t being.

The incident of the wrecked sea chest held her attention in only a
secondary degree. All through supper she was listening for Betty
Gallup's heavy step. She knew she could not sleep that night without
knowing how Lawford was.

For the very reason that she felt so deeply regarding it, she shrank
from talking with Cap'n Amazon of the accident that had happened to
Lawford. She was glad the substitute storekeeper had "gone for'ard"
again to attend to customers when Betty came clumping up the back steps.

"He's all right, Miss Lou," said the kindly woman, patting the girl's
hand. "I waited to see Doc Ambrose when he come back from the P'int.
He says there ain't a thing the matter with him that vinegar an' brown
paper won't cure.

"But land sakes! Miss Lou, ain't this an awful thing 'bout your Uncle
Abe's chest? That old pirate knows more'n he'd ought to 'bout what's
come o' Cap'n Abe, even if they ain't brought it home to him yit."

"Now, Betty, I wish you wouldn't," begged the girl. "Why should you
give currency to such foolish gossip?"

"What foolish gossip?" snapped the woman.

"Why, about my Uncle Amazon."

"How d'ye _know_ he's your uncle at all?" demanded Betty. "You never
seen him before he come here. You never knowed nothin' 'bout him, so
you said, 'fore you come here to Cardhaven."

"But, Betty----"

"Ain't no 'buts' about it!" fiercely declared the "able seaman."
"Cap'n Abe's gone--disappeared. We don't know what's become of him.
Course, Huldy Baker was a silly to think Cap'n Abe had been murdered
and cut up like shark bait and shipped away in that old chest."

"Oh!"

"Yes. 'Cause Perry seen Cap'n Abe himself that night when he took the
chest away. That was ridic'lous. But then, Huldy Baker ain't got
right good sense, nor never had.

"But it stands to reason Cap'n Abe had no intent of shipping aboard any
craft with sich dunnage in his chest as they say was in it."

"No-o. I suppose that is so," admitted Louise.

"Then, what's become of the poor man?" Betty ejaculated.

"Why, nobody seems to know. Not even Uncle Amazon."

"Have you axed him?" demanded the other bluntly.

"No. I haven't done that."

"Humph!" was the rejoinder. "You're just as much afeared on him as the
rest on us. You take it from me, Miss Lou, he's been a hard man on his
own quarter-deck. He ain't no more like Cap'n Abe than buttermilk's
like tartaric acid.

"Cap'n Abe warn't no seafarin' man,"