The Project Gutenberg EBook of Cape Cod Stories, by Joseph C. Lincoln

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Title: Cape Cod Stories
The Old Home House

Author: Joseph C. Lincoln

Release Date: June 6, 2006 [EBook #5195]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAPE COD STORIES ***

Produced by Don Lainson

CAPE COD STORIES

Also Published Under The Title Of "The Old Home House"

By Joseph C. Lincoln

CONTENTS

TWO PAIRS OF SHOES

THE COUNT AND THE MANAGER

THE SOUTH SHORE WEATHER BUREAU

THE DOG STAR

THE MARE AND THE MOTOR

THE MARK ON THE DOOR

THE LOVE OF LOBELIA 'ANKINS

THE MEANNESS OF ROSY

THE ANTIQUERS

HIS NATIVE HEATH

"JONESY"

THE "OLD HOME HOUSE"

TWO PAIRS OF SHOES

I don't exactly know why Cap'n Jonadab and me went to the post-office
that night; we wa'n't expecting any mail, that's sartin. I guess likely
we done it for the reason the feller that tumbled overboard went to the
bottom--'twas the handiest place TO go.

Anyway we was there, and I was propping up the stove with my feet and
holding down a chair with the rest of me, when Jonadab heaves alongside
flying distress signals. He had an envelope in his starboard mitten,
and, coming to anchor with a flop in the next chair, sets shifting the
thing from one hand to the other as if it 'twas red hot.

I watched this performance for a spell, waiting for him to say
something, but he didn't, so I hailed, kind of sarcastic, and says:
"What you doing--playing solitaire? Which hand's ahead?"

He kind of woke up then, and passes the envelope over to me.

"Barzilla," he says, "what in time do you s'pose that is?"

'Twas a queer looking envelope, more'n the average length fore and aft,
but kind of scant in the beam. There was a puddle of red sealing wax on
the back of it with a "D" in the middle, and up in one corner was a kind
of picture thing in colors, with some printing in a foreign language
underneath it. I b'lieve 'twas what they call a "coat-of-arms," but it
looked more like a patchwork comforter than it did like any coat ever
_I_ see. The envelope was addressed to "Captain Jonadab Wixon, Orham,
Mass."

I to