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 'THESE TWO WORTHY DAMES SPENT THE GEEATEE PAET OF THEIE 
 TIME ON DECK." 
 
:hb casting away of M'^s 
 LECKS AND Mi^s ALE SHINE 
 
 BY 
 
 FRANK R- STOCKTON 
 
 Wn» IHUSTCATIONS BY 
 FREDERIC DORR STEELE 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 THE CENTURY C9 
 
 11)18 
 
•:l:.^?T.?-^"^' 
 
 Copyright, 1886, 1892, 1898 
 By Thb Cbntubt Co. 
 
 s yi:^-^r^^^' 
 
LIST ©F ILLUSTI^ATnONS 
 
 PART I 
 
 PAGE 
 
 These Two Worthy Dames Spent the Greater Part 
 
 OF their Time on Deck Frontisjpiece 
 
 Do You See that Boat There? 6 
 
 Mrs. Aleshine Proved to be a More Difficult Sub- 
 ject 11 
 
 We Will Pull After Them 15 
 
 Stand up Straight, and Don't Talk so Much ... 23 
 
 Vigorously Winking and Blowing 25 
 
 They got on Remarkably Well 27 
 
 There '& Nothin' like Sausages i^or Shipwreck ... 31 
 
 PART II 
 
 Mrs. Lecks Walked Boldly up to the Front Door 
 
 AND Plied the Knocker 45 
 
 I Climbed up One of the Columns 48 
 
 I Guess You 'll be Comfortable, Mr. Craig .... 53 
 
 That Yeller Frock 55 
 
 Mrs. Aleshine had been Hard at Work all the 
 
 Morning 61 
 
 vii 
 
 A *^j 
 
 ">o9 
 
viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 "There *s Another Thing," Said She, "that I've 
 BEEN Thinkin' About " 67 
 
 Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine Standing on the End 
 OP THE Little Wharf 72 
 
 PART III 
 
 Mr. Enderton was a Person of Another Sort . . 83 
 I Did all that I Could to Make Miss Ruth's Time 
 
 Pass Agreeably 87 
 
 They were Evidently Waiting for Me 91 
 
 Smoking Their Pipes in Peace 99 
 
 It was Perfectly Safe 102 
 
 I Knowed it was all Right 105 
 
 They Assisted Ruth to Array Herself ..... Ill 
 
 PART IV 
 
 The Ascent of the Mountain was Slow and Tedious . 121 
 
 "What has Happened?" I Exclaimed 123 
 
 Mrs. Lecks was Sitting on a Stone 129 
 
 I Soon had a Crackling Fire 135 
 
 Could You Lend Me a Small Iron Pot? 141 
 
 We were About to Send Him a Basket . . . 150, 151 
 
 PART V 
 
 We Began to Slide Downward 163 
 
 Oh, Which is Emily, and Which is Lucille? ... 167 
 
 We Drew up About the Fire 174 
 
 Revealing the Familiar Fat Little Ginger-Jar . . 186 
 Ruth and Miss Lucille Struck up a Warm Acquain- 
 tance 191 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PART VI 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Impidence of Him! 204 
 
 Elizabeth Grootenheimer 215 
 
 " You Man ! " Shrieked Mrs. Lecks 218 
 
 He Respectfully Touched it with His Lips . . . 227 
 The Greatest Work of Decoration was Reserved 
 
 BY the Red-Bearded Coxswain for Himself , * 231 
 
THE CASTING AWAY OF MRS. 
 LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
, , » • » 
 
 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 PART I 
 
 I WAS on my way from San Francisco to Yoko- 
 hama, when in a very desultory and gradual 
 manner I became acquainted with Mrs. Leeks and 
 Mrs. Aleshine. The steamer, on which I was making 
 a moderately rapid passage toward the land of the 
 legended fan and the lacquered box, carried a fair 
 complement of passengers, most of whom were Amer- 
 icans ; and, among these, my attention was attracted 
 from the very first day of the voyage to two middle- 
 aged women who appeared to me very unlike the or- 
 dinary traveler or tourist. At first sight they might 
 
2 TEE CiVSTJNG AWAY OF 
 
 have been taken for farmers' wives who, for some 
 unusual reason, had determined to make a voyage 
 across the Pacific; but, on closer observation, one 
 would have been more apt to suppose that they 
 belonged to the families of prosperous tradesmen 
 in some little country town, where, besides the art& 
 of rural housewifery, there would be opportunities 
 of becoming acquainted in some degree with the 
 ways and manners of the outside world. They 
 were not of that order of persons who geiierally 
 take first-class passages on steamships, but the state- 
 room occupied by Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine was 
 one of the best in the vessel ; and although they kept 
 very much to themselves, and showed no desire for the 
 company or notice of the other passengers, they evi- 
 dently considered themselves quite as good as any 
 one else, and with as much right to voyage to any 
 part of the world in any manner or style which 
 pleased them. 
 
 Mrs. Leeks was a rather tall woman, large-boned 
 and muscular, and her well-browned countenance gave 
 indications of that conviction of superiority which 
 gradually grows up in the minds of those who for a 
 long time have had absolute control of the destinies 
 of a state, or the multifarious affairs of a country 
 household. Mrs. Aleshine was somewhat younger 
 than her friend, somewhat shorter, and a great deal 
 fatter. She had the same air of reliance upon her 
 individual worth that characterized Mrs. Leeks, but 
 there was a certain geniality about her which indi- 
 cated that she would have a good deal of forbearance 
 for those who never had had the opportunity or the 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 3 
 
 ability of becoming the thoroughly good housewife 
 which she was herself. 
 
 These two worthy dames spent the greater part of 
 their time on deck, where they always sat together in 
 a place at the stern of the vessel which was well shel- 
 tered from wind and weather. As they sat thus they 
 were generally employed in knitting, although this 
 occupation did not prevent them from keeping up 
 what seemed to me, as I passed them in my walks 
 about the deck, a continuous conversation. From 
 a question which Mrs. Leeks once asked me about a 
 distant sail, our acquaintance began. There was no 
 one on board for whose society I particularly cared, 
 and as there was something quaint and odd about 
 these countrywomen on the ocean which interested 
 me, I was glad to vary my solitary promenades by an 
 occasional chat with them. They were not at all 
 backward in giving me information about themselves. 
 They were both widows, and Mrs. Ale shine was going 
 out to Japan to visit a son who had a position there 
 in a mercantile house. Mrs. Leeks had no children, 
 and was accompanying her friend because, as she 
 said, she would not allow Mrs. Aleshine to make such 
 a voyage as that by herself, and because, being quite 
 able to do so, she did not know why she should not 
 see the world as well as other people. 
 
 These two friends were not educated women. They 
 made frequent mistakes in their grammar, and a good 
 deal of Middle States provincialism showed itself in 
 their pronunciation and expressions. But although 
 they brought many of their rural ideas to sea with 
 them, ttiey possessed a large share of that common 
 
4 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 sense which is available anywhere, and they fre- 
 quently made use of it in a manner which was very 
 amusing to me. I think, also, that they found in me 
 a quarry of information concerning nautical matters, 
 foreign countries, and my own affairs, the working of 
 which helped to make us very good ship friends. 
 
 Our steamer touched at the Sandwich Islands ; and 
 it was a little more than two days after we left Hono- 
 lulu that, about nine o'clock in the evening, we had 
 the misfortune to come into collision with an eastern- 
 bound vessel. The fault was entirely due to the other 
 ship, the lookout on which, although the night was 
 rather dark and foggy, could easily have seen our 
 lights in time to avoid collision, if he had not been 
 asleep or absent from his post. Be this as it may, 
 this vessel, which appeared to be a small steamer, 
 struck us with great force near our bows, and then, 
 backing, disappeared into the fog, and we never saw 
 or heard of her again. The general opinion was that 
 she was injured very much more than we were, and 
 that she probably sank not very long after the acci- 
 dent; for when the fog cleared away, about an hour 
 afterward, nothing could be seen of her lights. ' 
 
 As it usually happens on occasions of accidents at 
 sea, the damage to our vessel was at first reported to 
 be slight ; but it was soon discovered that our injuries 
 were serious and, indeed, disastrous. The hull of our 
 steamer had been badly shattered on the port boWj 
 and the water came in at a most alarming rate. For 
 nearly two hours the crew and many of the passengers 
 worked at the pumps, and everything possible was 
 done to stop the enormous leak ; but all labor to save 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 6 
 
 the vessel was found to be utterly unavailing, and a 
 little before midnight the captain announced that it 
 was impossible to keep the steamer afloat, and that we 
 must all take to the boats. The night was now clear, 
 the stars were bright, and, as there was but little 
 wind, the sea was comparatively smooth. With all 
 these advantages, the captain assured us that there 
 was no reason to apprehend danger, and he thought 
 that by noon of the following day we could easily 
 make a small inhabited island, where we could be 
 sheltered and cared for until we should be taken off 
 by some passing vessel. 
 
 There was plenty of time for all necessary prepara- 
 tions, and these were made with much order and 
 subordination. Some of the ladies among the cabin 
 passengers were greatly frightened, and inclined to 
 be hysterical. There were pale faces also among the 
 gentlemen. But everybody obeyed the captain's 
 orders, and all prepared themselves for the transfer 
 to the boats. The first officer came among us, and 
 told each of us what boats we were to take, and where 
 we were to place ourselves on deck. I was assigned to 
 a large boat which was to be principally occupied by 
 steerage passengers ; and as I came up from my state- 
 room, where I had gone to secure my money and some 
 portable valuables, I met on the companionway Mrs. 
 Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine, who expressed considerable 
 dissatisfaction when they found that I was not going 
 in the boat with them. They, however, hurried below, 
 and I went on deck, where in about ten minutes I was 
 joined by Mrs. Leeks, who apparently had been look- 
 ing for me. She told me she had something very 
 
THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 «'D0 YOU SEE THAT BOAT THERE?'" 
 
 particular to say to rae, and conducted me toward the 
 stern of the vessel, where, behind one of the deck- 
 houses, we found Mrs. Aleshine. 
 
 "Look here," said Mrs. Leeks, leading me to the 
 rail, and pointing downward j " do you see that boat 
 there ? It has been let down, and there is nobody in 
 it. The boat on the other side has just gone off, full 
 to the brim. I never saw so many people crowded 
 into a boat. The other ones will be just as packed, I 
 expect. I don't see why we should n't take this empty 
 boat, now we 've got a chance, instead of squeezin' 
 ourselves into those crowded ones. If any of the 
 
MES. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 7 
 
 other people come afterward, why, we shall have our 
 choice of seats, and that 's considerable of a p'int, I 
 should say, in a time like this." 
 
 " That 's so," said Mrs. Aleshine ; " and me and Mrs. 
 Leeks would 'a' got right in when we saw the boat 
 was empty, if we had n't been afraid to be there with- 
 out any man, for it might have floated off, and neither 
 of us don't know nothin' about rowin'. And then Mrs. 
 Leeks she thought of you, supposin' a young man who 
 knew so much about the sea would know how to row." 
 
 " Oh, yes," said I ; " but I cannot imagine why this 
 boat should have been left empty. I see a keg of 
 water in it, and the oars, and some tin cans, and so I 
 suppose it has been made ready for somebody. Will 
 you wait here a minute until I run forward and see 
 how things are going on there ? " 
 
 Amidships and forward I saw that there was some 
 confusion among the people who were not yet in their 
 boats, and I found that there was to be rather more 
 crowding than at first was expected. People who had 
 supposed that they were to go in a certain boat found 
 there no place, and were hurrying to other boats. It 
 now became plain to me that no time should be lost 
 in getting into the small boat which Mrs. Leeks had 
 pointed out, and which was probably reserved for 
 some favored persons, as the officers were keeping the 
 people forward and amidships, the other stern-boat 
 having already departed. ^.But ^ I acknowledged no 
 reason why any one should be regarded with more 
 favor than myself and the two women who were 
 waiting for me, I slipped quietly aft, and joined Mrs. 
 Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine. 
 
8 THE CASTING AWAY OP 
 
 " We must get in as soon as we can," said I, in a 
 low voice, " for this boat may be discovered, and then 
 there will be a rush for it. I suspect it may have been 
 reserved for the captain and some of the officers, but 
 we have as much right in it as they." 
 
 " And more too," replied Mrs. Leeks ; " for we had 
 no thin' to do with the steerin' and smashin'." 
 
 " But how are we goin' to get down there ? " said 
 Mrs. Aleshine. ^' There 's no steps." 
 
 " That is true," said I. " I should n't wonder if this 
 boat is to be taken forward when the others are filled. 
 We must scramble down as well as we can by the 
 tackle at the bow and stern. I '11 get in first and 
 keep her close to the ship's side." 
 
 " That 's goin' to be a scratchy business," said Mrs. 
 Leeks, " and I 'm of the opinion we ought to wait till 
 the ship has sunk a little more, so we '11 be nearer to 
 the boat." 
 
 " It won't do to wait," said I, " or we shall not get 
 in it at all." 
 
