gely.
Several of the young people from the cottages along The Beaches called
on Louise; but if the girl desired to see Aunt Euphemia she had to go
to the Perritons, or meet the Lady from Poughkeepsie in her walks along
the sands. Aunt Euphemia could not countenance Cap'n Amazon in the
smallest particular.

"It is a mystery to me, Louise--a perfect mystery--how you are able to
endure that awful creature and his coarse stories. That dreadful tale
of the albatross sticks in my mind--I cannot forget it," she
complained. "And his appearance! No more savage looking man did I
ever behold. I wonder you are not afraid to live in the same house
with him."

Louise would not acknowledge that she had ever been fearful of Cap'n
Amazon. Her own qualms of terror had almost immediately subsided. The
news from the _Curlew_, indeed, seemed to have smothered the
neighborhood criticism of the captain, if all suspicions had not
actually been lulled to rest.

Cap'n Amazon spoke no more of his brother, save in connection with
Professor Grayling's peril, than he had before. He seemed to have no
fears for Cap'n Abe. "Abe can look out for himself," was a frequent
expression with him. But Cap'n Amazon never spoke as though he held
the danger of Louise's father in light regard.

"I'll give 'em a fortnight to be heard from," Cap'n Joab Beecher said
confidently. "Then if ye don't hear from Cap'n Abe, or the noospapers
don't print nothin' more about the schooner, I shall write her down in
the log as lost with all hands."

"Don't you be too sartain sure 'bout it," growled Cap'n Amazon.
"There's many a wonder of the sea, as you an' I know, Joab Beecher.
Look at what happened the crew of the _Mailfast_, clipper built, out o'
Baltimore--an' that was when you an' I, Cap'n Joab, was sharpenin' our
milk teeth on salt hoss."

"What happened her, Cap'n Am'zon?" queried Milt Baker, reaching for a
fresh piece of Brown Mule, and with a wink at the other idlers. "Did
she go down, or did she go up?"

"Both," replied Cap'n Amazon unruffled. "She went up in smoke _an'_
flame, an' finally sunk when she'd burned to the Plimsol mark.

"Every man of the crew and afterguard got safely into two boats. This
wasn't far to the westward of Fayal--in mebbe somewhere near the same
spot where that Portugee fisherman reports pickin' up the _Curlew's_
boat.

"When the _Mailfast_ burned the sea was calm; but in six hours a sudden
gale came up and drove the