Keziah Coffin
Page 53
answer."I ain't had a day off I don't know when, and I thought I'd take one. Begreat doin's over there, they tell me. Elkanah's goin' to make a speechand there's eighteen teams of folks goin'."
"I know it. I wisht I was goin', too, but I never have no fun. Haveto stay to home and work and slave over them consarned tax papers.Sometimes I wish there wa'n't no taxes."
"Humph! I've wished that, myself, more'n once. Why don't you go, if youwant to? Climb right aboard here with me. Plenty of room."
"Hey? You mean that? By godfreys mighty! I'd like to."
"Sartin, I mean it. Come ahead."
Mr. Pepper sadly shook his head. "I guess likely I'd better not," hesighed. "Laviny might not like to have me leave her."
"Oh, fiddlesticks! she won't mind. I'll take care of you. It's perfectlysafe. There ain't goin' to be no women around. Haw! haw! haw!"
He was still laughing at his own joke when through the slats of theclosed blinds shading the Pepper house parlor a shrill voice was heardspeaking.
"Go ahead, 'Bishy dear," called Lavinia. "Go ahead and go. A change ofair'll do you good."
Kyan whirled and clutched at the gate.
"HEY?" he shouted in amazement.
"Are you deef? Or is Mr. Ellis laughin' so hard that you can't hear?What is it that's so funny, Mr. Ellis?"
The light-keeper shut off his laughter by a sudden and rather frightenedgulp.
"Oh, nothin', nothin', Miss Pepper. Nice day, ain't it?"
"I guess so. I ain't had time to look at it yet. I have to work. I can'tlet my wife do it for me, like some folks, and take 'days off.' What wasit you was laughin' at, Mr. Ellis?"
"Nothin', nothin' at all."
"Hum! They used to tell me there was only one kind of person who laughedat nothin'. Well, 'Bish Pepper, what are you standin' there for? Ifyou're goin', come right into the house and change your clothes thisminute."
Kyan obeyed. Shortly he reappeared, clothed like a lily of the field,one that had long since gone to seed. He clambered up beside Noah andthey drove off.
"Jerushy!" exclaimed the lightkeeper. "This is kind of unexpected, ain'tit? What's got into her to make her so accommodatin'?"
"Godfreys mighty!" was the dazed reply, "I don't know. This as fast asyou can drive? Hurry up, afore she changes her mind."
So it happened that Mr. Pepper was in Bayport with the rest, awaitingthe stage which was bringing Trumet's latest celebrity from Sandwich.
"Here she comes!" shouted Ezra Simmons, the postmaster. "Right on time,too."
Sure enough! A cloud of dust in the distance, rising on the springwind, and the rattle of rapidly turning wheels. The reception committeeprepared for action. Captain Elkanah descended from the carriage andmoved in stately dignity to the front of the post-office platform.
"Hum--ha!" he barked, turning to his followers. "Be ready now. Give hima good cheer, when I say the word. Let it be hearty--hearty, yes."
The stage, its four horses at a trot, swung up to the platform.
"Whoa!" roared the driver.
"Now!" ordered Elkanah. "One--two--Hurrah!"
"Hurrah!" shouted the committee, its uninvited guests and theaccompanying crowd of Bayport men and boys which had gathered to assistin the welcome. "Hurrah!"
"Hooray!" yelled Kyan, a little behind, as usual.
A passenger or two peered from the coach window. The stage driverironically touched his cap.
"Thank ye," he said. "Thank ye very much. I've been hopin' for thisfor a long time, though I'd about given up expectin' it. I'm very muchobliged. Won't somebody please ask me to make a speech?"
Captain Elkanah frowned his disapproval.
"We are cheering Cap'n Nathaniel Hammond of Trumet," he explainedhaughtily. "We are here to meet him and escort him home."
The driver sighed. "You don't say," he said. "And I thought my meritshad been recognized at last. And 'twas all for Cap'n Hammond? Dear!dear!"
He winked at Simmons, who wanted to laugh, but did not dare.
