n it
grew dusk, lit the lamps in the towers. At last he walked to the closed
door of his helper's room and rapped.

"Well?" was the ungracious response.

"It's me, Atkins," he announced, hesitatingly. "I'd like to speak to
you, if you don't mind."

"On business?"

"Well, no--not exactly. Say, Brown, I guess likely I'd ought to beg your
pardon again. I cal'late I've made another mistake. I jedge you wa'n't
spyin' on me when you dove down that bankin'."

"Your judgment is good this time. I was not."

"No, I'm sartin you wa'n't. I apologize and take it all back. Now can I
come in?"

The door was thrown open. Seth entered, looking sheepish, and sat down
in the little cane-seated rocker.

"Say," he began, after a moment of uncomfortable silence, "would you
mind--now that I've begged your pardon and all--tellin' me what did
happen while I was away. I imagine, judgin' by the looks of things in
the kitchen, that there was--er--well, consider'ble doin', as the boys
say."

He grinned. Brown tried to be serious, but was obliged to smile in
return.

"I'll tell you," he said. "Of course you know where that--er--remarkable
dog came from?"

"I can guess," drily. "Henry G.'s present, ain't he? Humph! Well, I'd
ought to have known that anything Henry would GIVE away was likely to
be remarkable in all sorts of ways. All right! that's one Henry's got on
me. Tomorrow afternoon me and Job take a trip back to Eastboro, and one
of us stays there. It may be me, but I have my doubts. I agreed to take
a DOG on trial, not a yeller-jaundiced cow with a church organ inside of
it. Hear the critter whoopin' down there in the boathouse! And he's eat
everything that's chewable on the reservation already. He's a famine on
legs, that pup. But never mind him. He's been tried--and found guilty.
Tell me what happened."

Brown began the tale of the afternoon's performances, beginning with his
experience as a lobster catcher. Seth smiled, then chuckled, and finally
burst into roars of laughter, in which the narrator joined.

"Jiminy crimps!" exclaimed Seth, when the story was finished. "Oh, by
jiminy crimps! that beats the Dutch, and everybody's been told what the
Dutch beat. Ha, ha! ho, ho! Brown, I apologize all over again. I don't
wonder you was put out when I accused you of spyin'. Wonder you hadn't
riz up off that sand and butchered me where I stood. Cal'late that's
what I'd have done in your place. Well, I hope there's no hard feelin's