CAPTAIN SAM'L GOES HOME
As Mrs. Tobin walked with her husband from the shore the evening she
took him off the "Eb and Flo," she maintained a rigid silence. The
captain was well accustomed to this mood, and it always affected him
more than the scolding. He knew then that his wife's anger was more
than ordinary, and it was necessary for him to use all the diplomacy at
his command.
"I've been thinkin', Martha, that you need a holiday," he at length
ventured. "Ye haven't taken one fer a long time now. A trip to
Fredericton would do ye a world of good. Yer nephew wrote fer ye to
come an' see him."
Mrs. Tobin, however, was not inclined to discuss this subject, dear
though it was to her heart. She had often planned such a trip, but she
had something more serious to think about just now. She strode rapidly
forward, causing the captain to puff at a great rate in his effort to
keep up with her. He became annoyed.
"Say, Martha," he panted, "I'm not used to sich a gait as this, even if
you are. Yer hittin' the ground so fast an' hard with them boots of
yours that it's gittin' hot. I kin almost see the grass smokin'.
Phew, I'm all in!" He slowed down, pulled out his handkerchief, and
mopped his brow. "Go on, if ye want to. I'll be home after a while."
This appeal had some effect, for Mrs. Tobin stayed her steps a little.
"Thar, that's better, Martha," the captain encouraged.
"Ye kin slow up when ye want to. I wish to goodness ye'd slow up in
other ways. Ye've been settin' me a lively pace ever since we was
married, an' it's gittin' faster every year. Me heart can't stand much
more, so if yer not keerful ye'll be lookin' around fer another husband
before long. But I pity him, poor chap, an' if I only knew who he
might be I'd give him a note of warnin' while I'm in the flesh."
It was quite evident that Mrs. Tobin was longing to express her
feelings in no uncertain language, but as she had made up her mind to
treat Samuel with silent contempt, it would not do to make any reply.
She was greatly agitated, however, to find that this method was not so
effective as in the past. Her husband was getting beyond her, and it
worried her a great deal.
The captain was not slow to notice this, and it pleased him. He
wondered why he had allowed her to ride rough-shod over him for so
long. Perhaps a little more such treatment might break her spell.
"Martha," he continued, "if ever ye marry agin after I'm dead, I'll
come back to ye from the spirit world. I'll be so anxious to see how
ye git along with yer new husband that nuthin' could keep me from
comin'."
He ceased and glanced at his wife to note the effect of this startling
announcement. But no change in her attitude could he observe.
"I'll come, Martha," he went on, "when yer least expectin' me, mebbe in
the night, an' when ye open yer eyes ye'll see me standin' before ye.
If ye never had a creepy feelin' before, ye'll have one then. Yer
hair'll stand right on end, an' yer blood'll about freeze in yer veins.
An' I'll step right up to the side of yer bed, an' look straight into
yer eyes, an' hold out me hands----"
The captain never finished his sentence, for with a bound Martha had
left him. She ran as he had never seen her run before, and by the time
he reached the house she was in the kitchen, and did not even look at
him as he entered. The table was set for supper, but Flo was nowhere
to be seen. Mrs. Tobin busied herself about the stove, while the
captain washed himself at the sink. He was hungry, for not even his
wife's anger could take away his hearty appetite. Some cold lamb on
the table appealed to him, and he was about to sit down and help
himself when the kitchen door was suddenly opened and Flo burst into
the room. She was greatly excited, and was about to announce some
startling bit of news when her mother checked her. She thrust her hand
into a pocket in her dress, and held up the side-comb for inspection.
The captain stood transfixed, staring upon the innocent cause of his
wife's wrath.
"Look at that," Mrs. Tobin, cried, holding it out before her daughter.
"Is it any wonder that I'm heart-broken?"
The girl's eyes grew wide with amazement as she glanced first at the
comb, and then at her father and mother. She surmised at once that
there was trouble between them, but what the comb had to do with it she
could not understand.
"Why, mother," Flo at last found voice to say, "I don't see anything
wrong about that comb. It's mine, I must have left it in the cabin the
last time I came up the river. I knew I had lost it, but could not
tell where."
With a whoop of joy the captain sprang forward, and caught his daughter
in his arms.
"Bully fer you, Flo!" he shouted. "Ye've saved me neck all right this
time, an' I shan't fergit it soon. Ye'll have a new dress, by gum, ye
will. Ho, ho, Martha," and he turned to his discomfited wife, "ye
thought that I was entertainin' ladies on the 'Eb an' Flo,' didn't ye?
An' it was all on account of that comb. Ha, ha, that's a good one."
"Hold your tongue, Sam'l." Mrs. Tobin had at last found her voice. "I
admit that I was mistaken about the comb, but I want to know why you
didn't stop on your way up river? I really believe there's something
wrong with your mind, Sam'l. I never heard you speak to me the way you
did on the boat, and then coming to the house you talked such nonsense
about dying, and appearing to me from the spirit world. You haven't
been drinking, have you?"
Before the captain could reply Flo interposed. She was bubbling over
with excitement, and her parents' troubles did not concern her in the
least. She was too well accustomed to such scenes to take them
seriously to heart.
"Mother," she began, "there's a girl visiting the Hamptons, and I
believe she and John are engaged."
This startling announcement had a profound effect upon Mrs. Tobin.
Whatever took place across the road was of special interest to her.
She sat down suddenly upon the nearest chair, and stared at her
daughter. Flo laughed outright at her mother's excitement.
"That's more interesting than the comb, isn't it?" she bantered. "But
it's true. I saw her myself, and my, she's beautiful!"
"A girl visiting the Hamptons!" Mrs. Tobin slowly repeated, "and
engaged to John! Are you sure? When did you hear all this?"
