with truth:

"This whole fuss makes me sick. Here's them fellers in the crew been
goin' out, season after season, takin' folks off wrecks, and the fool
papers never say nothin' 'bout it; but they go out this time, and don't
save nobody and git drownded themselves, and they're heroes of a sudden.
I hear they're raisin' money up to Boston to give to the widders and
orphans. Well, that's all right, but they'd better keep on and git the
Gov'ment to raise the sal'ries of them that's left in the service."

The climax came when a flashily dressed stranger called, and insisted
upon seeing the Captain alone. The interview lasted just about three
minutes. When Mrs. Snow, alarmed by the commotion, rushed into the room,
she found Captain Eri in the act of throwing after the fleeing stranger
the shiny silk hat that the latter had left behind.

"Do you know what that--that swab wanted?" hotly demanded the indignant
Captain. "He wanted me to rig up in ileskins and a sou'wester and show
myself in dime museums. Said he'd buy that dory of Luther's that I went
out in, and show that 'long with me. I told him that dory was spread up
and down the beach from here to Setuckit, but he said that didn't
make no diff'rence, he'd have a dory there and say 'twas the reel one.
Offered me a hundred dollars a week, the skate! I'd give ten dollars
right now to tell him the rest of what I had to say."

After this the Captain went fishing every day, and when at home refused
to see anybody not known personally. But the agitation went on, for the
papers fed the flames, and in Boston they were raising a purse to buy
gold watches and medals for him and for Captain Davis.

Shortly after four o'clock one afternoon of the week following that of
the wreck, Captain Eri ventured to walk up to the village, keeping a
weather eye out for reporters and smoking his pipe. He made several
stops, one of them being at the schoolhouse where Josiah, now back at
his desk, was studying overtime to catch up with his class.

As the Captain was strolling along, someone touched him from behind,
and he turned to face Ralph Hazeltine. The electrician had been a pretty
regular caller at the house of late, but Captain Eri had seen but little
of him, for reasons unnecessary to state.

"Hello, Captain!" said Ralph. "Taking a constitutional? You want to look
out for Warner; I hear he's after you for another rescue 'special.'"

"He'll need somebody to rescue him if he comes pesteri