying steeds, with their riders vainly
+endeavoring to restrain them, I could not, sir, keep
+down an emotion of pride that I had been instrumental
+in freeing myself, my daughter, and my
+traveling companions from their dangerous proximity."</p>
+
+<p>The speaker ceased, a smile of conscious merit
+upon his face. For the moment I could not say a
+word to him, I was so angry. But had I been able
+to say or do anything to indicate the wild indignation
+that filled my brain, I should have had no opportunity,
+for Mrs. Lecks stepped up to me and took me by the
+arm. Her face was very stern, and her expression
+gave one the idea of the rigidity of Bessemer steel.</p>
+
+<p>"I've heard what has been said," she remarked,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[126]</a></span>
+"and I wish to talk to this man. Your wife is over
+there with Mrs. Aleshine. Will you please take a walk
+with her along the road? You may stay away for a
+quarter of an hour."</p>
+
+<p>"Madam," said Mr. Enderton, "I do not wish to talk
+to you."</p>
+
+<p>"I didn't ask you whether you did or not," said
+Mrs. Lecks. "Mr. Craig, will you please get your
+wife away as quick and as far as you can?"</p>
+
+<p>I took the hint, and, with Ruth on my arm, walked
+rapidly down the road. She was very glad to go, for
+she had been much frightened, and wanted to be alone
+with me to have me explain to her what had occurred.
+Mrs. Lecks, imagining from the expression of his
+countenance that Mr. Enderton had, in some way,
+been at the bottom of the trouble, and fearing that she
+should not be able to restrain her indignation when
+she found how he had done it, had ordered Mrs. Aleshine
+to keep Ruth away from her father. This action
+had increased the poor girl's anxiety, and she was glad
+enough to have me take her away and tell her all about
+our accident.</p>
+
+<p>I did tell her all that had happened, speaking as
+mildly as I could of Mr. Enderton's conduct. Poor
+Ruth burst into tears.</p>
+
+<p>"I do wish," she exclaimed, "that father would
+travel by himself! He is so nervous, and so easily
+frightened, that I am sure he would be happier when
+he could attend to his safety in his own way; and I
+know, too, that we should be happier without him."</p>
+
+<p>I agreed most heartily with these sentiments, although
+I did not deem it necessary to say so, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[127]</a></span>
+Ruth now asked me what I supposed would become
+of us.</p>
+
+<p>"If nothing happens to the driver and the boy," I
+replied, "I suppose they will go on until they get to
+the station to which we were bound, and there they
+will procure a pole, if such a thing can be found, or,
+perhaps, get another coach, and come back for us. It
+would be useless for them to return to our coach in its
+present condition."</p>
+
+<p>"And how soon do you think they will come back?"
+she said.</p>
+
+<p>"Not for some hours," I replied. "The driver told
+me there were no houses between the place where we
+last stopped and the railroad-station, and I am sure he
+will not turn back until he reaches a place where
+he can get either a new pole or another vehicle."</p>
+
+<p>Ruth and I walked to a turn at the bottom of the
+long hill down which our runaway steeds had sped.
+At this point we had an extended view of the road as
+it wound along the mountain-side, but we could see no
+signs of our horses, nor of any living thing. I did not,
+in fact, expect to see our team, for it would be foolish
+in the driver to come back until he was prepared to do
+something for us, and even if he had succeeded in controlling
+the runaway beasts, the quicker he got down
+the mountain the better.</p>
+
+<p>By the time we had returned we had taken quite a
+long walk, but we were glad of it, for the exercise
+tranquilized us both. On our way back we noticed
+that a road which seemed to come up from below us
+joined the one we were on a short distance from the
+place where our accident occurred. This, probably,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[128]</a></span>
+was the lower road which had been spoken of when we
+changed horses.</p>
+
+<p>We found Mr. Enderton standing by himself. His
+face was of the hue of wood-ashes, his expression haggard.
+He reminded me of a man who had fallen from
+a considerable height, and who had been frightened
+and stupefied by the shock. I comprehended the
+situation without difficulty, and felt quite sure that
+had he had the choice he would have much preferred
+a thrashing to the plain talk he had heard from Mrs.
+Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"What is the matter, father?" exclaimed Ruth.
+"Were you hurt?"</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Enderton looked in a dazed way at his daughter,
+and it was some moments before he appeared to
+have heard what she said. Then he answered abruptly:
+"Hurt? Oh, no! I am not hurt in the least. I was
+just thinking of something. I shall walk on to the
+village or town, whichever it is, to which that man was
+taking us. It cannot be more than seven or eight
+miles away, if that. The road is downhill, and I can
+easily reach the place before nightfall. I will then
+personally attend to your rescue, and will see that a
+vehicle is immediately sent to you. There is no trusting
+these ignorant drivers. No," he continued, deprecatingly
+raising his hand; "do not attempt to
+dissuade me. Your safety and that of others is
+always my first care. Exertion is nothing."</p>
+
+<p>Without further words, and paying no attention to
+the remonstrances of his daughter, he strode off down
+the road.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[129]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 118px;">
+<img src="images/140.png" width="118" height="180" alt="&quot;MRS. LECKS WAS SITTING ON A STONE.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;MRS. LECKS WAS SITTING ON A STONE.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<p>I was very glad to see him go. At any time his
+presence was undesirable to me, and under the present
+circumstances it would be more objectionable than
+ever. He was a good walker, and there was no doubt
+he would easily reach the station, where he might possibly
+be of some use to us.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks was sitting on a stone by the roadside.
+Her face was still stern and rigid, but there was an
+expression of satisfaction
+upon it
+which had not been
+there when I left
+her. Ruth went to
+the coach to get a
+shawl, and I said to
+Mrs. Lecks:</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose you
+had your talk with
+Mr. Enderton?"</p>
+
+<p>"Talk!" she replied.
+"I should
+say so! If ever a
+man understands
+what people think
+of him, and knows
+what he is, from his
+crown to his feet,
+inside and outside,
+soul, body, bones,
+and skin, and what he may expect in this world and
+the next, he knows it. I didn't keep to what he has
+done for us this day. I went back to the first moment
+when he began to growl at payin' his honest board on
+the island, and I didn't let him off for a single sin
+that he has committed since. And now I feel that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[130]</a></span>
+I've done my duty as far as he is concerned; and
+havin' got through with that, it's time we were lookin'
+about to see what we can do for ourselves."</p>
+
+<p>It was indeed time, for the day was drawing toward
+its close. For a moment I had thought we would give
+Mr. Enderton a good start, and then follow him down
+the mountain to the station. But a little reflection
+showed me that this plan would not answer. Ruth
+was not strong enough to walk so far, and although
+Mrs. Aleshine had plenty of vigor, she was too plump
+to attempt such a tramp. Besides, the sky was so
+heavily overcast that it was not safe to leave the
+shelter of the coach.</p>
+
+<p>As might have been expected, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine took immediate charge of the personal comfort
+of the party, and the first thing they did was to
+make preparations for a meal. Fortunately, we had
+plenty of provisions. Mrs. Aleshine had had charge
+of what she called our lunch-baskets,&mdash;which were, indeed,
+much more like market-baskets than anything
+else,&mdash;and having small faith in the resources of roadside
+taverns, and great faith in the unlimited capabilities
+of Mr. Enderton in the matter of consuming food
+on a journey, she had provided bounteously and even
+extravagantly.</p>
+
+<p>One side of the road was bordered by a forest, and
+on the ground was an abundance of dead wood. I
+gathered a quantity of this, and made a fire, which was
+very grateful to us, for the air was growing colder
+and colder. When we had eaten a substantial supper<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[131]</a></span>
+and had thoroughly warmed ourselves at the fire, we
+got into the coach to sit there and wait until relief
+should come. We sat for a long time&mdash;all night, in
+fact. We were not uncomfortable, for we each had a
+corner of the coach, and we were plentifully provided
+with wraps and rugs.</p>
+
+<p>Contrary to their usual habit, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine did not talk much. When subjected to the
+annoyances of an ordinary accident, even if it should
+have been the result of carelessness, their disposition
+would have prompted them to take events as they
+came, and to make the best of whatever might happen
+to them. But this case was entirely different. We
+were stranded and abandoned on the road, on the side
+of a lonely, desolate mountain, on a cold, bleak night;
+and all this was the result of what they considered the
+deliberate and fiendish act of a man who was afraid
+of horses, and who cared for no one in the world but
+himself. Their minds were in such a condition that
+if they said anything they must vituperate, and they
+were so kindly disposed toward my wife, and had such
+a tender regard for her feelings, that they would not,
+in her presence, vituperate her father. So they said
+very little, and, nestling into their corners, were soon
+asleep.</p>
+
+<p>After a time Ruth followed their example, and,
+though I was very anxiously watching out of the window
+for an approaching light, and listening for the
+sound of wheels, I, too, fell into a doze. It must have
+been ten or eleven o'clock when I was awakened by
+some delicate but cold touches on my face, the nature
+of which, when I first opened my eyes, I could not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[132]</a></span>
+comprehend. But I soon understood what these cold
+touches meant. The window in the door of the coach
+on my side had been slightly lowered from the top to
+give us air, and through the narrow aperture the cold
+particles had come floating in. I looked through the
+window. The night was not very dark, for, although
+the sky was overcast, the moon was in its second
+quarter, and I could plainly see that it was snowing,
+and that the ground was already white.</p>
+
+<p>This discovery sent a chill into my soul, for I was
+not unfamiliar with snows in mountain regions, and
+knew well what this might mean to us. But there
+was nothing that we could now do, and it would be
+useless and foolish to awaken my companions and
+distress them with this new disaster. Besides, I
+thought our situation might not be so very bad, after
+all. It was not yet winter, and the snowfall might
+prove to be but a light one. I gently closed the window,
+and made my body comfortable in its corner;
+but my mind continued very uncomfortable for I do
+not know how long.</p>
+
+<p>When I awoke I found that there had been a heavy
+fall of snow in the night, and that the flakes were
+still coming down thick and fast. When Ruth first
+looked out upon the scene she was startled and dismayed.
+She was not accustomed to storms of this
+kind, and the snow frightened her. Upon Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine the sight of the storm produced an
+entirely different effect. Here was a difficulty, a discomfort,
+a hardship; but it came in a natural way,
+and not by the hand of a dastardly coward of a man.
+With natural-happening difficulties they were accustomed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[133]</a></span>
+to combat without fear or repining. They
+knew all about snow, and were not frightened by this
+storm. The difficulties which it presented to their
+minds actually raised their spirits, and from the grim
+and quiet beings of the last evening they became the
+same cheerful, dauntless, ready women that I had
+known before.</p>
+
+<p>"Upon my word," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, as she
+clapped her face to a window of the coach, "if this
+isn't a reg'lar old-fashioned snow-storm! I've shoveled
+my own way through many a one like it to git to
+the barn to do my milkin' afore the men-folks had
+begun makin' paths, and I feel jus' like as though I
+could do it ag'in."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "if you're
+thinkin' of shovelin' your way from this place to
+where your cows is, you'd better step right out and
+get at it, and I really do think that if you felt they
+were sufferin' for want of milkin' you'd make a start."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't say," answered Mrs. Aleshine, with an illuminating
+grin, "that if the case was that way I
+mightn't have the hankerin', though not the capableness;
+but I don't know that there's any place to
+shovel our way to, jus' now."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks and I thought differently. Across the
+road, under the great trees, the ground was comparatively
+free from snow, and in some places, owing to the
+heavy evergreen foliage, it was entirely bare. It was
+very desirable that we should get to one of these spots
+and build a fire, for, though we had been well wrapped
+up, we all felt numbed and cold. In the boot at the
+back of the coach I knew that there was an ax, and I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[134]</a></span>
+thought I might possibly find there a shovel. I opened
+the coach door, and saw that the snow was already
+above the lower step. By standing on the spokes of
+the back wheel I could easily get at the boot, and I
+soon pulled out the ax, but found no shovel. But this
+did not deter me. I made my way to the front wheel,
+and climbed up to the driver's box, where I knocked
+off one of the thin planks of the foot-board, and this,
+with the ax, I shaped into a rude shovel, with a handle
+rather too wide, but serviceable. With this I went
+vigorously to work, and soon had made a pathway
+across the road. Here I chopped off some low dead
+branches, picked up others, and soon had a crackling
+fire, around which my three companions gathered
+with delight.</p>
+
+<p>A strong wind was now blowing, and the snow
+began to form into heavy drifts. The fire was very
+cheery and pleasant, but the wind was cutting, and
+we soon returned to the shelter of the coach, where
+we had our breakfast. This was not altogether a cold
+meal, for Mrs. Aleshine had provided a little tea-kettle,
+and, with some snow-water which I brought in
+boiling from the fire in the woods, we had all the hot
+and comforting tea we wanted.</p>
+
+<p>We passed the morning waiting and looking out,
+and wondering what sort of conveyance would be
+sent for us. It was generally agreed that nothing on
+wheels could now be got over the road, and that we
+must be taken away in a sleigh.</p>
+
+<p>"I like sleigh-ridin'," said Mrs. Aleshine, "if you're
+well wrapped up, with good hosses, and a hot brick
+for your feet; but I must say I don't know but what<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[135]</a></span>
+I'm goin' to be a little skeery goin' down these long
+hills. If we git fairly slidin', hosses, sleigh, and all
+together, there's no knowin' where we'll fetch up."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 430px;">
+<img src="images/146.png" width="430" height="268" alt="&quot;I SOON HAD A CRACKLING FIRE.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;I SOON HAD A CRACKLING FIRE.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"There's one comfort, Barb'ry," remarked Mrs.
+Lecks, "and that is that when we do fetch up it'll be
+at the bottom of the hills, and not at the top; and as
+the bottom is what we want to get to, we oughtn't to
+complain."</p>
+
+<p>"That depends a good deal whether we come down
+hind part foremost, or fore part front. But nobody's
+complainin' so fur, 'specially as the sleigh isn't here."</p>
+
+<p>I joined in the outlooking and the conjectures, but
+I could not keep up the cheerful courage which animated
+my companions; for not only were the two
+elder women bright and cheery, but Ruth seemed to
+be animated and encouraged by their example, and
+showed herself as brave and contented as either of
+them. She was convinced that her father must have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[136]</a></span>
+reached the railroad-station before it began to snow,
+and therefore she was troubled by no fears for his
+safety. But my mind was filled with many fears.</p>
+
+<p>The snow was still coming down thick and fast,
+and the wind was piling it into great drifts, one of
+which was forming between the coach and a low
+embankment on that side of the road near which it
+stood.</p>
+
+<p>About every half-hour I took my shovel and cleared
+out the path across the road from the other side of
+the coach to the woods. Several times after doing
+this I made my way among the trees, where the snow
+did not impede my progress, to points from which I
+had a view some distance down the mountain; and I
+could plainly see that there were several places where
+the road was blocked up by huge snow-drifts. It
+would be a slow, laborious, and difficult undertaking
+for any relief-party to come to us from the station;
+and who was there at that place to come? This was
+the question which most troubled me. The settlement
+at the station was probably a very small one,
+and that there should be found at that place a sleigh
+or a sled with enough men to form a party sufficiently
+strong to open a road up the mountain-side was
+scarcely to be expected. Men and vehicles might be
+obtained at some point farther along the railroad, but
+action of this kind would require time, and it was not
+unlikely that the railroad itself was blocked up with
+snow. I could form no idea satisfactory to myself
+of any plan by which relief could come to us that day.
+Even the advent of a messenger on horseback was not
+to be expected. Such an adventurer would be lost in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[137]</a></span>
+the storm and among the drifts. On the morrow relief
+might come, but I did not like to think too much
+about the morrow; and of any of my thoughts and
+fears I said nothing to my companions.</p>
+
+<p>At intervals, after I had freshly cleared out the
+pathway, the three women, well bundled up, ran across
+the road to the fire under the trees. This was the
+only way in which they could keep themselves warm,
+for the coach, although it protected us from the storm,
+was a very cold place to sit in. But the wind and the
+snow which frequently drove in under the trees made
+it impossible to stay very long by the fire, and the
+frequent passages to and from the coach were attended
+with much exposure and wetting of feet. I
+therefore determined that some better way must be
+devised for keeping ourselves warm; and, shortly
+after our noonday meal, I thought of a plan, and immediately
+set to work to carry it out.</p>
+
+<p>The drift between the coach and the embankment
+had now risen higher than the top of the vehicle,
+against one side of which it was tightly packed. I
+dug a path around the back of the coach, and then
+began to tunnel into the huge bank of snow. In
+about an hour I had made an excavation nearly high
+enough for me to stand in, and close to the stage door
+on that side; and I cleared away the snow so that this
+door could open into the cavern I had formed. At
+the end opposite the entrance of my cave, I worked a
+hole upward until I reached the outer air. This hole
+was, about a foot in diameter, and for some time the
+light, unpacked snow from above kept falling and filling
+it up; but I managed, by packing and beating the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[138]</a></span>
+sides with my shovel, to get the whole into a condition
+in which it would retain the form of a rude
+chimney.</p>
+
+<p>Now I hurried to bring wood and twigs, and having
+made a hearth of green sticks, which I cut with my
+ax, I built a fire in this snowy fireplace. Mrs. Lecks,
+Mrs. Aleshine, and Ruth had been watching my proceedings
+with great interest; and when the fire began
+to burn, and the smoke to go out of my chimney, the
+coach door was opened, and the genial heat gradually
+pervaded the vehicle.</p>
+
+<p>"Upon my word," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "if that
+isn't one of the brightest ideas I ever heard of! A
+fire in the middle of a snowbank, with a man there
+attendin' to it, an' a chimney! 'T isn't every day that
+you can see a thing like that!"</p>
+
+<p>"I should hope not," remarked Mrs. Lecks, "for if
+the snow drifted this way every day, I'd be ready to
+give up the seein' business out and out! But I think,
+Mr. Craig, you ought to pass that shovel in to us so
+that we can dig you out when the fire begins to melt
+your little house and it all caves in on you."</p>
+
+<p>"You can have the shovel," said I, "but I don't
+believe this snowbank will cave in on me. Of course
+the heat will melt the snow, but I think it will dissolve
+gradually, so that the caving in, if there is any, won't
+be of much account, and then we shall have a big
+open space here in which we can keep up our fire."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Ruth, "you talk as if you
+expected to stay here ever so long, and we certainly
+can't do that. We should starve to death, for one
+thing."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[139]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Don't be afraid of that," said Mrs. Aleshine.
+"There's plenty of victuals to last till the people
+come for us. When I pack baskets for travelin' or
+picnickin', I don't do no scrimpin'. An' we've got to
+keep up a fire, you know, for it wouldn't be pleasant
+for those men, when they've cut a way up the mountain
+to git at us, to find us all froze stiff."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks smiled. "You're awful tender of the
+feelin's of other people, Barb'ry," she said, "and a
+heart as warm as yourn ought to keep from freezin'."</p>
+
+<p>"Which it has done, so far," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+complacently.</p>
+
+<p>As I had expected, the water soon began to drip
+from the top and the sides of my cavern, and the
+chimney rapidly enlarged its dimensions. I made a
+passage for the melted snow to run off into a hollow,
+back of the coach; and as I kept up a good strong
+fire, the drops of water and occasional pieces of snow
+which fell into it were not able to extinguish it. The
+cavern enlarged rapidly, and in a little more than an
+hour the roof became so thin that while I was outside
+collecting wood it fell in and extinguished the fire.
+This accident, however, interrupted my operations but
+for a short time. I cleared away the snow at the bottom
+of the excavation, and rebuilt my fire on the bare
+ground. The high snow walls on three sides of it
+protected it from the wind, so that there was no danger
+of the flames being blown against the stage-coach,
+while the large open space above allowed a free vent
+for the smoke.</p>
+
+<p>About the middle of the afternoon, to the great delight
+of us all, it stopped snowing, and when I had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[140]</a></span>
+freshly shoveled out the path across the road, my
+companions gladly embraced the opportunity of walking
+over to the comparatively protected ground under
+the trees and giving themselves a little exercise.
