Part 26 (2/2)

”It's very old. It was mother's. I think we must have a new one. And you can learn.”

”Oh, I shall be so glad.”

Mrs. Taft was out in the kitchen. ”Now you all go your ways,” she began.

”'Taint nothing to clear off the supper table.”

They sat out on the front porch. But through the talk Cynthia kept thinking of poor Cousin Elizabeth and feeling sorry she had not enjoyed more of the pleasures of life. Was there so much real virtue in making life hard and cold? But there were some girls in school who were very much afraid of dancing and reading story-books.

Truth to tell, as Chilian listened, he came to experience a queer feeling--he would have scouted the idea of jealousy about Cousin Giles, but that he should have devoted himself so much to her and taken her about, wanted to buy trinkets for her and all that! There was still a week of vacation left. They would go somewhere to-morrow.

He had asked Mrs. Taft to stay with them.

”Well, I can't exactly promise. You see, I like to 'wrastle' with things and fight off the worst. Though I hadn't much hope of 'Lisbeth when the doctor said her spine was hurt. That's a kind of queer hidden thing that even doctors can't see into. And the poor creature suffered a good deal.

My, but she was s.p.u.n.ky and was bound not to die, and I fought for her all I could. But the last few weeks there was a change. She liked Cynthy to come in with the posies and say something bright. And now it's all done and over, and she was a good upright woman in the old-fas.h.i.+oned way. So I'll stay a spell till Miss Eunice gets used to the change, and when I see another good fight somewhere, you mustn't have hard feelings if I go.”

They went out the next morning and found a boat going up to Plum Island.

It was like going to sea to go around Rockport Point. Captain Green declared ”he wan't much on pa.s.sengers, but he had a nice cabin and an awning on the for'ard deck, and there was a woman and some children whose husband living up there had bespoke pa.s.sage.”

It was a fine day with the right sort of wind. Oh, how splendid it was as they went out oceanward. She had been on the water such a very little since her long voyage.

Mrs. Halcom had three children and a baby. She was a plain, commonplace body, who had been living up to North Salem, but her folks were Newburyport people and she should be glad to get in sight and sound of them once again. Chilian had brought a book along, Ben Johnson's Plays, and now and then he met with such a charming line or two he must read it to her. There were some new poets coming to the fore as well, but he knew most of the older ones. Oh, he must get back his youth for her sake. Cousin Giles was ever so much older.

She was interested in the s.h.i.+p as well and talked to Captain Green. He had so many funny nautical terms, provincialisms, that she had to inquire what some of the words meant. For most of the early people of New England had not dropped into the careless modes of speech that were to come later on and be adopted as a sort of patois. They read their Bibles a good deal and the older divines, and if their speech was a little stilted it had a certain correctness. Then Chilian Leverett was rather fastidious in this respect.

The wind filled the sails and they skimmed along merrily. Now the sea was green and so clear you could see the fish disporting themselves.

Then the sun tinted it with gold and threw up diamond, amethyst, and emeralds, taunting one with treasures.

There are new names along the coast, though a few of the old ones remain. They pa.s.sed Gloucester, Thatcher's Island, rounded Rockport, where in the inside harbor they had to unload part of their cargo. Then on to Plum Island, where the rest were set ash.o.r.e and the woman and her children. Some few things were taken on board, but they were to stop at Gloucester, going down for the return cargo.

They walked about a little and bought some ripe, luscious dewberries and fruit.

”How queer it would be to live on an island and have to take your boat when you went anywhere,” and Cynthia laughed gayly.

”People do, farther up. There are a great many islands on the coast of Maine, and fishermen are living on them.”

”And in Boston Harbor Cousin Giles took us out. It's funny that they don't float off. Do they go 'way down to the bottom of the sea?”

”I think they must. Sometimes one does disappear.”

”Suppose you were living on it. And you saw the water coming up all around you and you couldn't get away----”

Her eyes filled with a kind of terror.

”Oh, you would have some boats.”

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