 " And goodness gracious ! " exclaimed Mrs. Ale- 
 shine, "I can't stand here and feel the ship sinkin' 
 cold-blooded under me, till we 've got where we can 
 make an easy jump ! " 
 
 " Very well, then," said Mrs. Leeks, " we won't wait. 
 But the first thing to be done is for each one of us to 
 put on one of these life-preservers. Two of them I 
 brought from Mrs. Aleshine's and my cabin, and the 
 other one I got next door, where the people had gone 
 off and left it on the floor. I thought if anythin' 
 happened on the way to the island, these would give 
 us a chance to look about us: but it seems to me 
 
^ MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 9 
 
 we 11 need ^em more gettin* down them ropes tlian 
 anywhere else. I did intend pnttin' on two myself to 
 make up for Mrs. Aleshine's fat ; but you must wear 
 one of 'em, sir, now tliat you are goin' to join the party." 
 
 As I knew that two life-preservers would not be 
 needed by Mrs. Leeks, and would greatly inconve- 
 nience her, I accepted the one offered me, but declined 
 to put it on until it should be necessary, as it would 
 interfere with my movements. \ 
 
 "Very well," said Mrs. Leeks, '4f you think you 
 are safe in gettin' down without it. But Mrs. Ale- 
 shine and me will put ours on before we begin sailor- 
 scramblin'. We know how to do it, for we tried 'em 
 on soon after we started from San Francisco. And 
 now, Barb'ry Aleshine, are you sure you 've got every- 
 thin' you wantf for it '11 be no use thinkin' about 
 anythin' you 've forgot after the ship has sunk out of 
 sight." 
 
 "There 's nothin' else I can think of," said Mrs. 
 Aleshine ; " at least, nothin' I can carry ; and so I sup- 
 pose we may as well begin, for your talk of the ship 
 sinkin' under our feet gives me a sort o' feelin' like an 
 oyster creepin' up and down my back." 
 
 Mrs. Leeks looked over the side at the boat, into 
 which I had already descended. " I '11 go fii^st, Bar- 
 h'ry Aleshine," said she, "and show you how." 
 
 The sea was quiet, and the steamer had already 
 sunk so much that Mrs. Lecks's voice sounded fright- 
 fi^lly near me, although she spoke in a low tone. 
 
 "Watch me," said she to her companion. "I 'm 
 goin' to do just as he did, and you must follow in the 
 same way." 
 
10 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 So saying, slie stepped on a bench by tbe rail ; then, 
 with one foot on the rail itself, she seized the ropes 
 which hung from one of the davits to the bow of the 
 boat. She looked down for a moment, and then she 
 drew back. 
 
 " It 's no use," she said. " We must wait until she 
 sinks more, and I can get in easier." 
 
 This remark made me feel nervous. I did not know 
 at what moment there might be a rush for this boat, 
 nor when, indeed, the steamer might go down. The 
 boat amidships on our side had rowed away some 
 minutes before, and through the darkness I could 
 distinguish another boat, near the bows, pushing off. 
 It would be too late now for us to try to get into any 
 other boat, and I did not feel that there was time 
 enough for me to take this one to a place where the 
 two women could more easily descend to her. Stand- 
 ing upright, I urged them not to delay. 
 
 " You see," said I, " I can reach you as soon as you 
 swing yourself off the ropes, and I '11 help you down." 
 
 " If you 're sure you can keep us from comin' down 
 too sudden, we '11 try it," said Mrs. Leeks ; " but I 'd 
 as soon be drowned as to get to an island with a broken 
 leg. And as to Mrs. Aleshine, if she was to slip she 'd 
 go slam through that boat to the bottom of the sea. 
 Now, then, be ready ! I 'm comin' down." 
 
 So saying, she swung herself off, and she was then 
 so near me that I was able to seize her and make the 
 rest of her descent comparatively easy. Mrs. Ale- 
 shine proved to be a more difficult subject. Even 
 after I had a firm grasp of her capacious waist she 
 refused to let go the ropes, for fear that she might 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 11 
 
 drop into tlie ocean instead 
 of the boat. But the re- 
 proaches of Mrs. Leeks and 
 the downward weight of 
 myself made her loosen her 
 nervous grip ; and, al- 
 though we came very near 
 going overboard together, 
 I safely placed her on one 
 of the thwarts. 
 
 I now unhooked the 
 tackle from the stern ; but 
 before casting off at the 
 bow I hesitated, for I did 
 not wish to desert any of 
 those who might be ex- 
 pecting to embark in this 
 boat. But I could hear no 
 approaching footsteps, and 
 from my position, close to 
 the side of the steamer, I 
 could see nothing. There- 
 fore I cast off, and, taking 
 the oars, I pushed away and 
 rowed to a little distance, 
 where I could get whatever 
 view was possible of the 
 deck of the steamer. See- 
 ing no forms moving 
 about, I called out, and, 
 receiving no answer, I 
 shouted again at the top 
 
 *^^ 
 
12 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 of my yoice. I waited for nearly a minute, and, hear- 
 ing nothing and seeing nothing, I became convinced 
 that no one was left on the vessel. ; 
 
 " They are all gone," said I, ^' and we will pull after 
 them as fast as we can." 
 
 And I began^ to row toward the bow of the steamer, 
 in the direction which the other boats had taken. 
 
 " It 's a good thing you can row," said Mrs. Leeks, 
 settling herself comfortably in the stern-sheets, " for 
 what Mrs. Aleshine and me would ha' done with them 
 oars I am sure I don't know." 
 
 '' I 'd never have got into this boat," said Mrs. Ale- 
 shine, " if Mr. Craig had n't been here." 
 
 ^' No, indeed," replied her friend. " You 'd ha' gone 
 to the bottom, hangin' for dear life to them ropes." 
 
 When I had rounded the bow of the steamer, which 
 appeared to me to be rapidly settling in the water, I 
 perceived at no great distance several lights, which of 
 course belonged to the other boats, and I rowed as 
 hard as I could, hoping to catch up with them, or at 
 least to keep sufficiently near. It might be my duty 
 to take off some of the people who had crowded into 
 the other boats, probably supposing that this one had 
 been loaded and gone. How such a mistake could 
 have taken place I could not divine, and it was not 
 my business to do so. Quite certain that no one was 
 left on the sinking steamer, all I had to do was to row 
 after the other boats, and to overtake them as soon 
 as possible. I thought it would not take me very long 
 to do this, but after rowing for half an hour, Mrs. 
 Aleshine remarked that the lights seemed as far off, 
 if not farther, than when we first started after them. 
 
MES. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 13 
 
 Turning, I saw that this was the case, and was greatly 
 surprised. With only two passengers I ought soon 
 to have come up with those heavily laden boats. But 
 after I had thought over it a little, I considered that 
 as each of them was probably pulled by half a dozen 
 stout sailors, it was not so very strange that they 
 should make as good or better headway than I did. 
 
 It was not very long after this that Mrs. Leeks said 
 that she thought that the lights on the other boats 
 must be going out, and that this, most probably, was 
 due to the fact that the sailors had forgotten to fill 
 their lanterns before they started. "That sort of 
 thing often happens," she said, " when people leave a 
 place in a hurry." 
 
 But when I turned around, and peered over the 
 dark waters, it was quite plain to me that it was not 
 want of oil, but increased distance, which made those 
 lights so dim^ I could now perceive but three of them, 
 and as the surface was agitated only by a gentle swell, 
 I could not suppose that any of them were hidden 
 from our view by waves. We were being left behind, 
 that was certain, and all I could do was to row on as 
 long and as well as I could in the du-ection ^liich the 
 other boats had taken. I had been used to ro^ving, 
 and thought I pulled a good oar, and I certainly did 
 not expect to be left behind in this way. 
 
 "I don't believe this boat has been emptied out 
 since the last rain," said Mrs. Aleshine, "for my feet 
 are wet, though I did n't notice it before." 
 
 At this I shipped my oars, and began to examine 
 the boat. The bottom was covered with a movable 
 floor of slats, and as I put my hand down I could feel 
 
14 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 the water welling up between the slats. The flooring 
 was in sections, and lifting the one beneath me, I felt 
 under it, and put my hand into six or eight inches of 
 water. 
 
 The exact state of the case was now as plain to me 
 as if it had been posted up on a bulletin-board. This 
 boat had been found to be unseaworthy, and its use 
 had been forbidden, all the people having been crowded 
 into the others. This had caused confusion at the last 
 moment, and, of course, we were supposed to be on 
 some one of the other boats. 
 
 And now here was I, in the middle of the Pacific 
 Ocean, in a leaky boat, with two middle-aged women ! 
 
 " Anythin^ the matter with the floor ? " asked Mrs. 
 Leeks. 
 
 I let the section fall back into its place, and looked 
 aft. By the starlight I could see that my two com- 
 panions had each fixed upon me a steadfast gaze. 
 They evidently felt that something was the matter, 
 and wanted to know what it was. I did not hesitate 
 for a moment to inform them. They appeared to me 
 to be women whom it would be neither advisable nor 
 possible to deceive in a case like this. 
 
 " This boat has a leak in it," I said. " There is a lot 
 of water in her already, and that is the reason we have 
 got along so slowly." 
 
 " And that is why," said Mrs. Aleshine, *' it was left 
 empty. We ought to have known better than to ex- 
 pect to have a whole boat just for three of us. It 
 would have been much more sensible, I think, if we 
 had tried to squeeze into one of the others." 
 
 <* Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Leeks, " don't 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 15 
 
 you begin findin' fault with good fortune, when it 
 comes to you. Here we 've got a comfortable boat, 
 with room enough to set easy and stretch out if we 
 want to. If the water is comin' in, what we 've got to 
 do is to get it out again just as fast as we can. What ^s 
 the best way to do that, Mr. Craig ? " 
 
 -opi.^ 
 
 •«WE WILL PULL AFTEK THEM.' 
 
 " We must bail her out, and lose no time about it,** 
 said I. " If I can find the leak I may be able to stop 
 it." 
 
 I now looked about for something to bail with, and 
 the two women aided actively in the search. I found 
 one leather scoop in the bow ; but as it was weU that 
 we should aU go to work, I took two tin cans that had 
 been put in by some one who had begun to provision 
 the boat, and proceeded to cut the tops from them 
 with my jack-knife. 
 
 " Don^t lose what ^s in 'em," said Mrs. Leeks ; '' that 
 
16 THE CASTING AWAY OP 
 
 is, if it 's anythin' we 'd be likely to want to eat. If 
 it 's tomatoes, pour it into the sea, for nobody ought 
 to eat tomatoes put up in tins." 
 
 I hastily passed the cans to Mrs. Leeks, and I saw 
 her empty the contents of one into the sea, and those 
 of the other on a newspaper which she took from her 
 pocket and placed in the stern. 
 
 I pulled up the movable floor and threw it over- 
 board, and then began to bail. 
 
 " I thought," said Mrs. Aleshine, " that they always 
 had pumps for leaks." 
 
 "Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Leeks, "just 
 gether yourself up on one of them seats, and go to 
 work. The less talkin' we do, and the more scoopia', 
 the better it '11 be for us." 
 
 I soon perceived that it would have been difficult to 
 find two more valuable assistants in the bailing of a 
 boat than Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine. They were 
 evidently used to work, and were able to accommodate 
 themselves to the unusual circumstances in which they 
 were placed. We threw out the water very rapidly, 
 and every little while I stopped bailing and felt about 
 to see if I could discover where it came in. As these 
 attempts met with no success, I gave them up after a 
 time, and set about bailing with new vigor, believing 
 that if we could get the boat nearly dry I should 
 surely be able to find the leak. 
 
 But, after working half an hour more, I found that 
 the job would be a long one ,• and if we aU. worked 
 at once we would all be tired out at once, and that 
 might be disastrous. Therefore I proposed that we 
 should take turns in resting, and Mrs. Aleshine was 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 17 
 
 ordered to stop work for a time. After this Mrs. 
 Leeks took a rest, and when she went to work I 
 stopped baihng and began again to search for the 
 leak. 
 
 For about two hoiu's we worked in this way, and 
 then I concluded it was useless to continue any longer 
 this vain exertion. With three of us bailing we were 
 able to keep the water at the level we fii'st found it ; 
 but with only two at work, it slightly gained upon us, 
 so that now there was more water in the boat than 
 when we first discovered it. The boat was an iron 
 one, and the leak in it I could neither find nor remedy. 
 It had probably been caused by the warping of the 
 metal under a hot sun, an accident which, I am told, 
 frequently occurs to iron boats. The little craft, 
 which would have been a life-boat had its air-boxes 
 remained intact, was now probably leaking from stem 
 to stern ; and in searching for the leak without the 
 protection of the flooring, my weight had doubtless 
 assisted in opening the seams, for it was quite plain 
 that the water was now coming in more rapidly than 
 it did at fii'st. We were very tired, and even Mrs. 
 Leeks, who had all along counseled us to keep at work, 
 and not to waste one breath in talking, now admitted 
 that it was of no use to try to get the water out of 
 that boat. 
 
