Old Goodwin saw us coming from afar, Eve and me and our daughter, and he
ambled down to meet us. He gave me his old slow smile of peace.
"You see," I said, holding up my boots and my clam hoe, "I'm getting
flustered. I didn't know I had them. I should have left them at the
shore."
"I see," he said. "Let me take them, Adam. You will need these. But
perhaps you had better take them with you. You might forget again."
"I'll hang them on my watch chain. But Tidda ran away again."
"I know," he said. Tidda had run to him, and was clinging to his hand.
He stooped and swung her up to his shoulder. She has got to be a heavy
load for a man's shoulder, and he an old man. But Old Goodwin did not
look like an old man. "I wish Pukkie were here," he said, "to balance."
"We wish he were--to balance. It is less than two months now, and he
will be."
"Put her down, father," said Eve. "She is heavy."
"I like her up here," he said, "where she is near. I'll put her down if
she gets too heavy."
And he led the way to the house, and up the steps, and through various
sections of piazza, each with its tables and chairs and cushions, to
that ample section on the water side, with its telescope and its view of
the bay. There, before us, were the ocean steamer of Old Goodwin and
the new arrival, as yet unknown to me; and beside us was Mrs. Goodwin,
and as I turned to greet her I saw a girl sitting beside her, but a
little withdrawn and in the deeper shadows. In the glance I gave, I saw
only that she was of pleasing countenance, and quiet eye that seemed to
take in all that passed, and mouth with little curves of humor about the
corners, and she had hair of the colors of Eve's great beaver muff.
There are beautiful colors in that beaver muff. Introductions followed.
I missed her name, as I always miss new names; and before the
introductions were well over, there trooped in Jimmy Wales, and Bobby
Leverett, and a young fellow whom I did not know, all in uniform of one
sort or another, and Tom Ellis, whom I did know. He lives almost across
the road from me.
More introductions followed; but when it came the turn of the young
fellow whom I did not know, the girl laughed, and held out her hand.
"Hello, Jack," she said with evident satisfaction. "I had no idea that I
should see you here."
"Nor I you," he replied. "But aren't you glad? I am."
And she laughed again, and bade him wait and see.
The young fellow's name was Jack Ogilvie. And when I had found that out
we drifted into chairs, and began to ask questions. I was next to Bobby,
who is a cousin of Eve's.
"What boat is that, Bobby?"
"Rattlesnake," said Bobby. "She was the Ebenezer, but they changed it.
Too bad, when we had a name that just fitted. We're in the navy now, you
know. We're all U.S.N.R.F., Class four. The Ebenezer belonged to Jimmy
and me, but the Rattlesnake belongs to the U.S. We offered it to them,
and they took it so quick it almost took our breath away. She makes
thirty miles an hour easy, and a little better if we drive her. You know
that I'm a partner of Jimmy's now."