+During their absence I was busily engaged in arranging
+the fire, when I heard a low crunching sound on
+one side of me, and, turning my head, I saw in the
+wall of my excavation opposite to the stage-coach,
+and at a distance of four or five feet from the ground,
+an irregular hole in the snow, about a foot in diameter,
+from which protruded the head of a man. This
+head was wrapped, with the exception of the face, in
+a brown woolen comforter. The features were those
+of a man of about fifty, a little sallow and thin, without
+beard, whiskers, or mustache, although the cheeks
+and chin were darkened with a recent growth.</p>
+
+<p>The astounding apparition of this head projecting
+itself from the snow wall of my cabin utterly paralyzed
+me, so that I neither moved nor spoke, but remained
+crouching by the fire, my eyes fixed upon the head.
+It smiled a little, and then spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"Could you lend me a small iron pot?" it said.</p>
+
+<p>I rose to my feet, almost ready to run away. Was
+this a dream? Or was it possible that there was a
+race of beings who inhabited snowbanks?</p>
+
+<p>The face smiled again very pleasantly. "Do not
+be frightened," it said. "I saw you were startled, and
+spoke first of a familiar pot in order to reassure you."</p>
+
+<p>"Who, in the name of Heaven, are you?" I gasped.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[141]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 295px;">
+<img src="images/152.png" width="295" height="450" alt="&quot;COULD YOU LEND ME A SMALL IRON POT?&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;COULD YOU LEND ME A SMALL IRON POT?&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"I am only a traveler, sir," said the head, "who has
+met with an accident similar, I imagine, to that which
+has befallen you. But I cannot further converse with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154"></a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[143]</a></span>
+you in this position. Lying thus on my breast in a
+tunnel of snow will injuriously chill me. Could you
+conveniently lend me an iron pot?"</p>
+
+<p>I was now convinced that this was an ordinary
+human being, and my courage and senses returned to
+me; but my astonishment remained boundless. "Before
+we talk of pots," I said, "I must know who you
+are, and how you got into that snowbank."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not believe," said my visitor, "that I can get
+down, head foremost, to your level. I will therefore
+retire to my place of refuge, and perhaps we can communicate
+with each other through this aperture."</p>
+
+<p>"Can I get through to your place of refuge?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly," was the answer. "You are young and
+active, and the descent will not be so deep on my side.
+But I will first retire, and will then project toward
+you this sheepskin rug, which, if kept under you as
+you move forward, will protect your breast and arms
+from direct contact with the snow."</p>
+
+<p>It was difficult to scramble up into the hole, but I
+succeeded in doing it, and found awaiting me the
+sheepskin rug, which, by the aid of an umbrella, the
+man had pushed toward me for my use. I was in a
+horizontal tunnel barely large enough for the passage
+of my body, and about six feet in length. When I
+had worked my way through this, and had put my head
+out of the other end, I looked into a small wooden
+shed, into which light entered only through a pane of
+glass set in a rude door opposite to me. I immediately
+perceived that the whole place was filled with the
+odor of spirituous liquors. The man stood awaiting
+me, and by his assistance I descended to the floor. As<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[144]</a></span>
+I did so I heard something which sounded like a
+titter, and looking around I saw in a corner a bundle
+of clothes and traveling-rugs, near the top of which
+appeared a pair of eyes. Turning again, I could discern
+in another corner a second bundle, similar to,
+but somewhat larger than, the other.</p>
+
+<p>"These ladies are traveling with me," said the man,
+who was now wrapping about him a large cloak, and
+who appeared to be of a tall though rather slender
+figure. His manner and voice were those of a gentleman,
+extremely courteous and considerate. "As I
+am sure you are curious&mdash;and this I regard as quite
+natural, sir&mdash;to know why we are here, I will at once
+proceed to inform you. We started yesterday in a
+carriage for the railway-station, which is, I believe,
+some miles beyond this point. There were two roads
+from the last place at which we stopped, and we chose
+the one which ran along a valley, and which we supposed
+would be the pleasanter of the two. We there
+engaged a pair of horses which did not prove very
+serviceable animals, and, at a point about a hundred
+yards from where we now are, one of them gave out
+entirely. The driver declared that the only thing to
+be done was to turn loose the disabled horse, which
+would be certain, in time, to find his way back to his
+stable, and for him to proceed on the other animal to
+the station to which we were going, where he would
+procure some fresh horses and return as speedily as
+possible. To this plan we were obliged to consent, as
+there was no alternative. He told us that if we did
+not care to remain in the carriage, there was a shed
+by the side of the road, a little farther on, which was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[145]</a></span>
+erected for the accommodation of men who are sometimes
+here in charge of relays of horses. After assuring
+us that he would not be absent more than three
+hours, he rode away, and we have not seen him since.</p>
+
+<p>"Soon after he left us I came to this shed, and finding
+it tight and comparatively comfortable, I concluded
+it would give us relief from our somewhat
+cramped position in the carriage, and so conducted
+the ladies here. As night drew on it became very
+cold, and I determined to make a fire, a proceeding
+which, of course, would have been impossible in a
+vehicle. Fortunately I had with me, at the back of
+the carriage, a case of California brandy. By the aid
+of a stone I knocked the top off this case, and brought
+hither several of the bottles. I found in the shed an
+old tin pan, which I filled with the straw coverings of
+the bottles, and on this I poured brandy, which, being
+ignited, produced a fire without smoke, but which, as
+we gathered around it, gave out considerable heat."</p>
+
+<p>As the speaker thus referred to his fuel, I understood
+the reason of the strong odor of spirits which filled
+the shed, and I experienced a certain relief in my
+mind.</p>
+
+<p>The gentleman continued: "At first I attributed
+the delay of the driver's return to those ordinary
+hindrances which so frequently occur in rural and
+out-of-the-way places; but after a time I could not
+imagine any reasonable cause for his delay. As it
+began to grow dark I brought here our provision-baskets,
+and we partook of a slight repast. I then
+made the ladies as comfortable as possible, and
+awaited with much anxiety the return of the driver.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[146]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"After a time it began to snow, and feeling that
+the storm might interrupt communication with the
+carriage, I brought hither, making many trips for the
+purpose, the rest of the brandy, our wraps and rugs,
+and the cushions of the carriage. I did not believe
+that we should be left here all night, but thought it
+prudent to take all precautions, and to prepare for
+remaining in a place where we could have a fire. The
+morning showed me that I had acted wisely. As you
+know, sir, I found the road in each direction completely
+blocked up by snow, and I have since been
+unable to visit the carriage."</p>
+
+<p>"Have you not all suffered from cold?" I inquired.
+"Have you food enough?"</p>
+
+<p>"I will not say," replied the gentleman, "that in
+addition to our anxiety we have not suffered somewhat
+from cold, but for the greater part of this day I have
+adopted a plan which has resulted in considerable
+comfort to my companions. I have wrapped them up
+very closely and warmly, and they hold in each hand
+a hard-boiled egg. I thought it better to keep these
+for purposes of warmth than to eat them. About
+every half-hour I reboil the eggs in a little traveling
+tea-pot which we have. They retain their warmth for
+a considerable period, and this warmth in a moderate
+degree is communicated through the hands to the
+entire person."</p>
+
+<p>As he said this a low laugh again burst forth from
+the bundle in one corner of the room, and I could not
+help smiling at this odd way of keeping warm. I
+looked toward the jocose bundle, and remarked that
+the eggs must be pretty hard by this time.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[147]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"These ladies," said the gentleman, "are not accustomed
+to the cold atmosphere of this region, and I
+have therefore forbidden them to talk, hoping thus
+to prevent injury from the inhalation of frosty air.
+So far we have not suffered, and we still have some
+food left. About noon I noticed smoke floating over
+this shed, and I forced open the door and made my
+way for some little distance outside, hoping to discover
+whence it came. I then heard voices on the
+other side of the enormous snow-drift behind us; but
+I could see no possible way of getting over the drift.
+Feeling that I must, without fail, open communication
+with any human beings who might be near us, I attempted
+to shout; but the cold had so affected my
+voice that I could not do so. I thereupon set my
+wits to work. At the back of this shed is a small
+window closed by a wooden shutter. I opened this
+shutter, and found outside a wall of snow packed
+closely against it. The snow was not very hard, and
+I believed that it would not be difficult to tunnel a
+way through it to the place where the voices seemed
+to be. I immediately set to work, for I feared that if
+we were obliged to remain here another night without
+assistance we should be compelled to-morrow
+morning to eat those four hard-boiled eggs which
+the ladies are holding, and which, very shortly, I must
+boil again."</p>
+
+<p>"How did you manage to cut through the snow?"
+I asked. "Had you a shovel?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no," replied the other. "I used the tin pan.
+I found it answered very well as a scoop. Each time
+that I filled it I threw the contents out of our door."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[148]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It must have been slow and difficult work," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Indeed it was," he replied. "The labor was arduous,
+and occupied me several hours. But when I saw
+a respectable man at a fire, and a stage-coach near by,
+I felt rewarded for all my trouble. May I ask you,
+sir, how you came to be thus snow-bound?"</p>
+
+<p>I then briefly related the circumstances of our mishap,
+and had scarcely finished when a shrill sound
+came through the tunnel into the shed. It was the
+voice of Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"Hello!" she screamed, "are you in there? An'
+you don't mean to tell me there are other people in
+that hole?"</p>
+
+<p>Feeling quite certain that my wife and her companions
+were in a state of mental agitation on the
+other side of the drift, I called back that I would be
+with them in a moment, and then explained to the
+gentleman why I could not remain with him longer.
+"But before I go," I said, "is there anything I can do
+for you? Do you really want an iron pot?"</p>
+
+<p>"The food that remains to us," he answered, "is
+fragmentary and rather distasteful to the ladies, and
+I thought if I could make a little stew of it, it might
+prove more acceptable to them. But do not let me
+detain you another instant from your friends, and I
+advise you to go through that tunnel feet foremost,
+for you might, otherwise, experience difficulties in
+getting out at the other end."</p>
+
+<p>I accepted his suggestion, and by his assistance and
+the help of the rough window-frame, I got into the
+hole feet first, and soon ejected myself into the midst
+of my alarmed companions. When they heard where<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[149]</a></span>
+I had been, and what I had seen, they were naturally
+astounded.</p>
+
+<p>"Another party deserted at this very point!" exclaimed
+Ruth, who was both excitable and imaginative.
+"This looks like a conspiracy! Are we to be
+robbed and murdered?"</p>
+
+<p>At these words Mrs. Aleshine sprang toward me.
+"Mr. Craig," she exclaimed, "if it's robbers, don't
+lose a minute! Never let 'em get ahead of you!
+Pull out your pistol and fire through the hole!"</p>
+
+<p>"Gracious me! Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks,
+"you don't suppose the robbers is them poor unfortunates
+on the other side of the drift! And I must
+say, Mrs. Craig, that if there was any such thing as
+a conspiracy, your father must have been in it, for
+it was him who landed us just here. But of course
+none of us supposes nothin' of that kind, and the first
+thing we've got to think of is what we can do for
+them poor people."</p>
+
+<p>"They seem to have some food left, but not much,"
+I said, "and I fear they must be suffering from
+cold."</p>
+
+<p>"Couldn't we poke some wood to them through this
+hole?" said Mrs. Aleshine, whose combative feelings
+had changed to the deepest compassion. "I should
+think they must be nearly froze, with nothin' to warm
+'em but hard-b'iled eggs."</p>
+
+<p>I explained that there was no place in their shed
+where they could build a fire, and proposed that we
+should give them some hot tea and some of our provisions.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[150]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 420px;">
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 182px;">
+<img src="images/161.png" width="182" height="180" alt="WE WERE ABOUT TO SEND HIM A BASKET." title="" />
+</div>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 187px;">
+<img src="images/162.png" width="187" height="180" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+<span class="caption">WE WERE ABOUT TO SEND HIM A BASKET.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"That's so!" said Mrs. Aleshine. "Just shout in
+to them that if they'll shove them eggs through the
+hole, I'll bile 'em fur 'em as often as they want 'em."</p>
+
+<p>"I've just got to say this," ejaculated Mrs. Lecks,
+as she and Mrs. Aleshine were busily placing a portion
+of our now very much reduced stock of provisions in
+the smallest of our baskets: "this is the first time in
+my life that I ever heard of people warmin' themselves
+up with hens' eggs and spirits, excep' when mixed up
+into egg-nog; and that
+they resisted that temptation
+and contented
+themselves with plain
+honest heat, though very
+little of it, shows what
+kind of people they must
+be. And now, do you
+suppose we could slide
+this basket in without upsettin'
+the little kittle?"</p>
+
+<p>I called to the gentleman
+that we were about to
+send him a basket, and then, by the aid of an umbrella,
+I gently pushed it through the snow tunnel to a point
+where he could reach it. Hearty thanks came back to
+us through the hole, and when the basket and kettle
+were returned, we prepared our own evening meal.</p>
+
+<p>"For the life of me," said Mrs. Lecks, as she sipped
+a cup of tea, "I can't imagine, if there was a shed so
+near us, why we didn't know it."</p>
+
+<p>"That has been puzzling me," I replied; "but the
+other road, on which the shed is built, is probably
+lower than this one, so that the upper part of the shed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[151]</a></span>
+could not have projected far above the embankment
+between the two roads, and if there were weeds and
+dead grasses on the bank, as there probably were,
+they would have prevented us from noticing the top
+of a weather-worn shed."</p>
+
+<p>"Especially," said Mrs. Lecks, "as we wasn't
+lookin' for sheds, and, as far as I know, we wasn't
+lookin' for anything on that side of the coach, for all
+my eyes was busy starin'
+about on the side we got
+in and out of, and down
+the road."</p>
+
+<p>"Which mine was too,"
+added Mrs. Aleshine.
+"An' after it begun to
+snow we couldn't see
+nothin' anyhow, partic'larly
+when everything
+was all covered up."</p>
+
+<p>"Well," added Mrs.
+Lecks, in conclusion, "as
+we didn't see the shed, it's a comfort to think there
+was reasons for it, and that we are not born fools."</p>
+
+<p>It was now growing dark, and but few further
+communications took place through the little tunnel.</p>
+
+<p>"Before we get ready to go to sleep," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"for, havin' no candles, I guess we won't sit up
+late, hadn't we better rig up some kind of a little sled
+to put in that hole, with strings at both ends, so that
+we kin send in mustard-plasters and peppermint to
+them poor people if they happen to be sick in the
+night?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[152]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>This little project was not considered necessary, and
+after receiving assurances from the gentleman on the
+other side that he would be able to keep his party
+warm until morning, we bade each other good night;
+and, after having replenished the fire, I got into the
+stage, where my companions had already established
+themselves in their corners. I slept very little, while
+I frequently went out to attend to the fire, and my mind
+was racked by the most serious apprehensions. Our
+food was nearly gone, and if relief did not come to us
+very soon I could see nothing but a slow death before
+us, and, so far as I could imagine, there was no more
+reason to expect succor on the following day than
+there had been on the one just passed. Where were
+the men to be found who could cut a road to us
+through those miles of snow-drifts?</p>
+
+<p>Very little was said during the night by my companions,
+but I am sure that they felt the seriousness
+of our situation, and that their slumbers were broken
+and unrefreshing. If there had been anything to do,
+Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine would have been cheered
+up by the prospect of doing it; but we all felt that
+there was nothing we could do.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 356px;">
+<img src="images/163.png" width="356" height="214" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[153]</a></span></p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="PART_V" id="PART_V"></a>PART V</h2>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 380px;">
+<img src="images/164.png" width="380" height="224" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p>After a second night spent in the stage-coach on
+that lonely and desolate mountain road where we
+were now snow-bound, I arose early in the morning,
+and went into the forest to collect some fuel; and while
+thus engaged I made the discovery that the snow
+was covered with a hard crust which would bear my
+weight. After the storm had ceased the day before,
+the sun had shone brightly and the temperature had
+moderated very much, so that the surface of the snow
+had slightly thawed. During the night it became cold
+again, and this surface froze into a hard coating of ice.
+When I found I could walk where I pleased, my spirits
+rose, and I immediately set out to view the situation.
+The aspect of the road gave me no encouragement.
+The snowfall had been a heavy one, but had it not
+been for the high wind which accompanied it, it would
+have thrown but moderate difficulties in the way of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[154]</a></span>
+our rescue. Reaching a point which commanded a
+considerable view along the side of the mountain, I
+could see that in many places the road was completely
+lost to sight on account of the great snow-drifts piled
+up on it. I then walked to the point where the two
+roads met, and crossing over, I climbed a slight rise
+in the ground which had cut off my view in this direction,
+and found myself in a position from which I
+could look directly down the side of the mountain
+below the road.</p>
+
+<p>Here, the mountain-side, which I had supposed to
+be very steep and rugged, descended in a long and
+gradual slope to the plains below, and for the greater
+part of the distance was covered by a smooth, shining
+surface of frozen snow, unbroken by rock or tree.
+This snowy slope apparently extended for a mile or
+more, and then I could see that it gradually blended
+itself into the greenish-brown turf of the lower
+country. Down in the valley there still were leaves
+upon the trees, and there were patches of verdure
+over the land. The storm which had piled its snows
+up here had given them rain down there and had
+freshened everything. It was like looking down into
+another climate and on another land. I saw a little
+smoke coming up behind a patch of trees. It must
+be that there was a house there! Could it be possible
+that we were within a mile or two of a human habitation?
+Yet, what comfort was there in that thought?
+The people in that house could not get to us, nor we
+to them, nor could they have heard of our situation,
+for the point where our road reached the lower country
+was miles farther on.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[155]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>As I stood thus and gazed, it seemed to me that I
+could make a run and slide down the mountain-side
+into green fields, into safety, into life. I remembered
+those savage warriors who, looking from the summits
+of the Alps upon the fertile plains of Italy, seated
+themselves upon their shields and slid down to conquest
+and rich spoils.</p>
+
+<p>An idea came into my mind, and I gave it glad
+welcome. There was no time to be lost. The sun
+was not yet high, but it was mounting in a clear sky,
+and should its rays become warm enough to melt the
+crust on which I stood, our last chance of escape
+would be gone. To plow our way to any place
+through deep, soft snow would be impossible. I
+hurried back to our coach, and found three very grave
+women standing around the fire. They were looking
+at a small quantity of food at the bottom of a large
+basket.</p>
+
+<p>"That's every crumb there is left," said Mrs. Aleshine
+to me, "and when we pass in some to them unfortunates
+on the other side of the drift,&mdash;which, of
+course, we're bound to do,&mdash;we'll have what I call a
+skimpy meal. And that's not the worst of it. Until
+somebody gets up to us, it will be our last meal."</p>
+
+<p>I took my poor Ruth by the hand, for she was looking
+very pale and troubled, and I said: "My dear
+friends, nobody can get up to this place for a long,
+long time; and before help could possibly reach us we
+should all be dead. But do not be frightened. It is
+not necessary to wait for any one to come to us. The
+snow is now covered with a crust which will bear our
+weight. I have thought of a way in which we can<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[156]</a></span>
+slide down the mountain-side, which, from a spot
+where I have been standing this morning, is no steeper
+than some coasting-hills, though very much longer.
+In a few minutes we can pass from this region of
+snow, where death from cold and starvation must soon
+overtake us, to a grassy valley where there is no snow,
+and where we shall be within walking distance of a
+house in which people are living."</p>
+
+<p>Ruth grasped my arm. "Will it be safe?" she exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>"I think so," I answered. "I see no reason why
+we should meet with any accident. At any rate, it is
+much safer than remaining here for another hour;
+for if the crust melts, our last chance is gone."</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Craig," said Mrs. Lecks, "me and Mrs. Aleshine
+is no hands at coastin' downhill, havin' given
+up that sort of thing since we was little girls with
+short frocks and it didn't make no matter anyway.