 It had been some hours since I had used the oars, 
 but whether we had drifted, or remained where we 
 were when I stopped rowing, of course I could not 
 know ; but this mattered very little : our boat was 
 slowly sinking beneath us, and it could make no 
 difference whether we went down in one spot or an- 
 
18 . THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 other. I sat and racked my brain to think what 
 could be done in this fearful emergency. To bail any 
 longer was useless labor, and what else was there that 
 we could do ? 
 
 " When will it be time," asked Mrs. Leeks, " for us 
 to put on the life-preservers ? When the water gets 
 nearly to the seats 1 " 
 
 I answered that we should not wait any longer than 
 that, but in my own mind I could not see any advan- 
 tage in putting them on at all. Wliy should we wish 
 to lengthen our lives by a few hours of helpless float- 
 ing upon the ocean ? 
 
 "Very good," said Mrs. Leeks j "I '11 keep a watch 
 on the water. One of them cans was filled with lob- 
 ster, which would be more than likely to disagree 
 with us, and I 've throwed it out ; but the other had 
 baked beans in it, and the best thing we can do is to 
 eat some of these right away. They are mighty 
 nourishin', and will keep up strength as well as any- 
 thin', and then, as you said there 's a keg of water in 
 the boat, we can all take a drink of that, and it '11 
 make us feel like new cre'tur's. You '11 have to take 
 the beans in your hands, for we 've got no spoons nor 
 forks." 
 
 Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine were each curled up 
 out of reach of the water, the first in the stern, and 
 the other on the aft thwart. The day was now begin- 
 ning to break, and we could see about us very dis- 
 tinctly. Before reaching out her hands to receive 
 her beans, Mrs. Aleshine washed them in the water in 
 the boat, remarking at the same time that she might 
 as well make use of it since it was there. Having 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 19 
 
 then wiped her hands on some part of her apparel, 
 they were filled with beans from the newspaper held 
 by Mrs. Leeks, and these were passed over to me. I 
 was Very hungry, and when I had finished my beans 
 I agreed with my companions that although they 
 would have been a great deal better if heated up with 
 butter, pepper, and salt, they were very comforting 
 as they were. One of the empty cans was now passed 
 to me, and after ha\dng been asked by Mrs. Leeks to 
 rinse it out very carefully, we all satisfied our taste 
 from the water in the keg. 
 
 " Cold baked beans and lukewarm water ain't exactly 
 company vittles," said Mrs. Aleshine, "but there ^s 
 many a poor wretch would be glad to get 'em." 
 
 I could not imagine any poor wretch who would be 
 glad of the food together with the attending circum- 
 stances ; but I did not say so. 
 
 " The water is just one finger from the bottom of 
 the seat," said Mrs. Leeks, who had been stooping 
 over to measure, "and it ^s time to put on the life- 
 preservers." 
 
 "Very good," said Mrs. Aleshine , "hand me mine.^ 
 
 Each of us now buckled on a life-preserver, and as 
 I did so I stood up upon a thwart and looked about 
 me. It was quite light now, and I could see for a 
 long distance over the surface of the ocean, which 
 was gently rolling in wide, smooth swells. As we 
 rose upon the summit of one of these I saw a dark 
 spot upon the water, just on the edge of our near 
 horizon. "Is that the steamer?" I thought; "and 
 has she not yet sunk ? " 
 
 At this there came to me a glimmering of coura- 
 
20 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 geous hope. If the steamer had remained afloat so long, 
 it was probable that on account of water-tight com- 
 partments, or for some other reason, her sinking had 
 reached its limit, and that if we could get back to her 
 we might be saved. But, alas, how were we to get 
 back to her ? This boat would sink long, long before 
 I could row that distance. 
 
 However, I soon proclaimed the news to my com- 
 panions, whereupon Mrs. Aleshine prepared to stand 
 upon a thwart and see for herself. But Mrs. Leeks 
 restrained her. 
 
 '' Don't make things worse, Barb'ry Aleshine," said 
 she, " by tumblin' overboard. If we 've got to go into 
 the water, let us do it decently and in order. If that 's 
 the ship, Mr. Craig, don't you suppose we can float 
 ourselves to it in some way ? '^ 
 
 I replied that by the help of a Life-preserver a person 
 who could swim might reach the ship. 
 
 '^ But neither of us can swim," said Mrs. Leeks, "for 
 we 've Lived where the water was never more 'n a foot 
 deep, except in time of freshets, when there 's no 
 swimmin' for man or beast. But if we see you swim, 
 perhaps we can foUow, after a fashion. At any rate, 
 we must do the best we can, and that 's aU there is to 
 be done." 
 
 '' The water now," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, " is so 
 near to the bottom of my seat that I 've got to stand 
 up, tumble overboard or no." 
 
 ''AU right," remarked Mrs. Leeks; "we 'd better 
 aU stand up, and let the boat sink under us. That 
 wiU save our jumpin' overboard, or roUin' out any 
 which way, which might be awkward." 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 21 
 
 " Goodness gracious me ! " exclaimed Mrs. Ale- 
 shine. " You set the oysters creepin' over me again ! 
 First you talk of the ship sinkin' under us, and now 
 it 's the boat goin' to the bottom under our feet. Be- 
 fore any sinkin' 's to be done I 'd ruther get out." 
 
 ''Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Leeks, *' stand 
 up straight, and don't talk so much. It '11 be a great 
 deal better to be let down gradual than to flop into 
 the water all of a bunch." 
 
 '' Very well," said Mrs. Aleshine ; *' it may be best 
 to get used to it by degrees ; but I must say I wish I 
 was home." 
 
 As for me, I would have much preferred to jump 
 overboard at once, instead of waiting in this cold- 
 blooded manner; but as my companions had so far 
 preserved their presence of mind, I did not wish to do 
 anything which might throw them into a panic. I 
 believed there would be no danger from the suction 
 caused by the sinking of a small boat like this, and if 
 we took care not to entangle ourselves with it in any 
 way, we might as well follow Mrs. Lecks's advice as 
 not. So we all stood up, Mrs. Leeks in the stem, I 
 in the bow, and Mrs. Aleshine on a thwart between 
 us. The last did not appear to have quite room 
 enough for a steady footing, but, as she remarked, it 
 did not matter very much, as the footing, broad or 
 narrow, would not be there very long. 
 
 I am used to swimming, and have never hesitated 
 to take a plunge into river or ocean, but I must admit 
 that it was very trying to my nerves to stand up this 
 way and wait for a boat to sink beneath me. How 
 the two women were affected 1 do not know. They 
 
22 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 said notliing, but their faces indicated that something 
 disagreeable was about to happen, and that the less 
 that was said about it the better. 
 
 The boat had now sunk so much that the water 
 was around Mrs. Aleshine's feet, her standing-place 
 being rather lower than ours. I made mj^self certain 
 that there were no ropes nor any other means of en- 
 tanglement near my companions or myself, and then 
 I waited. There seemed to be a good deal of buoy- 
 ancy in the bow and stern of the boat, and it was a 
 frightfully long time in sinking. The suspense be- 
 came so utterly unendurable that I was tempted to 
 put one foot on the edge of the boat, and, by tipping 
 it, put an end to this nerve-rack ; but I reframed, for 
 I probably would throw the women oif their balance, 
 when they might fall against some part of the boat, 
 and do themselves a hurt. I had just relinquished 
 this intention, when two little waves seemed to rise 
 one on each side of Mrs. Aleshine, and gently flowing 
 over the side of the boat, they flooded her feet with 
 water. 
 
 " Hold your breaths ! " I shouted. And now I ex- 
 perienced a sensation which must have been very like 
 that which comes to a condemned criminal at the first 
 indication of the pulling of the drop. Then there 
 was a horrible sinking, a gurgle, and a swash, and the 
 ocean over which I had been gazing appeared to rise 
 up and envelop me. 
 
 In a moment, however, my head was out of the 
 water, and, looking hastily about me, I saw, close by, 
 the heads and shoulders of Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Ale- 
 shine. The latter was vigorously winking her eyes 
 
'STAND OP STEAiGHT, AiJD DOK'T TALK SO MUCH.'*" 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 25 
 
 and l^lowing from her mouth some sea-water that had 
 got into it ; but as soon as her eyes fell upon me she 
 exclaimed: ''That was ever so much more suddint 
 than I thought it was goin' 
 to be ! " 
 
 "Are you both all right ? " 
 
 ^'I suppose I am," said 
 Mrs. Aleshine, "• but I never 
 thought that a person with 
 a life-preserver on would go 
 clean under the water." 
 
 '' But since you Ve come 
 up again, you ought to be 
 satisfied," said Mrs. Leeks. "vigorously winking and 
 
 ' BLOWING." 
 
 "And now," she added, 
 
 turning her face toward me, "which way ought we 
 to try to swim 1 and have we got everythin' we want 
 to take with us ? " 
 
 "What we have n't got we can't get," remarked 
 Mrs. Aleshine ; " and as for swimmin', I expect I 'm 
 goin' to make a poor hand at it." 
 
 I had a hope, which was not quite strong enough to 
 be a belief, that, supported by their life-preservers, 
 the two women might paddle themselves along ; and 
 that, by giving them in turn a helping hand, I might 
 eventually get them to the steamer. There was a 
 strong probability that I would not succeed, but I 
 did not care to think of that. 
 
 I now swam in front of my companions, and en- 
 deavored to instruct them in the best method of pro- 
 pelling themselves with their arms and their hands. 
 If they succeeded in this, I thought I would give them 
 
26 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 some further lessons in striking out with their feet 
 After watching me attentively, Mrs. Leeks did man- 
 age to move herself slowly through the smooth water, 
 but poor Mrs. Aleshiue could do nothing but splash. 
 
 " If there was any thin' to take hold of,'-' she said to 
 me, '^ I might get along ; but I can't get any grip on 
 the water, though you seem to do it well enough. 
 Look there ! "-she added in a higher voice. " Is n't 
 that an oar floatin' over there ? If you can get that 
 for me, I believe I can row myself much better than 
 I can swim." 
 
 This seemed an odd idea, but I swam over to the 
 floating oar, and brought it her. I was about to 
 show her how she could best use it, but'she declined 
 my advice. 
 
 ^' If I do it at all," she said,^^^Tmust do it in my own 
 way." An4*]^king the oar in her strong hands, she 
 began to ply it on the water very much in the way in 
 which she would handle a broom. At first she dipped 
 the blade too deeply, but, correcting this error, she 
 soon began to paddle herself along at a slow but 
 steady rate. 
 
 ^' Capital ! " I cried. " You do that admirably ! " 
 
 " Anybody who 's swept as many rooms as I have," 
 she said, "ought to be able to handle anythin- that 
 can be used like a broom." 
 
 " Is n't there another oar ? " cried Mrs. Leeks, who 
 had now been left a little distance behind us. "If 
 there is, I want one." /\ 
 
 Looking about me, I soon discovered another float- 
 ing oar, and brought it to Mrs. Leeks, who, after 
 holding it in various positions, so as to get " the hang 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 27 
 
 of it," as she said, soon began to use it with as much 
 skill as that shown by her friend. If either of them 
 had been obliged to use an oar in the ordinary way, I 
 
 -^^ 
 
 "THEY GOT ON BEMAHKABLY WELL.' 
 
 fear they would have had a bad time of it ; but, con- 
 sidering the implement in the light of a broom, its 
 use immediately became familiar to them, and they 
 got on remarkably well. 
 
28 THE CASTING AWAY OP 
 
 I now took a position a little in advance of my 
 companions, and as I swam slowly they were easily 
 able to keep up with me. Mrs. Aleshine, being so 
 stout, floated much higher out of the water than either 
 Mrs. Leeks or I, and this permitted her to use her oar 
 with a great deal of freedom. Sometimes she would 
 give such a vigorous brush to the water that she 
 would turn herself almost entirely around, but after 
 a little practice she learned to avoid undue efforts 
 of this kind. 
 
 I was not positively sure that we were going in the 
 right direction, for my position did not allow me to 
 see very far over the water ; but I remembered that 
 when I was standing up in the boat, and made my 
 discovery, the sun was just about to rise in front of 
 me, while the dark spot on the ocean lay to my left. 
 Judging, therefore, from the present position of the 
 sun, which was not very high, I concluded that we 
 were moving toward the north, and therefore in the 
 right direction. How far off the steamer might be I 
 had no idea, for I was not accustomed to judging 
 distances at sea ; but I believed that if we were care- 
 ful of our strength, and if the ocean continued as 
 smooth as it now was, we might eventually reach the 
 vessel, provided she were yet afloat. 
 
 '' After you are fairly in the water," said Mrs. Ale- 
 shine, as she swept along, although without the velocity 
 which that phrase usually implies, '^it is n't half so 
 bad as I thought it would be. For one thing, it don'i 
 feel a bit salt, although I must say it tasted horribly 
 that way when I first went into it." 
 
 "You did n't expect to find pickle-brine, did you?" 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 29 
 
 said Mrs. Leeks. " Though, if it was, I suppose we 
 could float on it settin'." 
 
 "And as to bein- cold," said Mrs. Aleshine, "the 
 part of me that 's in is actually more comfortable than 
 that which is out." 
 
