Galusha the Magnificent

dow, saw her boarder enter the front gate, his personal appearance caused

s Martha?" she demanded

-the scarf-was tied under his chin and the fringed ends flapped in the wind. His round face, surrounded by th

again. She was rushing to the d

ered, briskly, "st

d the doo

d. "No, don't stop to tell me about

greenish brown spots, giving it the appearance of a m

ke out with it, whatever 'tis! Shall I-sh

immie. Come i

-ah-WAS coming in," beg

ere on the lounge. Primmie, get tha

ly, Miss P

.... There,

nk the rum. Martha ten

she said. Her patient l

nice," he said. "I-ah-qui

that won't HURT anybody, to say the least. I me

th it? I d

with you

in bewildered fashion

head, so far as I am aware," he replied. "Does i

santry. "What have you got i

l, I lost my hat. It blew off into the-ah-sea. It was rather too col

an instant and then bu

me into the yard with your head bandaged-at least I thought it w

? Why, n

tus Beebe's boy did when the cannon-cracker went off

the small mirro

ch from his nose. "Look at yourself. You're all broke

reflection in the mir

dotted," he said. "I never saw

eek. The speckles promptly beca

" he said. "It

evidently meant it to be. Martha looked more

he whispered. "'Tain't cat

I was obliged to scrape it off with my pocketknife, and the particles must have blown in my face and-ah-adhered. Perhaps-ah-s

he sofa. Primmie stare

you, Mr. Bangs?" she asked. "Is the w

It came from the old tom

to ask another question,

turning to Galusha who was on h

ve you been spendin' this lov

In the old cemete

, I hope you ha

ank you. I enjoyed my

.... Well, come down right away be

rs. His hostess gazed after

tha, Miss

ly gesticulating. "Didn't I tell you?

ell me what?

t I tell you

HA

Yesterday 'twas remains, to-day i

hought to get that dict

I didn't forget it. I'll

I'll go myself

otel. He was a trifle tired from his morning's stroll and so decided to remain indoors until the following day. A

and Primmie'll talk to you. Goodness gracious!" she added, laughing, "that's a dreadful

ld church and graveyard and of the loss of the brown derby. Primm

to sea, and 'most brand-new, too. My savin' soul, Miss Martha, folk

talkin' about. Can't I help you to a little more of

e third helping of chicken pie when Pri

things. Now you and me hadn't no notion Mr. Bangs was goin' to

was much e

ry sauce or somethin', Mr. Bangs," she stammered

about that hat when Mr. Bangs started out

rying to look anywhere but into her guest's face, caught one tran

at hat myself," h

t and this time he smi

y another word while we're at this table I'll-I don't know what I'll do to you. STOP! You've said plenty and plenty more, as f

Phipps. I didn't thin

for mercy sakes wh

dn't wish to argue, that's all. Besides, I thought perhaps

lways let folks like that pick

I do. It saves-ah-conve

e South Wellmouth station agent, but he did mention encounterin

the cemetery in the mornin'. He almost always goes there Sunday afternoo

e light keeper refer to the exchan

t spiritualism. But what was Raish Pulcifer doin' in that cemetery? He didn't have anybody's grave to go to, and

to be having a lengthy argument about-about-well, I'm not exactly certain what it was about. You see, I was examining a-ah-tomb"-here Primmie shivered-"and

Stock?" she repeated. "What so

rtion of it. Ah-let me see-Could there be such a thing as a-ah-'ornam

"Was it Wellmouth Developmen

e certain that was it. Yes

d Cap'n Jeth to

ipps. As I say, I was more interes

ng the rest of the dinner and, immediately afterward, went, as has been told, ove

sea, and the blue sky with its swiftly moving white clouds, the latter like bunches of cotton fluff. The landscape was bare enough, perhaps, but somehow it appealed to him. It seemed characteristically plain and substantial and essential, like-well, like the old Cape Cod captains of bygone days who had spent the dry land portion of their lives there an

ostess, Miss Martha Phipps. It was something of a contrast. Mrs. Buckley was rich and sophisticated and-in her own opinion-cultured to the highest degree. Now Miss Phipps was, in all probability, not rich and she would not claim wide culture. As to her sophistication-well, Galusha gave little thought to that, in most worldly matters he himself was unsophisticated. However, h

ed conversation carried on downstairs. He had left his chamber door open and fragments of this conversation came up the staircase. It was Primmie's voice which

