ago, those elms
were."

"Spray from the breakers flew clear over the top of the bank here," said
Zach. "That's some h'ist for spray, hundred and odd feet. I wan't here
to see it, myself, but Cap'n Jeth told me."

"You were in a more comfortable place, I hope," observed Galusha.

"Um--we-ell, that's accordin' to what you call comf'table. I was aboard
the Hog's Back lightship, that's where I was."

"Dear, dear! Is it possible?"

"Um-hm. Possible enough that I was there, and one spell it looked
impossible that I'd ever be anywheres else. Godfreys, what a night that
was! Whew! Godfreys domino!"

Primmie, who had also come in from the kitchen, was listening,
open-mouthed.

"I bet you that lightship pitched up and down somethin' terrible, didn't
it, Zach?" she asked.

Zacheus looked at her solemnly. "Pitched?" he repeated, after a moment's
contemplation. "No, no, she didn't pitch none."

"Didn't? Didn't pitch up and down in such a gale's that? And with waves
a hundred foot high? What kind of talk's that, Zach Bloomer! How could
that lightship help pitchin', I'd like to know?"

Mr. Bloomer adjusted the tin cover on the can in which Martha had put
the coffee, then he put the can in the pocket of his slicker.

"We-ll, I tell you, Primmie," he drawled. "You see, we had pretty
toler'ble long anchor chains on that craft and when the captain see how
'twas blowin' he let them chains out full length. The wind blowed so
strong it lifted the lightship right out of the water up to the ends of
them chains and kept her there. Course there was a dreadful sea runnin'
underneath us, but we never felt it a mite; that gale was holdin' us up
twenty foot clear of it!"

"Zacheus Bloomer, do you mean to say--"

"Um-hm. Twenty foot in the air we was all that night and part of next
day. When it slacked off and we settled down again we was leakin' like a
sieve; you see, while we was up there that no'thwester had blowed 'most
all the copper off the vessel's bottom. Some storm that was, Posy,
some storm.... Well, so long, all hands. Much obliged for the coffee,
Martha."

He tugged his sou'wester tighter on his head, glanced at Miss Cash's
face, where incredulity and indignation were written large and
struggling for expression, turned his head in Mr. Bangs' direction,
winked solemnly, and departed. The wind obligingly and enthusiastically
saved him the trouble of closing the door.

Galusha was not called upon to endure any such experi