Part 31 (1/2)

Had I only known, how I could have defended , self-possessed, wit-battling, and, despite it all, extre lady!

They left alow Soon they reappeared with large sun-hats on their heads, for the sun was beautifully bright and exceedingly warot into the rowing boat, whileinto it with a ility In a few moments, they were out on the Bay

Miss Grant,--as I remembered her name was,--handled the oars like an Oxford stroke and with that a practice, whichthe finished article in operation, iine that he can do it as well hi on his head at that

For an hour, I worked in the store righting the wrongs that were visible everywhere, vowing to raceful condition; not even if the three Caether and insist on ih noon, I went over to Jake's shack and found hi his usual clammy concoction

I broached the subject of the piano to hi it in such a way that I left him open to refuse to do the job if he felt so inclined

He did not speak for ahard

”Well,--I'll be gol-darned,” he said at last ”They'll be transporting skating rinks and picture shows up here next It'll be me for the tall timbers then, you bet”

A little later, he went on,

”Guess, George,--we got to do it, though Young ladies is young ladies these days, and we ht at the start, for we got to do it in the finish”

I agreed

As ere in a hurry, I helped Jake to eat his clam chowder We went down to the beach to review the situation and inspect the apparatus we had to ith

I told Jake the piano would probably weigh about five hundred pounds and that ould require to bolster up the raft sufficiently to carry some three hundred pounds more in order to be safe

As it stood, the raft was capable of carrying some four hundred pounds, so we had just to double its capacity

Jake knew his business He rowed along the beach, and picked out short logs to suit his needs He lashed theh to carry the good shi+p _Siwash_ herself across the Bay to the shore

We put off with a rowing boat fore and aft, long before the _Siwash_ whistle announced her co

Had the sea been otherwise than calm as a duck pond, ould have experienced all kinds of trouble, for our raft was nothingpier

When the steamer ran into the Bay, I noticed Miss Grant put out alone and roard us

”Jake,” I exclai lady interferes with the e handle this job, by as ht for the shore and leave the piano to sink or swiht, but they ain't any good movin' pianners off'n steaood neither, so far, George,” he added with a grin

The _Siwash_ came to a standstill and we threw our ropes aboard and were soonthere went like clockwork The piano was on the lower deck and slings were already round it, so that all that was necessary to do was to get the stea, hoist the instrument overboard and lower it on to the raft The piano was set on a low truck with runners, contrived for the purpose of ed that this truck be left with us and I would see to its return on the steamer's south-bound journey

Our chiefest fear was that the piano ht prove untrue, the whole business would topple over and the piano would be dispensing nautical airs to the mermaids at the bottom of Golden Crescent Bay

Jake's work stood the test valiantly, and, with the hooks and rings he had fixed into the logs at convenient distances, we lashed the instru short of a hurricane or a collision could possibly have dislodged it