talk, Zach Bloomer!... And I says to her, says I

staircase. Galusha rose to close his door but before

r. Bangs, be you layin' down? You

that whoop would have aroused him. He hastened

have woke you up for nothin'. But I want to ask you somethin', Mr. Bangs. Had

Prim

oon's not,

uite as

Bloomer, stop your makin' faces, you put it all out of my head. It's all ri

itting room. Primmie was there, of course, and with her was a little, thin man, with a face sunburned to a bright, "boiled-lobster" red, and a bald head which looked amazingly white by contrast, a

ake you acquainted with Mr. Bangs, the one I was tellin' you about

ie. How do you

rved, in a husky voice. Then he sat down again. Galusha, after waiting a moment, sat down also. Primmie

gs?" she said. "I snum I can't think! Zac

attention to the question. His sa

hy," he said,

naturally, ra

your pardon,

r. Bloomer. "Queer things, names are, ain

moment and

cheu

limb

ord t

e showed good jedgment.... Zacheus an

imed. "The idea of your talkin' so about a person's

ded the owner

ven, Mr. Bangs," he observed.

Mr. Bloomer. I'm not

my folks had asked me aforehand I'd a-been named plain John. As 'tis,

ha sm

pher, I see, Mr.

he lighthouse," explained Primmi

ent to school the teacher told us one time about an old critter who lived

Diog

e spent consider'ble time ON one; I was aboard a lightship fo

N

l disapp'inted on th

I don't know

ep heavin' up and down. First week or so you talk. By the second week the talk

king tends to bring out-

ch settin' wears out

e inte

cried, enthusiastic

s explosiveness was disturbing. It

board a lightship," he observ

y' and such names, Zach Bloomer," she snapped. "Yesterday he calle

t leg had been crossed above his

awled. "What is it you're trying to

Me and Zach was talkin' about Miss Martha. I said it seemed to me she had som

sistant light keeper seem

rimmie," he bega

t as much as I do. Well, Zach, he cal'lated maybe 'twas mo

s so intense as to cause him

t be account of some money business. She was over to the light just now askin' for Cap'n Jeth, and he's the one her dad, Cap'n Jim Phipps, used to talk such things with. They went into a good many trades together, them too.... B

as if from exhaustion; then he crossed his legs again. Galusha hastened t

an't what I wanted to ask Mr. Bangs. YOU said if 'twas money matters or business Miss Martha went to se

d Zach. "Always goes to one of them Sp

hen I said I wondered if you wan't a k

terrupted

ed. "Well, really, I-

kind of mediu

ainly

Miss Martha put her foot down on the notion and s

u-ah-well, you surprise me. Just why di

and said you had such a good time there and... and I couldn't see why anybody, unless he was an undertaker, or-or a medium maybe, would call b

I tell you she'd make a ship out of a shingle? If you'd puffed smoke, an

ha sm

" he said. "I think I t

k. "Yes," she admit

nished the

when you told it," he said. "W

ntly was. So he explained and the explanation, under questioning, became lengthy. Primmie's exclamations, "My savin' soul" and "My Lord of Isrul

he time. Much obliged to you, Mr. Bangs. You've cruised around more'n I give you credit for. Um-hm. Any time you want to know ab

, rolling from side to side like the lightship of which he talked so much, walked

tugging at his thick beard and drawing his bushy eyebrows together in a frown. He was a burly, broad-shouldered man, with a thin-l

way to the dining

n, Captain Hal

him from beneath

Jeth," said Martha. "You me

t keeper

ed. "Well, Martha, I don't know what more there is to say ab

go out into the dinin' room. Primmie's up in her room by this time. You will excuse us, wo

imself had been on the point of g

asked if h

tested. "We can talk in the dinin' room

atin' to talk very long anyhow," he said, s

e upper landing he heard the ponderous boom of the light keeper's voice saying, "Martha, I tell you again there's no

said, "but what will some of us live on while we'r

descended the stairs, his mind was made up. He was going to make a suggestion, a suggestion which seemed to him somewhat delicate. In one sense of the term it was a business proposi

f Egypt and the Orient, was eagerly hoping for more-Miss Phipps and Galusha were together in the sitting room. Doctor Pow

go to-morrow, Mr. Bangs," he said, "I

ded, with his little smile, "I couldn't go be

iately after that war, which he had found upon the shelf of the closet in his room, along with another volume labeled Friendship's Garland, a Nosegay of