+But you know more about these things than we do;
+and if you say we can get out of this dreadful place
+by slidin' downhill, we're ready to follow, if you'll
+just go ahead. We followed you through the ocean,
+with nothin' between our feet and the bottom but
+miles o' water and nobody knows what sorts of dreadful
+fish; and when you say it's the right way to save
+our lives, we're ready to follow you again. And as
+for you, Mrs. Ruth, don't you be frightened. I don't
+know what we're goin' to slide on, but, whatever it is,
+even if it's our own selves, me and Mrs. Aleshine will
+take you between us, and if anything is run against,
+we'll get the bumps, and not you."</p>
+
+<p>I was delighted to see how rapidly my proposition<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[157]</a></span>
+was accepted, and we made a hasty breakfast, first
+sending in some of our food to the other party. The
+gentleman reported through the hole of communication
+that they were all fairly well, but a good deal
+stiffened by cold and want of exercise. He inquired,
+in a very anxious voice, if I had discovered any signs
+of approaching relief. To this I replied that I had
+devised a plan by which we could get ourselves out of
+our present dangerous situation, and that in a very
+short time I would come round to the door of his shed&mdash;for
+I could now walk on the crusted snow&mdash;and tell
+him about it. He answered that these words cheered
+his heart, and that he would do everything possible to
+co�perate with me.</p>
+
+<p>I now went to work vigorously. I took the cushions
+from the coach, four of them all together, and
+carried them to the brink of the slope down which I
+purposed to make our descent. I also conveyed thither
+a long coil of rawhide rope which I had previously
+discovered in the boot of the coach. I then hurried
+along the other road, which, as has been said before,
+lay at a somewhat lower level than the one we were
+on, and when I reached the shed I found the door had
+been opened, and the gentleman, with his tin pan, had
+scooped away a good deal of the snow about it, so as
+to admit of a moderately easy passage in and out.
+He met me outside, and grasped my hand.</p>
+
+<p>"Sir, if you have a plan to propose," he said, "state
+it quickly. We are in a position of great danger.
+Those two ladies inside the shed cannot much longer
+endure this exposure, and I presume that the ladies
+in your party&mdash;although their voices, which I occasionally<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[158]</a></span>
+hear, do not seem to indicate it&mdash;must be in a
+like condition."</p>
+
+<p>I replied that, so far, my companions had borne up
+very well, and without further waste of words proceeded
+to unfold my plan of escape.</p>
+
+<p>When he had heard it the gentleman put on a very
+serious expression. "It seems hazardous," he said,
+"but it may be the only way out of our danger.
+Will you show me the point from which you took
+your observations?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said I; "but we must be in haste. The sun
+is getting up in the sky, and this crust may soon begin
+to melt. It is not yet really winter, you know."</p>
+
+<p>We stepped quickly to the spot where I had carried
+the cushions. The gentleman stood and silently gazed
+first at the blocked-up roadway, then at the long,
+smooth slope of the mountain-side directly beneath
+us, and then at the verdure of the plain below, which
+had grown greener under the increasing brightness of
+the day. "Sir," said he, turning to me, "there is
+nothing to be done but to adopt your plan, or to
+remain here and die. We will accompany you in the
+descent, and I place myself under your orders."</p>
+
+<p>"The first thing," said I, "is to bring here your
+carriage cushions, and help me to arrange them."</p>
+
+<p>When he had brought the three cushions from the
+shed, the gentleman and I proceeded to place them
+with the others on the snow, so that the whole formed
+a sort of wide and nearly square mattress. Then,
+with the rawhide rope, we bound them together in a
+rough but secure network of cordage. In this part of
+the work I found my companion very apt and skilful.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[159]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When this rude mattress was completed, I requested
+the gentleman to bring his ladies to the place, while
+I went for mine.</p>
+
+<p>"What are we to pack up to take with us?" said
+Mrs. Aleshine, when I reached our coach.</p>
+
+<p>"We take nothing at all," said I, "but the money in
+our pockets, and our rugs and wraps. Everything else
+must be left in the coach, to be brought down to us
+when the roads shall be cleared out."</p>
+
+<p>With our rugs and shawls on our arms, we left the
+coach, and as we were crossing the other road we saw
+the gentleman and his companions approaching.
+These ladies were very much wrapped up, but one of
+them seemed to step along lightly and without difficulty,
+while the other moved slowly and was at times
+assisted by the gentleman.</p>
+
+<p>A breeze had sprung up which filled the air with
+fine frozen particles blown from the uncrusted beds
+of snow along the edge of the forest, and I counseled
+Ruth to cover up her mouth and breathe as little of
+this snow powder as possible.</p>
+
+<p>"If I'm to go coastin' at all," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"I'd as lief do it with strangers as friends; and a
+little liefer, for that matter, if there's any bones to
+be broken. But I must say that I'd like to make
+the acquaintance of them ladies afore I git on to
+the sled, which"&mdash;at that moment catching sight of
+the mattress&mdash;"you don't mean to say that that's
+it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, from underneath
+her great woolen comforter, "if you want to
+get your lungs friz, you'd better go on talkin'. Manners<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[160]</a></span>
+is manners, but they can wait till we get to the
+bottom of the hill."</p>
+
+<p>Notwithstanding this admonition, I noticed that as
+soon as the two parties met, both Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine advanced and shook hands with the ladies
+who had been their neighbors under such peculiar
+circumstances, and that Mrs. Lecks herself expressed
+a muffled hope that they might all get down
+safely.</p>
+
+<p>I now pushed the mattress which was to serve as
+our sled as close as was prudent to the edge of the
+descent, and requested the party to seat themselves
+upon it. Without hesitation Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine
+sat down, taking Ruth between them, as they
+had promised to do. My young wife was very nervous,
+but the cool demeanor of her companions, and
+my evident belief in the practicability of the plan,
+gave her courage, and she quietly took her seat. The
+younger of the two strange ladies stepped lightly on
+the cushions, and before seating herself stood up for
+a good look at the far-extending bed of snow over
+which we were to take our way. The prospect did not
+appear to deter her, and she sat down promptly and
+with an air that seemed to say that she anticipated a
+certain enjoyment from the adventure. The elder
+lady, however, exhibited very different emotions. She
+shrank back from the cushions toward which the gentleman
+was conducting her, and turned her face away
+from the declivity. Her companion assured her that
+it was absolutely necessary that we should descend
+from the mountain in this way, for there was no other;
+and asserting his belief that our slide would be a perfectly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[161]</a></span>
+safe one, he gently drew her to the mattress
+and induced her to sit down.</p>
+
+<p>I now noticed, for the first time, that the gentleman
+carried under one arm, and covered by his long cloak,
+a large package of some sort, and I immediately said
+to him: "It will be very imprudent for us to attempt
+to carry any of our property except what we can put
+in our pockets or wrap around us. Everything else
+should be left here, either in your carriage or our
+coach, and I have no fear that anything will be lost.
+But even if our luggage were in danger of being molested,
+we cannot afford to consider it under circumstances
+such as these."</p>
+
+<p>"My dear sir," said the gentleman, speaking very
+gravely, "I appreciate the hazards of our position as
+keenly as yourself. Our valises, and all the light luggage
+which we had with us in our carriage, I have
+left there, and shall not give them another thought.
+But with the parcel I hold under this arm I cannot
+part, and if I go down the mountain-side on these
+cushions, it must go with me. If you refuse in such
+a case to allow me to be one of your party, I must
+remain behind, and endeavor to find a board or something
+else on which I can make the descent of the
+mountain."</p>
+
+<p>He spoke courteously, but with an air of decision
+which showed me that it would be of no use to argue
+with him. Besides, there was no time for parleying,
+and if this gentleman chose to take his chances with
+but one arm at liberty, it was no longer my affair. I
+therefore desired him to sit down, and I arranged the
+company so that they sat back to back, their feet<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[162]</a></span>
+drawn up to the edge of the mattress. I then took
+the place which had been reserved for me as steersman,
+and having tied several shawls together, end to
+end, I passed them around the whole of us under our
+arms, thus binding us all firmly together. I felt that
+one of our greatest dangers would be that one or more
+of the party might slip from the mattress during the
+descent.</p>
+
+<p>When all was ready I asked the gentleman, who,
+with the elder lady, sat near me at the back of the
+mattress, to assist in giving us a start by pushing outward
+with his heels while I thrust the handle of my
+wooden shovel into the crust and thus pushed the
+mattress forward. The starting was a little difficult,
+but in a minute or two we had pushed the mattress
+partly over the brink, and then, after a few more
+efforts, we began to slide downward.</p>
+
+<p>The motion, at first slow, suddenly became quite
+rapid, and I heard behind me a cry or exclamation,
+from whom I knew not, but I felt quite sure it did
+not come from any of my party. I hoped to be able
+to make some use of my shovel in the guidance of
+our unwieldy raft or mattress-sled, but I soon found
+this impossible, and down we went over the smooth,
+hard-frozen slope, with nothing to direct our course
+but the varying undulations of the mountain-side.
+Every moment we seemed to go faster and faster, and
+soon we began to revolve, so that sometimes I was in
+front and sometimes behind. Once, when passing
+over a very smooth sheet of snow, we fairly spun
+around, so that in every direction feet were flying out
+from a common center and heels grating on the frozen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[163]</a></span>
+crust. But there were no more cries or exclamations.
+Each one of us grasped the cordage which held the
+cushions together, and the rapidity of the motion
+forced us almost to hold our breath.</p>
+
+<p>Down the smooth, white slope we sped, as a bird
+skims through the air. It seemed to me as if we
+passed over miles and miles of snow. Sometimes my
+face was turned down the mountain, where the snow-surface
+seemed to stretch out illimitably, and then it
+was turned upward toward the apparently illimitable
+slopes over which we had passed.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 466px;">
+<img src="images/174.png" width="466" height="165" alt="&quot;WE BEGAN TO SLIDE DOWNWARD.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;WE BEGAN TO SLIDE DOWNWARD.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Presently, my position now being in front of the
+little group that glanced along its glittering way, I
+saw at some distance below me a long rise or terrace,
+which ran along the mountain-side for a considerable
+distance, and which cut off our view of everything
+below us. As we approached this hillock the descent
+became much more gradual and our progress slower,
+and at last I began to fear that our acquired velocity
+would not be sufficient to carry us up the side of this
+elevation and so enable us to continue our descent.
+I therefore called to everybody in the rear to kick<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[164]</a></span>
+out vigorously, and with my shovel I endeavored to
+assist our progress. As we approached the summit of
+the elevation we moved slower and slower. I became
+very anxious, for, should we slide backward, we
+might find it difficult or impossible to get ourselves
+and the mattress up this little hill. But the gentleman
+and myself worked valiantly, and as for Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, they kicked their heels
+through the frozen crust with such energy that we
+moved sidewise almost as much as upward. But in a
+moment the anxious suspense was over, and we rested
+on the ridge of the long hillock, with the mountain-side
+stretching down to the plain, which lay not very far
+below us.</p>
+
+<p>I should have been glad to remain here a few minutes
+to regain breath, and give some consideration to
+the rest of our descent, but as some of those behind
+continued to push, the mattress slid over the edge of
+the terrace, and down again we went. Our progress
+now was not so rapid, but it was very much more
+unpleasant. The snow was thinner; there was little or
+no crust upon it, and we very soon reached a wide
+extent of exposed turf, over which we slid, but not
+without a good deal of bumping against stones and
+protuberances. Then there was another sheet of snow,
+which quickened our downward impetus; and, after
+that, the snow was seen only in occasional patches,
+and our progress continued over a long slope of short,
+partly dried grass, which was very slippery, and over
+which we passed with considerable quickness.</p>
+
+<p>I wished now to bring our uncouth sled to a stop,
+and to endeavor to make the rest of the descent on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[165]</a></span>
+foot. But although I stuck out my heels, and tried to
+thrust the handle of my shovel into the ground, it was
+of no use. On we went, and the inequalities of the
+surface gave an irregularity of motion which was uncomfortable
+and alarming. We turned to this side
+and that; we bounced and bumped; and the rawhide
+ropes, which must have been greatly frayed and cut
+by the snow-crust, now gave way in several places,
+and I knew that the mattress would soon separate into
+its original cushions, if indeed they still could be
+called cushions. Fearing increased danger should we
+now continue bound together in a bunch, I jerked
+apart the shawl-knot under my arms, and the next
+moment, it seemed to me, there was a general dissolution
+of our connection with each other. Fortunately,
+we were now near the bottom of the slope, for while
+some of us stuck fast to the cushions, others rolled
+over, or slid, independent of any projection, while I,
+being thrown forward on my feet, actually ran downhill!
+I had just succeeded in stopping myself when
+down upon me came the rest of the company, all prostrate
+in some position or other.</p>
+
+<p>Now from an unwieldy mass of shawls came a cry:</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Albert Dusante! Where are you? Lucille!
+Lucille!"</p>
+
+<p>Instantly sprang to one foot good Mrs. Aleshine, her
+other foot being entangled in a mass of shawls which
+dragged behind her. Her bonnet was split open and
+mashed down over her eyes. In her left hand she
+waved a piece of yellow flannel, which in her last mad
+descent she had torn from some part of the person of
+Mrs. Lecks, and in the other a bunch of stout dead<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[166]</a></span>
+weeds, which she had seized and pulled up by the
+roots as she had passed them. Her dress was ripped
+open down her rotund back, and the earth from the
+weed roots had bespattered her face. From the midst
+of this dilapidation her round eyes sparkled with excitement.
+Hopping on one foot, the shawls and a part
+of a cushion dragging behind her, she shouted:</p>
+
+<p>"The Dusantes! They are the Dusantes!"</p>
+
+<p>Then, pitching forward on her knees before the two
+strange ladies, who had now tumbled into each other's
+arms, she cried:</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, which is Emily, and which is Lucille?"</p>
+
+<p>I had rushed toward Ruth, who had clung to a cushion
+and was now sitting upon it, when Mrs. Lecks,
+who was close beside her, arose to her feet and stood
+upright. One foot was thrust through her own bonnet,
+and her clothes gave evidence of the frenzy and
+power of Mrs. Aleshine's grasp, but her mien was
+dignified and her aspect stately.</p>
+
+<p>"Barb'ry Aleshine!" she exclaimed, "if them Dusantes
+has dropped down from heaven at your very
+feet, can't you give 'em a minute to feel their ribs and
+see if their legs and arms is broken?"</p>
+
+<p>The younger lady now turned her head toward Mrs.
+Aleshine. "I am Lucille," she said.</p>
+
+<p>In a moment the good woman's arms were around
+her neck. "I always liked you the best of the two,"
+she whispered into the ear of the astonished young
+lady.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[167]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 297px;">
+<img src="images/178.png" width="297" height="450" alt="&quot;OH, WHICH IS EMILY, AND WHICH IS LUCILLE?&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;OH, WHICH IS EMILY, AND WHICH IS LUCILLE?&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Having found that Ruth was unhurt, I ran to the
+assistance of the others. The gentleman had just
+arisen from a cushion, upon which, lying flat on his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180"></a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179"></a></span>
+back, he had slid over the grass, still holding under
+one arm the package from which he had refused to
+part. I helped him to raise the elder lady to her feet.
+She had been a good deal shaken, and much frightened,
+but although a little bruised, she had received
+no important injury.</p>
+
+<p>I went to fill a leather pocket-cup from a brook nearby,
+and when I returned I found the gentleman standing,
+confronted by Mrs. Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine, and
+Ruth, while his own companions were regarding the
+group with eager interest.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he was saying, "my name is Dusante. But
+why do you ask at this moment? Why do you show
+such excited concern on the subject?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why?" exclaimed Mrs. Lecks. "I will tell you
+why, sir. My name is Mrs. Lecks, and this is Mrs.
+Aleshine, and if you are the Mr. Dusante with the
+house on the desert island, this is the Mrs. Craig who
+was married in that very house, and the gentleman
+here with the water is Mr. Craig, who wrote you the
+letter, which I hope you got. And if that isn't reason
+enough for our wanting to know if you are Mr.
+Dusante, I'd like to be told what more there could
+be!"</p>
+
+<p>"It's them! Of course it's them!" cried Mrs. Aleshine.
+"I had a feelin' while we were scootin' downhill
+that they was near and dear to us, though exactly
+why and how, I didn't know. And she's told me
+she's Lucille, and of course the other must be Emily,
+though what relations&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Am I to understand," interrupted the gentleman,
+looking with earnest animation from one to the other<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[170]</a></span>
+of us, "that these are the good people who inhabited
+my house on the island?"</p>
+
+<p>"The very ones!" cried Mrs. Aleshine. "And what
+relation are you to Emily? and Lucille to her?"</p>
+
+<p>The gentleman stepped backward and laid down the
+package which he had held under his arm, and advancing
+toward me with outstretched hands, and with
+tears starting to his eyes, he exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>"And this man, then, to whom I owe so much, is
+Mr. Craig!"</p>
+
+<p>"Owe me!" I said. "It is to you that we owe our
+very lives, and our escape from death in mid-ocean."</p>
+
+<p>"Do not speak of it," he said, shaking his head, with
+a sorrowful expression on his face. "You owe me
+nothing. I would to Heaven it were not so! But
+we will not talk of that now. And this is Mrs. Craig,"
+he continued, taking Ruth by the hand, "the fair lady
+whose nuptials were celebrated in my house. And
+Mrs. Lecks, and Mrs. Aleshine." As he spoke he
+shook hands with each. "How I have longed to meet
+you! I have thought of you every day since I returned
+to my island and discovered that you had
+been&mdash;I wish I could say&mdash;my guests. And where is
+the reverend gentleman? and the three mariners? I
+hope that nothing has befallen them!"</p>
+
+<p>"Alas!&mdash;for three of them at least," ejaculated Mrs.
+Aleshine; "they have left us, but they are all right.
