minor strains better cease
fiddling. Do you want me to break this, or throw it into the fire when
I get home, Gurdon? Then take her, lad! She 's a fine one, finer than
yours. Take her in all good faith. Come!"

Gurdon reached out his hand, hesitating, voiceless pity in his honest
eyes.

Notely sat and listened to the others; applauded in the old way. "You
are beyond my teaching, lads," he said--and they played exquisitely.
"You excel your master now. Well, well, my mellow old fiddle is better
here with you." But he would never once look at Vesty, so pale and
beseeching.

As he passed out Vesty started impulsively, then looked at her husband.

"Go and speak to him, Vesty," said Gurdon. "Maybe he wanted to speak
with you a moment."

Vesty stepped out into the dark, and she called, almost in a breathless
voice: "Notely!"

"Ah!" He came back.

She held out her hands to him. "Forgive me, Notely! I meant it for
your--I meant----"

He took her hands firmly in his and pressed his lips down to hers. "My
wife!" he said, slowly and solemnly; "my wife!" and dropped her hands
and left her.

She stepped back through the doorway, sobbing.

"Was he angry with you, Vesty?" her husband said.

"No! no!"

"Did he say as he was still fond of you, or anything like that?" said
the bold brother Fluke.

"Nay! nay!" said Gurdon. "Vesty's married now: nor Vesty nor he would
ever have word like that."

IX

THE TALE OF CAPTAIN LEEZUR'S SLY COURTSHIP

It has not been a seven months, surely, since I heard the roar of those
waters down in the Basin's Greater Bay!

Captain Leezur has not been housed through icy snow-fall and winter
blast!--nay, he has been ever there, as when I left him sitting on the
log, beaming, tranquil heir of eternity.

"Ilein' my saw, ye see," said he, springing up and grasping my hand;
"ef I remembers right, I was settin' here ilein' my saw, when ye come
and bid me good-by?"

"You were."

"And here I be, right in the same place, ilein' of 'er ag'in!" he
cried, struck with joyful surprise at such a phenomena of coincidence.
"Set deown! why, sartin ye must! I carn't let ye go."

Oh, the taste, sweeter than ancient wine, of that nervine lozenge once
more! The time was weary while I was away. Now that I am back again,
it seems as nothing.

"Some neow 's all'as runnin' their saw right through everythin', no
marter heow hard she wrarstles and complains ag'in' it. But when mine