had been sitting quie

re Cap'n Jethro came back. She told me about your bein' so kind to her and Nelson over by the old church this mornin'. Sh

he hastened to explain. "I-ah-Well, I intruded upon

ng to herself. She lo

d of-er-flew over the bank. She said no one was e

oughtfully s

lf, perhaps,

ous that you shouldn't think there was anything wrong about her meetin' Nelson Howard in that way. There

moment and

he went right into the Navy and started in at the Radio School studyin' to be a wireless operator. Then he was taken down with the 'flu' and had to give up study. Soon as he got well he went into the transport service. Lulie, you see, was teachin' school at Ostable, but her father's health isn't what it used to be and then, besides, I think she was a little worrie

ne, is she? I gathere

our or so before he got ready to help pick the old man up. Nelson knows that and so he refused two real good offers he had and took the position at the South Wellmouth depot. But he's studyin' at his wireless all the time and some

aptain Hallet so opposed to

chums and father used to ask his advice about investments and all such things. They went into lots of deals together and generally made 'em pa

alusha, to whom all sums-sums of money, tha

thinks he got-a communication direct from Julia-his wife. After that he kept goin' to the Spiritualist camp meetin's and to Boston and to mediums from Dan to Beersheba, so to speak. A while ago one medium creature-and I wish she had been struck dumb before she could say it-told him that he must

ke the suggestion-the proposition which he had determined upon before he c

ly did not notice his silence. It wa

t water, and he loved that, and he had his garden and his hens and he was interested in town affairs and all. We didn't have much money, but we had enough, seemed so. Before he died he told me he hoped he'd left me well enough off to get along. 'The only thing that troubles me, Martha,' he said, 'is that some of the things I've put money into shouldn't turn out as I hoped. I've tri

ought to say something, "you don't in

ediately. And when she di

t revelations.' As I say, if it wasn't for Lulie I don't know what I should do. Get to be cracked myself, I presume likely.... But there," she added, brightening,

don't know

ess, either. I looked up 'arc

d surprise behin

nary?" he repeated. "

s, I mean. Of course, I knew I OUGHT to know, and that I did know once, but it seemed to be perfectly certain that I didn't know THEN. So I looked

ly? Yes, of cour

man. I mean the kind of man who travels in all sorts o

st overcame his politenes

now," he cried. "I'm no

een to-to Africa, was i

n trips. Abyssinia isn't wild, o

isn't

least, really. O

your-er-underclothes and goodness kno

pt-ah-Egypt is a wonderful country. On m

rl, under palm trees, amid pyramids and temples and the buried cities of a buried people. And before her skipped, figuratively speaking, the diminutive figure of Galusha Bangs, guiding, pointing, dec

e she went to bed-banged its gong ten times. Mr. Bangs descended from Egypt as if he ha

'clock, can it? Oh, I must have talked you almost to death, Miss Phipps

coming out of a dream, or tr

ored me, Mr. B

other members of my profession. Why, up there in the mountains-at the place where I spent the past month or two, I scarcely talked of-ah-my work at all. And I was cons

ong breath and

comes to us all every little while, I suppose. Just think of the difference there has been in our two lives, for instance. Here are you, Mr. Bangs, you've been everywhere, pretty nearly, and yet you're-well, you're not so very big or strong-lookin'. The average pers

sha hastened to assure her. "You could

n wheels, with a railin' around his hump. But YOU must feel lost enough down

ha smiled, but he

eed. In fact-in fact-Miss Phipps, would you mind answering a question or two?... Oh, they

zzled and

course,"

y. But, you see, I want my conscience to be quite clear before making a decision.... That

questions, Mr. Ban

st one is about-ah-rest. This is a good

should say the average person would find it easier to rest h

rious. Second, the air about h

before it gets here it ought to be fairly good, I should say. As to its bein' fresh-well, if you w

eople. And I know there are people here because I have met them. And very nice people, indeed.... Oh, this is VERY satisfacto

-your

, and people. They are all here in East Wellmouth. And he said I must have exercise, and behold my daily walks to that most interesting old cemetery of yours. Now, you have been VERY kind to me already, Miss Phipps;

back in her chair. Sh

n tellin' you that I needed money and are you ma

violently. He t

INDEED, Miss Phipps! I am VERY sorry you should so misunderstand me. I-I-Of course

keen that she was ob

ee that. But what was it? Do I understand you to say that you like-actua

it doesn't seem

.... And you really mean you want to k

ry kind as to permit me to do

hat? My sou

to mine,"