 " There 's one thing I would have been afraid of," 
 said Mrs. Leeks, " if we had n't made preparations for 
 it, and that 's sharks." 
 
 " Preparations ! " I exclaimed. " How in the world 
 did you prepare for sharks ? " 
 
 " Easy enough," said Mrs. Leeks. " When we went 
 down into our room to get ready to go away in the 
 boats we both put on black stockings. I Ve read that 
 sharks never bite colored people, although if they see 
 a white man in the water they 'U snap him up as quick 
 as lightnin'j and black stockin's was the nearest we 
 could come to it. You see, I thought as like as not 
 we 'd have some sort of an upset before we got 
 through." 
 
 " It 's a great comfort," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, 
 "and I 'm very glad you thought of it, Mrs. Leeks. 
 After this I shall make it a rule ; Black stockin's for 
 sharks." 
 
 " I suppose in your case," said Mrs. Leeks, address- 
 ing me, " dark trousers will do as well." 
 
 To which I answered that I sincerely hoped they 
 would. 
 
 " Another thing I 'm thankful for," said Mrs. Ale- 
 shine, " is that I thought to put on a flannel skeert." 
 
 "And what \s the good of it," said Mrs. Leeks, 
 " when it 's soppin' wet ? " 
 
 ** Flannel 's flannel," replied her friend, " whether 
 
30 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 it ^s wet or dry ; and if you 'd had the rheumatism as 
 much as I have, you 'd know it." 
 
 To this Mrs. Leeks replied with a sniff, and asked 
 me how soon I thought we would get sight of the 
 ship ; for if we were going the wron^ way, and had to 
 turn round and go back, it would certainly be very 
 provoking., 
 
 I should have been happy indeed to be able to give 
 a satisfactory answer to this question. Every time 
 that we rose upon a swell I threw a rapid glance 
 around the whole circle of the horizon j. knd at last, 
 i;iot a quarter of an hour after Mrs. Lecks's question, 
 I was rejoiced to see, almost in the direction in which 
 I supposed it ought to be, the dark spot which I had 
 before discovered. I shouted the glad news, and as 
 we rose again my companions strained their eyes in 
 the direction to which I pointed. They both saw it, 
 and were greatly satisfied. 
 
 ,^ *'Now, then," said Mrs. Aleshine, "it seems as if 
 there was something to work for " ; and she began to 
 sweep her oar with great vigor. 
 
 ''If you want to tire yourself out before you get 
 there, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Leeks, "you ^d 
 better go on in that way. Now what I advise is 
 that we stop rowin^ altogether, and have some- 
 thin^ to eat ; for I 'm sure we need it to keep up our 
 strength." 
 
 " Eat ! " I cried. " What are you going to eat ? Do 
 you expect to catch fish ? " 
 
 "And eat 'em raw?" said Mrs. Leeks. "I should 
 think not. But do you suppose, Mr. Craig, that Mrs. 
 Aleshine and me would go off and leave that ship 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 31 
 
 witliout takin' somethin' to eat by the way ? Let 's 
 all gether here in a bunch, and see what sort of a 
 meal we can make. And now, Barb'ry Aleshine, 
 if yon lay your oar down there on the water, I 
 recommend you to tie it to one of your bonnet- 
 strings, or it '11 be floatin' away, and you won't get 
 it again." 
 
 As she said this, Mrs. Leeks put her right hand 
 down into the water, and fumbled about, apparently 
 in search of a pocket. I could not but smile as I 
 thought of the condition of food when, for an hour 
 or more, it had been a couple of feet under the 
 
 'S NOTHIN' LIKE SAUSAGES FOE SHIPWKECK.'" 
 
 surface of the ocean ; but my ideas on the subject 
 were entirely changed when I saw Mrs. Leeks hold 
 up in the air two German sausages, and shake the 
 briny drops from their smooth and glittering sur- 
 faces. 
 
 "There 's nothin'," she said, ''like sausages for 
 shipwreck and that kind o' thing. They 're very sus- 
 taining, and bein' covered with a tight skin, water can't 
 
32 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 get at 'em, no matter how you carry ^em. I woiild n^t 
 bring these out in the boat, because, havin' the beans, 
 we might as well eat them. Have you a knife about 
 you, Mr. Craig ? " 
 
 I produced a dripping jack-knife, and after the open 
 blade had been waved in the air to dry it a little, Mrs. 
 Leeks proceeded to divide one of the sausages, handing 
 the other to me to hold meanwhile. 
 
 "Now don't go eatin' sausages without bread, if 
 you don't want 'em to give you dyspepsy," said 
 Mrs. Aleshine, who was tugging at a submarine 
 pocket. 
 
 " I 'm very much afraid your bread is all soaked,*' 
 said Mrs. Leeks. 
 
 To which her friend replied that that remained to 
 be seen, and forthwith produced, with a splash, a glass 
 preserve- jar with a metal top. 
 
 " I saw this nearly empty, as I looked into the ship's 
 pantry, and I stuffed into it all the soft biscuits it 
 would hold. There was some sort of jam left at the 
 bottom, so that the one who gets the last biscuit will 
 have somethin' of a little spread on it. And now, 
 Mrs. Leeks," she continued triumphantly, as she un- 
 screwed the top, "that rubber ring has kept 'em as 
 dry as chips. I 'm mighty glad of it, for I had trouble 
 enough gettin' this jar into my pocket, and gettin' it 
 out, too, for that matter." 
 
 Floating thus, with our hands and shoulders above 
 the water, we made a very good meal from the sau- 
 sages and soft biscuit. 
 
 " Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Leeks, as her friend 
 proceeded to cut the second sausage, " don't you lay 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 33 
 
 that knife down, when you We done with it, as if 
 't was an oar ; for if you do it '11 sink, as like as not, 
 about six miles. I 've read that the ocean is as deep 
 as that in some places." 
 
 " Goodness gracious me ! " exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, 
 " I hope we are not over one of them deep spots." 
 
 *' There 's no knowin'," said Mrs. Leeks, '' but if it 's 
 more comf ortin' to think it 's shallerer, we '11 make up 
 our minds that way. Now, then," she continued, 
 '^ we '11 finish off this meal with a little somethin' to 
 drink. I 'm not given to takin' spirits, but I never 
 travel without a little whisky, ready mixed with water, 
 to take if it should be needed." 
 
 So saying, she produced from one of her pockets a 
 whisky-flask tightly corked, and of its contents we 
 each took a sip, Mrs. Aleshine remarking that, leaving 
 out being chilled or colicky, we were never likely to 
 need it more than now. 
 
 Thus refreshed and strengthened, Mrs. Leeks and 
 Mrs. Aleshine took up their oars, while I swam slightly 
 in advance, as before. When, with occasional inter- 
 missions of rest, and a good deal of desultory conver- 
 sation, we had swept and swam for about an hour, 
 Mrs. Leeks suddenly exclaimed : ^' I can see that thing 
 ever so much plainer now, and I don't believe it^ a 
 ship at all. To me it looks like bushes." 
 
 '' You 're mighty long-sighted without your specs," 
 said Mrs. Aleshine, '^and I 'm not sui*e but what 
 you 're right." 
 
 For ten minutes or more I had been puzzling over 
 the shape of the dark spot, which was now nearly all 
 the time in sight. Its peculiar form had filled me 
 
34 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 with a dreadful fear that it was the steamer, bottom 
 upward, although I knew enough about nautical 
 matters to have no good reason to suppose that this 
 could be the case. I am not far-sighted, but when 
 Mrs. Leeks suggested bushes, I gazed at the distant 
 object with totally different ideas, and soon began 
 to believe that it was not a ship, either right side up 
 or wrong side up, but that it might be an island. 
 This belief I proclaimed to my companions, and for 
 some time we all worked with increased energy in the 
 desire to get near enough to make ourselves certain 
 in regard to this point. 
 
 "As true as I 'm standin' here," said Mrs. Leeks, 
 who, although she could not read without spectacles, 
 had remarkably good sight at long range, ''them is 
 trees and bushes that I see before me, though they do 
 seem to be growin' right out of the water." 
 
 " There 's an island under them ; you may be sure 
 of that ! " I cried. " Is n't this ever so much better 
 than a sinking ship?" 
 
 " I 'm not so sure about that," said Mrs. Aleshine. 
 "I 'm used to the ship, and as long as it did n't 
 sink I 'd prefer it. There 's plenty to eat on board of 
 it, and good beds to sleep on, which is more than can 
 be expected on a little bushy place like that ahead of 
 us. But then, the ship might sink all of a suddint, 
 beds, vittles, and all." 
 
 '' Do you suppose that is the island the other boats 
 went to ? " asked Mrs. Leeks. 
 
 This question I had already asked of myself. I had 
 been told that the island to which the captain intended 
 to take his boats lay about thirty miles south of the 
 
MKS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 35 
 
 point where we left the steamer. Now I knew yery 
 well that we had not come thirty miles, and had reason 
 to believe, moreover, that the greater part of the 
 progress we had made had been toward the north. It 
 was not at all probable that the position of this island 
 was unknown to our captain ; and it must, therefore, 
 have been considered by him as an unsuitable place 
 for the landing of his passengers. There might be 
 many reasons for this unsuitableness : the island 
 might be totally barren and desolate ; it might be the 
 abode of unpleasant natives; and, more important 
 than anything else, it was, in all probability, a spot 
 where steamers never touched. 
 
 But, whatever its disadvantages, I was most wildly 
 desirous to reach it ; more so, I believe, than either of 
 my companions. I do not mean that they were not 
 sensible of their danger, and desirous to be freed from 
 it ; but they were women who had probably had a rough 
 time of it during a great part of their lives, and on 
 emerging from their little circle of rural experiences, 
 accepted with equanimity, and almost as a matter of 
 course, the rough times which come to people in the 
 great outside world. 
 
 *' I do not believe," I said, in answer to Mrs. Leeks, 
 '' that that is the island to which the captain would 
 have taken us ; but, whatever it is, it is dry land, and 
 we must get there as soon as we can." 
 
 " That 's true," said Mrs. Aleshine, '' for I 'd like to 
 have ground nearer to my feet than six miles ; and if 
 we don't find anything to eat and any place to sleep 
 when we get there, it 's no more than can be said of 
 the place where we are now." 
 
36 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 "You ^re too particular, Barb'ry Aleshine," said 
 Mrs. Leeks, " about your comforts. If you find the 
 ground too hard to sleep on, when you get there, you 
 can put on your life-preserver, and go to bed in the 
 water." 
 
 ''Very good," said Mrs. Aleshine; "and if these 
 islands are made of coral, as I 've heard they are, 
 and if they 're as full of small p'ints as some coral 
 I 've got at home, you '11 be glad to take a berth by 
 me, Mrs. Leeks." 
 
 I counseled my companions to follow me as rapidly 
 as possible, and we all pushed vigorously forward. 
 When we had approached near enough to the island 
 to see what sort of place it really was, we perceived 
 that it was a low-lying spot, apparently covered with 
 verdure, and surrounded, as far as we could see as 
 we rose on the swells, by a rocky reef, against which 
 a tolerably high surf was running. 
 
 I knew enough of the formation of these coral 
 islands to suppose that within this reef was a la- 
 goon of smooth water, into which there were open- 
 ings through the rocky barrier. It was necessary 
 to try to find one of these, for it would be difficult 
 and perhaps dangerous to attempt to land through 
 the surf. 
 
 Before us we could see a continuous line of white- 
 capped breakers, and so I led my little party to the 
 right, hoping that we would soon see signs of an 
 opening in the reef. 
 
 "We swam and paddled, however, for a long time, 
 and still the surf rolled menacingly on the rocks before 
 us. We were now as close to the island as we could 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 37 
 
 approacli with safety, and I determined to circum- 
 navigate it, if necessary, before I would attempt, with 
 these two women, to land upon that jagged reef. At 
 last we perceived, at no gi-eat distance before us, a 
 spot where there seemed to be no breakers ; and when 
 we reached it we found, to our unutterable delight, 
 that here was smooth water flowing through a wide 
 opening in the reef. The rocks were piled up quite 
 high, and the reef, at this point at least, was a wide 
 one, but as we neared the opening we found that it 
 narrowed very soon, and made a turn to the left, 
 so that from the outside we could not see into the 
 lagoon. 
 
 I swam into this smooth water, followed closely by 
 Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine, who, however, soon be- 
 came unable to use their oars, owing to the proximity 
 of the rocks. Dropping these useful implements, they 
 managed to paddle after me with their hands, and 
 they were as much astonished as I was when, just after 
 making the slight turn, we found stretched across the 
 narrow passage a great iron bar about eight or ten 
 inches above the water. A little farther on, and two 
 or three feet above the water, another iron bar ex- 
 tended from one rocky wall to the other. Without 
 uttering a word I examined the lower bar, and found 
 one end of it fastened by means of a huge padlock to 
 a great staple driven into the rock. The lock was 
 securely wrapped in what appeared to be tarred canvas. 
 A staple through an eyehole in the bar secured the 
 other end of it to the rocks. 
 