+And now, sir, if you could tell us what relation you
+are to Emily, and what Lucille&mdash;"</p>
+
+
+<p>"Barb'ry!" cried Mrs. Lecks, making a dash toward her friend, "can't you
+give the man a minute to breathe? Don't you see he's so dumflustered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[171]</a></span>
+that he hardly knows who he is himself! If them two women was to sink
+down dead with hunger and hard slidin' right afore your very eyes while
+you was askin' what relation they was to each other and to him, it would
+no more'n serve you right! We'd better be seem' if anythin' 's the
+matter with 'em, and what we can do for 'em."</p>
+
+<p>At this moment the younger of Mr. Dusante's ladies quickly stepped
+forward. "Oh, Mrs. Craig, Mrs. Lecks, and Mrs. Aleshine!" she exclaimed,
+"I'm just dying to know all about you!"</p>
+
+<p>"And which, contrariwise," cried Mrs. Aleshine, "is
+the same with us, exactly."</p>
+
+<p>"And of all places in the world," continued the
+young lady, "that we should meet here!"</p>
+
+<p>No one could have been more desirous than I was to
+know all about these Dusantes, and to discuss the
+strange manner of our meeting; but I saw that Ruth
+was looking very pale and faint, and that the elder
+Dusante lady had sat down again upon the ground as
+though obliged to do so by sheer exhaustion, and I
+therefore hailed with a double delight the interruption
+of further explanations by the appearance of two men
+on horseback who came galloping toward us.</p>
+
+<p>They belonged to the house which I had noticed
+from the road above, and one of them had seen our
+swift descent down the mountain-side. At first he
+had thought the black object he saw sliding over the
+snow-slopes was a rock or a mass of underbrush, but
+his keen eye soon told him that it was a group of
+human beings, and summoning a companion, he had
+set out for the foot of the mountain as soon as horses
+could be caught and saddled.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[172]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The men were much surprised when they heard the
+details of our adventure, but as it was quite plain that
+some members of our party needed immediate nourishment
+and attention, the questions and explanations
+were made very short. The men dismounted from
+their horses, and the elder Dusante lady was placed
+upon one of them, one man leading the animal and
+the other supporting the lady. Ruth mounted the
+other horse, and I walked by her to assist her in keeping
+her seat; but she held fast to the high pommel of
+the saddle, and got on very well. Mr. Dusante took
+his younger companion on one arm, and his package
+under the other, while Mrs. Lecks, having relieved
+her foot from the encircling bonnet, and Mrs. Aleshine,
+now free from the entangling shawls, followed
+in the rear. The men offered to come back with the
+horses for them, if they would wait; but the two
+women declared that they were quite able to walk, and
+intended to do no waiting, and they trudged vigorously
+after us. The sun was now high, and the air
+down here was quite different from that of the mountain-side,
+being pleasant and almost warm. The men
+said that the snows above would probably soon melt,
+as it was much too early in the season for snow to lie
+long on these lower sides of the mountains.</p>
+
+<p>Our way lay over an almost level plain for about a
+mile. A portion of it was somewhat rough, so that
+when we reached the low house to which we were
+bound, we were all very glad indeed to get there. The
+house belonged to the two men, who owned a small
+ranch here. One of them was married, and his wife
+immediately set herself to work to attend to our needs.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[173]</a></span>
+Her home was small, its rooms few, and her larder
+very plain in quality; but everything she had was
+placed at our disposal. Her own bed was given to
+the elder Dusante lady, who took immediate possession
+of it; and after a quickly prepared but plentiful
+meal of fried pork, corn-bread, and coffee, the rest of
+us stretched ourselves out to rest wherever we could
+find a place. Before lying down, however, I had, at
+Ruth's earnest solicitation, engaged one of the men to
+ride to the railroad-station to inquire about Mr. Enderton,
+and to inform him of our safety. By taking a
+route which ran parallel with the mountain-chain, but
+at some distance from it, the station, the man said,
+could be reached without encountering snow.</p>
+
+<p>None of us had had proper rest during the past two
+nights, and we slept soundly until dark, when we were
+aroused to partake of supper. All of us, except the
+elder Dusante lady, who preferred to remain in bed,
+gathered around the table. After supper a large fire,
+principally of brushwood, was built upon the hearth;
+and with the bright blaze, two candles, and a lamp, the
+low room appeared light and cheery. We drew up
+about the fire&mdash;for the night was cool&mdash;on whatever
+chairs, stools, or boxes we could find, and no sooner
+had we all seated ourselves than Mrs. Aleshine exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Mr. Dusante, it ain't in the power of mortal
+man, nor woman neither,&mdash;an' if put the other way it
+might be stronger,&mdash;to wait any longer before knowin'
+what relation Lucille is to Emily, an' you to them,
+an' all about that house of yours on the island. If
+I'd blown up into bits this day through holdin' in my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[174]</a></span>
+wantin' to know, I shouldn't have wondered! An'
+if it hadn't been for hard sleep, I don't believe I
+could have held in, nohow!"</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 445px;">
+<img src="images/185.png" width="445" height="355" alt="&quot;WE DREW UP ABOUT THE FIRE.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;WE DREW UP ABOUT THE FIRE.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"That's my mind exactly," said Mrs. Lecks; "and
+though I know there's a time for all things, and don't
+believe in crowdin' questions on played-out people, I
+do think, Mr. Dusante, that if I could have caught up
+with you when we was comin' over here, I'd have
+asked you to speak out on these p'ints. But you're
+a long-legged walker, which Mrs. Aleshine is not, and
+it wouldn't have done to leave her behind."</p>
+
+<p>"Which she wouldn't 'a' been," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"long legs or short."</p>
+
+<p>Ruth and I added our entreaties that Mr. Dusante
+should tell his story, and the good ranchman and his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[175]</a></span>
+wife said that if there was anything to be done in the
+story-telling line they were in for it, strong; and quitting
+their work of clearing away supper things, they
+brought an old hair trunk from another room, and sat
+down just behind Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>The younger Dusante lady, who, having been divested
+of her wraps, her veil, and the woolen shawl
+that had been tied over her head, had proved to be a
+very pretty girl with black eyes, here declared that it
+had been her intention at the first opportunity to get
+us to tell our story, but as we had asked first, she supposed
+we ought to be satisfied first.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not wish, my good friends," said Mr. Dusante,
+"to delay for a moment longer than necessary your
+very pardonable curiosity concerning me and my
+family; and I must say at the same time that, although
+your letter, sir, gave me a very clear account of your
+visit to my island, there are many things which naturally
+could not be contained within the limits of a
+letter, and about which I am most anxious to make
+inquiries. But these I will reserve until my own narration
+is finished.</p>
+
+<p>"My name is Albert Dusante. It may interest you
+to know that my father was a Frenchman and my
+mother an American lady from New England. I was
+born in France, but have lived very little in that
+country, and for a great part of my life have been a
+merchant in Honolulu. For the past few years, however,
+I have been enabled to free myself in a great
+degree from the trammels of business, and to devote
+myself to the pursuits of a man of leisure. I have
+never married, and this young lady is my sister."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[176]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Then what relation," began Mrs. Aleshine, "is she
+to&mdash;?"</p>
+
+<p>At this moment the hand of Mrs. Lecks, falling
+heavily into the lap of the speaker, stopped this question,
+and Mr. Dusante proceeded:</p>
+
+<p>"Our parents died when Lucille was an infant, and
+we have no near blood relations."</p>
+
+<p>At this the faces of both Mrs. Aleshine and Mrs.
+Lecks assumed expressions as if they had each just
+received a letter superscribed in an unknown hand,
+and were wondering who it could possibly be from.</p>
+
+<p>"The lady who is now resting in the adjoining
+room," continued Mr. Dusante, "is a dear friend who
+has been adopted by me as a mother."</p>
+
+<p>"Upon my word!" burst from Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine, in as much unison of time and tone as if the
+words had been a response in a church service, while
+Miss Lucille leaned back against the wall near which
+she sat, and laughed gleefully. Mr. Dusante, however,
+continued his statements with the same quiet gravity
+with which he had begun.</p>
+
+<p>"This lady was a dear friend of my mother, although
+younger than she. I adopted her as a mother to my
+little orphan sister, and, consequently, placed her in
+the same maternal relation to myself, doing this with
+much earnest satisfaction, for I hoped to be able to
+return, as a son, something of the tender care and
+affection which she would bestow on Lucille as a
+daughter."</p>
+
+<p>"And she is Emily?" cried Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"She adopted our name," answered the speaker,
+"and she is Mrs. Emily Dusante."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[177]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"And she is your adopted <i>mother?</i>" said Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"Adopted mother!" ejaculated Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," answered Mr. Dusante.</p>
+
+<p>"And that is the only relation she is to you two?"
+said Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"And you to her?" added Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"Most assuredly," answered Mr. Dusante.</p>
+
+<p>Here Mrs. Lecks leaned back in her chair, folded
+her hands in her lap, and ejaculated, "Well, well!"
+and then allowed her face to assume a rigid intention
+of having nothing more to say at the present
+moment.</p>
+
+<p>"One thing is certain," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, in
+a tone which indicated that she did not care who heard
+her; "I always liked Lucille the best!"</p>
+
+<p>At this Ruth and I exchanged smiles with Miss
+Lucille, and Mr. Dusante proceeded:</p>
+
+<p>"I do not wish to occupy too much of your time
+with our personal affairs, and will therefore state that
+the island on which you found refuge, and where I
+wish most heartily I had been present to act as
+host, was bought by me as a retreat from the annoyances
+of business and the exactions of society. I
+built there a good house&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Which it truly was," said Mrs. Aleshine, "with
+fixtures in it for water, and letting it off, which I never
+saw in a house so far out of town."</p>
+
+<p>"I furnished it suitably," said Mr. Dusante. "We
+had books and music, and for several years we passed
+vacations there which were both enjoyable and profitable.
+But of late my sister has found the place<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[178]</a></span>
+lonely, and we have traveled a good deal, making
+intermittent and often short visits to the island.</p>
+
+<p>"As I never cared to leave any one on that lonely
+spot during our absences from it, I arranged a gateway
+of bars across the only opening in the reef, with
+the intention of preventing marauding visits from
+fishing-boats or other small craft which might be passing
+that way. As the island was out of the ordinary
+track of vessels, I did not imagine that my bars would
+ever prove an obstacle to unfortunate castaways who
+might seek a refuge there."</p>
+
+<p>"Which they didn't," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, "for
+under we bobbed."</p>
+
+<p>"I never exactly understood," said Mr. Dusante,
+"and I hope to have it explained to me in due time,
+how you passed my bars without removing them;
+and I have had a sore weight upon my conscience
+since I discovered that shipwrecked persons, fleeing to
+my house from the perils of the sea, should have found
+those inhospitable bars in their way&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Which is a weight you might as well cast off, and
+be done with it," said Mrs. Lecks, her deep-set notions
+on the rights of property obliging her to speak; "for
+if a man hasn't a right to lock up his house when he
+goes away and leaves it, I don't know what rights
+anybody has about anything. Me, or Mrs. Aleshine,
+or anybody else here who has a house, might just as
+well go off travelin', or to town visitin', and leave our
+front door unlocked, and the yard gate swingin' on its
+hinges, because we was afraid that some tramp or
+other body with no house or home might come along
+and not be able to get in and make himself comfortable.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[179]</a></span>
+Your business, sir, when you left that house
+and all your belongin's on that island, was to leave
+everything tight and safe; and the business of people
+sailin' in ships was to go on their proper way, and not
+be runnin' into each other. And if these last mentioned
+didn't see fit to do that, and so got into trouble,
+they should have gone to some island where there
+were people to attend to 'em, just as the tramps should
+go to the poorhouse. And this is what we would have
+done&mdash;not meanin' the poorhouse&mdash;if we hadn't been
+so over long-headed as to get into a leaky boat, which,
+I wish it understood, is sayin' nothin' against Mr.
+Craig."</p>
+
+<p>"That's true," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for nobody has
+got a right to complain that a fellow-bein' locks his
+own door after him. But it does seem to me, sir, that
+in such scattered neighborhoods as your island is in,
+it might be a good thing to leave something to eat an'
+drink&mdash;perhaps in a bottle or in a tin pail&mdash;at the
+outside of your bars for them as might come along
+shipwrecked, an' not be able to get inside on account
+of bein' obliged to come in a boat, an' not as we did;
+an' so, when they found they'd have to go on, they
+might have somethin' to keep up their strength till
+they got to another house."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks, "when
+you start off on a journey to Japan or any other place,
+an' leave mince-pies and buttered toast a-stickin' on
+the p'ints of your pickets for tramps that might come
+along and need 'em, you can do that kind of talkin'.
+But as that time hasn't come, let's hear the rest of
+Mr. Dusante's story."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[180]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"When I first visited my island this year," continued
+the narrator, "we made but a short stay, as we
+were all desirous of taking a somewhat extended sea-voyage
+in my steam-yacht. We visited several places
+of interest, and when we returned, just six weeks ago
+to-day&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Just one week, lackin' a day," exclaimed Mrs.
+Lecks, "after we left that spot!"</p>
+
+<p>"If I'd 'a' knowed," said Mrs. Aleshine, rising to
+her feet, "that you'd be back so soon, I'd 'a' made
+them sailormen live on fish, I'd 'a' eat garden-truck
+myself, and I'd be bound I'd 'a' made the flour hold
+out for six days more for the rest of 'em, if I'd 'a' had
+to work my fingers to the skin and bone to do it!"
+Then she sat down solemnly.</p>
+
+<p>"When we returned," continued Mr. Dusante, "I
+was pleased to find my bars intact; and when these
+were unlocked, and the boat from our yacht went
+through with ourselves and our servants, it was very
+agreeable to notice the good order which seemed to
+prevail everywhere. As we passed from the wharf to
+the house, not even fallen boughs or weeds were seen
+to indicate that we had been away from the place for
+more than two months. When we entered the house,
+my mother and sister immediately ascended to their
+chambers, and when the windows had been opened I
+heard them from above calling to each other and
+remarking upon the freshness and cleanliness of the
+rooms. I went to my library, and when I had thrown
+open the window I was struck with the somewhat
+peculiar air of order which seemed to obtain in the
+room. The books stood upon their shelves with a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[181]</a></span>
+remarkable regularity, and the chairs and other furniture
+were arranged with a precision which impressed
+me as unusual. In a moment, sir, I saw your letter
+upon the table addressed to me. Greatly astonished,
+I opened and read it.</p>
+
+<p>"When I had finished it my amazement was great
+indeed; but obeying an instant impulse, I stepped into
+the dining-room, which a servant had opened, and
+took the ginger-jar from the mantelpiece. When
+I lifted from it the little brown-paper parcel, and
+beneath it saw the money which had been mentioned
+in the letter, you may imagine the condition of my
+mind. I did not take out the money, nor count it;
+but covering it again with the paper parcel, which I
+believed contained fish-hooks, and with the jar in my
+hands, I returned to the library, where I sat down
+to ponder upon these most astounding revelations.
+While so doing my mother and sister hastily entered
+the room. Lucille declared in an excited manner that
+she believed that the brownies or some other fairies
+had been there while we were away and had kept the
+house in order. The whole place was actually cleaner,
+she said, than when we left it. She had taken down
+a thin dress from her closet, and it looked as if it
+had just come from the hand of a laundress, with
+the ruffles ironed smoother and more evenly than
+they had ever been since it was first stitched together.
+'Albert,' said my mother, her face pale, 'there has been
+somebody in this house!' Then she went on to say
+that the windows, which were left unwashed because
+we went away in somewhat of a hurry, were as bright
+and clean as if the maids had just been rubbing them;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[182]</a></span>
+the floors and furniture were cleaner and freer from
+dust than they had ever been before; and the whole
+house looked as if we had just left it yesterday. 'In
+fact,' she said, 'it is unnaturally clean!'"</p>
+
+<p>During this part of Mr. Dusante's story Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine sat very quiet, with an air of sedate
+humility upon their faces; but I could see by the
+proud light in their eyes that they felt their superiority
+to ordinary women, although they were properly
+resolved not to show such feeling.</p>
+
+<p>"At that moment," continued Mr. Dusante, "a servant
+came hurrying into the room, and informed us
+that the flour was all gone, and that there was scarcely
+anything in the pantries to eat. At this my mother
+and my sister, who knew that an abundance of provisions
+had been left in the house, looked at each other
+aghast. But before they could express their consternation
+in words, I addressed them. 'My dear mother,'
+said I, 'and Lucille, there truly has been some one in
+this house. By this letter I am informed that for
+several weeks eight persons have lived here under this
+roof; a marriage has been solemnized, and the happy
+couple have gone forth from our doors. These persons
+have eaten our food, they have made use of our property,
+and this has been their temporary home. But
+they are good people, honest and true-hearted, for they
+have left the house in better order than they found it,
+and more than the price of all they have consumed is
+in that ginger-jar.' And thereupon I read them your
+letter, sir.</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot undertake to describe the wonder and
+absorbing interest with which this letter filled our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[183]</a></span>
+minds. All needful stores were brought ashore from
+the yacht, which lay outside the reef, and we began
+our usual life on the island; but none of the occupations
+or recreations in which we formerly employed
+our time now possessed any attractions for us. Our
+minds were filled with thoughts of the persons who
+had been so strangely living in our house; and our
+conversation was mainly made up of surmises as to
+what sort of people they were, whether or not we
+should ever see them, and similar suppositions."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, indeed!" exclaimed Miss Lucille. "I thought
+of you by day and by night, and pictured you all in
+various ways, but never as you really are. Sometimes
+I used to think that the boat in which you went away
+had been sunk in a storm in which you were all
+drowned, and that perhaps your ghosts would come
+back and live in our house, and sleep in our beds, and
+clean our windows, and wash and iron our clothes,
+and do all sorts of things in the night."</p>
+
+<p>"Goodnessful, gracious me!" cried Mrs. Aleshine,
+"don't talk that way! The idea of bein' a cold ghost,
+goin' about in the dark, is worse than slidin' down a
+snow-mountain, even if you had to do it on the bare
+of your back."</p>
+
+<p>"Barb'ry!" said Mrs. Lecks, severely.</p>
+
+<p>"The idea is jus' as chillin'," replied her undaunted
+friend.</p>
+
+<p>"Two things connected with this matter," continued
+Mr. Dusante, "weighed heavily on my mind. One of
+these I have already mentioned&mdash;the cruel inhospitality
+of the barred entrance."</p>
+
+<p>I had refrained from adding to the interruptions to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[184]</a></span>
+Mr. Dusante's narrative, but I now felt impelled to
+assure the gentleman, on behalf of myself and wife,
+that we shared the opinions of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine, and felt that he could in no way be blamed
+for thus protecting his private property.</p>
+
+<p>"You are very good," said Mr. Dusante, "but I will
+say here that there are now no bars to that entrance.
+I have left some people on the island, who will take
+care of my property and succor any unfortunate castaways
+who may arrive there. The other matter to
+which I alluded was, however, the heavier load which
+oppressed me. This was the money in the ginger-jar.
+I could not endure to reflect that I had been paid actual
+money for the hospitality I would have been so
+glad to offer to you poor shipwrecked people. Every
+sentiment of my being rebelled against such a thing.
+I was grieved. I was ashamed. At last I determined
+I would bear no longer the ignominy of this brand of
+inhospitality, and that, with the ginger-jar in my
+hand, I would search over the world, if necessary, for
+the persons who in my absence had paid board to me,
+and return to them the jar with its contents uncounted
+and untouched. Your letter informed me of the island
+to which you were bound, and if I did not find you
+there I could discover to what port you had taken
+your departure. There I could make further inquiries,
+and so follow you. When I proposed this plan to my
+family they agreed to it instantly, for their interest in
+the matter was almost as great as mine; and in a day
+or two we started on our quest.</p>
+
+<p>"I easily traced you to San Francisco, and found
+the hotel at which you had stopped. Here I obtained<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[185]</a></span>
+fresh news of you, and learned that you had started
+East, and that the destination of the party was believed
+to be Philadelphia. I had hoped that I should
+meet with you before you left California; but supposing
+that by that time you had reached your destination,
+or were, at least, far on your way, I yielded to
+the solicitations of my sister and made some excursions
+in California, intending then to follow you to
+Philadelphia, and there to advertise for Mr. Craig, if
+he could not otherwise be found. However, by the
+rarest and most fortunate of chances, we have met
+thus early, and for this I can never be too devoutly
+thankful."</p>
+
+<p>"Nor we," said I, earnestly; "for our greatly desired
+acquaintance with you and your family could not
+have begun too soon."</p>
+
+<p>"Now," said Mr. Dusante, "I will perform the duty
+for which my journey was undertaken, and I assure
+you it is a great pleasure to me to be able so soon to
+carry out this cherished purpose."</p>
+
+<p>He then took up from the floor by his side the package
+which he had so safely guarded during his swift
+and perilous descent of the mountain-side, and which
+he had since kept close by him. Placing this upon
+his knee, he removed the light shawl in which it had
+been rolled, and then several pieces of wrapping-paper,
+revealing to our eyes the familiar fat little ginger-jar
+which had stood on the mantelpiece of the dining-room
+in the house on the island, and in which we had
+deposited our board money.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[186]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 136px;">
+<img src="images/197.png" width="136" height="220" alt="&quot;REVEALING THE FAMILIAR FAT LITTLE GINGER-JAR.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;REVEALING THE FAMILIAR FAT LITTLE GINGER-JAR.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"It would be simply impossible for me," said Mr.
