登陆注册
5392600000101

第101章

"There, by godfreys!" he exclaimed."I could see it comin'! That feller's for all the world like a cook I had once aboard the Ezry H.Jones.That cook was the biggest numskull that ever drawed the breath of life.Always forgettin' somethin', he was, and always at the most inconvenient time.Once, if you'll believe it, I had a skipper of another vessel come aboard and, wishin' to be sort of hospitable, as you might say, I offered him a glass of rum.""Joshua!"

"Oh, it's all right, Betsy.This was years ago.I'm as good a teetotaler now as you be, and I never was what you'd call a soak.

But I've SEEN fellers-- Why, I knew one once that used to go to bed in the dark.He was so full of alcohol he didn't dast to light a match fear he'd catch a-fire.Fact! He was eighty-odd then, and he lived to be nigh a hundred.Preserved, you understand, same as one of them specimens in a museum.He'd kept forever, I cal'late, if he hadn't fell off the dock.The water fixed him; he wasn't used to it.He was the wust--""Never mind him.Stick to the cook."

"Yes, yes.Well, I sent that cook for the rum and when he fetched it, I thought it smelt funny.And when I TASTED it--godfreys!

'Twas bay rum; yes, sir, bay rum! same as they put on your hair.

You see, he'd forgot to buy any rum when we was in our last port and, havin' the bay rum along he fetched that.'Twas SOME kind of rum and that was enough for him.I WAS mad, but that visitin'

skipper, he didn't care.Drank it down and smacked his lips.'I'm a State of Maine man,' he says, 'and that's a prohibition state.

This tastes like home,' he says.'If you don't mind I'll help myself to another.' 'I don't mind,' says I, 'but I'm sorry I ain't got any hair-ile.If I had you might have a barber-shop toddy.'

Yes, sir! Ho-ho! that's what I said.But he didn't mind.He was--"And so on.The yarns were not elegant, but, as he told them, they were funny.Mabel Colton laughed as heartily as the rest of us.

She appeared to be in fine spirits.She talked with the Atwoods, answered their questions, and ate the hot "spider bread" and butter as if she had never tasted anything as good.But with me she would not talk.Whenever I addressed a remark to her, she turned it with a laugh and her next speech was pretty certain to be addressed to the lightkeeper or his wife.As for our adventure in the launch, that she treated as a joke.

"Wan't you awful scared when that squall struck so sudden?"inquired Mrs.Atwood.

"Dreadfully."

"Humph!" this from Joshua; "I cal'late Mr.Paine was some scart too.What did you do, Mr.Paine?""I rigged that canvas on the oar as soon as possible," I answered.

"Um-hm.That was good judgment."

"Tell me, Mr.Atwood," asked the young lady innocently, "are all seafaring men very dictatorial under such circumstances?""Very--which?"

"I mean do they order people about and make them do all sorts of things, whether they wish to or not?""Sartin.Godfreys! I never asked nobody what they wished aboard the Ezry H.Jones.""And do they tell them to 'sit down and keep still'?""Gen'rally they tell 'em to get up and keep movin'.If they don't they start 'em pretty lively--with a rope's end.""I see.Even when they are--ladies?"

"Ladies? Godfreys! we never had but one woman aboard the Ezry.

Had the skipper's wife one v'yage, but nobody ever ordered her around any to speak of.She was six feet tall and weighed two hundred.All hands was scart to death of her.""Suppose she had been ordered to 'sit down and keep still'; what do you think would have happened?""Don't know.If 'twas one of the hands I guess likely she'd have hove him overboard.If 'twas the skipper I shouldn't wonder if she'd have knocked him down--after she got over the surprise of his darin' to do such, a thing.She had HIM trained, I tell ye!""Miss Colton thinks me rather a bully, I am afraid," I said."Idid order her about rather roughly."

Mr.Atwood burst into a laugh."That Ezry Jones woman was the skipper's wife," he declared."Makes a lot of diff'rence, that does.I was considerable of a bully myself afore Betsy got me on the parson's books.Now I'm the most peaceable critter ever you see.Your turn's comin', Miss Colton.All you got to do is be patient.""Joshua!" said Mrs.Atwood, in mild reproof."You mustn't mind his talk, Miss Colton.He's a terrible joker."Miss Colton changed the subject.She did not so much as look at me again during the meal and, after it was over, she went to her room, explaining that she was very tired and would try to get a little sleep.

I had discovered that the lighthouse, being close to the mainland, was equipped with a telephone.Now I begged permission to use it.

I called up Denboro and asked to be connected with the Colton home.

I felt very sure that there would be no sleep in the big house that night and I wished to relieve their anxiety and to send word to Mother.Mr.Colton himself answered my call.

I announced my identity and explained where I was and that his daughter was in my care and perfectly safe.

"Thank God!" was the fervent exclamation at the other end of the wire, and the voice which uttered it was shaking with emotion.

"Stay where you are a moment, Paine.Let me tell my wife.She is almost crazy.Hold the wire."I held the wire and waited.The next voice which reached my ears was Mrs.Colton's.She asked a dozen questions, one after the other.Was Mabel safe? Was I sure she was safe? Wasn't the poor child almost dead after all she'd been through? What had happened?

What was she doing away over there in that dreadful place? Why had I taken her there?

