Keziah Coffin

by Joseph Crosby Lincoln

Well,if you must go, you must, I suppose. But stay through tomorrow, atany rate. Nat won't get here until Thursday, and I may be able to findanother nurse by that time. And what I shall say to him," motioningtoward the other room, "I don't know."

  "Must you say anything? Just say that I have been called away for a fewdays on--on some business. Don't tell him. Don't tell him the truth,doctor, now. He is too weak and I am afraid--"

  She stopped and turned away. The doctor watched her pityingly.

  "Cheer up," he said. "At any rate, this is only for a little while. Whenthe captain knows, if he's the man I take him for, he'll--"

  She whirled like a flash. "You're not going to tell him?" she cried."No, no! You mustn't. You must promise me you won't. Promise."

  "Somebody'll tell him. Telling things is Trumet's specialty."

  "Then you must stop it. No one must tell him--no one except me. I shalltell him, of course. He must hear it from me and not from anyone else.He would think I was disloyal and ungrateful--and I am! I have been! ButI was--I COULDN'T help it. You know, doctor, you know--"

  "Yes, yes, I know. Well, I'll promise, but it will all come out right,you see. You mustn't think I--we--have been interfering in your affairs,Grace. But we've all come to think a whole lot of that parson of oursand what he wanted we wanted him to have, that's all."

  "I know. Thank you very much for all your kindness, and for yourpromise."

  He would have liked to say much more, but he could not, under thecircumstances. He stammered a good-by and, with a question concerningMrs. Coffin's whereabouts, went out to join Captain Zeb.

  "Well?" queried the latter anxiously. "How is it? What's up? What's thenext tack?"

  "We'll go to the parsonage," was the gloomy answer. "If anybody can seea glimmer in this cussed muddle Keziah Coffin can."

  Keziah was on her knees in her room, beside a trunk, the same trunk shehad been packing the day of the minister's arrival in Trumet. She wasworking frantically, sorting garments from a pile, rejecting some andkeeping others. She heard voices on the walk below and went down toadmit the callers.

  "What's the matter, Keziah?" asked Dr. Parker sharply, after a look ather face. "You look as if you'd been through the war. Humph! I supposeyou've heard the news?"

  Keziah brushed back the hair from her forehead. "Yes," she answeredslowly. "I've heard it."

  "Well, it's great news, and if it wasn't for--if things weren't as theyare, I'd be crowing hallelujahs this minute. Trumet has got a good mansafe and sound again, and the Lord knows it needs all of that kind itcan get."

  "Yes."

  "Yes. But there's the other matter. I've been to see Grace. She didn'tsay so, but it was easy enough to see; the man she promised to marry andthought was dead, is alive. She's a girl of her word--she promised himand she promised her dying uncle--and she'll marry him. And then whatwill become of John Ellery? He'll go downhill so fast that a ship'sanchor wouldn't hold him. If he doesn't die I'll have to send him awaysomewhere, and the Regular church will lose the minister we've fought sohard for."

  "Yes," concurred Zebedee, "and them blasted Danielses'll run the shebangand the rest of us'll have to sing small, I tell you."

  "So we've come to you, Keziah," went on the doctor. "Do you see anysalvation?"

  "Yes, I do."

  "You do? Where?"

  "In Nat Hammond. If he knows Grace doesn't want to marry him, do yousuppose he'll hold her to her promise?"

  "I don't know. I'm not so sure. Men don't give up girls like that soeasy. I wouldn't--by George, I wouldn't! And she won't tell him thewhole truth, I'm afraid. She'll pretend to be glad--hang it! she ISglad--to have him home again and--"

  "Of course she's glad. Ain't we all glad and happy and thankful? Weought to be. But"--she hesitated--"doctor, you leave this to me. Sofar as John and Grace are concerned you needn't worry. I'll take it onmyself to see that they have each other, as the Almighty meant 'em to.Leave it to me. Just leave it to me. I KNOW I can do it."

  She would not say more, nor tell on what grounds she based her optimism.She would go back to the shanty that evening, she said, and stay untilthe following afternoon. Grace would undoubtedly go to the old tavern toprepare for the homecoming. Let Mrs. Higgins take her place as nurse.