 " These bars were put here," I exclaimed, " to keep 
 out boats, whether at high or low water. You see 
 
38 
 
 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 they can only be thrown out of the way by taking off 
 the padlocks." 
 
 "They won't keep us out," said Mrs. Leeks, ''for 
 we can duck under. I suppose whoever put 'em here 
 did n't expect anybody to arrive on life-preservers." 
 
 *»»5 
 
PART II 
 
 ADOPTING Mrs. Lecks's suggestion, I ''ducked" 
 /A my head under the bar, and passed to the 
 other side of it. Mrs. Leeks, with but little trouble, 
 followed my example; but Mrs. Aleshine, who, by 
 reason of her stoutness, floated so much higher out 
 of the water than her friend and I, found it impossi- 
 ble to get herself under the bar. In whatever man- 
 ner she made the attempt, her head or her shoulders 
 were sure to bump and arrest her progress. 
 
 '' Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Leeks, who had 
 been watching her, ''if you ever want to get out of 
 this salt water, you Ve got to make up your mind to 
 take some of it into your mouth and into your eyes, 
 that is, if you don't keep 'em shut. Get yourself as 
 
 39 
 
40 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 close to that bar as you can, and I '11 come and put 
 you under." So saying, Mrs. Leeks returned to the 
 other side of the bar, and having made Mrs. Aleshine 
 bow down her head and close her eyes and mouth, 
 she placed both hands upon her companion's broad 
 shoulders, and threw as much weight as possible upon 
 them. Mrs. Aleshine almost disappeared beneath the 
 water, but she came up sputtering and blinking on 
 the other side of the bar, where she was quickly joined 
 by Mrs. Leeks. 
 
 '^Merciful me!" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, wiping 
 her wet face with her stiU wetter sleeve, "I never 
 supposed the heathens would be up to such tricks as 
 makin' us do that ! " 
 
 I had waited to give any assistance that might be 
 required, and, while doing so, had discovered another 
 bar under the water, which proved that entrance at 
 almost any stage of the tide had been guarded against. 
 Warning my companions not to strike their feet 
 against this submerged bar, we paddled and pushed 
 ourselves around the turn in the rocky passage, and 
 emerged into the open lagoon. 
 
 This smooth stretch of water, which separated the 
 island from its encircKng reef, was here about a hun- 
 dred feet wide ; and the first thing that arrested our 
 attention as we gazed across it was a little wharf or 
 landing-stage, erected upon the narrow beach of the 
 island, almost opposite to us. 
 
 "As sure as I stand here," exclaimed Mrs. Leeks, 
 who never seemed to forget her upright position, 
 •'■ somebody lives in this place ! " 
 
 " And it is n't a stickery coral island, either," cried 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 41 
 
 Mrs. Aleshine, " for that sand 's as smooth as any I 
 ever saw." 
 
 ^'Whoever does live here," resumed Mrs. Leeks, 
 '^has got to take us in, whether they like it or not, 
 and the sooner we get over there, the better." 
 
 Mrs. Aleshine now regretted the loss of her oar, 
 and suggested that some one of us who could get 
 under bars easily should go back after it. But Mrs. 
 Leeks would listen to no such proposition. 
 
 '' Let the oars go," she said. ^' We won't want 'em 
 again, for I '11 never leave this place if I have to scoop 
 myself out to sea with an oar." 
 
 I told the two women that I could easily tow them 
 across this narrow piece of water; and instructing 
 Mrs. Leeks to take hold of the tail of my coat, while 
 Mrs. Aleshine grasped her companion's dress, I began 
 to swim slowly toward the beach, towing my com- 
 panions behind me. 
 
 " Goodnessful gracious me ! " suddenly exclaimed 
 Mrs. Aleshine, with a great bounce and a splash, 
 "look at the fishes!" 
 
 The water in the lagoon was so clear that it was 
 almost transparent, and beneath us and around us we 
 could see fish, some large and some small, swimming 
 about as if they were floating in the air, while down 
 below the white sandy bottom seemed to sparkle in 
 the sunlight. 
 
 " Now don't jerk my skeert off on account of the 
 fishes," said Mrs. Leeks. " I expect there was just as 
 man}'' outside, though we could n't see 'em. But I 
 must say that this water looks as if it had been boiled 
 and filtered." 
 
42 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 If any inliabitant of the island had then been 
 standing on the wharf, he would have beheld on the 
 surface of the lagoon the peculiar spectacle of a man's 
 head surmounted by a wet and misshapen straw hat, 
 and followed by two other heads, each wearing a 
 dripping and bedraggled bonnet, while beneath, 
 among the ripples of the clear water, would have 
 been seen the figures belonging to these three heads, 
 each dressed in the clothes ordinarily worn on land. 
 
 As I swam I could see before me, on the island, 
 nothing but a mass of low-growing, tropical vegeta- 
 tion, behind which rose some palms and other trees. 
 I made for the little wharf, from which steps came 
 down into the water, and as soon as we reached it we 
 all clambered rapidly up, and stood dripping upon 
 the narrow platform, stamping our feet and shaking 
 our clothes. 
 
 " Do you see that house ? " said Mrs. Leeks. ^^ That 's 
 where they live, and I wonder which way we must go 
 to get there." 
 
 From this somewhat elevated position I could 
 plainly see, over the tops of the bushes and low trees, 
 the upper part of the roof of a house. When I found 
 the bars across the passage in the reef, I had easily 
 come to the conclusion that the inhabitants of this 
 island were not savages; and now since I had seen 
 the wharf and the roof of this house, I felt quite con- 
 vinced that we had reached the abode of civilized 
 beings. They might be pirates or some other sort of 
 sea miscreants, but they were certainly not savages or 
 cannibals. 1^ 
 
 Leaving the wharf, we soon found a broad path 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 43 
 
 through the bushes, and in a few moments reached a 
 wide, open space, in which stood a handsome modern- 
 built house. It was constructed after the fashion of 
 tropical houses belonging to Europeans, with jalousied 
 porches and shaded balconies ; the grounds about it 
 were neatly laid out, and behind it was a walled in- 
 closure, probably a garden. 
 
 ''Upon my word," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "I 'd 
 like to be less drippin' before I make a call on genteel 
 folks ! " 
 
 '' Genteel folks ! " exclaimed Mrs. Leeks, indignantly. 
 ''If you 're too proud to go in as you are, Barb'ry 
 Aleshine, you can go set in the sun till you 're dry. 
 As for me, I 'm goin' to ask for the lady of the house, 
 and if she don't like me she can lump me, so long as 
 she gives me somethin' to eat and a dry bed to get 
 into." 
 
 I was too much amazed to speak, but my companions 
 took everything as a matter of course. They had 
 expected to see strange things in the outer world, and 
 they were not surprised when they saw them. My 
 mind was not capable of understanding the existence 
 of an establishment like this on a little island in mid- 
 ocean. But it was useless for me to attempt to reason 
 on this apparent phenomenon j and, indeed, there was 
 no time for it, for Mrs. Leeks walked boldly up to the 
 front door and plied the knocker, stepping back im- 
 mediately, so that she might not drip too much water 
 on the porch. 
 
 "When they come," she said, "we ^11 ask 'em to let 
 us in the back way, so that we sha'n't slop n^ their 
 floors any more than we can help." 
 
44 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 We waited for a couple of minutes, and then I, as 
 the member of the party who dripped the least, went 
 up on the porch and knocked again. 
 
 "It ^s my belief they 're not at home," said Mrs. 
 Leeks, after we had waited some time longer, " but per- 
 haps we '11 find some of the servants in," and she led 
 the way to the back part of the house. 
 
 As we passed the side of the mansion I noticed that 
 all the window-shutters were closed, and my growing 
 belief that the place was deserted became a conviction 
 after we had knocked several times at a door at the 
 back of the building without receiving any answer. 
 
 " Well, they 're all gone out, that 's certain ! " said 
 Mrs. Leeks. 
 
 " Yes, and they barred up the entrance to the island 
 when they left," I added. 
 
 " I wonder if there 's another house in the neigh-^ 
 borhood ? " asked Mrs. Aleshine. 
 
 " I don't believe," said I, " that the neighborhood is 
 very thickly settled ; but if you will wait here a few 
 minutes, I will run around this wall and see what 
 there is beyond. I may find the huts of some natives 
 or work-people." 
 
 I followed a path by the side of the garden wall, 
 but when I reached the end of the inclosure I could 
 see nothing before me but jungle and forest, with 
 paths running in several directions. I followed one 
 of these, and very soon came out upon an open beach, 
 with the reef lying beyond it. From the form of the 
 beach and the reef, and from the appearance of things 
 generally, I began to think that this was probably a 
 very small island, and that the house we had seen 
 
'MBS. LECKS WALKED BOLDLY UP TO THE FEONT DOOR AND PLIED TH3 
 KNOCKEE." 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 47 
 
 was tlie only one on it. I returned and reported this 
 belief to my companions. 
 
 Now that Mrs. Aleshine had no fear of appearing 
 in an untidy condition before "genteel folks," her 
 manner changed very much. " If the family has gone 
 into the country/' said she, " or whatever else they 've 
 done, I want to get into this house as soon as I can. 
 I expect we can find something to eat. At any rate, 
 we can get ourselves dry, and lay down somewhere 
 to rest, for not a wink has one of us slept since night 
 before last." 
 
 " I should think," said Mrs. Leeks, addressing me, 
 " that if you could manage to climb up to them second- 
 story windows, you might find one of them that you 
 could get in, and then come down and open the door 
 for us. Everybody is likely to forget to fasten some 
 of the windows on the upper floors. I know it is n't 
 right to force oui* way into other people's houses, but 
 there 's nothin' else to be done, and there 's no need 
 of our talkin' about it." 
 
 I agreed with her perfectly, and taking off my coat 
 and shoes, I climbed up one of the columns of the 
 veranda, and got upon its roof. This extended nearly 
 the whole length of two sides of the house. I walked 
 along it and tried all the shutters, and I soon came to 
 one in which some of the movable slats had been 
 broken. Thrusting my hand and arm through the 
 aperture thus formed, I unhooked the shutters and 
 opened them. The sash was fastened down by one of 
 the ordinary contrivances used for such purposes, but 
 with the blade of my jack-knife I easily pushed the 
 bolt aside, raised the sash, and entered. I found 
 
48 
 
 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 myself in a small hall at the head of a flight of stairs. 
 Down these I hurried, and, groping my way through 
 the semi-darkness of the lower story, 
 I reached a side door. This was fast- 
 ened by two bolts and a bar, and I 
 quickly had it open. 
 
 Stepping outside, I called Mrs. 
 Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine. 
 
 " Well," said the latter, " I 'm sure 
 I '11 be glad to get in, and as we 've 
 squeezed most of the water out of 
 our clothes, we won't make so much 
 of a mess, after all." 
 
 We now entered, and I opened one 
 of the shutters. 
 
 " Let 's go right into the kitchen," 
 said Mrs. Leeks, " and make a fire. 
 That 's the first thing to do." 
 
 But Mrs. Leeks soon discovered 
 that this mansion was very different 
 from a country dwelling in one of 
 our Middle States. Externally, and as far as I had 
 been able to observe its internal arrangements, it re- 
 sembled the houses built by English residents which 
 I had seen in the West Indies. It was a dwelling in 
 which modern ideas in regard to construction and 
 furnishing adapted themselves to the requirements of 
 a tropical climate. Apparently there was no kitchen. 
 There were no stairs leading to a lower floor, and the 
 darkened rooms into which my companions peered 
 were certainly not used for culinary purposes. 
 In the meantime I had gone out of the door by 
 
 "I CLIMBED UP ONE 
 OF THE COLUMNS." 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 49 
 
 wliich we had entered, and soon discovered, on the other 
 side of the house, a small building with a chimney to 
 it, which I felt sure must be the kitchen. The door and 
 shutters were fastened, but before making any attempt 
 to open them I returned to announce my discovery. 
 
 ''Door locked, is it?" said Mrs. Aleshine. ''Just 
 wait a minute." 
 
 She then disappeared, but in a very short time came 
 out, carrying a bunch of large keys. 
 
 " It 's always the way," said she, as the two followed 
 me round the back of the house, " when people shut 
 up a house and leave it, to put all the door-keys in 
 the back corner of some di-awer in the hall, and to 
 take only the front-door key with them. So, you see, 
 I knew just where to go for these." 
 
 " It 's a poor hen," said Mrs. Leeks, "that begins to 
 cackle when she 's goin' to her nest; the wise ones 
 wait till they 're comin' away. Now we '11 see if one 
 of them keys fit." 
 
 Greatly to the triumph of Mrs. Aleshine, the second 
 or third key I tried unlocked the door. Entering, we 
 found ourselves in a good-sized kitchen, with a great 
 fireplace at one end of it. A door opened from the 
 room into a shed where there was a pile of dry twigs 
 and fire-wood. 
 
 " Let 's have a fire as quick as we can," said Mrs. 
 Leeks, " for since I went into that shet-up house I 've 
 been chilled to the bones." 
 
