Show jl il ii r N T SAM Sar aa aWare 0 an cf O R 1 CHAPTER I 1 the lived on the spit of oe sand jutting out into Cr cove just aby she should have been singled out by tills this significant sobriquet was a subtle psychological problem there were other women in Bel bellesor lepor t and in wilton too who had lost husbands nevertheless despite the varl ous homes in which solitary women reigned feigned none of their owners was designated by tile the appellation allotted to marcia howe moreover there seemed in the name the hamlet had elected to bestow upon spoil her a ring of satisfaction even of rejoicing jo icing rather than the note of condolence commonly echo echoing n in the term persons rolled it on their tongues a as 9 it if flaunting it triumphantly on the breeze marcia ought never to have mar died jason howe asserted abble hbrewster when one day she cantly gossiped with her friend rebecca gill she was head an shoulders above him whatever coaxed her fato anto it I 1 never could understand she could have had her pick of half a dozen husbands she was but a slip of a thing when she married debbe sh shii hid h agthe could reform him rebecca rebecca s suggested debbe agreed abble still young as she was see might a known she coald nt ten years iga ago he be was the same unsteady drink drinken ln idler he ha proved himself to be up to the last of his life lip ile aLn ged a hair such inless they set out to I 1 T nevet set out to d 0 ctr e was too selfish a n to gone tin Blar clas vve for most three years aher her own mistress an the il i etin t she is must be highly enjoyable 11 spose shell always go on livin there on that deserted strip of sand speculated rebecca why its mou mott an island in fact it Is an island fit at high tide so an zenas kenas henry says its getting to be more an more so every minute abble replied tile the tide runs through that channel swift as it a race horse an each day it cuts a wider path twixt 11 arcla an the shore be fore ion long coln to be as corn com plemely cut off from the mainland at low water as at high I 1 it must be a terrible lonely place 1 11 I want to live there shrugged the sociable abble nut but theres rollis folks that ilont dont scam icem to mind solitude eoll tude an marcia howes one of em 11 ebbe after the life she led with jason she kinder relishes bein alone furthermore dynamite blast her out of that old daniels homestead her der rather father an her grandfather were born there an the house 1 5 the apple of her eye it Is a fine old place if only it stood else of course when it was bulk bulit the ocean et away the beach an W a foresees foreseen the tides would wash round it til whittled whittied it down to little moren a sand bar an as good as detached it from the coast altogether well say what you will against the sea nn an the sand they did a goo good 1 turn for marcia all them years of her married life at least they helped her ber keep tract track of jason once she got him on the point with the tide annin rtin strong twixt twist him and the village shed padlock the skiff an there eliere hed bel she had him safe an sound abble chuckled yes acquiesced rebecca but tile scheme woi worked led both wa ways vs let jason walk over to town across the flats an then let the tide rise an there he fie be tool without a boat there was no earthly way of ills his gettan home ile he had bad the best of excuses for lol terIn an ashore well he dont loiter and carouse here no longer marcia knows where lie he Is now declared abble with spirit 1 I reckon ashes slept more durin these last three years than ever she slept to in the ten that went before lem em slie she certainly looks it it all her worries seem to have fallen away from her leavin her lookin like a girl of t wenty twenty ashes pretty as a picture she must be thirty five if ashes a day rebecca reflected she aint ashes scarce over thirty but thirty or even more mope she dont look her age spose shell marry again ventured rebecca leati leaning ln forward an and d dropping her voice marry there you go becca ro as usual 1 I aint roman clu ln I 1 was lust just won derin an I 1 aint the only person in town tawn asseln the question neither re ported mrs gill with a sniff theres of others in fact I 1 agger the scores the uppermost one in the thong at la Is hainds of most ost everybody abble ifyu laughed hed debbe ebbe in fact I 1 reckon Us conceded the she its the thought tint that come code to everyone quick as jason was burled folks round about here ore are fond of marcia an feel ashes been cheated out of what was her rightful due they want tier her to begin anew an have what shed oughter aughter have had years ago a good husband an half a dozen children I 1 aint denyle there are certain persons alio are more self I 1 aint blind to the fact that once jason was under the hie sod bout every widower in town sorter spruced up tip an began to take notice an ana before a week was out every bachelor had bought a new necktie A abble I 1 its true an why pray tile the men cast cheeps eyes at marceal can you vou blame lem em shed be one wife in a hundred ed could a body win her there aint a thing she cant do from sh inglin a barn down t to trimmin a hat ashes tile the match of I 1 any old salt at bailla a boat on an car r pull an oar strong as the best of le era ai along that she can sew fiew C cook oo 00 k a nitus plow on an plant paper a room its atma aci arvel N to me how ashes kept out 0 of f m mony ion longs as this with alth so many men round her she certain lys taken her time she dont pear to be in no hurry to get a husband smiled rebecca why should she be bet ier her 