  "I shall have to leave, myself," she added, "for a little while; soperhaps you'd better try to get somebody else to help the Higgins woman.Don't ask me any questions, please don't, and be sure not to say a wordto anybody--most of all to Grace. Just do as I tell you and leave it tome. And don't come and see me again until after--after he comes home.Good-by, doctor. Good-by, Cap'n Zeb."

  She shook hands with each of them, a rather unusual proceeding as theythought of it afterwards. Then they went away and left her.

  "Humph!" mused Parker, as they came out at the gate. "Humph! She seemssure, doesn't she. And yet she doesn't act like herself. Did you noticethat?"

  "Yup. I noticed it. But I expect Nat's droppin' out of the clouds shookher up, same as it done the rest of us. Well, never mind. She's a bullygood, capable woman and what she says she'll do she gen'rally does. I'mbettin' on her. By time! I feel better."

  Captain Elkanah Daniels and his friends were feeling better also, andthey were busy. Trumet had a new hero now. On Wednesday the Bostonpapers printed excerpts from Captain Hammond's story, and these briefpreliminary accounts aroused the admiration of every citizen. It wasproposed to give him a reception. Elkanah was the moving spirit in thepreparations. Captain Nat, so they learned by telegraphing, would arriveon the noon train Thursday. His was not to be a prosaic progress bystage all the way from Sandwich. A special carriage, drawn by theDaniels span and escorted by other vehicles, was to meet the coach atBayport and bring him to Trumet in triumphant procession. All this wasto be a surprise, of course.

  Wednesday afternoon the Daniels following was cheered by the tidingsthat Grace Van Horne had left the beach and was at her old home, theHammond tavern. And Mrs. Poundberry reported her busy as a bee "gettin'things ready." This was encouraging and indicated that the ministerhad been thrown over, as he deserved to be, and that Nat would find hisfiancee waiting and ready to fulfill her contract. "Reg'lar whirligig,that girl," sniffed Didama Rogers. "If she can't have one man she'lltake the next, and then switch back soon's the wind changes. However,most likely she never was engaged to Mr. Ellery, anyhow. He's been outof his head and might have said some fool things that let Dr. Parker andthe rest b'lieve he was in love with her. As for pickin' of him up andtotin' him back to the shanty that night, that wa'n't nothin' but commonhumanity. She couldn't let him die in the middle of the lighthouse lane,could she?"

  Thursday was a perfect day, and the reception committee was on hand andwaiting in front of the Bayport post office. The special carriage, thespan brushed and curried until their coats glistened in the sunshine,was drawn up beside the platform. The horses had little flags fastenedto their bridles, and there were other and larger flags on each sideof the dashboard. Captain Daniels, imposing in his Sunday raiment,high-collared coat, stock, silk hat and gold-headed cane, sat stifflyerect on the seat in the rear. The other carriages were alongside, amongthem Captain Zebedee Mayo's ancient chaise, the white horse sound asleepbetween the shafts. Captain Zeb had not been invited to join the escort,but had joined it without an invitation.

  "I guess likely I'd better be on hand," the captain confided to Dr.Parker. "Maybe I can stop Elkanah from talkin' too much about--well,about what we don't want him to talk about, and besides, I'm just asanxious to give Nat a welcome home as the next feller. He's a brick andwe're all proud of him. By mighty! I'd like to have seen that craft hebuilt out of cocoanuts and churches--I would so."

  Kyan Pepper was there also, not yet fully recovered from the surprisewhich Lavinia's gracious permission had given him. Abishai had beenleaning disconsolately over his front gate early that morning when NoahEllis, the lightkeeper, jogged down the lane.

  "'Mornin', 'Bish," hailed Noah, pulling up his horse. "What's thematter? You look bluer'n
a spiled mack'rel. What's the row? Breakfastdisagree with you?"

  "Naw," replied Kyan shortly. "Where you bound, all rigged up in yourshore duds?"

  "Bound to Bayport, to see Nat Hammond land," was the cheerful