 " That 's so," said Mrs. Aleshine ; " and now I know 
 
 how a fish keeps comfortable in the water, and how 
 
 dreadfuUy wet and flabby it must feel when it 's 
 
 taken out." 
 1 
 
50 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 I brought in a quantity of wood and kindling, and 
 finding matches in a tin box on the wall, I went to 
 work to make a fire, and was soon rewarded by a 
 crackling blaze. Turning around, I was amazed at 
 the actions of Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine. I had 
 expected to see them standing shivering behind me, 
 waiting for the fire to be made ; but instead of that, 
 they were moving rapidly here and there, saying not 
 a word, but going as straight to cupboard, closet, and 
 pantry as the hound follows the track of the hare. 
 From a wild chaos of uncongenial surroundings, these 
 two women had dropped into a sphere in which they 
 were perfectly at home. The kitchen was not alto- 
 gether like those to which they had been accustomed, 
 but it was a well-appointed one, and their instincts 
 and practice made them quickly understand where 
 they would find what they wanted. I gazed on them 
 with delight while one filled a kettle from a little 
 pump in the corner which brought water from a cis- 
 tern, and the other appeared from the pantry, carrying 
 a tea-caddy and a tin biscuit-box. 
 
 "Now, then," said Mrs. Leeks, hanging the kettle 
 on a crane over the fire, and drawing up a chair, " by 
 the time we 've got a little dried off the kettle will 
 bile, and we '11 have some hot tea, and then the best 
 thing to do is to go to bed." 
 
 "We '11 take time to have a bite first," said Mrs. 
 Aleshine, "for I was never so near famished in my 
 life. I brought out a box nearly full of biscuits, and 
 there 's sardines in this, Mr. Craig, which you can 
 easy open with your knife." 
 
 I piled on more wood, and we gathered close around 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 51 
 
 the genial heat. The sunshine was hot outside, but 
 that did not prevent the fire from being most com- 
 forting and refreshing to us. 
 
 As soon as the kettle began to simmer, up jumped 
 Mrs. Aleshine. A sugar-bowl and some cups were 
 placed upon a table, and in a short time we were 
 cheered and invigorated by hot tea, biscuits, and sar- 
 dines. 
 
 " This is n't much of a meal," said Mrs. Aleshine, 
 apologetically, "but there 's no time to cook nothin', 
 and the sooner we get off our wet things and find some 
 beds, the better." 
 
 " If I can once get into bed," said Mrs. Leeks, '^ aU 
 I ask is that the family will not come back till I have 
 had a good long nap. After that, they can do what 
 they please." 
 
 We now went back to the house, and ascended the 
 main stairway, which led up to a large central hall. 
 
 "We won't go into the front rooms," said Mrs. 
 Leeks, "for we don't want to make no more disturb- 
 ance than we can help ; but if we can find the small- 
 est kind of rooms in the back, with beds in 'em, it is 
 all we can ask." 
 
 The first chamber we entered was a good-sized one, 
 neatly furnished, containing a bedstead with uncovered 
 mattress and pillows. Opening a closet door, Mrs. 
 Leeks exclaimed : " This is a man's room, Mr. Craig, 
 and you 'd better take it. Look at the trousers and 
 coats ! There 's no bedclothes in here, but I '11 see if 
 I can't find some." 
 
 In a few minutes she returned, bearing blankets, 
 sheets, and a pillow-case. With Mrs. Aleshine on one 
 
52 
 
 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 side of the bedstead aud Mrs. Leeks on the other, the 
 sheets and blankets were laid with surprising deftness 
 and rapidity, and in a few moments I saw before me 
 a most inviting bed. 
 
 While Mrs. Aleshine held a pillow in her teeth as 
 she pulled on the pillow-case with both hands, Mrs. 
 Leeks looked around the room with the air of an 
 attentive hostess. "I guess you '11 be comfortable, 
 Mr. Craig," she said, " and I advise you to sleep just 
 as long as you can. We '11 take the room on the other 
 
 •"I GUESS YOU 'LL BE COMFORTABLE, MR. CRAIG."' 
 
 side of the hall ; but I 'm first goin' down to see if the 
 kitchen fire is safe, and to fasten the doors." 
 
 I offered to relieve her of this trouble, but she 
 promptly declined my services. ^' When it 's rowin^ 
 or swimmin', you can do it, Mr. Craig, but when it 's 
 lockin' up and lookin' to fires, I '11 attend to that 
 myself." 
 
 My watch had stopped, but I suppose it was the 
 middle of the afternoon when I went to bed, and I 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 53 
 
 slept steadily until some hours after sunrise the next 
 morning, when I was awakened by a loud knock at 
 the door. 
 
 " It ^s time to get up/' said the voice of Mrs. Leeks, 
 " and if your clothes are not entirely dry, you 'd better 
 see if there is n't somethin' in that closet you can put 
 on. After a while I '11 make a big fire in the kitchen, 
 and diy all our things.'^ 
 
 I found my clothes were still very damp, and after 
 investigating the contents of the closet and bureau, 
 I was able to supply myself with linen and a light 
 summer suit which fitted me fairly well. I even found 
 socks and a pair of slippers. 
 
 When I entered the kitchen, I first opened wide 
 my eyes with delight, and then I burst out laughing. 
 Before me was a table covered with a white cloth, 
 with plates, cups, and everything necessary upon it; 
 at one end was a steaming tea-pot, and at the other a 
 dish of some kind of hot meat, and Mrs. Aleshine 
 was just taking a pan of newly baked biscuits from a 
 small iron oven. 
 
 " I don't wonder you laugh," said Mrs. Leeks, " but 
 our clothes was still wet, and we had to take just 
 what we could find. I 'm not in the habit of goin' 
 about in a white muslin wrapper with blue-ribbon 
 trimmin's, and as for Mrs. Aleshine, I did think we 'd 
 never find anything that she could get into ; but there 
 must be one stout woman in the family, for that 
 yeller frock with black buttons fits her well enough, 
 though I must say it 's a good deal short." 
 
 "I never thought," said Mrs. Aleshine, as she sat 
 down at the tea-pot, " that the heathens had so many 
 
54 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 conveniences, specially bakin'-powders and Dutcli 
 ovens. For my part, I always supposed that they 
 used their altars for bakin', when they was n't offerin' 
 up victims on 'em." 
 
 " Have you got it into your head, Barb'ry Aleshine," 
 said Mrs. Leeks, looking up from the dish of potted 
 beef she was serving, "that this house belongs to 
 eommon heathen ? I expect that most of the savages 
 who live on these desert islands has been converted 
 by the missionaries, but they 'd have to take 'em from 
 Genesis to Revelations a good many times before 
 they 'd get 'em to the p'int of havin' force-pumps in 
 their kitchens and spring-mattresses on their beds. 
 As far as I 've seen this house, it looks as if the family 
 had always been Christians, and probably either 
 Catholics or Episcopalians." 
 
 " On account of the cross on the mantelpiece in our 
 room, I suppose," said Mrs. Aleshine. '' But whether 
 they 're given to idols or prayer-books, I know they 've 
 got a mighty nice house ; and considerin' the distance 
 from stores, there 's a good deal more in that pantry 
 than you 'd expect to find in any house I know of, 
 when the family is away." 
 
 '^ It is my opinion," said I, "that this house belongs 
 to some rich man, probably an American or European 
 merchant, who lives on one of the large islands not 
 far away, and who uses this as a sort of summer 
 residence," 
 
 " I thought it was always summer in this part of 
 the world," said Mrs. Leeks. 
 
 " So it is in effect," I replied, " but there are some 
 seasons when it is very unpleasant to remain in one 
 
MES. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 55 
 
 of those towns which are found on the larger islands, 
 and so the owner of this house may come up here 
 sometimes for fresh sea air." 
 
 " Or it 's just as like," said Mrs. Aleshine, " that he 
 lives somewhere up in the iceberg regions, and comes 
 here to spend his winters. 
 It would do just as well. 
 But, whichever way it is, 
 I can't help thinkin' it 's 
 careless not to leave some- 
 body in the house to take 
 care of it. Why, for all 
 the family would know 
 about it, tramps might 
 break in and stay as long 
 as they like." 
 
 " That 's just what 's 
 happenin' now," said Mrs. 
 Leeks, ^' and for my part 
 I ain't goin' to find no 
 fault. I don't suppose 
 the people would have 
 been so hard-hearted as 
 to turn us away from 
 their doors, but I 've seen 
 enough of folks in this 
 world not to be too sure 
 about that." 
 
 " How do you suppose," said Mrs. Aleshine, address- 
 ing me, "that the family gets here and goes back? 
 Do they keep a private steamboat ? " 
 
 " Of course they have a private vessel of some kind," 
 
 'THAT TELLER FKOCK.' 
 
56 THE CASTING AWAY 01' 
 
 I answered, "probably a yacht. It is quite certain 
 that ordinary steamers never touch here." 
 
 " If that 's the case," said Mrs. Leeks, " aU we can 
 do is to wait here till they come, and get them to send 
 us away in their ship. But whether they 've just 
 gone or are just a-comin' back depends, I suppose, on 
 whether they live in a f reezin' or a burnin' country ; 
 and if they don't like our bein' here when they come 
 back, there 's one thing they can make up their minds 
 to, and that is that I 'm never goin' to leave this place 
 on a life-preserver." 
 
 " Nor me nuther," said Mrs. Aleshine, finishing, with 
 much complacency, her third cup of tea. 
 
 When breakfast was over, Mrs. Leeks pushed back 
 her chair, but did not immediately rise. With an 
 expression of severe thought upon her face, she gazed 
 steadfastly before her for a minute, and then she 
 addressed Mrs. Aleshine, who had begun to gather 
 together the cups and the plates. ''Now, Barb'ry 
 Aleshine," said she, " don't you begin to clear off the 
 table, nor touch a single thing to wash it up, till 
 we Ve been over this house. I want to do it now, 
 before Mr. Craig goes out to prospect around and see 
 what else is on the island, which, I suppose, he 'U be 
 wantin' to do." 
 
 I replied that I had that intention, but I was quite 
 willing to go over the house first. 
 
 '' It 's come to me," said Mrs. Leeks, speaking very 
 gravely, "that it 's no use for us to talk of the family 
 bein' here, or bein' there, tiU. we Ve gone over this 
 house. If we find that they have, as far as we know, 
 gone away in good health and spirits, that 's all well 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 57 
 
 enough ; but if auything ^s happened in this house, I 
 don't want to be here with what 's happened— at least, 
 without knowin' it, and when we do go over the 
 house, I want a man to go with us." 
 
 ^' If you 'd talked that way last night, Mrs. Leeks," 
 exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, '' I 'd never slept till after 
 sun-up, and then got up and gone liuntin' round 
 among them frocks and petticoats to find somethin' 
 that would fit me, with the quiet pulse I did have, 
 Mrs. Leeks ! " 
 
 To this remark Mrs. Leeks made no reply, but, ris- 
 ing, she led the way out of the kitchen and into the 
 house. 
 
 The rooms on the first floor were very well furnished. 
 There was a large parlor, and back of it a study or 
 library, while on the other side of the hall was a dining- 
 room and an apartment probably used as a family 
 room. We found nothing in these which would indi- 
 cate that anything untoward had happened in them. 
 Then we went up-stairs, I leading the way, Mrs. Leeks 
 following, and Mrs. Aleshine in the rear. We first 
 entered one of the front chambers, which was quite 
 dark, but Mrs. Leeks unfastened and threw open a 
 shutter. Then, with a rigid countenance and deter- 
 mined mien, she examined every part of the room, 
 looked into every closet, and even under the bed. It 
 was quite plain that it was in one of the chambers 
 that she expected to find what had happened, if any- 
 thing had happened. 
 
 The room on the other side of the hall was very 
 like the one we first examined, except that it had two 
 beds in it. We next visited the chamber recently 
 
58 THF CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 occupied by my two companions, which was now 
 undergoing the process of '^ airing." 
 
 '' We need n't stop here," remarked Mrs. Aleshine. 
 
 But Mrs. Leeks instantly replied : " Indeed, we will 
 stop ; I 'm going to look under the bed." 
 
 " Merciful me ! " exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, putting 
 her hand on her friend's shoulder. '^ Supposin' you 
 should find somethin', and we sleepin' here last night ! 
 It curdles me to think of it ! " 
 
 '' It 's my duty," said Mrs. Leeks, severely, '^ and I 
 shall do it." 
 
 And do it she did, rising from the task with a sigh 
 of relief. 
 
 My room was subjected to the same scrutiny as the 
 others, and then we visited some smaller rooms at the 
 extreme back of the house, which we had not before 
 noticed. A garret, or loft, was reached by a steep 
 stairway in one of these rooms, and into its dusky 
 gloom I ventured by myself. 
 
 " Now, don't come down, Mr. Craig," said Mrs. Leeks, 
 ^' till you 're sure there 's no thin' there. Of aU places 
 in the house, that cockloft, after all, is the most 
 likely." 
 
