ptain. Judah grinned.

"Wa--ll," he drawled, "she said, 'Perhaps not--altogether.' 'Twan't
much, but it was enough of the kind, as the feller said about the
tobacco in the coffee pot. Oh, say, that reminds me, Cap'n Sears; there
was somebody else talkin' about you. I--whoa, you camel, you! Creepin',
crawlin', jumpin'---- Well, go ahead, then! I'll tell you the rest in
half a shake, Cap'n. Git dap!"

Horse, cart and driver jogged and jolted into the barn. After a brief
interval Mr. Cahoon reappeared, carrying the clam bucket. They entered
the kitchen together. Then the captain said:

"Judah, you said some one beside Sarah was talkin' about me. Who was
it?"

"Hey? Oh, 'twas Emeline Tidditt, her that's keepin' house for Judge
Knowles. She says the old judge is gettin' pretty feeble. Don't cal'late
he'll last out much longer, Emeline don't. Says it's nothin' but just
grit and hang-on that keeps him alive. He's a spunky old critter, Judge
Knowles is, 'cordin' to folks's tell. Course I don't know him same as
some, but I cal'late he's a good deal on the general build and lines of
a man name of George Dingo that I run afoul of one time to a place
called Semurny--over acrost. You know Semurny, don't ye, Cap'n? One of
them Med'terranean port 'tis."

"Smyrna, do you mean?"

"Um-hm. That's it, Semurny. I was there aboard the _William Holcomb_,
out of Philadelphy. We was loadin' with figs and truck like that. You
remember the old _Holcomb_, don't you, Cap'n Sears? Sartin sure you do.
Horncastle and Grant of Philadelphy they owned her. Old Horncastle was a
queer man as ever I see. Had a cork leg. Got the real one shot off in
the Mexican war or run over by a horse car, some said one and some said
t'other. Anyhow he had a cork one spliced on in place of it, and--ho,
ho! 'twas as funny a sight as ever I see--one time he fell off the wharf
there in Philadelphy. Yes, sir, fell right into the dock, he did. And
when they scrabbled down the ladder to haul him in there wasn't nothin'
in sight but that cork leg, stickin' up out of water. The rest of him
had gone under, but that cork leg hadn't--no, sire-ee! Haw, haw!
Well ... er ... er.... What did I start to talk about, Cap'n Sears?"

"I don't know, Judah. It was a good while ago. You began by sayin' that
you met Judge Knowles's housekeeper."

"Hey? Why, sure and sartin!" Mr. Cahoon slapped his leg. "Sartin sure,
Cap'n Sears, that was it. And I said she and me got to talkin' about
y