"I was just over there, and saw things for myself. You don't need to
have your eyes and ears very wide open in that house to understand how
she and John love each other."
"Who is she, for pity's sake? and where did she come from? I never
knew that John had a girl."
"Neither did I, mother. But if you saw them together you would have no
doubt about it. They seem to be so happy. John brought her in his car
last night. She met with an accident somewhere, and she has a bandage
across one side of her forehead."
"Met with an accident!" Mrs. Tobin exclaimed. "In what way?"
"I have no idea, and I didn't like to ask."
"Didn't like to ask!" Mrs. Tobin sniffed in disgust. "If I'd been in
your place I would have found out everything. You don't even know her
name, I suppose."
"Oh, yes, I found that out. It's a funny one, Betty Bean."
During this conversation the captain had been rubbing his hands
vigorously with the towel. He had to be doing something, so this was
just as well as anything else. When he learned that a visitor was at
the Hamptons, and that she had met with an accident, he began to fear
the worst. Who else could it be but the girl he had taken up river on
his boat? But when he heard that her name was Betty Bean he was
greatly relieved, hung up the towel, and started for the table. The
girl interested him no longer, and it did not matter to him whether
John Hampton had a sweetheart or not.
"Come on, an' let's have supper," he ordered. "I'm 'most starved. One
would think from the way you two talk that thar is a menagerie over the
way. I don't care how many girls John has."
"But I care," his wife retorted. "And what's more, I'm going over this
very night to see her myself. You are away from home so much, Sam'l,
that you see people and have a good time. But with me it's different.
I have to stay right here week in and week out, and see nothing but the
same things and the same people. It isn't very often we have a visitor
here, especially at the Hamptons. Yes, I'm going over to see and hear
what I can."
"Yer right, Martha," the captain agreed. "Ye sartinly do need a
change, an' as I told ye comin' from the shore ye must take that trip
to Fredericton. It'll do ye a world of good. Flo kin come with me fer
a trip, an' it'll be nice to have her to look after things an' cook fer
us."
"And leave another comb to give you trouble, daddy," the girl replied,
while her eyes twinkled with merriment.
"Sure, sure, I don't mind how many combs ye leave, so long as yer
mother lets me alone afterwards."
When supper was ended, Mrs. Tobin rose from the table.
"Come, Sam'l, fix yourself up," she ordered, "and let us go over to see
that girl."
"But I'm not goin'," the captain protested. "I'm not anxious to see
her an' John spoonin'. I want to stay right here at home, an' have a
quiet smoke all to meself. You an' Flo go along. I'll look after the
dishes."
"Indeed you won't stay, Sam'l. You're going, too. You haven't seen
Mrs. Hampton for some time, and it's good for you to be neighbourly.
She won't like it one bit if you don't come. So hurry up with your
smoke, and then get ready."
"Fiddlesticks!" the captain growled as he hunted for his pipe. "I
haven't been home fer days, and then when I do git here ye hustle me
right away agin."
"And you wouldn't be here now if I hadn't brought you," was the retort.
"You're getting more obstinate every day, Sam'l Tobin. I don't know
what's coming over you."
"Sense, Martha, jist common sense. I'm seein' things in a new light.
Every time I come home ye keep naggin' so much at me that I'm always
glad when I git on board the boat agin. I wish to goodness I was thar
now. Wonder how Eben's makin' out."
"Most likely he's asleep," Flo laughingly replied. "I'd like to go on
board and surprise him. Wouldn't it be fun? May I, mother? You and
daddy go to Mrs. Hampton's without me."
"Indeed you'll do no such a thing," her mother sharply replied. "We
don't want another drowning accident here like that one at Benton's
wharf."
"But I don't want to drown myself, mother. I'm not like that poor
unfortunate girl. She was running away from a man who wanted to marry
her. Do you think I'd do such a foolish thing as that? Indeed I
wouldn't. I wish that Lord Somebody-or-other would come my way. I'm
sure I wouldn't drown myself to get clear of him. He wouldn't get rid
of me so easily. I wonder what it feels like to have a Lord's son in
love with you. I think it would be great."
"Don't talk such nonsense, Flo," Mrs. Tobin chided. "Men are
deceivers, and the less you have to do with them the better. Just
think of that poor girl who drowned herself. No doubt she found out
what that Lord's son was like, and rather than marry him she ended her
life. Did you hear whether they found her body, Sam'l?"
The captain gave a guilty start, coughed, and stared at his wife. He
was afraid she would ask this question.
"No, I guess they didn't find her, Martha. They was searchin' the
river when we pulled out from Benton's. I haven't heard anything
since. She's Henry Randall's daughter, I believe."
"And his wife, Sam'l, was old Silas Parks' daughter. He was the real
estate man who sold that bed of rocks to Mr. Hampton. She was worth a
pile of money when she married Randall."
"Yes, an' I guess she's worth more to-day, Martha. She's a shrewd one,
all right, an' as close-fisted as her dad. My, it was a caution the
way he took Hampton in on that place. It really isn't worth five
cents."
"But there's coal on it, though, Sam'l, an' that should be worth a
great deal."
"Coal, ha, ha. Yes, thar's coal, but what good is it way back in the
hills? John can't git anybody to touch it, though he's been tryin'
hard. It's too fer from the river. I do feel sorry fer John. He's a
decent feller, an' if he could only git that notion about the coal out
of his head he might be good fer something. He's not much at farmin'."
"And to think of him getting married, Sam'l! How on earth will he
support a wife? It's as much as he and his mother can do to get along
as it is, though many think they are well off. But, then, that's none
of our business. He can marry anyone he likes for all I care. I only
want to know what she looks like, and where she comes from. If she's
to be our neighbour, I want to find out all I can about her. So, hurry
up and get ready. I'll help Flo with the dishes."