suggested, "what a remarkable
view one gets from this point? The village and the bay in front, and, in
the rear, the--ah--light and the--ah--rest. Quite remarkable, don't you
think so, Captain?"

Captain Jethro looked gravely at the view.

"Raish been to see Martha about buyin' her stock, has he?" he asked.

Galusha rubbed his chin. "I have often wondered," he said, "why no
summer cottage has been built just here. The spot would seem to possess
very marked advantages. Very--ah--very much so."

The light keeper cleared his throat. "Zach said he see Raish comin' out
of your gate t'other day," he said. "Been to see Martha about her shares
then, had he?"

"The--ah--proximity to the main road is an advantage in particular,"
Galusha continued. "One would be near it and yet, so to speak, secluded
from it. Really, a very exceptional spot, Captain Hallett."

Captain Jethro stroked his beard, frowned, and gazed steadily at the
face of the little archaeologist. Galusha gazed serenely and with a
pleased interest at the view. After a moment the light keeper said:
"He's been after mine, too."

"Eh?... Oh, indeed? You mean--"

"I mean Raish Pulcifer's been tryin' to buy my Development stock same as
he has Martha's. Hey? What say?"

"I said nothing, Captain. Not a word, really"

"Humph!... Well, he's been tryin' to buy mine, anyway. And, nigh's as
I can find out, he's bought every loose share there is. All hands are
talkin' about it now; some of 'em are wonderin' if they hadn't better
have hung on. Eben Snow came to me this mornin' and he says, 'I don't
know whether I did right to let go of that stock of mine or not,' he
says. 'What do you think, Jeth?' I haven't got much use for Eben,
and ain't had for years; I went to sea with him one v'yage and that
generally tells a man's story. I've seen him at church sociables--in the
days when I wasted my time goin' to such things--spend as much as
five minutes decidin' whether to take a doughnut or a piece of pie. He
couldn't eat both, but he was afraid whichever he took the other might
turn out to be better. So when he asked me my opinion about his sellin'
his Development, I gave it to him. 'You've been wantin' to sell, ain't
you?' says I. 'I've heard you whinin' around for months because you
couldn't sell. Now you HAVE sold. What more do you want?' He got mad.
'You ain't sold YOUR holdin's at any fourteen dollars a share, have
you?' he says. I told him I hadn't. 'No, and I'll bet