"Come! come!" said Captain Elkanah. "Where is he? Where's Cap'nHammond?"
"Well, now, I'll tell ye; I don't know where he is."
"You DON'T? Isn't he with you?"
"No, he ain't. And he didn't come on the train, nuther. He WAS on it.The conductor told me he see him and set along with him between stationsas fur as Cohasset Narrows. But after that he never see hide nor hair ofhim. Oh, that's so! Here's the mail bag, Ezry."
Captain Elkanah looked at the reception committee and it looked at him.Here was a most disconcerting setback for all the plans. The committee,after asking more, and fruitless questions, went into executive session.
Captain Zeb stepped beside the stage and put one foot on the wheel.
"Say, Thad," he whispered, "is that all you know? Where did he go to?"
"Can't tell you, cap'n. The conductor says he see him afore they got toCohasset Narrows and not after. Naturally, we s'pose he got off there.Pretty good joke on old Daniels, I call it. Serve him right, figgerin'to take a passenger away from me. He, he!"
"But you do know more, now don't you? Tell a feller--come! I don't likeElkanah any better'n you do."
"Well," the driver's voice dropped still lower. "Well," he whispered,"I did hear this much, though don't you tell none of them: A chap I knowwas on the train and he said he see Cap'n Nat get off the cars at theCohasset Narrows depot and there was a woman with him."
"A woman? A WOMAN? What woman?"
"Blessed if I know! And he didn't nuther. So long! Git dap!"
The reception committee and its escort drove slowly back to Trumet. TheDaniels following was disgusted and disappointed. Captain Elkanah hadfigured upon keeping Hammond under his own wing until he was safelydeposited at the old tavern. Grace was there and Elkanah meant thatthese two should meet before any inkling of Ellery's story reached Nat'sears. Incidentally, he could drop a few damaging hints concerning theminister's character. To hurt Ellery all he could and prejudice Hammondagainst him--that was the plan, and now it was frustrated. The captainhad not put in an appearance and no one knew where he was or when hewould come home. Obviously, there was nothing to do except give up thereception and await further news from the missing man.
Some of those present wished to remain in Bayport until night. Anothertrain was due in Sandwich and, possibly, Nat might come on that. Theycould telegraph and find out whether or not he did come, and if he did,could send a carriage for him. But this suggestion was overruled. Thereception was off.
The homeward journey had some unpleasant incidents. Several Come-Outershad driven over. Nat belonged to them, so they felt--he was the son oftheir dead founder and leader--and they determined the Regulars shouldnot have him all to themselves. They had come to bid him welcome onbehalf of the worshipers at the chapel. Now they took advantage of thegeneral disappointment to make sarcastic and would-be-humorous remarksloud enough for the majestic occupant of the decorated carriage to hear.
"Seems to me," said Thoph Black, "that them flags ought to be ha'f mast.That craft's in distress."
"S-sh-h!" counciled his companion, another Come-Outer. "Don't beirreverent. Look who's cruisin' under 'em. That's the King of Trumet.Let's you and me go ahead and fire salutes, Thoph."
Captain Elkanah wrathfully ordered the flags to be removed from thehorses' heads and from the dashboard.
As Noah Ellis and his passenger turned into the lighthouse lane anothervehicle turned out of it.
"Who was that?" queried Kyan. "Looked like one of the livery stablehorses to me."
"'Twa'n't. 'Twas Thankful Payne's and that was her carriage, too. It'sgettin' so dark I couldn't see who was drivin' it, but 'twas a man,anyhow."
Kyan seemed to be pondering. "I wonder," he said slowly, "I wonder ifthat cousin of hers from Sandwich is here visitin'. That Caleb Pratt,seems to me his name is."
"Don't know. Why?"
"Nothin', nothin'. I just wondered, that was all. That might explain whyshe let me--"
"Hey?"
; "Nothin'. Good night, Noah. I'm much obliged to you for takin' me over,even if there wa'n't no reception."
Trumet spent that evening wondering what had become of Nat