 I had none of the fears which seemed to actuate 
 the two women, but I had a very unpleasant time of 
 it groping about in the darkness and heat, and, as 
 the place was only partly floored, running the con- 
 tinual risk of crashing down through the lath and 
 plaster. I made myself quite sure, however, that 
 nothing had happened in that loft, unless some one 
 had suffocated there, and had dried up and become 
 the dust which I raised at every step. 
 
MES. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 59 
 
 "Now, then," said Mrs. Leeks, when I descended, 
 " as there is no cellar, we '11 go wash up the breakfast 
 things; and if you want to take a walk, to see if 
 there 's any genuwine heathens or anybody else a- 
 livin' in this island, we 're not afraid to be left alone." 
 
 For the whole of the rest of the morning I wandered 
 about the island. I investigated the paths that I had 
 before noticed, and found that each of them led, after 
 a moderate walk, to some wide and pleasant part of 
 the beach. At one of these points I found a rustic 
 bench ; and, stuffed in between two of the slats which 
 formed the seat, I found a book. It had been sadly 
 wet and discolored by rain, and dried and curled up 
 by the wind and sun. I pulled it out, and found it to 
 be a novel in French. On one of the fly-leaves was 
 written "Emily." Reasoning from the dilapidated 
 appearance of this book, I began to believe that the 
 family must have left this place some time ago, and 
 that, therefore, their return might be expected at a 
 proportionately early period. On second thoughts, 
 however, I considered that the state of this book was 
 of little value as testimony. A few hours of storm, 
 wind, and sun might have inflicted all the damage it 
 had sustained. The two women would be better able 
 to judge by the state of the house and the condition 
 of the provisions how long the family had been 
 away. 
 
 I then started out on a walk along the beach, and 
 in little more than an hour I had gone entirely around 
 the island. Nowhere did I see any sign of habitation 
 or occupation except at the house which had given 
 us shelter, nor any opening through the surrounding 
 
60 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 reef except the barred passageway through which 
 we had come. 
 
 When I returned to the house, I found that Mrs. 
 Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine had been hard at work all 
 the morning. They had, so to speak, gone regularly 
 and systematically to housekeeping, and had already 
 divided the labors of the establishment between them. 
 Mrs. Aleshine, who prided herself on her skill in culi- 
 nary matters, was to take charge of the cooking, while 
 Mrs. Leeks assumed the care of the various rooms 
 and the general management of the household. This 
 arrangement was explained to me at length, and when 
 I remarked that all this seemed to indicate that they 
 expected to remain here for a long time, Mrs. Leeks 
 replied : 
 
 "In my part of the country I could tell pretty 
 close, by the dust on the tables and on the top of the 
 planner, how long a family had been out of a house ; 
 but dust in Pennsylvany and dust on a sea island, 
 where there 's no wagons nor carriages, is quite differ- 
 ent. This house has been left in very good order, and 
 though the windows wants washin^, and the floors and 
 stairs brushin',— which will be easy considering that 
 none of ^em has carpets, — and everything in the house 
 a reglar cleanin' up and airin', it may be that the 
 family has n't been gone away very long, and so it 
 may be a good while before they come back again. 
 Mrs. Aleshine and me has talked it over, and we Ve 
 made up our minds that the right thing to do is just 
 to go along and attend to things as if we was a-goin' 
 to stay here for a month or two ; and it may be even 
 longer than that before the people come back. And 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 61 
 
 I don't think tliey '11 have anj'thing to complain of 
 when they find their house in apple-pie order, their 
 windows washed, their 
 floors clean, and not 
 a speck of dust any- 
 where." 
 
 ^'For my part," said 
 Mrs. Aleshine, '^I don't 
 see what they 've got to 
 find fault with, anyway. 
 I look on this as part of 
 the passage. To be sui*e, 
 we ain't movin' a bit on 
 our way to Japan, but 
 that 's not my fault, nor 
 yet yours, Mrs. Leeks, 
 nor yours, Mr. Craig. 
 We paid our passage to 
 go to Japan, and if the 
 ship was steered wrong 
 and got sunk, we had n't 
 anything to do with it. 
 We did n't want to come 
 here, but here we are, 
 and I 'd like to know 
 who 's got any right to 
 find fault with us." 
 
 '' And bein' here," said Mrs. Leeks, " we '11 take care 
 of the things.'^ 
 
 ''As far as I 'm concerned," added Mrs. Aleshine, 
 " if this island was movin' on to Japan, I 'd a great deal 
 rather be on it than on that ship, where, to my way of 
 
 MES. ALESHINE HAD BEEN HARD AT 
 WORK ALL THE MORNING." 
 
62 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 thinkin', they did n't know mncli more about house- 
 keepin' than they did about steerin'." 
 
 "I think your plans and arrangements are very 
 good," I said. '' But how about the provisions ? Are 
 there enough to hold out for any time ? " 
 
 ^' There 's pretty nigh a barrel of flour," said Mrs. 
 Aleshine, ^'a good deal of tea and coffee and sugar, 
 and lots of things in tins and jars. There 's a kind 
 of cellar outside where they keep things cool, and 
 there 's more than half a keg of butter down there. 
 It 's too strong to use, but I can take that butter and 
 wash it out, and work it over, and salt it, and make 
 it just as good butter as any we got on board the 
 ship." 
 
 '^ But," said I, " you have given me nothing to do. 
 I shall not be content to stand about idle and see you 
 do all the work." 
 
 "There 's nothin^ in the house," said Mrs. Leeks, 
 " which you need put your hand to ; but, if you choose 
 to go out into that garden, and see if there 's anything 
 can be done in it, or got out of it,— that is, if you 
 know anything about garden work,— I 'm sure we 'd 
 be very glad of any fresh vegetables we could get." 
 
 I replied that I had been accustomed to garden 
 work in an amateur way, and would be glad to do 
 anything that was possible in that direction. 
 
 " I never seed into that garden," said Mrs. Aleshine, 
 " but of all the foolish things that ever came under 
 my eye, the buildin' a wall around a garden, when a 
 picket fence would do just as well, is the foolishest." 
 
 I explained that in these countries it was the 
 fashion to use walls instead of fences. 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 63 
 
 "If it ^s the fashion," said Mrs. Aleshine, "I sup- 
 pose there 's no use sayin' anything ag'in' it ; but if the 
 fashion should happen to change, they 'd find it a good 
 deal easier to take down a barbed- wire fence than a 
 stone wall." 
 
 This conversation took place in the large lower hall, 
 which Mrs. Leeks had been " putting to rights," and 
 where Mrs. Aleshine had just entered from the kitch- 
 en. Mrs. Leeks now sat down upon a chair, and, dust- 
 cloth in hand, she thus addressed me : 
 
 ^' There 's another thing, Mr. Craig, that me and 
 Mrs. Aleshine has been talkin' about. We have n't 
 made up our minds about it, because we did n't think 
 it was fair and right to do that before speakin' to you 
 and hearin' what you had to say on one side or another 
 of it. Mrs. Aleshine and me has had to bow our heads 
 to afflictions, and to walk sometimes in roads we 
 did n't want to j but we 've remembered the ways in 
 which we was brought up, and have kept in them as 
 far as we Ve been able. When our husbands died, 
 leavin' Mrs. Aleshine with a son, and me without any, 
 which, perhaps, is just as well, for there 's no knowin' 
 how he might have turned out — " 
 
 "That 's so," interrupted Mrs. Aleshine, "for he 
 might have gone as a clerk to Roosher, and then you 
 and me would 'a' had to travel different ways.'^ 
 
 "And when our husbands died," continued Mrs. 
 Leeks, "they left us enough, and plenty, to live on, 
 and we was n't the women to forget them and their 
 ways of thinkin', any more than we 'd forget the ways 
 of our fathers and mothers before us." 
 
 *' That 's so 1 " said Mrs. Aleshine, fervently. 
 
64 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 " And now, Mr. Craig," continued Mrs. Leeks, " we 
 don't know how you 've been brought up, nor anything 
 about you, in fact, except that you 've been as kind to 
 us as if you was some sort of kin, and that we never 
 would have thought of comin' here without you, and 
 so me and Mrs. Aleshine has agreed to leave this whole 
 matter to you, and to do just as you say. When us 
 two started out on this long journey, we did n't expect 
 to find it what you call the path of roses, and, dear 
 only knows, we have n't found it so." 
 
 " That 's true ! " ejaculated Mrs. Aleshine. 
 
 " And what we 've had to put up with/' continued 
 Mrs. Leeks, "we have put up with. So, Mr. Craig, 
 whether you say dinner in the middle of the day at 
 twelve, as we 've always been used to, or at six o'clock 
 in the afternoon, as they had it on board that ship,— 
 and how people ever come to turn their meals hind 
 part foremost in that way, I can't say,— we are goin' 
 to do it; if you 've been brought up to six o'clock, 
 you won't hear no complainin' from us, think what 
 we may." 
 
 I was on the point of laughing aloud at the conclu- 
 sion of this speech, but a glance at the serious faces 
 of the two women, who, with so much earnest solici- 
 tude, awaited my reply, stopped me, and I hastened 
 to assure them that dinner in the middle of the day 
 would be entirely in accordance with my every wish. 
 
 " Good ! " exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, her eyes spar- 
 kling amid the plumpness of her face, while an expres- 
 sion of calm relief passed over the features of Mrs. 
 Leeks. 
 
 ^' And now I '11 be off and get us somethin' to eat in 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 65 
 
 jess tlian no time," said Mrs. Aleshine. " We did n't 
 know whether to make it lunch or dinner till we had 
 seen you, so you can't expect much to-day, but to- 
 morrow we '11 begin, and have everything straight and 
 comfortable. I 'm goin' to get up early in the mornin' 
 and bake a- batch of bread, and you need n't be afraid, 
 Mr. Craig, but what I '11 have you a bit of hot meat 
 every night for your supper." 
 
 In the afternoon we all visited the garden, which, 
 although a good deal overgrown with luxuriant weeds, 
 showed marks of fair cultivation. Some of the beds 
 had been cleared out and left to the weeds, and we 
 found some '^ garden truck," as my companions called 
 it, with which we were not familiar. But there were 
 tomato-vines loaded with fruit, plenty of beans of 
 various kinds, and a large patch of potatoes, many of 
 which had been dug. 
 
 From the lower end of the garden, Mrs. Aleshine 
 gave a shout of delight* We went to her, and found 
 her standing before a long asparagus bed. 
 
 " Well ! " she exclaimed. " If there 's anything that 
 settles it firm in my mind that these people is Chris- 
 tians, it 's this bed of grass. I don't believe there 
 ever was heathens that growed grass." 
 
 " I thought that was all settled when we found the 
 bakin'-powders," said Mrs. Leeks. 
 
 ^' But this clinches it," answered her companion. " I 
 can't tell from a sparrowgrass bed what church they 
 belong to, but they 're no idolaters." 
 
 The next morning I delivered to the genial Mrs. 
 Aleshine a large basket full of fresh vegetables, and 
 we had a most excellent dinner. Somewhat to my 
 
66 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 surprise, the table was not set in the kitchen, but in 
 the dining-roonic 
 
 " Me and Mrs. Aleshine have made up our minds/' 
 said Mrs. Leeks, in explanation, '^that it 's not the 
 proper thing for you to be eatin' in the kitchen, nor 
 for us neither. Here 's table-cloths, and good glass 
 and china, and spoons and forks, which, although 
 they 're not solid silver, are plated good enough for 
 anybody. Neither you nor us is servants, and a 
 kitchen is no place for us." 
 
 " That 's so ! '' said Mrs. Aleshine. " We paid our 
 money for first-class passages, and it was understood 
 that we 'd have everything as good as anybody." 
 
 ^^ Which I don't see as that has anything to do with 
 it, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Leeks, '' for the steam- 
 ship people don't generally throw in desert islands as 
 part of the accommodation." 
 
 '^We did n't ask for the island," retorted Mrs. 
 Aleshine, " and if they 'd steered the ship right we 
 should n't have wanted it," 
 
 When we had finished our dinner, Mrs. Leeks pushed 
 back her chair, and sat for a few moments in thought, 
 as was her wont before saying anything of importance. 
 
 '^ There 's another thing," said she, '^ that I 've been 
 thinkin' about, though I have n't spoke of it yet, even 
 to Mrs. Aleshine. We have n't no right to come here 
 and eat up the victuals and use the things of the 
 people that own this house, without payin' for 'em. 
 Of course, we 're not goin' to sleep on the bare ground 
 and starve to death while there 's beds and food close 
 to our hands. But if we use 'em and take it, we ought 
 to pay the people that the place belongs to— that is, if 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 67 
 
 we 've got the money to do it with — and Mrs. Aleshine 
 
 and me has got the money. When we went down 
 
 into our cabin to get ready to leave the ship, the first 
 
 thing we did was to 
 
 put our purses in our 
 
 pockets, and we Ve 
 
 both got drafts 
 
 wrapped up in oil silk, 
 
 and sewed inside our 
 
 frock-bodies ; and if 
 
 you did n't think to 
 
 bring your money 
 
 along with you, Mr. 
 
 Craig, we can lend you 
 
 all you need." 
 
 I thanked her for 
 her offer, but stated 
 that I had brought 
 with me all my money. 
 
