Part 22 (1/2)

”I am glad you wasn't. But when I saw how she stood up to them, and then when her mother----”

”Yes. Um ... yes, I know. Isaac Berry was my friend and his daughter is a fine girl. We'll remember that when we talk about the family, Kendrick.... Whew! Well, I feel better. With you and Elizabeth to handle matters over there, Lobelia's trust will be in good hands. Now I can go to the cemetery in comfort.”

He chuckled as if the prospect was humorous. Captain Sears spoke quickly and without considering exactly how the words sounded.

”Indeed you can't,” he protested. ”Judge Knowles, I'm goin' to need you about every minute of every day from now on.”

”Nonsense! You won't need me but a little while, fortunately. And--for that little while, probably--I shall be here and at your disposal. Come in whenever you want to talk matters over. If the doctor or that d.a.m.ned housekeeper try to stop you, hit 'em over the head. Much obliged to you, Cap'n Kendrick. He, he! We'll give friend Egbert a shock when he comes to town.... Oh, he'll come. Some of these days he'll come. Be ready for him, Kendrick, be ready for him.”

That evening the captain told Judah of his new position and Judah's reception of the news was not encouraging. Somehow Sears felt that, with the voice of Judah Cahoon was, in this case, speaking the opinion of Bayport.

Judah had been scrubbing the frying-pan. He dropped it in the sink with a tremendous clatter.

”_No!_” he shouted. ”You're jokin', ain't you, Cap'n Sears?”

”It's no joke, Judah.”

”My creepin' Henry! You can't mean it. You ain't really, honest to G.o.dfreys, cal'latin' to pilot that--that Fair Harbor craft, be you?”

”I am, Judah. Wish me luck.”

”Wish you _luck_! Jumpin', creepin', crawlin', hoppin'---- Why, there ain't no luck _in_ it. That ain't no man's job, Cap'n Sears. That's a woman's job, and even a woman'd have her hands full. Why, Cap'n, they'll--that crew of--of old hens in there they'll pick your eyes out.”

”Oh, I guess not, Judah. I've handled crews before.”

”Yes--yes, you have--men crews aboard s.h.i.+p. But this ain't no men crew, this is a woman crew. You can't lam _this_ crew over the head with no handspike. When one of those fo'mast hands gives you back talk you can't knock _her_ into the scuppers. All you can do is just stand and take it and wait for your chance to say somethin'. And you won't _git_ no chance. What chance'll you have along with Elviry Snowden and Desire Peasley and them? Talk! Why, jumpin' Henry, Cap'n Sears, any one of them Shanghais in there can talk more in a minute than the average man could in a hour. Any one of 'em! Take that Susanna Brackett now. Oh, I've heard about _her_! She had a half-brother one time. Where is he now? Ah ha! Where is he? n.o.body knows, that's where he is. Him and her used to live together. Folks that lived next door used to hear her tongue a-goin' at him all hours day or night. Wan't no 'watch and watch' in that house--no sir-ee! She stood _all_ the watches. She----”

”There, there, Judah. I guess I can stand the talk. If it gets too bad I'll put cotton in my ears.”

”Huh! Cotton! Cotton won't do no good. Have to solder your ears up like--like a leaky tea-kittle, if you wanted to keep from hearin'

Susanna Brackett's clack. Why, that brother of hers--Ebenezer Samuels, seems to me his name was. Seems to me they told me that Susanna's name was Samuels afore she married Brackett. Maybe twan't Samuels. Seems to me, now I think of it, as if 'twas Schwartz. Yet it don't hardly seem as if it could be, does it? I guess likely I'm gettin' him mixed with a feller name of Samuel Schwartz that I knew on South Street in New York one time. Run a p.a.w.n shop, he did. I remember _that_ Schwartz 'cause he used to _take_ stuff, you know--er--er--same as a Chinaman. One of them oak.u.m eaters, that s what he was--an oak.u.m eater. Why one time he----”

Sears never did learn what happened to Mrs. Brackett's brother. Judah's reminiscent fancy, once started, wandered far and wide, and in this case it forgot entirely to return to the missing Samuels--or Schwartz. But Mr. Cahoon expressed himself freely on the subject of his beloved ex-captain and present lodger taking charge of the establishment next door. Sears' explanations and excuses bore little weight. Time and time again that evening Mr. Cahoon would come out of a dismal reverie to exclaim: ”Skipper of the Fair Harbor for Mariners' Women! You! Cap'n Sears Kendrick, skipper of _that_ craft! Don't seem possible, somehow, does it?”

”Look here Judah,” the captain at last said, in desperation, ”if you feel so almighty bad about it, perhaps you won't want me here. I can move, you know.”

Judah turned a horrified face in his direction. ”Move!” he repeated ”_Don't_ talk so, Cap'n Sears. That's the one comfort I see in the whole business. Livin' right next door to 'em the way you and me do, you can always run into port here if the weather gets too squally over yonder.

Yes, sir there'll always be a snug harbor under my lee when the Fair Harbor's too rugged. Eh? Ha, ha!”

Just before retiring Sears said, ”There's just one thing I want you to do, Judah. You may feel--as I know you do feel--that my takin' this job is a foolish thing. But don't you let any one else know you feel that way.”

Judah snorted. ”Don't you worry, Cap'n Sears,” he said. ”If any one of them sea lawyers down to Ba.s.sett's store gets to heavin' sa.s.s at me about your takin' the h.e.l.lum at the Harbor I'll shut their hatches for 'em. I'll tell 'em the old judge and Lobelia was ondecided between you and Gen'ral Grant for the job, but finally they picked you. Don't mistake me now, Cap'n. Your goin' over there is the best thing for the--the henroost that ever was or ever will be. It's you I'm thinkin'

about. It ain't--well, by the crawlin' prophets, 'tain't the kind of berth you've been used to. Now is it, Cap'n Sears?”

Kendrick smiled, a one-sided smile.

”Maybe not, Judah,” he admitted. ”It is a queer berth, but it's a berth, and, unless these legs of mine get well a lot quicker than I think they will, I may be mighty thankful to have any berth at all.”

He told his sister this when she called to learn if the rumor she had heard was true. She shook her head.

”Perhaps it is all right, Sears,” she said. ”I suppose you know best.