interesting."

Miss Pipkin drew the corner of her apron across the corner of her eyes,
disappointment written deeply in every line and wrinkle of her face.

"There ain't much more to tell. Adoniah went to sea. I got a letter from
him once from Australia. I wrote back saying I'd take back what I'd
said. He answered it, but didn't say nothing about what I said to him.
He spoke of meeting up with some one he knew, saying they was going in
business together. I ain't never told anybody about that, not even
Josiah, and I ain't going to tell you, for I don't think he was square
with Adoniah, but I can't prove it."

The thud of heavy boots on the rear stair checked further comment she
seemed inclined to make, and she dried out the tears that stood in her
eyes with short quick dabs as she hurried to the kitchen.

"Lan' of mercy!" she exclaimed, returning with a smoking waffle-iron. "I
clean forgot these, and they're burned to ashes. Here, don't you drink
that cold coffee, I'll heat it up again," she said, taking the cup.
Leaning closely to his ear, she whispered, "Mind, you ain't to tell a
living soul about what I said, and him above all others."

The minister nodded.

Miss Pipkin entered the kitchen just as the Captain opened the
stair-door. He sniffed the air as he greeted the two with a hearty "Good
morning."

"Purty nigh never woke up. You'd otter have come up and tumbled me out,
Mack."

"Rest well, did you?"

"Just tolerable. Clemmie," he called, "I seem to smell something
burning. There ain't nothing, be there?"

"We was busy talking, and them irons got too hot."

"Talking, be you? Don't 'pear to have agreed with neither of you more
than it did with those irons."

"You didn't pass a mirror on the way down this morning, or you'd not be
crowing so loud, Josiah."

"No, that's a fact I didn't. You see, Eadie busted mine during that
cleaning raid, and I can't afford a new one."

"You must have hit your funny-bone, or something," hinted Miss Pipkin as
she poured a cup of the reheated coffee.

"Now, don't get mad, Clemmie. I was just fooling. Mack understands me
purty well, and he'll tell you that I didn't mean nothing by what I
said."

"Josiah Pott! You're that disrespectful that I've a good mind to scold
you."

"What's up now, Clemmie?"

"The very idea! You calling the minister by his first name."

"I've done it ever since I knowed him, and he wouldn't like me to change
now. Hey, Mr. McGowan?"

"Call