+Dusante, "to consent to retain in my possession
+money paid for the aid which I involuntarily rendered
+to shipwrecked people. Had I been present on the
+island, that aid would have been most heartily and
+freely given, and the fact of my absence makes no
+difference whatever in regard to my feelings on the
+subject of your paying for
+the food and shelter you
+found at my house. Having
+understood from Mr.
+Craig's letter that it was
+Mrs. Lecks who superintended
+the collection and
+depositing of the money, I
+now return to you, madam,
+this jar with its contents."</p>
+
+<p>"And which," said Mrs.
+Lecks, sitting up very rigidly,
+with her hands clasped
+behind her, "I don't take.
+If it had been a day and a
+night, or even two nights
+and over a Sunday, it wouldn't
+have mattered; but
+when me and Mrs. Aleshine&mdash;and the rest of the
+party can speak for themselves&mdash;stays for weeks and
+weeks, without leave or license, in a man's house, we
+pay our board&mdash;of course deductin' services. Good
+night."</p>
+
+<p>With that she arose, and walked, very erect, into
+the adjoining room.</p>
+
+<p>"It was all very well, Mr. Dusante," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"for you to try to carry out what you thought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[187]</a></span>
+was right; but we have our ideas as to what our duty
+is, an' you have your ideas as to what your duty is,
+an' consciences is even."</p>
+
+<p>Having said this, she followed her friend.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Dusante looked surprised and troubled, and he
+turned toward me. "My dear sir," said I, "those two
+good women are very sensitive in regard to right and
+justice, and I think it will be well not to press this
+subject upon them. As for my wife and me, neither
+of us would consent to touch money which was placed
+in that jar by Mrs. Lecks with the expectation that no
+one but you or one of your family would take it out."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, sir," said Mr. Dusante, replacing the
+wrapping-paper around the jar; "I will drop the subject
+for the present. But you will allow me to say,
+sir, that I also am very sensitive in regard to right
+and justice."</p>
+
+<p>Early the next morning the man who had been sent
+to the railroad-station came back, bringing news that
+a four-horse wagon would shortly be sent for us, and
+also bearing a letter from Mr. Enderton to Ruth. In
+this that gentleman informed his daughter that he was
+quite well, but that he had suffered anxiety on account
+of her probable hardships in the abandoned stage-coach.
+He had hoped, however, that the snow which
+had precluded his return with assistance had fallen
+lightly in the elevated position in which she had been
+left; and he had trusted also that Mr. Craig had bethought
+himself to build a fire somewhere near the
+coach, where his daughter might be warmed; and that
+the provisions, of which he knew an ample quantity
+had been packed for the trip, had been properly heated<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[188]</a></span>
+for her and given to her at suitable intervals. This
+anxiety, he said, had added very much to his own
+mental disquietude occasioned by the violent vituperations
+and unjust demands of the driver of the stage-coach,
+who had seen fit to attack him with all manner
+of abuse, and might even have resorted to personal
+violence had it not been for the interference of by-standers
+and the locking of his room door. He was
+now, however, much relieved by the departure of this
+driver, and by the news that his daughter had reached
+a place of safety, which, of course, he had supposed
+she would do, her detention having occurred on an
+ordinary route of travel.</p>
+
+<p>While waiting for the arrival of the wagon, the
+adventures of Mrs. Lecks, Mrs. Aleshine, and myself,
+as well as those of Ruth and her father, from the time
+the one party left America and the other China, were
+related at length to the Dusantes, who showed a deep
+interest in every detail, and asked many questions.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Dusante, whose nervous equilibrium had been
+fully restored by her night's rest, and who, although
+feeling a little stiff and bruised, now declared herself
+quite well, proved to be a very pleasant lady of fifty-five
+or thereabouts. She was of a quiet disposition,
+but her speech and manner showed that in former
+years, at least, she had been a woman of society, and
+I soon found out that she was much interested in the
+study of character. This interest was principally
+shown in the direction of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine,
+whom she evidently looked upon as most remarkable
+women. If any of her sentiments were those
+of admiration, however, they were not returned in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[189]</a></span>
+kind; Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine had but a small
+opinion of her.</p>
+
+<p>"There's mother-in-laws, and stepmothers, and real
+mothers, and grandmothers, and sometimes great-grandmothers
+livin'," said Mrs. Lecks to me, apart;
+"but though Mr. Dusante may be a well-meanin'
+man,&mdash;and I don't doubt he is,&mdash;and wishin', I haven't
+the least reason to disbelieve, to do his whole duty by
+his fellow-men, still I must say, bein' brought up as
+I was, he hasn't any right to make a new kind of
+mother. To be sure, a man can adopt children, but
+that isn't goin' backward, like this is, which is ag'in'
+nat'ral law and gospel."</p>
+
+<p>"I expect," said Mrs. Aleshine, who was with us,
+"that them French has got fashions that we don't
+know about, and thankful we ought to be that we
+don't! I never had no patience with French heels an'
+French arsenic-green beans; an' now, if there's to be
+adoptin' of mothers in this country, the next thing
+will be gullotynes."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't see," said I, "why you look upon the
+Dusantes as French people. They are just as much
+American as French."</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said Mrs. Lecks, "it's not for me and Mrs.
+Aleshine to set ourselves up to judge other people.
+In our part of the country we don't adopt mothers;
+but if they do it in France, or the Sandwich Islands,
+or down East, I don't know that we ought to have
+anything to say."</p>
+
+<p>"He might as well have adopted a father at the
+same time," said Mrs. Aleshine, "although, to be
+sure, he would 'a' had to been particular to take one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[190]</a></span>
+that was acquainted with Mrs. Dusante, and not had
+'em strangers to each other, though parents to him."</p>
+
+<p>"If I was you, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Lecks,
+"I'd adopt some sort of rag to the top of my head to
+serve for a bonnet; for here comes the wagon, and I
+suppose now we'll be off."</p>
+
+<p>We took leave of the kind-hearted ranch people,
+who looked upon us as a godsend into their lonely life,
+and disposed ourselves as comfortably as we could in
+the large wagon. Our journey of seven or eight miles
+to the railroad-station was slow, and over ways that
+were rough. Mrs. Dusante was a delicate woman and
+not used to hardship, whereas Mrs. Lecks and Mrs.
+Aleshine were exceedingly vigorous and tough. The
+consequence of this difference was that the kindly
+hearts of the latter prompted them to do everything
+they could to prevent Mrs. Dusante feeling the bumps
+and jolts, and to give her such advantages of wraps
+and position as would help her to bear better the
+fatigues of the journey.</p>
+
+<p>In doing this these good women gradually forgot
+the adopted mother, and came to think only of the
+very pleasant lady who needed their attentions, and
+who took such a lively and agreeable interest in their
+family histories, their homes, their manner of living,
+and everything that pertained to them; and before we
+reached the end of our trip these three were talking
+together like old friends. Ruth and Miss Lucille had
+also struck up a warm acquaintance, while I found
+Mr. Dusante a very entertaining man&mdash;of sedate and
+careful speech, ingenious ideas, and of a very courteous
+disposition.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[191]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When we arrived at the railroad-station we were
+met by Mr. Enderton, who showed a moderate degree
+of pleasure at seeing us, and an immoderate amount
+of annoyance, exhibited principally to me, in being
+obliged to give up to the women of our party the
+large room he had occupied in the only lodging-house
+in the little settlement.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 425px;">
+<img src="images/202.png" width="425" height="178" alt="&quot;RUTH AND MISS LUCILLE STRUCK UP A WARM ACQUAINTANCE.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;RUTH AND MISS LUCILLE STRUCK UP A WARM ACQUAINTANCE.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>When I informed him that the strangers with us
+were the Dusantes, on whose island we had been staying,
+he at first listened vaguely. He had always
+looked upon the Dusante family as a sort of fable used
+by Mrs. Lecks to countenance her exactions of money
+from the unfortunate sojourners on the island. But
+when I told him what Mr. Dusante had done, and related
+how he had brought the board money with him,
+and had offered to pay it back to us, an eager interest
+was aroused in him.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not wonder," he exclaimed, "that the conscience-stricken
+man wishes to give the money back,
+but that any one should refuse what actually belongs
+to him or her is beyond my comprehension! One<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[192]</a></span>
+thing is certain&mdash;I shall receive my portion. Fifteen
+dollars a week for my daughter and myself that
+woman charged me, and I will have it back."</p>
+
+<p>"My dear sir," I said, "your board was reduced to
+the same sum as that paid by the rest of us&mdash;four
+dollars a week each."</p>
+
+<p>"I call to mind no reduction," said Mr. Enderton.
+"I remember distinctly the exorbitant sum charged
+me for board on a desert island. It made a deep impression
+upon me."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not care to talk any further on this subject,"
+I said. "You must settle it with Mrs. Lecks."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Enderton gave a great sniff, and walked away
+with dignity. I could not but laugh as I imagined
+his condition two minutes after he had stated his
+opinions on this subject to Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>When Mr. Dusante had started from San Francisco
+on his search for us, he had sent his heavy baggage
+ahead of him to Ogden City, where he purposed to
+make his first stop. He supposed that we might possibly
+here diverge from our homeward-bound route in
+order to visit the Mormon metropolis; and, if we had
+done so, he did not wish to pass us. It was therefore
+now agreed that we should all go to Ogden City, and
+there await the arrival of our effects left in the snowed-up
+vehicles on the mountain-side. We made arrangements
+with the station-master that these should be
+forwarded to us as soon as the stage-coach and the
+carriage could be brought down. All the baggage of
+my party was on the coach, and it consisted only of
+a few valises bought in San Francisco, and a package
+containing two life-preservers, which Mrs. Lecks and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[193]</a></span>
+Mrs. Aleshine said they would take home with them,
+if they took nothing else.</p>
+
+<p>On the morning after our arrival at Ogden City,
+Mr. Dusante took me aside. "Sir," he said, "I wish
+to confide to you my intentions regarding the jar containing
+the money left by your party in my house,
+and I trust you will do nothing to thwart them.
+When your baggage arrives, you, with your party,
+will doubtless continue your eastern way, and we shall
+return to San Francisco. But the jar, with its contents,
+shall be left behind to be delivered to Mrs.
+Lecks. If you will take charge of the jar, and hand
+it to her, sir, I shall be obliged greatly."</p>
+
+<p>I promised Mr. Dusante that I would not interfere
+with his intentions, but asserted that I could, on no
+account, take charge of the jar. The possession of
+that piece of pottery, with its contents, was now a
+matter of dispute between him and Mrs. Lecks, and
+must be settled by them.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, then, sir," he said. "I shall arrange
+to depart before you and your company, and I shall
+leave the jar, suitably packed, in the care of the clerk
+of this hotel, with directions to hand it to Mrs. Lecks
+after I am gone. Thus there will be nothing for her
+to do but to receive it."</p>
+
+<p>Some one now came into the smoking-room, where
+we were sitting, and no more was said on this subject.
+Mr. Dusante's statement of his intention very much
+amused me, for Mrs. Lecks had previously taken me
+into her confidence in regard to her intentions in this
+matter. "Mr. Dusante," she had said, "hasn't
+dropped a word more about the money in that ginger-jar,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[194]</a></span>
+but I know just as well as he does what he's
+goin' to do about it. When the time comes to go, he's
+goin' to slip off quietly, leavin' that jar behind him,
+thinkin' then I'll be obliged to take it, there bein'
+nobody to give it back to. But he'll find me just as
+sharp as he is. I've got the street and number of his
+business place in Honolulu from his sister,&mdash;askin'
+about it in an offhand way, as if it didn't mean anything,&mdash;an'
+if that jar is left for me, I'll pack it in a
+box, money and all, and I'll express it to Mr. Dusante;
+and when he gets to Honolulu he'll find it there, and
+then he'll know that two can play at that sort of
+game."</p>
+
+<p>Knowing Mr. Dusante, and knowing Mrs. Lecks, I
+pictured to myself a box containing a ginger-jar, and
+covered with numerous half-obliterated addresses,
+traveling backward and forward between the Sandwich
+Islands and Pennsylvania during the lifetime of
+the contestants, and, probably, if testamentary desires
+should be regarded, during a great part of the lifetime
+of their heirs. That the wear and tear of the box
+might make it necessary to inclose it in a keg, and
+that, eventually, the keg might have to be placed in a
+barrel, and that, after a time, in a hogshead, seemed
+to me as likely as any other contingencies which might
+befall this peregrinating ginger-jar.</p>
+
+<p>We spent three days in Ogden City, and then, the
+weather having moderated very much, and the snow
+on the mountains having melted sufficiently to allow
+the vehicles to be brought down, our effects were forwarded
+to us, and my party and that of Mr. Dusante
+prepared to proceed on our different ways. An eastward-bound<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[195]</a></span>
+train left that evening an hour after we
+received our baggage, but we did not care to depart
+upon such short notice, and so determined to remain
+until the next day.</p>
+
+<p>In the evening Mr. Dusante came to me to say that
+he was very glad to find that the westward train would
+leave Ogden City early in the morning, so that he and
+his family would start on their journey some hours
+before we should leave. "This suits my plans exactly,"
+he said. "I have left the ginger-jar, securely wrapped,
+and addressed to Mrs. Lecks, with the clerk of the
+hotel, who will deliver it to-morrow immediately after
+my departure. All our preparations are made, and
+we purpose this evening to bid farewell to you and
+our other kind friends, from whom, I assure you, we
+are most deeply grieved to part."</p>
+
+<p>I had just replied that we also regretted extremely
+the necessity for this separation, when a boy brought
+me a letter. I opened it, and found it was from Mr.
+Enderton. It read as follows:</p>
+
+<blockquote><p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>: I have determined not to wait here until to-morrow,
+but to proceed eastward by this evening's train. I desire
+to spend a day in Chicago, and as you and the others will probably
+not wish to stop there, I shall, by this means, attain my
+object without detaining you. My sudden resolution will not
+give me time to see you all before I start, but I have taken a
+hurried leave of my daughter, and this letter will explain my
+departure to the rest.</p>
+
+<p>I will also mention that I have thought it proper, as the natural
+head of our party both by age and position, to settle the
+amicable dispute in regard to the reception and disposition of
+the money paid, under an excusable misapprehension, for our
+board and lodging upon a desert island. I discovered that the <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[196]</a></span>
+receptacle of this money had been left in the custody of the
+clerk, addressed to Mrs. Lecks, who has not only already refused
+to receive it, and would probably do so again, but who is, in my
+opinion, in no wise entitled to hold, possess, or dispose of it.
+I therefore, without making any disturbance whatever, have
+taken charge of the package, and shall convey it with me to
+Chicago. When you arrive there, I will apportion the contents
+among us according to our several claims. This I regard as a
+very sensible and prudent solution of the little difficulty which
+has confronted us in regard to the disposition of this money.
+Yours hurriedly,</p>
+
+<p>
+<span class="smcap">David J. Enderton.</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>P.S. I shall stop at Brandiger's Hotel, where I shall await you.</p></blockquote>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 282px;">
+<img src="images/207.png" width="282" height="175" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[197]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="PART_VI" id="PART_VI"></a>PART VI</h2>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/208.png" width="450" height="255" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p>Mr. Enderton's letter astonished and angered
+me, but in spite of my indignation, I could not
+help smiling at the unexpected way in which he had
+put a stop to the probable perpetual peregrinations
+of the ginger-jar. I handed the letter to Mr. Dusante,
+and when he had read it his face flushed, and I could
+see that he was very angry, although he kept his temper
+under excellent control.</p>
+
+<p>"Sir," he said presently, "this shall not be allowed.
+That jar, with its contents, is my property until Mrs.
+Lecks has consented to receive it. It is of my own
+option that I return it at all, and I have decided to
+return it to Mrs. Lecks. Any one interfering with my
+intentions steps entirely beyond the line of just and
+warrantable procedure. Sir, I shall not go westward
+to-morrow morning, but, with my family, will accompany
+you to Chicago, where I shall require Mr. Enderton<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[198]</a></span>
+to return to me my property, which I shall then
+dispose of as I see fit. You must excuse me, sir, if
+anything I have said regarding this gentleman with
+whom you are connected has wounded your sensibilities."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, don't think of that," I exclaimed. "Pitch into
+Enderton as much as you please, and you may be sure
+that I shall not object. When I took the daughter to
+wife, I did not marry the father. But, of course, for
+my wife's sake I hope this matter will not be made the
+subject of public comment."</p>
+
+<p>"You need have no fear of that," said Mr. Dusante;
+"and you will allow me to remark that Mr. Enderton's
+wife must have been a most charming lady."</p>
+
+<p>"Why do you think so?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I judge so," he answered, with a bow, "from my
+acquaintance with Mrs. Craig."</p>
+
+<p>I now went immediately to Ruth, who, I found,
+knew nothing of what had occurred, except that her
+father had gone on to Chicago in advance of our
+party, and had had time only to bid her a hasty
+good-by. I made no remarks on this haste, which
+would not allow Mr. Enderton to take leave of us, but
+which gave him time to write a letter of some length;
+and as Ruth knew nothing of this letter, I determined
+not to mention it to her. Her father's sudden departure
+surprised her but little, for she told me that he
+always liked to get to places before the rest of the
+party with whom he might be journeying.</p>
+
+<p>"Even when we go to church," she said, "he always
+walks ahead of the rest of us. I don't understand
+why he likes to do so, but this is one of his habits."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[199]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When I informed Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine of
+what had happened, they fairly blazed.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know what Mr. Dusante calls it," exclaimed
+Mrs. Lecks, "but I know what I call it."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, indeed!" cried Mrs. Aleshine, her round
+eyes sparkling with excitement; "if that isn't ex-honesty,
+then he ain't no ex-missionary! I pity the
+heathen he converted!"</p>
+
+<p>"I'll convert him," said Mrs. Lecks, "if ever I lay
+eyes on him! Walkin' away with a package with my
+name on it! He might as well take my gold spectacles
+or my tortoise-shell comb! I suppose there's no
+such thing as ketchin' up with him, but I'll telegraph
+after him; an' I'll let him know that if he dares to
+open a package of mine, I'll put the law on him!"</p>
+
+<p>"That's so," said Mrs. Aleshine. "You kin send
+telegraphs all along the line to one station an' another
+for conductors to give to him in the cars, an' directed
+to Mr. Enderton, a tall man with gray-mixed hair an'
+a stolen bundle. That's the way they did in our place
+when Abram Marly's wife fell into the cistern, an' he'd
+jus' took the cars to the city, an' they telegraphed to
+him at five different stations to know where he'd left
+the ladder."</p>
+
+<p>"Which ain't a bad idea," said Mrs. Lecks, "though
+his name will be enough on it without no description;
+an' I'll do that this minute, an' find out about the
+stations from the clerk."</p>
+
+<p>"You must be very careful," I said, "about anything
+of that kind, for the telegrams will be read at
+the stations, and Mr. Enderton might be brought into
+trouble in a way which we all should regret; but a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[200]</a></span>
+despatch may be worded so that he, and no one else,
+would understand it."</p>
+
+<p>"Very well," said Mrs. Lecks, "an' let's get at it;
+but I must say that he don't deserve bein' saved no
+trouble, for I'm as sure as that I'm a livin' woman
+that he never saved nobody else no trouble sence the
+first minute he was born."</p>
+
+<p>The following despatch was concocted and sent on
+to Bridger, to be delivered to Mr. Enderton on the
+train:</p>
+
+<blockquote><p>The package you know of has been stolen. You will recognize
+the thief. If he leaves it at Chicago hotel, let him go. If
+he opens it, clap him in jail.</p>
+
+<p>
+<span class="smcap">Mrs. Lecks.</span><br />
+</p></blockquote>
+
+<p>"I think that will make him keep his fingers off it,"
+said Mrs. Lecks; "an' if Mr. Dusante chooses to send
+somethin' of the same kind to some other station, it
+won't do no harm. An' if that Enderton gets so
+skeered that he keeps out of sight and hearin' of all of
+us, it'll be the best thing that's happened yet. An'
+I want you to understan', Mr. Craig, that nothin' 's
+goin' to be said or done to make your wife feel bad;
+an' there's no need of her hearin' about what's been
+done or what's goin' to be done. But I'll say for
+her that though, of course, Mr. Enderton is her father,
+and she looks up to him as such, she's a mighty deal
+livelier and gayer-hearted when he's away than when
+he's with her. An' as for the rest of us, there's no
+use sayin' anything about our resignedness to the loss
+of his company."</p>
+
+<p>"I should say so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "for if there
+ever was a man who thought of himself ninety-nine<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[201]</a></span>
+times before he thought of anybody else once, an'
+then as like as not to forgit that once, he's the man.