1 parents left her wah money in the bank an the homestead to boot an marcia was smart enough not to let jason make ducks and drakes of her property all men fancy havin a wife hold the tiller though any man marcia howe married would have to put up with it abble asserted biting off a of thread with annap of her fine ne white tooth mar Marr laa she g abw always q F a botn dpn C cappall acta 0 of f the sh salla ahli lla iy ay she always 1 v ay wl will be 9 gathering up p her mending rebecca rose well I 1 capt stay here mar claa ciss fortune she laughed ive got to be coln home bottle lemmell Lem be wanda his supper A scuffling on the steps the kitchen door swung open and zenas henrys lanky form appeared on the threshold behind him tagged ills his crony lemuel gill well well beeca becca if here aint come to fetch youl abble cried farald your wife had deserted you lemmy she aint she was just tills this minute settin out for home 1 I wor worrying worry ln none grinned lemuel what you two been doln abble inquired of her husband oh much answered the big loose jointed fellow shuffling into the room weve been settin out drInk drinken ln in the air tile carelessness of the reply was a trine trifle overdone and instantly aroused the keen eyed abbles suspicions she glanced into his face where you been sett ln she demanded Sett ln oh lemmy an nie me took sort of a little jaunt along the shore grand day to be abroad I 1 never saw a finer the seas blue as a corn flow er an the waves are rollan in an rollin in an lemuel gill stepped into the breach 1 awag this way began he be zenas tenas henry an mp me thought wed take it bit of a oleander meander wed been to tho the post office an was stand standen ln in the doorway when we spied charlie eldridge edridge golo by with a fish pole 11 Ch charlie arild eldradge the bank cashler rebecca Ilc becca echoed but he fie aint no fisherman I 1 never in all my life knew of charlie eldridge coln a alshin not that he aint gota got a perfect right to fish if he wants to outside bankle hours but 1 nut flut charlie fishl nt interrupted 1 abble abb ie cutting her friend short why hed no more dirty his illy white alte hands putten a squirming min worm on a fishhook than hed cut off his head I 1 in fact I 1 dont believe hed know ho how W you likely see where he wept wal er yes we did zenas henry wheeled about harln completed the business that took us to the store lie he began ln short asked for the mall an found there nane none laughed abble mischievously zenas henry ignored the comment we walked along in charlies wake he continued he be go rebecca urged her face alight with curiosity wal charlie swung along kinder whistling whist lin to himself til 01 lie he come to the fork of the road then lie he made for the lie shore so he was really coln bishin mused abble a sugg suggestion esdon of disappointment in her voice lie ile certainly was oh charlie was goin right nough bough ile he wai was alt ai adfor deep water grinned zenas haqq 1 0 1 4 ahe nt ketch no fish I 1 in n WI wilton iton harbot harbora 15 sniffed rebecca t oy you think hed a He observed zenas henry I 1 mildly in fact tw arnt ito harbor he was gold coln bink bank cashier or not charlie tha alvi a numskull lie ile was primed to ash ln more propitious waters ze nas henry do stop b batin round th tb ebush an say what you have to say if youre coln to tell us where char charlie ile I 1 at 11 4 zenas henry do stop beating round hound the bush an say what you have hava to say eldridge went out with it if not stop tall ln about it burst out his wife sharply aint I 1 you fast as I 1 can why get so het bet up it if you roust must know an cant wait another minute charlie went ent in Cr Croc Lers cove Cr cove gasped abble Croc Lers liers cove echoed rebecca He becca crockern crochery Croc Cro cherl kera cove bove nodded zenas henry mercy on list us why I 1 why be he must a been goin coln began abble 4 to see the rebecca interrupted compi completing etIng the sentence id no notion he was bendin up to her abble said wal lie he factly lend tend ln up to 0 her leastways loas leas tway not today not what you could really call ten dint ni up contradicted zenas henry a twinkle in his e ee i e rather id say vother way nay round you lemmy sagaciously lemuel bowed boned you see drawled draw led on zenas henry no sooner had charlie got into the boat a an pulled out into tho the channel than he had the usual beginners luck an hooked a straggling glin bluefish oughter aughter seen that critter pull I 1 ile he most had charlie out of the boat 1 I shouted to him to hang on an so did lemmy emmy in our excitement aie we must a beli believed ered loudean lou dern we meant to 16 cause iti in no time the popped outer the house she to took one look at charlie in the boat raced down to the landan an putout butout to hm him just about at the minute he was dav erin as to whether hed chuck pole line an sinker overboard or go over overboard litin himself self Qui eltern seat scat she had the fisli pole an while we looked on charlie dropped down kinder limp on the seat of the boat an began ayin up his hand in a clean pocket handkerchief while the gaffed gaffee tile the fish an hauled altin it in my soul ill abble abble brewster Bre weter my soul tin nn bodyl body 1 later on continued zenas dds lenry 1 charlie overtook overlook musj US V away his fis nah pole east way lie dlan pia have alro whan lemely an 11 n me e wl aj htwe faie I 1 lus fasti was he jordick Jordi cd d dp P an snapped 0 ut hang tile tho fish 1 A 1 scein lie in no mood 17 co 1 conversation we bert hill 11 coonc alint 1 rl alink inK rn nr if |