I answered as well as I could, telling briefly of the collision in the fog and what followed.The explanation appeared to be rather unsatisfactory.

同类推荐
  • 路傍草

    路傍草

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 尔雅

    尔雅

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • God the Known and God the Unknown

    God the Known and God the Unknown

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 聊斋志异

    聊斋志异

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 奉和圣制送张说上集

    奉和圣制送张说上集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 凤还巢:盛后归来

    凤还巢:盛后归来

    昏暗的地宫,阴潮的湿气扑面而来,冰冷的墙体将其中的一切禁锢,无尽的黑暗恐惧涌向角落里残破的身影。“公主,您的囚期已满,请吧………”地宫内阴暗冷寂,地宫外艳阳明媚。妖术被封印,在这弱肉强食的妖界便是死路。 一位是冷血战王,另一位是她身后的操纵者,他们一个教会她恨,一个教会她狠。要生存,便要竞争,权位相争,便是你死我活。 当她的真实身份被揭穿,妖界已无她的容身之地,一朝叛变,她带领百万傀儡军团霸气归来。原来,从她进入皇城开始——这一切的一切, 都是一场精心筹划的阴谋……(妖界)
  • 函谷关

    函谷关

    函谷关是我国历史上建置最早的雄关要塞之一,因其建于谷中,深险如函,故称函谷关。这里曾是战马嘶鸣的古战场,素有“一夫当关,万夫莫开”之称;这里是古代西去长安、东达洛阳的通衢咽喉,同时也是中原文化和秦晋文化的交汇地;这里流传着许多脍炙人口的历史典故,“紫气东来”“鸡鸣狗盗”“公孙白马”“一丸泥”等等,使这里弥漫着神奇的色彩。常米乐编著的《函谷关》生动介绍了函谷关的军事文化、老子文化、民间文化与人文文化、函谷关的历史典故、函谷关的名胜古迹与出土文物等内容。
  • 乌鸦

    乌鸦

    夏日晴朗的夜空,当你抬头仰望星空时,是否思考过,宇宙中除了人类还有其它智慧型生物?地球从形成至今,这漫长的岁月中,外星生物就真的没来过地球吗?或许它们早就来了吧,生活在人类社会中,就在你我之间,又或者对地球而言,人类就是一个外星生物。我叫星月,在我身上发生了一些事,它让我了解到宇宙中不仅仅只有人类。我的世界观发生了翻天覆地的变化,我知道神话人物并不是古代虚构的,他们是古代人对外星生物的称呼。
  • 穿越丑女当道:颜倾天下

    穿越丑女当道:颜倾天下

    她带个面具也能穿越?走到哪里灾难就到哪里?她不信!她入朝为官,令众人折腰!她倾城入宫,代为凤舞九天!她远行边境,危机重重!一双血手,终究无奈!一世恩仇,永消她手!师傅的阴谋,宰相的阴谋,朋友的背叛,心爱人的离去,使她不惜堕入魔道,成为闻风丧胆的绝色魔女,率领天下群鹰再次掀起血雨腥风。他为了她,分出半颗内丹,只求她活!她为了他,喝下忘情水,只求他生!
  • 这就是台湾,这才是台湾

    这就是台湾,这才是台湾

    经常有大陆的朋友跟我分享他们去台湾的旅行,我突然发现他们并没有看到真实的台湾。我去书店买了大量的台湾旅行书,结果也是如此。于是,我决定从一个土生土长的台湾人的角度写一本与台湾有关的书。26万字,19个地方,从台北到澎湖,从城市到小镇,从热门景点到夜市、码头、老街、环岛公路、庙宇、高山族区、铁道,从台湾小吃到太平洋的风,从台湾的人到台湾的民俗,从台湾人的真实生活到台湾的小故事,从街上随处可见的现象到台湾的历史,我花了三年时间写出了我从小认识以及热爱的台湾。
  • The Movie Version
  • 总裁的神秘情人

    总裁的神秘情人

    五光十色的城市充斥着形形色色的人,夜色太朦胧,而这个奢靡的酒吧聚集着这个城市各个阶层的人们。吧台前站着的女人吸引了很多人的注意,她年轻、性感,黑色的高跟映衬着婀娜的身姿,酒红色的头发,朦胧的灯光映照下异常妖艳美丽。一个本性纯良的女子意外在酒吧结识了总裁大人,糊里糊涂的就被带上了床,本准备当做一夜情算了,却被迫成了这个总裁背后的秘密情人。可是不是说是秘密情人么?这样的行为是要公开的节奏么?不要,我的男神可不是你!!
  • 凤皇归来

    凤皇归来

    尹颜是尹家百年一遇的废柴,天生无法修炼玄力,在姨娘和庶女的阴谋之下被送入宫中,成为太监的玩物。历劫重生,她仍旧是尹家的大小姐,却已不是废柴。本该翱翔于天际的凤凰为何陨落至此,便是她一直找寻的真相……
  • 博物汇编神异典释教部纪事

    博物汇编神异典释教部纪事

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 飓风战魂枫冰之恋

    飓风战魂枫冰之恋

    这是一篇飓风战魂的枫冰恋文请大家多多支持我并不是作者只是想和大家分享一下,不喜勿喷