t. Old Mr. Higgins, her father, encouraged no bows nor attentions from
young men, and Gertie herself did not appear to desire them. So Issy
gave up his tales of savage butchery for those of love and blisses,
adored in silence, and hoped--always hoped.

But why had the blacksmith seemed surprised at the departure of Sam
Bartlett, the "dudey" vacationist from the city, whose father had, years
ago, been Beriah Higgins's partner in the fish business? And why had he
coupled the Bartlett name with that of Gertie, who had been visiting her
father's maiden sister at Trumet, the village next below East Harniss,
as Denboro is the next above it? Issy's suspicions were aroused, and he
wondered.

Suddenly he heard voices in the shop above him. The window was open and
he heard them plainly.

"Well! WELL!" It was the blacksmith who uttered the exclamation. "Why,
Bartlett, how be you? What you doin' over here? Thought you'd gone back
to Boston. I heard you had."

Slowly, cautiously, the astonished quahauger rose from the sawhorse and
peered over the window sill. There were two visitors in the shop. One
was Ed Burns, proprietor of the Denboro Hotel and livery stable. The
other was Sam Bartlett, the very same who had left East Harniss that
morning, bound, ostensibly, for Boston. Issy sank back again and
listened.

"Yes, yes!" he heard Sam say impatiently; "I know, but--see here, Jake,
where can I hire a horse in this God-forsaken town?"

"Well, well, Sam!" continued Larkin. "I was just figurin' that Beriah
had got the best of you after all, and you'd had to give it up for this
time. Thinks I, it's too bad! Just because your dad and Beriah Higgins
had such a deuce of a row when they bust up in the fish trade, it's a
shame that he won't hark to your keepin' comp'ny with Gertie. And you
doin' so well; makin' twenty dollars a week up to the city--Ed told me
that--and--"

"Yes, yes! But never mind that. Where can I get a horse? I've got to be
in Trumet by eight to-night sure."

"Trumet? Why, that's where Gertie is, ain't it?"

"Look a-here, Jake," broke in the livery-stable keeper. "I'll tell you
how 'tis. Oh, it's all right, Sam! Jake knows the most of it; I told
him. He can keep his mouth shut, and he don't like old crank Higgins any
better'n you and me do. Jake, Sam here and Gertie had fixed it up to run
off and git married to-night. He was to pretend to start for Boston this
mornin'. Bought a ticket and all, so's to throw Beria