+An' it's not, by no means, that I'm down on missionaries,
+for it's many a box I've made up for 'em,
+an' never begrudged neither money nor trouble, an'
+will do it ag'in many times, I hope. But he oughtn't
+to be called one, havin' given it up,&mdash;unless they gave
+him up, which there's no knowin' which it was,&mdash;for
+if there's anything which shows the good in a man, it's
+his bein' willin' to give up the comforts of a Christian
+land an' go an' convert heathens; though bein' willin'
+to give up the heathens an' go for the comforts shows
+him quite different, besides, as like as not, chargin'
+double, an' only half convertin'."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Dusante was fully determined to go on with us
+until he had recovered possession of the ginger-jar.
+His courteous feelings toward Mrs. Craig and myself
+prevented his saying much about Mr. Enderton, but
+I had good reason to believe that his opinions in regard
+to my father-in-law were not very different from
+those of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine. Ever since
+Mr. Enderton had shown his petulant selfishness, when
+obliged to give up his room at the railroad-station for
+the use of the women of his party, Mr. Dusante had
+looked upon him coldly, and the two had had but
+little to say to each other.</p>
+
+<p>We were all very glad that our pleasant party was
+not to be broken up; and although there was no resignation
+at the absence of the ginger-jar, we started on
+our journey the next day in a pleasanter mood for the
+absence of Mr. Enderton. Before we left, Mr. Dusante
+sent a telegram to Kearney Junction, to be delivered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[202]</a></span>
+to Mr. Enderton when he arrived there. What this
+message was I do not know, but I imagine its tone
+was decided.</p>
+
+<p>Our journey to Chicago was a pleasant one. We
+had now all become very well acquainted with each
+other, and there was no discordant element in the
+combined party. Some of us were a little apprehensive
+of trouble, or annoyance at least, awaiting us in
+Chicago, but we did not speak of it; and while Ruth
+knew nothing of her father's misbehavior, it might
+have been supposed that the rest had forgotten it.</p>
+
+<p>At Chicago we went at once to Brandiger's Hotel,
+and there we found, instead of Mr. Enderton, a letter
+from him to Ruth. It read as follows:</p>
+
+<blockquote><p><span class="smcap">My dear Daughter</span>: I have determined not to wait here, as
+originally intended, but to go on by myself. I am sorry not to
+meet you here, but it will not be long before we are together
+again, and you know I do not like to travel with a party. Its
+various members always incommode me in one way or another.
+I had proposed to go to Philadelphia and wait for you there,
+but have since concluded to stop at Meadowville, a village in
+the interior of Pennsylvania, where, as they have informed me,
+the two women, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, reside. I wish
+to see the party all together before I take final leave of them,
+and I suppose the two women will not consent to go any farther
+than the country town in which they live. Inclosed is a note to
+your husband relating to business matters. I hope that he will
+take the best of care of you during the rest of the journey, and
+thus very much oblige</p>
+
+<p>
+<span class="smcap">Your affectionate Father</span>.<br />
+</p></blockquote>
+
+<p>This was my note:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[203]</a></span></p>
+
+<blockquote><p><span class="smcap">Mr. Craig. Sir</span>: I should have supposed that you would have
+been able to prevent the insolent messages which have been
+telegraphed to me from some members of your party, but it is
+my lot to be disappointed in those in whom I trust. I shall
+make no answer to these messages, but will say to you that I
+am not to be browbeaten in my intention to divide among its
+rightful claimants the money now in my possession. It is not
+that I care for the comparatively paltry sum that will fall to
+myself and my daughter, but it is the principle of the matter for
+which I am contending. It was due to me that the amount
+should have been returned to me, and to no other, that I might
+make the proper division. I therefore rest upon my principles
+and my rights; and, desiring to avoid needless altercations,
+shall proceed to Meadowville, where, when the rest of my party
+arrive, I shall justly apportion the money. I suppose the man
+Dusante will not be foolish enough to protract his useless journey
+farther than Chicago. It is your duty to make him see the
+impropriety of so doing. Yours, etc.,</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">D. J. Enderton.</span><br />
+</p></blockquote>
+
+<p>Ruth's letter was shown to all the party, and mine
+in private to Mr. Dusante, Mrs. Lecks, and Mrs. Aleshine.
+When the first moments of astonishment were
+over, Mrs. Lecks exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>"Well, after all, I don't know that I'm so very
+sorry that the old sneak has done this, for now we're
+rid of him for the rest of the trip; and I'm pretty
+certain, from the way he writes, that he hasn't dipped
+into that jar yet. We've skeered him from doin'
+that."</p>
+
+<p>"But the impidence of him!" said Mrs. Aleshine.
+"Think of his goin' to the very town where we live
+an' gittin' there fust! He'll be settin' on that tavern
+porch, with every loafer in the place about him, an'
+tellin' 'em the whole story of what happened to us from
+beginnin' to end, till by the time we git there it'll be
+all over the place an' as stale as last week's bread."</p>
+
+<p>"'The man Dusante,'" quietly remarked that individual,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[204]</a></span>
+"will not abandon the purpose of his journey.
+He left his island to place in the hands of Mrs. Lecks,
+on behalf of her party, the ginger-jar with the money
+inclosed. He will therefore go on with you to Meadowville,
+and will there make formal demand, and, if
+necessary, legal requisition, for the possession of that
+jar and that money; after which he will proceed to
+carry out his original intentions."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 425px;">
+<img src="images/215.png" width="425" height="341" alt="&quot;&lsquo;THE IMPIDENCE OF HIM!&rsquo;&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;&lsquo;THE IMPIDENCE OF HIM!&rsquo;&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>We all expressed our pleasure at having him, with
+his ladies, as companions for the remainder of our
+journey, and Mrs. Lecks immediately offered them the
+hospitalities of her house for as long a time as they
+might wish to stay with her.</p>
+
+<p>"The weather there," she said, "is often splendid
+till past Thanksgivin' day, an' nobody could be welcomer
+than you."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[205]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I'd have asked you myself," said Mrs. Aleshine,
+"if Mrs. Lecks hadn't done it,&mdash;which of course she
+would, bein' alive,&mdash;but I'm goin' to have Mr. Craig
+an' his wife, an' as our houses is near, we'll see each
+other all the time. An' if Mr. Enderton chooses to
+stay awhile at the tavern, he can come over to see
+his daughter whenever he likes. I'll go as fur as
+that, though no further can I go. I'm not the one to
+turn anybody from my door, be he heathen, or jus' as
+bad, or wuss. But tea once, or perhaps twice, is all
+that I can find it in my heart to offer that man after
+what he's done."</p>
+
+<p>As the Dusantes and Ruth expressed a desire to see
+something of Chicago, where they had never been before,
+we remained in this city for two days, feeling
+that, as Mr. Enderton would await our coming, there
+was no necessity for haste.</p>
+
+<p>Early in the afternoon of the second day I went into
+the parlor of the hotel, where I expected to find our
+party prepared for a sight-seeing excursion; but I
+found the room tenanted only by Mrs. Aleshine, who
+was sitting with her bonnet and wraps on, ready to
+start forth. I had said but a few words to her when
+Mrs. Lecks entered, without bonnet or shawl, and
+with her knitting in her hand. She took a seat in a
+large easy-chair, put on her spectacles, and proceeded
+to knit.</p>
+
+<p>"Mrs. Lecks!" exclaimed her friend, in surprise,
+"don't you intend goin' out this afternoon?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," said Mrs. Lecks. "I've seen all I want to
+see, an' I'm goin' to stay in the house an' keep
+quiet."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[206]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Isn't Mr. Dusante goin' out this afternoon?" asked
+Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks laid her knitting in her lap; then she
+took off her spectacles, folded them, and placed them
+beside the ball of yarn, and, turning her chair around,
+she faced her friend. "Barb'ry Aleshine," said she,
+speaking very deliberately, "has any such a thing got
+into your mind as that I'm settin' my cap at Mr.
+Dusante?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't say you have, an' I don't say you haven't,"
+answered Mrs. Aleshine, her fat hands folded on her
+knees, and her round face shining from under her new
+bonnet with an expression of hearty good will; "but
+this I will say,&mdash;an' I don't care who hears it,&mdash;that if
+you was to set your cap at Mr. Dusante, there needn't
+nobody say anythin' ag'in' it, so long as you are content.
+He isn't what I'd choose for you, if I had the choosin',
+for I'd git one with an American name an' no islands.
+But that's neither here nor there, for you're a grown
+woman an' can do your own choosin'. An' whether
+there's any choosin' to be done is your own business,
+too, for it's full eleven years sence you've been done
+with widder fixin's; an' if Mr. Lecks was to rise up
+out of his grave this minute, he couldn't put his hand
+on his heart an' say that you hadn't done your full
+duty by him, both before an' after he was laid away.
+An' so, if you did want to do choosin', an' made up
+your mind to set your cap at Mr. Dusante, there's no
+word to be said. Both of you is ripe-aged an' qualified
+to know your own minds, an' both of you is well off
+enough, to all intents an' purposes, to settle down
+together, if so inclined. An' as to his sister, I don't<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[207]</a></span>
+expect she will be on his hands for long. An' if you
+can put up with an adopted mother-in-law, that's your
+business, not mine; though I allus did say, Mrs.
+Lecks, that if you'd been 'Piscopalian, you'd been
+Low-church."</p>
+
+<p>"Is that all?" said Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," replied the other; "it's all I have to say jus'
+now, though more might come to me if I gave my
+mind to it."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then," said Mrs. Lecks, "I've somethin' to
+say on this p'int, and I'm very glad Mr. Craig is here
+to hear it. If I had a feelin' in the direction of Mr.
+Dusante that he was a man, though not exactly what
+I might wish, havin' somethin' of foreign manners,
+with ties in the Sandwich Islands, which I shouldn't
+have had so if I'd had the orderin' of it, who was still
+a Christian gentleman,&mdash;as showed by his acts, not his
+words,&mdash;a lovin' brother, an' a kind an' attentive son
+by his own adoption, and who would make me a good
+husband for the rest of our two lives, then I'd go
+and I'd set my cap at him&mdash;not bold nor flauntin' nor
+unbecomin' to a woman of my age, but just so much
+settin' of it at him that if he had any feelin's in my
+direction, and thought, although it was rather late in
+life for him to make a change, that if he was goin' to
+do it he'd rather make that change with a woman
+who had age enough, and experience enough, in downs
+as well as ups, and in married life as well as single, to
+make him feel that as he got her so he'd always find
+her, then I say all he'd have to do would be to come
+to me an' say what he thought, an' I'd say what I
+thought, an' the thing would be settled, an' nobody in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[208]</a></span>
+this world need have one word to say, except to wish
+us joy, an' then go along and attend to their own
+business.</p>
+
+<p>"But now I say to you, Barb'ry Aleshine, an' just
+the same to you, Mr. Craig, that I haven't got no such
+feelin's in the direction of Mr. Dusante, an' I don't
+intend to set my cap at him; an' if he wore such a
+thing, and set it at me, I'd say to him, kind, though
+firm, that he could put it straight again as far as I was
+concerned, an' that if he chose to set it at any other
+woman, if the nearest an' dearest friend I have on
+earth, I'd do what I could to make their married lives
+as happy as they could be under the circumstances,
+and no matter what happened, I wouldn't say one
+word, though I might think what I pleased. An' now
+you have it, all straight and plain: if I wanted to set
+caps, I'd set 'em; and if I didn't want to set 'em, I
+wouldn't. I don't want to, and I don't."</p>
+
+<p>And, putting on her spectacles, she resumed her
+knitting.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Aleshine turned upon her friend a beaming
+face.</p>
+
+<p>"Mrs. Lecks," she said, "your words has lifted a
+load from off my mind. It wouldn't ha' broke me
+down, an' you wouldn't never have knowed I carried
+it; but it's gone, an' I'm mighty glad of it. An' as
+for me an' my cap,&mdash;an' when you spoke of nearest
+and dearest friends you couldn't mean nobody but
+me,&mdash;you needn't be afraid. No matter what I was,
+nor what he was, nor what I thought of him, nor what
+he thought of me, I couldn't never say to my son,
+when he comes to his mother's arms all the way from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[209]</a></span>
+Japan: 'George, here's a Frenchman who I give to
+you for a father!'"</p>
+
+<p>Here I burst out laughing; but Mrs. Lecks gravely
+remarked: "Now I hope this business of cap-settin' is
+settled an' done with."</p>
+
+<p>"Which it is," said Mrs. Aleshine, as she rose to
+meet the rest of our party as they entered the room.</p>
+
+<p>For several days I could not look upon the dignified
+and almost courtly Mr. Dusante without laughing internally,
+and wondering what he would think if he
+knew how, without the slightest provocation on his
+side, a matrimonial connection with him had been discussed
+by these good women, and how the matter had
+been finally settled. I think he would have considered
+this the most surprising incident in the whole series
+of his adventures.</p>
+
+<p>On our journey from Chicago to the little country
+town in the interior of Pennsylvania we made a few
+stops at points of interest for the sake of Ruth and the
+Dusante ladies, Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine generously
+consenting to these delays, although I knew they
+felt impatient to reach their homes. They were now
+on most social terms with Mrs. Dusante, and the three
+chatted together like old friends.</p>
+
+<p>"I asked her if we might call her Emily," said Mrs.
+Aleshine in confidence to me, "an' she said yes, an'
+we're goin' to do it. I've all along wanted to, because
+it seemed to come nat'ral, considerin' we knowed
+'em as Emily and Lucille before we set eyes on 'em.
+But as long as I had that load on my mind about Mrs.
+Lecks and Mr. Dusante I could n't 'Emily' his adopted
+mother. My feelin's wouldn't ha' stood it. But now<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[210]</a></span>
+it's all right; an' though Emily isn't the woman I expected
+her to be, Lucille is the very picter of what I
+thought she was. And as for Emily, I never knowed
+a nicer-mannered lady, an' more willin' to learn from
+people that's had experience, than she is."</p>
+
+<p>We arrived at Meadowville early in the afternoon,
+and when our party alighted from the train we were
+surprised not to see Mr. Enderton on the platform of
+the little station. Instead of him, there stood three
+persons whose appearance amazed and delighted us.
+They were the red-bearded coxswain and the two sailormen,
+all in neat new clothes, and with their hands
+raised in maritime salute.</p>
+
+<p>There was a cry of joy. Mrs. Aleshine dropped her
+bag and umbrella, and rushed toward them with outstretched
+hands. In a moment Mrs. Lecks, Ruth, and
+myself joined the group, and greeted warmly our
+nautical companions of the island.</p>
+
+<p>The Dusante party, when they were made acquainted
+with the mariners, were almost as much delighted as
+we were, and Mr. Dusante expressed in cordial words
+his pleasure in meeting the other members of the party
+to whom his island had given refuge.</p>
+
+<p>"I am so glad to see you," said Mrs. Aleshine, "that
+I don't know my bonnet from my shoes! But how,
+in the name of all that's wonderful, did you get
+here?"</p>
+
+<p>"'T ain't much of a story," said the coxswain, "an'
+this is just the whole of it. When you left us at
+'Frisco we felt pretty downsome, an' the more that
+way because we couldn't find no vessel that we cared
+to ship on; an' then there come to town the agent of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[211]</a></span>
+the house that owned our brig, and we was paid off
+for our last v'yage. Then, when we had fitted
+ourselves out with new togs, we began to think different
+about this shippin' on board a merchant-vessel, an'
+gettin' cussed at, an' livin' on hard-tack an' salt prog,
+an' jus' as like as not the ship springin' a leak an' all
+hands pumpin' night an' day, an' goin' to Davy Jones,
+after all. An' after talkin' this all over, we was struck
+hard on the weather-bow with a feelin' that it was a
+blamed sight better&mdash;beggin' your pardon, ma'am&mdash;to
+dig garden-beds in nice soft dirt, an' plant peas, an'
+ketch fish, an' all that kind of shore work, an' eatin'
+them good things you used to cook for us, Mrs.
+Aleshine, and dancin' hornpipes for ye, and tamin' birds
+when our watch was off. Wasn't that so, Jim an'
+Bill?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, aye, sir!" said the black-bearded sailormen.</p>
+
+<p>"Then says I, 'Now look here, mates; don't let's
+go and lark away all this money, but take it an' make
+a land trip to where Mrs. Aleshine lives'&mdash;which port
+I had the name of on a piece of paper which you gave
+me, ma'am."</p>
+
+<p>And here Mrs. Aleshine nodded vigorously, not
+being willing to interrupt this entrancing story.</p>
+
+<p>"'An' if she's got another garden, an' wants it dug
+in, an' things planted, an' fish caught, an' any other
+kind of shore work done, why, we're the men for her;
+an' we'll sign the papers for as long a v'yage as she
+likes, and stick by her in fair weather or foul, bein'
+good for day work an' night work, an' allus ready to
+fall in when she passes the word.' Ain't that so, Jim
+an' Bill?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[212]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Aye, aye, sir!" returned the sailormen, with
+sonorous earnestness.</p>
+
+<p>"Upon my word!" cried Mrs. Aleshine, tears of joy
+running down her cheeks, "them papers shall be
+signed, if I have to work night an' day to find somethin'
+for you to do. I've got a man takin' keer of my
+place now; but many a time have I said to myself that
+if I had anybody I could trust to do the work right,
+I'd buy them two fields of Squire Ramsey's, an' go into
+the onion business. An' now you sailormen has come
+like three sea angels, an' if it suits you we'll go into
+the onion business on sheers."</p>
+
+<p>"That suits us tiptop, ma'am," said the coxswain;
+"an' we'll plant inyans for ye on the shears, on the
+stocks, or in the dry-dock. It don't make no dif'rence
+to us where you have 'em; just pass the word."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, well," said Mrs. Lecks, "I don't know how
+that's goin' to work, but we won't talk about it now.
+An' so you came straight on to this place?"</p>
+
+<p>"That did we, ma'am," said the coxswain. "An'
+when we got here we found the parson, but none of
+you folks. That took us aback a little at fust, but he
+said he didn't live here, an' you was comin' pretty
+soon. An' so we took lodgin's at the tavern, an' for
+three days we've been down here to meet every train,
+expectin' you might be on it."</p>
+
+<p>Our baggage had been put on the platform, the train
+had moved on, and we had stood engrossed in the
+coxswain's narrative; but now I thought it necessary to
+make a move. There was but one small vehicle to
+hire at the station. This would hold but two persons,
+and in it I placed Mrs. Dusante and Ruth, the first<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[213]</a></span>
+being not accustomed to walking, and the latter very
+anxious to meet her father. I ordered the man to
+drive them to the inn, where we would stay until Mrs.
+Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine' should get their houses
+properly aired and ready for our reception.</p>
+
+<p>"Mrs. Craig will be glad to get to the tavern and
+see her father," said Mrs. Aleshine. "I expect he
+forgot all about its bein' time for the train to come."</p>
+
+<p>"Bless you, ma'am!" exclaimed the coxswain, "is
+she gone to the tavern? The parson's not there!"</p>
+
+<p>"Where is he, then?" asked Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"He's at your house, ma'am," replied the coxswain.</p>
+
+<p>"An' what, in the name of common sense, is he doin'
+at my house?" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, her eyes
+sparkling with amazement and indignation.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, ma'am, for one thing," said the coxswain,
+"he's had the front door painted."</p>
+
+<p>"What!" cried Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, in one
+breath.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," continued the coxswain; "the parson said
+he hated to see men hangin' around doin' nothin'.
+An' then he looked about, an' said the paint was all
+wore off the front door, an' we might as well go to
+work an' paint that; an' he sent Jim to a shop to git
+the paint an' brushes&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"An' have 'em charged to me?" cried Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, ma'am," continued the coxswain. "An' Jim an'
+Bill holystoned all the old paint off the door, an' I
+painted it, havin' done lots of that sort of thing on
+shipboard; an' I think it's a pretty good job, ma'am&mdash;red
+at top and bottom, an' white in the middle, like a
+steamer's smoke-stack."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[214]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine looked at each other.
+"An' he told you to do that?" said Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, ma'am," answered the coxswain. "The
+parson said he never liked to be nowhere without doin'
+what good he could. An' there was some other
+paintin' he talked of havin' done, but we ain't got at
+it yet. I s'posed he was actin' under your orders, an'
+I hope I haven't done no wrong, ma'am."</p>
+
+<p>"You're not a bit to blame," said Mrs. Aleshine;
+"but I'll look into this thing. No fear about that!
+An' how did he come to go to my house? An' how
+did he get in, I'd like to know?"</p>
+
+<p>"All I know about that," said the coxswain, "is
+what the gal that's livin' there told me, which she did
+along of askin' us if we was comin' to live there too,
+an' if she should rig up beds for us somewhere in the
+top-loft; but we told her no, not havin' no orders, an'
+payin' our own way at the tavern. She said, said she,
+that the parson come there, an' 'lowed he was a friend
+of Mrs. Aleshine's an' travelin' with her, an' that if she
+was at home she wouldn't let him stay at no tavern;
+an' that, knowin' her wishes, he'd come right there, an'
+'spected to be took care of till she come. She said she
+felt uncertain about it, but she tuck him in till she
+could think it over, an' then we come an' certified that
+he was the parson who'd been along with Mrs. Aleshine
+an' the rest of us. Arter that she thought it
+was all right, an', beggin' your pardon if we was
+wrong, so did Jim an' Bill an' me, ma'am."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[215]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 156px;">
+<img src="images/226.png" width="156" height="164" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p>"Now," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "if that isn't
+exactly like Elizabeth Grootenheimer! To think of
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer thinkin'! The Grootenheimers
+always was the dumbest family in the township,
+an' Elizabeth Grootenheimer is the dumbest of
+'em all! I did say to myself, when I went away:
+'Now, Elizabeth Grootenheimer is so stone dumb that
+she'll jus' stay here an' do the
+little I tell her to do, an' hasn't
+sense enough to get into no
+mischief.' An' now, look at
+her!"</p>
+
+<p>She waved her hand in the
+direction of the invisible Elizabeth
+Grootenheimer.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks had said very little
+during this startling communication,
+but her face had assumed a stern and
+determined expression. Now she spoke:</p>
+
+<p>"I guess we've heard about enough, an' we'd better
+be steppin' along an' see what else Mr. Enderton an'
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer is doin'."</p>
+
+<p>The homes of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine were
+not far from each other, and were situated about midway
+between the station and the village inn, and in the
+direction of these our party now started. Mrs. Aleshine,
+contrary to her custom, took the lead, and
+walked away with strides of unusual length. Mrs.
+Lecks was close behind her, followed by the two
+Dusantes and myself, while the three mariners, who
+insisted upon carrying all the hand-baggage, brought
+up the rear. We stepped quickly, for we were all
+much interested in what might happen next; and very
+soon we reached Mrs. Aleshine's house. It was a
+good-sized and pleasant-looking dwelling, painted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[216]</a></span>
+white, with green shutters, and with a long covered
+piazza at the front. Between the road and the house
+was a neat yard with grass and flower-beds, and from
+the gate of the picket-fence in front of the yard a
+brick-paved path led up to the house.</p>
+
+<p>Our approach had been perceived, for on the piazza,
+in front of the gaily painted door, stood Mr. Enderton,
+erect, and with a bland and benignant smile upon his
+face. One hand was stretched out as if in welcome,
+and with the other he gracefully held the ginger-jar,
+now divested of its wrappings.</p>
+
+<p>At this sight Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine made a
+simultaneous dash at the gate; but it was locked. The
+two women stamped their feet in fury.</p>
+
+<p>"Put down that jar!" shouted Mrs. Lecks.</p>
+
+<p>"Elizabeth Grootenheimer! Elizabeth Grootenheimer!"
+screamed Mrs. Aleshine. "Come here and
+open this gate."</p>
+
+<p>"Break it down!" said Mrs. Lecks, turning to the
+sailors.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you do it!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, throwing
+herself in front of it. "Don't you break my gate!
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer!"</p>
+
+<p>"My friends," said Mr. Enderton, in clear, distinct
+tones, "be calm. I have the key of that gate in my
+pocket. I locked it because I feared that on your
+first arrival you would hurry up to the house in a
+promiscuous way, and give heed to irrelevant matters.
+I wished to address you in a body, and in a position
+where your attention would not be diverted from me.
+I hold here, my friends, the receptacle containing the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[217]</a></span>
+money which, under a misapprehension, was paid for
+our board while on a desert island. This money I
+have taken care of, and have carefully guarded for the
+benefit of us all. Unfortunately, objections have arisen
+to this guardianship, which were forwarded to me by
+telegraph; but I have not heeded them. If you cannot
+see for yourselves the propriety of my assumption
+of this trust, I will not now undertake to enlighten
+you. But I hope there is no necessity for this, for,
+having had time to give the matter your fullest attention,
+I doubt not that you entirely agree with me. I
+will merely add, for I see you are impatient, that the
+sum which will fall to the share of each of us is comparatively
+insignificant and in itself not worth striving
+for; but what I have done has been for the sake
+of principle. For the sake of principle I have insisted
+that this money should be received by its rightful owners;
+for the sake of principle I assumed the custody
+of it; and for the sake of principle I shall now empty
+the contents of this jar&mdash;which by me has not been
+examined or touched&mdash;upon the floor of this piazza,
+and I shall then proceed to divide said contents into
+five suitable portions&mdash;the three mariners, as I understand,
+having paid no board. The gate can then be
+opened, and each one can come forward and take the
+portion which belongs to him or to her. The portion of
+my daughter, whom I saw pass here in a carriage, going,
+doubtless, to the inn, will be taken charge of by myself."</p>
+
+<p>"You man!" shrieked Mrs. Lecks, shaking her fist
+over the fence, "if you as much as lift that paper of
+fish-hooks from out the top of that ginger-jar, I'll&mdash;"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[218]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 137px;">
+<img src="images/229.png" width="137" height="230" alt="&quot;YOU MAN! SHRIEKED MRS. LECKS.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;&lsquo;YOU MAN!&rsquo; SHRIEKED MRS. LECKS.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Here she was interrupted by the loud, clear voice of
+Mr. Dusante, who called out: "Sir, I require you to
+put down that jar, which is my property."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll let you know," said Mrs. Lecks, "that other
+people have principles!"</p>
+
+<p>But what more she said was drowned by the voice
+of Mrs. Aleshine, who screamed for Elizabeth Grootenheimer,
+and who was
+now so much excited
+that she was actually
+trying to break open
+her own gate.</p>
+
+<p>I called out to Mr.
+Enderton not to make
+trouble by disturbing
+the contents of the
+jar; and even Miss
+Lucille, who was intensely
+amused at the
+scene, could be heard
+joining her voice to
+the general clamor.</p>
+
+<p>But the threats and
+demands of our united
+party had no effect
+upon Mr. Enderton.
+He stood up, serene
+and bland, fully appreciating
+the advantage of having the key of the
+gate's padlock in his pocket and the ginger-jar in his
+hand.</p>
+
+<p>"I will now proceed," said he. But at that moment<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[219]</a></span>
+his attention was attracted by the three mariners, who
+had clambered over the pointed pales of the fence, and
+who now appeared on the piazza, Bill to the right hand
+of Mr. Enderton, Jim to the left, and the red-bearded
+coxswain at his back. They all seemed to speak at
+once, though what they said we could not hear,
+nothing but a few hoarse mutterings coming down
+to us.</p>
+
+<p>But in consequence of what Bill said, Mr. Enderton
+handed him the key of the gate; and in consequence
+of what Jim said, Mr. Enderton delivered to him the
+ginger-jar; and in consequence of what the coxswain
+said, he and Mr. Enderton walked off the piazza; and
+the two proceeded to a distant corner of the yard,
+where they stood out of the way, as it were, while the
+gate was opened. Bill bungled a little, but the padlock
+was soon removed, and we all hurried through the
+gate and up to the piazza, where Jim still stood, the
+ginger-jar held reverently in his hands.</p>
+
+<p>The coxswain now left Mr. Enderton, and that
+gentleman proceeded to the open gate, through which
+he passed into the road, and then turned, and in a loud
+and severe tone addressed Mrs. Aleshine:</p>
+
+<p>"I leave your inhospitable house, and go to join my
+daughter at the inn, where I request you to send my
+valise and umbrella as soon as possible."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Aleshine's indignation at this invasion of her
+home and this trampling on her right to open her own
+gate had entirely driven away her accustomed geniality,
+and in angry tones she cried:</p>
+
+<p>"Jus' you stop at that paint-shop, when you git to
+the village, an' pay for the paint you had charged to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[220]</a></span>
+me; an' when you've done that you can send for your
+things."</p>
+
+<p>"Come, now, Barb'ry," said Mrs. Lecks, "don't let
+your feelin's run away with you. You ought to be
+thankful that he's let you off so easy, an' that he's
+gone."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm all that," said Mrs. Aleshine; "an', on second
+thoughts, every whip-stitch of his bag and baggage
+shall be trundled after him as soon as I kin git it
+away."</p>
+
+<p>We all now stood upon the piazza, and Mrs. Aleshine,
+in calmer tones, but with her face still flushed from
+her recent excitement, turned to us and said: "Now,
+isn't this a pretty comin' home? My front gate
+fastened in my very face; my front door painted red
+and white; the inside of the house, as like as not,
+turned upside down by that man jus' as much as the
+outside; an' where in the world, I'd like to know, is
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer?"</p>
+
+<p>"Now don't you be too hard on her," said Mrs.
+Lecks, "after havin' been away from her so long. I
+haven't a doubt she's feedin' the pigs; and you know
+very well she never would leave them as long as she
+felt they needed her. You needn't mind if your
+house is upset, for none of us is comin' in, havin' only
+intended to see you to your door, which I must say is
+a pretty blazin' one."</p>
+
+<p>"And now, Mrs. Lecks," said Mr. Dusante, taking,
+as he spoke, the ginger-jar from the hand of Jim, "I
+think this is a suitable opportunity for me to accomplish
+the object for which my present journey was undertaken,
+and to return to you the contents of this jar."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[221]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Which," said Mrs. Lecks, in a very decided tone,
+"I don't take now no more'n I did before."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Dusante looked surprised and troubled. After
+all the dangers and adventures through which that
+ginger-jar had gone, I believe that he expected Mrs.
+Lecks would at last relent and consent to accept it from
+him.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, look here," said Mrs. Aleshine, "don't let us
+have any more fuss about the ginger-jar, or anything
+else. Let's put off talkin' about that till we're all
+settled and fixed. It won't do for you to take the jar
+to the tavern with you, Mr. Dusante, for like as not
+Mr. Enderton will git hold of it ag'in, an' I know Mrs.
+Lecks won't let it come into her house; so, if you like,
+you may jus' leave it here for the present, and you may
+make up your minds nobody'll touch it while I'm
+about. An' about I intend to be."</p>
+
+<p>This arrangement was gladly agreed upon, and the
+jar being delivered to Mrs. Aleshine, we took our leave
+of her.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks found no difficulty in entering her gate,
+where she was duly welcomed by a man and his wife
+she had left in charge, while the Dusantes and myself
+walked on to the inn, or "Hotel," as its sign imported,
+about which the greater part of the little town clustered.
+The three mariners remained behind to await
+further orders from Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>By the afternoon of the next day the abodes of those
+two most energetic and capable housewives, Mrs. Lecks
+and Mrs. Aleshine, were fully prepared for the reception
+of their visitors, and the Dusante family were ensconced
+beneath the roof of the one, while my wife and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[222]</a></span>
+I were most warmly welcomed at the gaily adorned
+door of the other.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Enderton remained at the inn, where he found
+very comfortable quarters, an arrangement satisfactory
+to all parties.</p>
+
+<p>In Mrs. Aleshine's dwelling, where, from the very
+first, Lucille took her position as a most constant visitor,
+being equally welcomed by Ruth and the mistress
+of the house, all was satisfaction and high good humor.
+The ceaseless activity and cheerful spirits of our hostess
+seemed to animate us all. At Mrs. Lecks's home the
+case was different. There, I could plainly see, there
+was a certain uneasiness amounting almost to stiffness
+between Mrs. Lecks and Mr. Dusante. The latter had
+not accomplished the purpose for which he had made
+this long journey; and though, if things had turned
+out as he wished, he would have been very glad to be
+the guest of Mrs. Lecks, still, under the present circumstances,
+the situation did not suit him. Mrs.
+Lecks, too, possessed an unsettled mind. She did not
+know when Mr. Dusante would again endeavor to
+force back upon her the board money in the ginger-jar,
+and in this state of uneasy expectancy she was not
+at her best.</p>
+
+<p>"He's not satisfied," said she to me, on the morning
+after the Dusantes had come to her; "he wants to do
+somethin', or else to go away. I wish that ginger-jar
+had dropped into the bottom of the sea while he was
+bringin' it, or else had smashed itself into a thousand
+bits while he was slidin' down the mountain, and the
+money had melted itself into the snow. S'posin' at the
+end of the week he was to come to me and offer to pay<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[223]</a></span>
+me board for himself and his family, sayin' that was
+no more than I'd done to him! Of course the two
+cases are not a bit alike; for we went to his house
+strangers, without leave or license, while he comes to
+mine as a friend, bein' fully invited and pressed. But
+I don't suppose I could make him see it in that light,
+and it worries me."</p>
+
+<p>I was convinced that something ought to be done to
+end this unpleasant state of affairs, and I took my wife
+and Miss Lucille into council on the subject. After
+we had deliberated a little while an idea came to Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"In my opinion," said she, "the best thing we can
+do with that board money is to give it to those three
+sailors. They are poor and will be glad to get it; Mr.
+Dusante and Mrs. Lecks ought to be fully satisfied, for
+the one doesn't keep it and the other doesn't take it
+back; and I'm sure that this plan will please all the
+rest of us."</p>
+
+<p>This proposition was agreed to by the council, and
+I was appointed to go immediately and lay it before
+the parties interested.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Dusante gave his ready consent to this proposal.
+"It is not what I intended to do," said he, "but it
+amounts to almost the same thing. The money is in
+fact restored to its owners, and they agree to make a
+certain disposition of it. I am satisfied."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Lecks hesitated a little. "All right," said she.
+"He takes the money and gives it to who he chooses.
+I've nothin' to say against it."</p>
+
+<p>Of course no opposition to the plan was to be expected
+from anybody else, except Mr. Enderton.
+But when I mentioned it to him, I found, to my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[224]</a></span>
+surprise, that he was not unwilling to agree to it.
+Half closing the book he had been reading, he said:
+"What I have done was on behalf of principle. I did
+not believe, and do not believe, that upon an entirely
+deserted island money should be paid for board. I
+paid it under protest, and I do not withdraw that protest.
+According to all the laws of justice and hospitality,
+the man who owned that island should not retain
+that money, and Mrs. Lecks had no right to insist
+upon such retention. But if it is proposed to give
+the sum total to three mariners who paid no board,
+and to whom the gift is an absolute charity, I am content.
+To be sure, they interfered with me at a moment
+when I was about to make a suitable settlement
+of the matter, but I have no doubt they were told to
+do so; and I must admit that while they carried out
+their orders with a certain firmness, characteristic of
+persons accustomed to unreasoning obedience, they
+treated me with entire respect. If equal respect had
+been shown to me at the beginning of these disputes,
+it would have been much better for all concerned."</p>
+
+<p>And opening his book, he recommenced his reading.</p>
+
+<p>That afternoon all of us, except Mr. Enderton, assembled
+on Mrs. Aleshine's piazza to witness the presentation
+of the board money. The three sailors, who
+had been informed of the nature of the proceedings,
+stood in line on the second step of the piazza, clad in
+their best toggery, and with their new tarpaulin hats
+in their hands. Mrs. Aleshine went into the house, and
+soon reappeared carrying the ginger-jar, which she
+presented to Mr. Dusante. That gentleman took it,
+and stood holding it for a moment as if he were about<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[225]</a></span>
+to speak; but even if he had intended to say anything,
+he had no further opportunity, for Mrs. Lecks now
+stepped forward and addressed him.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Dusante," said she, "from what I have seen of
+you myself and heard tell of you from others, I believe
+you are a man who tries to do his duty, as he sees it,
+with a single heart and no turnin' from one side to the
+other. You made up your mind that you'd travel
+over the whole world, if it had to be done, with that
+ginger-jar and the board money inside of it, till you'd
+found the people who'd been livin' in your house; and
+then that you'd give back that jar, jus' as you'd found
+it, to the person who took upon herself the overseein'
+of the reg'lar payin' of the money and the puttin' of
+it therein. With that purpose in your mind you carried
+that jar over the ocean; you wandered with it up
+and down California; and holdin' it tight fast in your
+arms, you slid down the slipperiest mountain that was
+ever made yet, I believe, and if it had been your only
+infant child, you couldn't have held it firmer, nor regarded
+it more careful. Through ups and downs, and
+thicks and smooths, you carried that jar or followed
+it, and for the sake of doin' what you'd set your mind
+on you came all the way to this place; to which, if it
+hadn't been for that one idea, it isn't likely you'd
+ever dreamed of comin'. Now, Mr. Dusante, we've
+all agreed on what we think is the right thing to do,
+and you agreed with us, but I can see by your face
+that you're disapp'inted. The thing you set out to do
+you haven't done; and I'm not goin' to have it to say
+to myself that you was the only one of all of us that
+wasn't satisfied, and that I was the stumblin'-block<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[226]</a></span>
+that stood in your way. So I'll back down from sayin'
+that I'd never touch that jar again, and you can
+put it into my hands, as you set out to do."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Dusante made no answer, but stepped forward,
+and taking Mrs. Lecks's large brown and work-worn
+hand, he respectfully touched it with his lips. It is not
+probable that Mrs. Lecks's hand had ever before been
+kissed. It is not probable that she had ever seen any
+one kiss the hand of another. But the hard sense and
+keen insight of that independent countrywoman made
+her instantly aware of what was meant by that old-fashioned
+act of courteous homage. Her tall form
+grew more erect; she slightly bowed her head, and
+received the salute with a quiet dignity which would
+have become a duchess.</p>
+
+<p>This little scene touched us all, and Mrs. Aleshine
+afterward informed me that for a moment she hadn't
+a dry eye in her head.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Dusante now handed the ginger-jar to Mrs.
