Elviry Snowden and Desire
Peasley and them? Talk! Why, jumpin' Henry, Cap'n Sears, any one of them
Shanghais in there can talk more in a minute than the average man could
in a hour. Any one of 'em! Take that Susanna Brackett now. Oh, I've
heard about _her_! She had a half-brother one time. Where is he now? Ah
ha! Where is he? Nobody knows, that's where he is. Him and her used to
live together. Folks that lived next door used to hear her tongue
a-goin' at him all hours day or night. Wan't no 'watch and watch' in
that house--no sir-ee! She stood _all_ the watches. She----"

"There, there, Judah. I guess I can stand the talk. If it gets too bad
I'll put cotton in my ears."

"Huh! Cotton! Cotton won't do no good. Have to solder your ears up
like--like a leaky tea-kittle, if you wanted to keep from hearin'
Susanna Brackett's clack. Why, that brother of hers--Ebenezer Samuels,
seems to me his name was. Seems to me they told me that Susanna's name
was Samuels afore she married Brackett. Maybe twan't Samuels. Seems to
me, now I think of it, as if 'twas Schwartz. Yet it don't hardly seem
as if it could be, does it? I guess likely I'm gettin' him mixed with a
feller name of Samuel Schwartz that I knew on South Street in New York
one time. Run a pawn shop, he did. I remember _that_ Schwartz 'cause he
used to _take_ stuff, you know--er--er--same as a Chinaman. One of them
oakum eaters, that s what he was--an oakum eater. Why one time he----"

Sears never did learn what happened to Mrs. Brackett's brother. Judah's
reminiscent fancy, once started, wandered far and wide, and in this case
it forgot entirely to return to the missing Samuels--or Schwartz. But
Mr. Cahoon expressed himself freely on the subject of his beloved
ex-captain and present lodger taking charge of the establishment next
door. Sears' explanations and excuses bore little weight. Time and time
again that evening Mr. Cahoon would come out of a dismal reverie to
exclaim: "Skipper of the Fair Harbor for Mariners' Women! You! Cap'n
Sears Kendrick, skipper of _that_ craft! Don't seem possible, somehow,
does it?"

"Look here Judah," the captain at last said, in desperation, "if you
feel so almighty bad about it, perhaps you won't want me here. I can
move, you know."

Judah turned a horrified face in his direction. "Move!" he repeated
"_Don't_ talk so, Cap'n Sears. That's the one comfort I see in the whole
business. Livin' right next door to 'em the way you and me do, y