all it, at
the General Minot place. You see, young Ogden was the General's grandson
and he'd had the property left him. And 'twas part of the sailin'
orders--in the old General's will, you understand--that it couldn't be
sold, but must always be took care of and kept up. Ogden could rent it
out but he couldn't sell it; that was the pickle _he_ was in.
Understand, don't you, Cap'n Sears?"

Kendrick nodded. "Why--yes, I guess likely I do," he said. "But this
Minot boy could live in it himself, couldn't he? Why doesn't he do that?
As I remember it, it was considerable of a house. I should think he
would come here himself and live."

Judah nodded. "You would think so, wouldn't you?" he agreed. "But _he_
don't think so, and what's a mighty sight more account, his wife don't
think so. She's one of them kind of women that--that--well, when she
gets to heaven--course I ain't layin' no bets on her gettin' there, but
_if_ she does--the fust thing she'll do after she fetches port is to
find out which one of them golden streets has got the highest-toned gang
livin' on it and then start in tryin' to tie up to the wharf there
herself. _She_ wouldn't live in no Bayport. No sir--ee! She's got winter
moorin's up in one of them streets back of the Common, and summer times
she's down to a place called--er--er--Nahum--Nehimiah--No--jumpin'
prophets! What's the name of that place out on the rocks abaft Lynn?"

"Nahant?" suggested his companion.

"That's it. She and him is to Nahant summers. And what for _I_ don't
know, when right here in Bayport is a great, big, fine house and land
around it and--and flower tubs in the front yard and--and marble top
tables--and--and haircloth chairs and sofys, and--and a Rogers' statoo
in the parlor and--and.... Why, say, Cap'n Sears, you ought to _see_
that house and the things in it. They've spent money on that house same
as if a five dollar bill wan't nawthin'. Wasted it, I call it. The
second day I was there I wanted to brush off some dust that was on the
chair seats and I was huntin' round from bow to stern lookin' for one of
them little brush brooms, you know, same as you brush clothes with.
Well, sir, I'd about give up lookin' when I happened to look on the wall
of the settin'-room and there was one hangin' up. And, say, Cap'n Sears,
I wisht you could have seen it! 'Twas triced up in a--a kind of becket,
as you might say, made out of velvet--yes, sir, by creepin', velvet! And
the velvet had posie