+Lecks, who immediately stepped toward Ruth and
+Lucille.</p>
+
+<p>"You two young ones," she said, "can jus' take this
+jar, an' your hands can be the first to lift off that paper
+of fish-hooks and take out the money, which you
+will then divide among our good friends, these sailormen."</p>
+
+<p>Ruth and Lucille immediately sat down on the floor
+of the piazza, and the one emptied the board money
+into the lap of the other, where it was speedily divided
+into three equal portions, one of which was placed in
+the hands of each mariner.</p>
+
+<p>The men stood motionless, each holding his money<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[227]</a></span>
+in his open right hand, and then the red-bearded coxswain spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"It ain't for me, nor for Bill, nor for Jim nuther, to
+say a word ag'in' what you all think is right and square.
+We've stood by ye an' obeyed orders since we first
+shipped on that island, an' we intend to do so straight
+along. Don't we, Jim an' Bill?"</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 230px;">
+<img src="images/238.png" width="230" height="250" alt="&quot;HE RESPECTFULLY TOUCHED IT WITH HIS LIPS.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;HE RESPECTFULLY TOUCHED IT WITH HIS LIPS.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"Aye, aye, sir!" said Jim and Bill, in hearty hoarse
+response.</p>
+
+<p>"There's some of ye, specially Mrs. Aleshine,
+though meanin' no disrespec' to anybody else, that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[228]</a></span>
+we'd follow to the crosstrees of the topgallantmast of
+the tallest ship that ever floated in the middle of the
+ragin'est typhoon that ever blowed. Wouldn't we,
+Jim an' Bill?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, aye, sir!" sang out Jim and Bill.</p>
+
+<p>"But though we stand ready to obey orders," said
+the coxswain, "we made up our minds, when we heard
+what was goin' to be done, that we'd listen keerful fer
+one thing, an' we have listened keerful, an' we haven't
+heard that one thing, an' that thing was what we
+should do with this money. An' not havin' heard it,
+an' so bein' under no orders as to the spendin' of it,
+we take the money, an' thank you kindly, one an' all.
+Don't we, Jim an' Bill?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, aye, sir!" said Jim and Bill.</p>
+
+<p>And into the pocket of each mariner clinked the
+money.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Dusante now took up the ginger-jar, and approached
+Mrs. Lecks. "I hope, madam," he said,
+"that as the subject of our little differences has now
+been removed from this jar, you will consent to accept
+it from me as a memento of the somewhat remarkable
+experiences through which it has accompanied us."</p>
+
+<p>"Take it, sir?" said she. "To be sure I will. An'
+very glad am I to get it. As long as I live it shall
+stand on the mantelpiece in my parlor; an' when I die
+it shall be left to my heirs, to be taken care of as long
+as it holds together."</p>
+
+<p>Every reason for dissatisfaction having now been
+banished from our little company, we all settled down
+for a season of enjoyment. Even Mr. Enderton, who
+had found on the top shelf of a closet in his room at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[229]</a></span>
+the inn a lot of old books, appeared to be in a state
+of perfect content. To the Dusantes a residence in
+this absolutely rural portion of our Middle States in
+the autumnal season was an entirely novel experience.
+The crisp and invigorating air, the mists and
+the glowing hues of the Indian-summer time, the softness
+of the sunshine, and even those masses of limbs
+and twigs which had already dropped their leaves and
+spread themselves in a delicate network against the
+clear blue sky, were all full of a novel beauty for these
+people who had lived so long in tropical lands and
+among perennial foliage, and had never known the
+delights of an American country life out of season.
+Having enjoyed Mrs. Lecks's hospitality for a suitable
+period, they proposed to that sensible woman that she
+should receive them as boarders until the winter
+should set in; and to this practical proposition she
+gave a ready assent, hoping that the really cold weather
+would long defer its coming.</p>
+
+<p>Ruth and I established ourselves on the same terms
+with Mrs. Aleshine. A prolonged holiday from the
+labors of my business had been the object of my
+attempted journey to Japan, and I could think of no
+place where it would better please my young wife and
+myself to rest for a time than here among these good
+friends.</p>
+
+<p>A continual source of amusement to us were the
+acts and doings of Mrs. Aleshine and her three sailormen.
+These bold mariners had enlisted, soul and
+body, into the service of the thrifty housewife; and as
+it was impossible to do anything in connection with
+the growing of the onions until the desired fields should<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[230]</a></span>
+be acquired and the spring should open, many and
+diverse were the labors at which the coxswain and
+those two able-bodied seamen Bill and Jim set themselves,
+or were set by Mrs. Aleshine.</p>
+
+<p>The brilliantly painted front door, which at first had
+excited the good woman's ire, gradually came to command
+her admiration; and when her sailormen had
+done everything else that they could in the barns, the
+fields, or at the woodpile, she gave them the privilege
+to paint various portions of her property, leaving designs
+and colors to their own taste and fancy. Whether
+they milked the cows, cut the wood, or painted the sides
+of the house, they always worked like good fellows,
+and in nautical costume. They holystoned the front
+deck, as they called the floor of the piazza, until it
+seemed sacrilegious to set foot upon it; and when the
+house and the pale-fence had been suitably painted,
+they allowed their fancies lofty flights in the decoration
+of the smaller outbuildings and various objects in the
+grounds. One of the men had a pocket-chart of the
+colors adopted by the different steamship companies
+all over the world, and now smoke-houses, corn-cribs,
+chicken-houses, and so on, down to pumps and hitching-posts,
+were painted in great bands of blue and red
+and white and black, arranged in alternating orders, until
+an observer might have supposed that a commercial
+navy had been sunk beneath Mrs. Aleshine's house
+grounds, leaving nothing but its smoke-stacks visible.</p>
+
+<p>The greatest work of decoration, however, was reserved
+by the red-bearded coxswain for himself, designed
+by his own brain, and executed by his own hands.</p><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[231]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 242px;">
+<img src="images/242.png" width="242" height="350" alt="&quot;THE GREATEST WORK OF DECORATION WAS RESERVED BY THE RED-BEARDED COXSWAIN FOR HIMSELF.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;THE GREATEST WORK OF DECORATION WAS RESERVED BY THE RED-BEARDED COXSWAIN FOR HIMSELF.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244"></a></span></p><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[233]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>This was the tattooing of the barn. Around this
+building, the sides of which were already of a color
+sufficiently resembling a well-tanned human skin, the
+coxswain painted, in blue spots resembling tattooing,
+an immense cable passing several times about the
+structure, a sea-serpent almost as long as the cable,
+eight anchors, two ships under full sail, with a variety
+of cannons and flags which filled up all the remaining
+spaces. This great work was a long time in execution,
+and before it was half finished its fame had spread
+over the surrounding country.</p>
+
+<p>The decoration of her premises was greatly enjoyed
+by Mrs. Aleshine. "It gives 'em somethin' to do,"
+said she, "till the onion season comes on; it makes 'em
+happy; an' the leaves an' flowers bein' pretty nigh
+gone, I like to see the place blossomin' out as if it was
+a cold-weather garden."</p>
+
+<p>In the evenings, in the large kitchen, the sailormen
+danced their hornpipes, and around the great fireplace
+they spun long yarns of haps and mishaps on distant
+seas. Mrs. Aleshine always, and the rest of us often,
+sat by the fire and enjoyed these nautical recreations.</p>
+
+<p>"Havin' myself done housekeepin' in the torrid
+zone," she once said, "a lot of the things they tell come
+home to me quite nat'ral. An' I'd do anything in the
+world to make 'em content to live on dry land like
+common Christians, instead of cavortin' about on the
+pitchin' ocean, runnin' into each other, an' springin'
+leaks, with no likelihood of findin' a furnished island
+at every p'int where their ship happened to go down."</p>
+
+<p>On one subject only did any trouble now come into
+the mind of Mrs. Aleshine, and she once had a little
+talk with me in regard to it.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[234]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I've been afeard from the very beginnin'," she
+said, "an' after a while I more'n half believed it, that
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer was settin' her cap at the
+coxswain; so I just went to him an' I spoke to him
+plain. 'This sort o' thing won't do at all,' says I; 'an'
+although I haven't a doubt you see it for yourself,
+I thought it my dooty to speak my mind about it.
+There's plenty of young women in this township that
+would make you sailormen fust-rate wives, an' glad
+enough I'd be to see you all married an' settled an'
+gone to farmin' right here amongst us; but Elizabeth
+Grootenheimer won't do. Settin' aside everythin'
+else, if there was to be any children, they might be
+little coxswains, but they'd be Grootenheimers too,
+stone-dumb Grootenheimers; an' I tell you plain that
+this county can't stand no more Grootenheimers!'
+To which he says, says he, 'I want you to understan',
+ma'am, that if ever me or Jim or Bill makes up our
+mind to set sail for any sort of a weddin' port, we
+won't weigh anchor till we've got our clearance papers
+from you.' By which he meant that he'd ask my advice
+about courtin'. An' now my mind is easy, an' I
+can look ahead with comfort to onion-time."</p>
+
+<p>I found it necessary to go to Philadelphia for a day
+or two to attend to some business matters; and, the
+evening before I started, the coxswain came to me and
+asked a favor for himself and his mates.</p>
+
+<p>"It mayn't have passed out of your mind, sir," said
+he, "that when me an' Jim an' Bill took that money
+that you all give us, which wasn't 'zackly like prize-money,
+because the rest of the crew, to put it that way,
+didn't get any, we listened keerful to see if anything<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[235]</a></span>
+was said as to what we was to do with the money; an'
+nothin' bein' said, we took it, and we wasn't long
+makin' up our minds as to what we was goin' to do
+with it. What we wanted to do was to put up some
+sort of signal what couldn't get blowed away, or,
+more like, a kind of reg'lar moniment as would make
+them that looked at it remember the rough squalls and
+the jolly larks we've gone through with together; an'
+it was when we was talkin' about Mrs. Lecks bein' give'
+the ginger-jar to put on her mantelpiece an' keep forever
+that me an' Jim an' Bill we said, says we, that
+Mrs. Aleshine should have a ginger-jar too, havin' as
+much right to one as her mate, an' that that would be
+the signal-flag or the moniment that we'd put up.
+Now, sir, as you're goin' to town, we ask you to take
+this money, which is the whole lot that was give' us,
+an' have a ginger-jar built, jus' the size an' shape an'
+gen'ral trim of that other one, but of no pottery-stuff,
+for you kin buy 'em jus' like that, an' that ain't what we
+want. We want her built of good oak, stout an' strong,
+with live-oak knees inside to keep her stiff an' save her
+from bein' stove in, in case of a collision. We want
+her bottom coppered up above the water-line with real
+silver, an' we want a turtle-back deck with a round
+hatchway, with a tight-fittin' hatch, jus' like common
+jars. We want her sides calked with oakum, an' well
+scraped an' painted, so that with water inside of her
+or outside of her she won't leak. An' on the bottom
+of her, so they kin be seen if she keels over, we wants
+the names of me an' Jim an' Bill, which we've wrote
+on this piece of paper. An' on her sides, below the
+water-line, on the silver copperin', we want the names<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[236]</a></span>
+of all the rest of you, an' the latitood an' longitood of
+that island, an' anything out of the logs that might 'a'
+been kep' by any of you, as might help to be remembered
+the thing what happened. An' then, if there's
+any room left on the copperin', an' any money lef' to
+pay for 'em, you might have cut on as many anchors,
+an' hearts, an' bits of cable, an' such like suitable things
+as would fill up. An' that jar we're goin' to give to
+Mrs. Aleshine to put on her mantelpiece, to stay there
+as long as she lives, or anybody that belongs to her.
+An', by George, sir!" he added behind his hand, although
+there was nobody to hear, "if ever them two
+jars run into each other, it won't be Mrs. Aleshine's that'll go
+down!"</p>
+
+<p>I undertook this commission, and in due course of
+time there came to the village the most astonishing
+ginger-jar that was ever built, and which satisfied the
+three mariners in every particular. When it was presented
+to Mrs. Aleshine, her admiration of this work
+of art, her delight in its ownership, and her gratitude
+to the donors were alike boundless.</p>
+
+<p>"However could I have had the idee," said she
+privately to me, "that any one of them noble sailormen
+could have brought himself down to marry
+Elizabeth Grootenheimer!"</p>
+
+<p>It was not long after this happy event that another
+great joy came to Mrs. Aleshine. Her son returned
+from Japan. He had heard of the loss of the steamer
+in which his mother and Mrs. Lecks had set sail, and
+was in great trouble of mind until he received a letter
+from his mother which brought him speedily home.
+He had no intention of settling in Meadowville,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[237]</a></span>
+but it had been a long time since he had seen his
+mother.</p>
+
+<p>He was a fine young man, handsome and well educated,
+and we were all delighted with him; and in a
+very short time he and Lucille Dusante, being the only
+young bachelor and maiden of the company, became
+so intimate and super-friendly that it was easy to see
+that to Mrs. Aleshine might come the unexpected rapture
+of eventually being the mother of Lucille.</p>
+
+<p>We stayed much later at Meadowville than we had
+expected. Even after the little hills and vales had
+been well covered with snow, sleighing and coasting
+parties, led by the lively new-comer, offered attractions,
+especially to Lucille, which bound us to the cheery
+homes of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine. But, after
+a time, the Dusantes considered it prudent to go to
+Florida for the rest of the winter; Mr. Enderton had
+long since read all the books on his closet shelf and
+departed for New York; and Ruth and I determined
+that we, too, must move eastward.</p>
+
+<p>But, before our little company separated, Mrs. Aleshine's
+son and Lucille Dusante had settled it between
+them that when the springtime came they would set
+sail for a wedding port. This match was a highly
+satisfactory one to all concerned, for Mr. Dusante
+could scarcely have found a young brother-in-law who
+would make his sister so happy, and who was, at the
+same time, so well fitted by disposition and previous
+occupation to assist in his increasing business cares.</p>
+
+<p>In the spring the Dusante family came North again,
+and Lucille and her lover were married; and then all
+of us, except Mr. Enderton, who had obtained a most<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[238]</a></span>
+congenial position as assistant librarian in a public
+institution seldom visited, gathered at Meadowville
+to spend a week or two together, after which Ruth
+and I would repair to the New England town which
+was to be our home, and the Dusante family, the
+young husband included, would set out on a tour,
+partly of business and partly of pleasure, through
+Canada and the far Northwest.</p>
+
+<p>It was arranged that, whenever it should be possible,
+Lucille and Mrs. Dusante should spend their summers
+at Meadowville; and as this would also give her
+much of the society of her son, the heart of Mrs.
+Aleshine could ask no more.</p>
+
+<p>This visit to Meadowville was in the onion season;
+and one morning Ruth and I sat upon a fence and
+watched the three sailormen busily at work. The soil
+looked so fine and smooth that one might almost have
+supposed that it had been holystoned; and the three
+nautical farmers, in their tight-waisted, loose-bottomed
+trousers, their tarpaulin hats, and their wide-collared
+shirts, were seated on the ground at different points,
+engrossed in the absorbing task of setting out young
+onions as onions had never been set out before. All
+the careful attention to patient minuti� which nautical
+handiwork had taught them was now displayed in their
+new vocation. In a portion of the field which had been
+first planted the onions had sprouted, and we could see
+evidences of astonishing designs. Here were anchors in
+onions; hearts in onions; brigs, barks, and schooners
+in onions; and more things pertaining to ships, the
+heart's affections, and the raging main outlined in
+onions than Ruth and I could give names to.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[239]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It seems to me," said I, "that there must have been
+some sort of enchantment in that little island in the
+Pacific, for in one way or another it has made us all
+very happy."</p>
+
+<p>"That is true," answered Ruth, "and, do you know,
+I believe the cause of a great part of that happiness
+was the board money in the ginger-jar!"</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 243px;">
+<img src="images/250.png" width="243" height="180" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and
+Mrs. Aleshine, by Frank R. Stockton
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CASTING AWAY ***
+
+***** This file should be named 35570-h.htm or 35570-h.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        http://www.gutenberg.org/3/5/5/7/35570/
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Jane Robins and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+http://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
+To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
+
+</pre>
+
+</body>
+</html>
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/002.png b/old/35570-h/images/002.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6c3d2fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/002.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/003.png b/old/35570-h/images/003.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..39dadfd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/003.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/004.png b/old/35570-h/images/004.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5dfb40e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/004.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/006.png b/old/35570-h/images/006.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f8bab84
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/006.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/008.png b/old/35570-h/images/008.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3c1bd66
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/008.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/012.png b/old/35570-h/images/012.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ef1cc04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/012.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/017.png b/old/35570-h/images/017.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..807c6dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/017.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/022.png b/old/35570-h/images/022.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f969841
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/022.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/026.png b/old/35570-h/images/026.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3c4b33e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/026.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/034.png b/old/35570-h/images/034.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e48af18
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/034.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/036.png b/old/35570-h/images/036.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e4b85a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/036.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/038.png b/old/35570-h/images/038.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..31938e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/038.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/042.png b/old/35570-h/images/042.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b579010
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/042.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/049.png b/old/35570-h/images/049.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8eee26e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/049.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/050.png b/old/35570-h/images/050.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1b36778
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/050.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/056.png b/old/35570-h/images/056.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..caf8695
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/056.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/059.png b/old/35570-h/images/059.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..846276e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/059.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/063.png b/old/35570-h/images/063.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..32a142c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/063.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/066.png b/old/35570-h/images/066.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7de1976
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/066.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/072.png b/old/35570-h/images/072.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b5cba9d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/072.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/078.png b/old/35570-h/images/078.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8b9572d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/078.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/083.png b/old/35570-h/images/083.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9a6542e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/083.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/084.png b/old/35570-h/images/084.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d62efe9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/084.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/085.png b/old/35570-h/images/085.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f8c80ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/085.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/094.png b/old/35570-h/images/094.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..38bfb4a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/094.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/098.png b/old/35570-h/images/098.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..57ea380
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/098.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/102.png b/old/35570-h/images/102.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b032a03
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/102.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/110.png b/old/35570-h/images/110.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..71e160a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/110.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/113.png b/old/35570-h/images/113.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b3a3521
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/113.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/116.png b/old/35570-h/images/116.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..37069a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/116.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/122.png b/old/35570-h/images/122.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1aa128d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/122.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/125.png b/old/35570-h/images/125.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..44380e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/125.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/126.png b/old/35570-h/images/126.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ee6198c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/126.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/132.png b/old/35570-h/images/132.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f8bcb54
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/132.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/134.png b/old/35570-h/images/134.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9da5661
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/134.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/140.png b/old/35570-h/images/140.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1f8c62a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/140.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/146.png b/old/35570-h/images/146.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..35a2e56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/146.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/152.png b/old/35570-h/images/152.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b625008
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/152.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/161.png b/old/35570-h/images/161.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c9e0e99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/161.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/162.png b/old/35570-h/images/162.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c261d91
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/162.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/163.png b/old/35570-h/images/163.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3da272a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/163.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/164.png b/old/35570-h/images/164.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9559cf9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/164.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/174.png b/old/35570-h/images/174.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ec49152
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/174.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/178.png b/old/35570-h/images/178.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a80fe9d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/178.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/185.png b/old/35570-h/images/185.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..72ce248
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/185.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/197.png b/old/35570-h/images/197.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..694dac1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/197.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/202.png b/old/35570-h/images/202.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..86fa3d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/202.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/207.png b/old/35570-h/images/207.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..22389ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/207.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/208.png b/old/35570-h/images/208.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1793098
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/208.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/215.png b/old/35570-h/images/215.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3a6f3bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/215.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/226.png b/old/35570-h/images/226.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e06ec96
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/226.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/229.png b/old/35570-h/images/229.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d3c98d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/229.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/238.png b/old/35570-h/images/238.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..64cb4e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/238.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/242.png b/old/35570-h/images/242.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8732938
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/242.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/250.png b/old/35570-h/images/250.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..befa3ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/250.png
diff --git a/old/35570-h/images/cover01.jpg b/old/35570-h/images/cover01.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bfa296e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/35570-h/images/cover01.jpg