 " Now," continued 
 Mrs. Leeks, "it 's my 
 opinion that we ought 
 to pay our board reg- 
 ular every week. I 
 don't know what is 
 commonly charged in a place like this, but I know 
 you can get very good board where I come from for 
 six dollars a week." 
 
 " That is for two in a room," said Mrs. Aleshine ; 
 "but havin' a room to himself would make it more 
 for Mr. Craig." 
 
 "It ain't his fault," said Mrs. Leeks, somewhat 
 
 'THERE 'S AifOTHEK THING,' SAID SHE, 
 'THAT I 'VE BEEN THINKIN' ABOUT.' " 
 
68 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 severely, " that he ain't got a brother or some friend 
 to take part of the room and pay part of the expense. 
 But, anyway, the room is n't a large one, and I don't 
 think he ought to pay much more for having a room 
 to himself. Seven dollars is quite enough." 
 
 " But then you 've got to consider," said Mrs. Ale^ 
 shine, "that we do the cookin' and housework, and 
 that ought to be counted." 
 
 " I was comin' to that," said Mrs. Leeks. " Now. if 
 me and Mrs. Aleshine was to go out to service, which 
 you may be sure we would n't do unless circumstances 
 was very different from what they are now—" 
 
 " That 's true ! " earnestly ejaculated Mrs. Aleshine. 
 
 "But if we was to do it," continued Mrs. Leeks, 
 " we would n't go into anybody's family for less than 
 two dollars a week. Now, I Ve always heard that 
 wages is low in this part, of the world, and the work 
 is n't heavy for two of ns ; so, considering the family 
 is n't here to make their own bargain, I think we 'd 
 better put our wages at that, so that '11 make four 
 dollars a week for each of us two to pay." 
 
 "But how about Mr. Craig?" said Mrs. Aieshine. 
 " He ought n't to work in that garden for nothin'." 
 
 "Fifty cents a day," said Mrs. Leeks, "is as little 
 as any man would work for, and then it ought n't to 
 take all his time. That will make three dollars to 
 take out of Mr. Craig^ board, and leave it four dollars 
 a week, the same as ours." 
 
 I declared myself perfectly satisfied with these ar- 
 rangements, but Mrs. Aleshine did not seem to be 
 altogether convinced that they were just. 
 
 "When a woman goes out to service," said she, 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 69 
 
 " she gets her board and is paid wages besides, and 
 
 it 's the same for gardeners." 
 
 "Then I suppose, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs, 
 Leeks, "that we ought to charge these people with 
 our wages, and make 'em pay it when they come 
 back ! '' 
 
 This remark apparently disposed of Mrs. Aleshine's 
 objections, and her friend continued : " There 's a jar 
 on the mantelpiece there, of the kind the East Indy 
 ginger comes in. It 's got nothm' in it now but some 
 brown paper in which fish-hooks is/ wrapped. We 
 came here on a Wednesday, and so every Tuesday 
 night we '11 each put four dollars in that jar, under 
 the fish-hook paper; then if, by night or by day, 
 the family comes back and makes a fuss about our 
 bein' here, all we have to say is, ' The board money 's 
 in the ginger-jar,' and our consciences is free.'' 
 
 Mrs. Lecks's plan was adopted as a very just and 
 proper one, and at the expiration of the week we each 
 deposited four dollars in the ginger-jar. 
 
 While occupying this house I do not think that any 
 of us endeavored to pry into the private concerns of 
 the family who owned it, although we each had a very 
 natural curiosity to know something about said family. 
 Opportunities of acquiring such knowledge, however, 
 were exceedingly scarce. Even if we had been willing 
 to look into such receptacles, the several desks and 
 secretaries that the house contained were all locked, 
 and nowhere could Mrs. Leeks or Mrs. Aleshine find 
 an old letter or piece of wrapping-paper with an 
 address on it. I explained to my companions that 
 letters and packages were not likely to come to a 
 
70 THE CASTING AWAY OP 
 
 place like this^ but they kept a sharp lookout for any- 
 thing of the kind, asserting that there could be no 
 possible harm in reading the names of the people 
 whose house they were in. 
 
 In some of the books in the library, which were 
 English and French in about equal proportions, with 
 a few volumes in German, I found written on the 
 blank pages the names "Emily" and "Lucille," and 
 across the title-pages of some French histories was 
 inscribed, in a man's hand, "A. Dusante." We dis- 
 cussed these names, but could not make up our minds 
 whether the family were French or English. For in- 
 stance, there was no reason why an Englishwoman 
 might not be called Lucille, and even such a surname 
 as Dusante was not uncommon either among English 
 or Americans. The labels on the boxes and tins of 
 provisions showed that most of them came from San 
 Francisco, but this was likely to be the case, no matter 
 what the nationality of the family. 
 
 The question of the relationship of the three persons, 
 of whose existence we had discovered traces, was a very 
 interesting one to Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine. 
 
 " I can't make up my mind," said the latter, " whether 
 Emily is the mother of Lucille or her daughter, or 
 whether they are both children of Mr. Dusante, or 
 whether he 's married to Lucille and Emily is his sister- 
 in-law, or whether she ^s his sister and not hers, or 
 whether he 's the uncle and they 're his nieces, or 
 whether Emily is an old lady and Mr. Dusante and 
 Lucille are both her children, or whether they are two 
 maiden ladies and Mr. Dusante is their brother, or 
 whether Mr. Dusante is only a friend of the family, 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 71 
 
 and boards here because no two women ougbt to live 
 in such a lonely place without a man in the house." 
 
 "Well," said Mrs. Leeks, "whether Mr, Dusante 
 comes back with two nieces, or a wife and daughter, 
 or Mrs. Dusante and a mother-in-law, or a pair of 
 sisters, aU we Ve got to say is, ' The board money 's 
 in the ginger-jar,' and let 'em do their worst." 
 
 In my capacity as gardener I do not think I earned 
 the wages which my companions had allotted to me, 
 for I merely gathered and brought in such fruits and 
 vegetables as I found in proper condition for use. In 
 other ways, however, I made my services valuable to 
 our little family. In a closet in my chamber I found 
 guns and ammunition, and frequently I was able to 
 bring in a few birds. Some of these were pronounced 
 by Mrs. Aleshine unsuitable for the table, but others 
 she cooked with much skill, and they were found to 
 be very good eating. 
 
 Not far from the little wharf which has been men- 
 tioned there stood, concealed by a mass of low-grow- 
 ing palms, a boat-house in which was a little skiff 
 hung up near the roof. This I let down and launched, 
 and found great pleasure in rowing it about the la- 
 goon. There was fishing-tackle in the boat-house, 
 which I used with success, the lagoon abounding in 
 fish. Offerings of this kind were much more accept- 
 able to Mrs. Aleshine than birds. 
 
 " There 's some kinds of fishes that 's better than 
 others," said she, "but, as a gen'ral rule, a fish is a 
 fish, and if you catch 'em you can eat 'em ; but it 's a 
 very different thing with birds. When you 've never 
 seen 'em before, how are you goin' to tell but what 
 
72 
 
 THE CASTING AWAY OP 
 
 they 're some kin to an owl, a pigeon-hawk, or a crow 1 
 And if I once get it into my head that there 's any of 
 that kind of family blood in 'em, they disagree with me 
 just the same as if there really was." 
 
 One afternoon, as I was returning in the boat from 
 the point on the other side of the island where I had 
 
 •ME& LECKS AND MES. ALESHINE STANDING ON THE END OP THE 
 LITTLE WHAKF." 
 
 found the rustic seat and Emily's book, I was sur- 
 prised to see Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine standing 
 on the end of the little wharf. This was an unusual 
 thing for them to do, as they were very industrious 
 women and seldom had an idle moment, and it 
 seemed to be one of their greatest pleasures to dis- 
 cuss the work they were going to do when they had 
 finished that on which they were then engaged. I 
 
MKS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 73 
 
 was cTirious, therefore, to know why they should be 
 standing thus idly on the wharf, and pulled toward 
 them as rapidly as possible. 
 
 When I had rowed near enough to hear them, Mrs. 
 Aleshine remarked with cheerful placidity : 
 
 '' The Dusantes are comin'." 
 
 The tide was quite low, and I could not see over the 
 reef ; but in a few moments I had grounded the skiff 
 and had sprung upon the wharf. Out on the ocean, 
 about a mile away, I saw a boat, apparently a large 
 one, approaching the island. 
 
 "Now, then, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Leeks, 
 " you '11 soon see whether it 's his two nieces, or his 
 daughters, wife and sister-in-law, or whatever of them 
 other relationships which you 've got so pat." 
 
 " Yes," said Mrs. Aleshine ; " but, what 's more, we '11 
 find out if he 's goin' to be satisfied with the board 
 money we 've put in the ginger-jar." 
 
 . <P^mSm^ 
 
 
 
 C 
 
 
PART III 
 
 WHEN the boat which we saw approaching the 
 island had come near enough for us to distin- 
 guish its occupants, we found that it contained five 
 persons. Three sat in the stern, and two were row- 
 ing. Of those in the stern, we soon made out one to 
 be a woman, and after putting our eyesight to its very 
 best efforts, we were obliged to admit that there was 
 only one female on board. 
 
 "Now, that 's disapp'intin'," said Mrs. Aleshine, 
 " for I 've wondered and wondered which I should 
 like best, Emily or Lucille, and now that only one of 
 'em has come, of course I can't tell." 
 
 The boat came on, almost directly toward the pas- 
 sageway in the reef, and it was not long before the 
 two women had been able to decide that Mr. Dusante 
 was an elderly man, and that the lady was moderately 
 young, and in all probability his daughter. 
 
 " It may be." said Mrs. Aleshine, " that the mother, 
 74 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 75 
 
 whether she was Emily, or whether she was Lucille, 
 has died, and for that reason they are comin' back 
 sooner than they expected." 
 
 "Well, I hope you 're wrong there, Barb'ry Ale- 
 shine," said Mrs. Leeks, " for they 'U see lots of things 
 here that will freshen up their afiliction, and that 
 won't make 'em any too lively people to be with." 
 
 " On the other hand," said Mrs. Aleshine, " it may 
 be that Emily, or else Lucille, has got married, and 
 has gone away with her husband to travel, and by 
 the time she 's got a little baby she '11 come here to 
 live on account of the sea air for the child, and that '11 
 make the house pleasant, Mrs. Leeks." 
 
 " I 'd like to know how long you expect to live 
 here," said Mrs. Leeks, regarding her friend with some 
 severity. 
 
 " That 's not for me to say," replied Mrs. Aleshine, 
 " knowin' nothin' about it. But this I will say, that 
 I hope they have brought along with them some indigo 
 blue, for I nearly used up all there was the last time 
 I washed." 
 
 During this dialogue I had been thinking that it 
 was a very strange thing for the owners of this place 
 to visit their island in such a fashion. Why should 
 they be in an open boat ? And where did they come 
 from 1 Wherever they might Live, it was not at aU 
 probable that they would choose to be rowed from 
 that point to this. From the general character and 
 appointments of the house in which we had found a 
 refuge, it was quite plain that its owners were people 
 in good circumstances, who were in the habit of at- 
 tending to their domestic affairs in a very orderly and 
 
76 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 proper way. It was to be presumed that it was their 
 custom to come here in a suitable vessel, and to bring 
 with them the stores needed during their intended 
 stay. Now, there could be little or nothing in that 
 boat, and, on the whole, I did not believe it contained 
 the owners of this island. 
 
 It would not do, however, to assume anything of 
 the kind. There might have been a disaster ; in fact, 
 I knew nothing about it, but it was my immediate 
 duty to go and meet these people at the passage, for, 
 if they were unable to unlock the bars, their boat 
 could not enter, and I must ferry them across the 
 lagoon. Without communicating my doubts to my 
 companions, I hurried into the skiff, and pulled as far 
 as possible into the passage through the reef. The 
 bars, of which there were more than I at first supposed, 
 were so arranged that it was impossible for a boat to 
 go in or out at any stage of the tide. 
 
 I had been there but a few minutes when the boat 
 from without came slowly in between the rocks ; and 
 almost as soon as I saw it, its progress was suddenly 
 stopped by a sunken bar. 
 
 " Hello ! " cried several men at once. 
 
 " Hello ! " cried I, in return. " Have you the key 
 to these bars ? " 
 
 A stout man with a red beard stood up in the stern. 
 '' Key ? " said he, " what key ? " 
 
 "Then you do not belong here?" said I. ''Who 
 are you ? " 
 
 At this, the gentleman who was sitting by the lady 
 arose to his feet. He was a man past middle age, 
 rather taU and slim, and when he stood up the slight 
 
MES. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 7v 
 
 rolling of the boat made him stagger, and he came 
 near falling. 
 
 " You 'd better sit down, sir," said the man with the 
 red beard, who I saw was a sailor. "You can talk 
 better that way." 
 
 The gentleman now seated himself, and thus ad- 
 dressed me : 
 
 " I am, sir, the Reverend Mr. Enderton, lately mis- 
 sionary to Nanfouchong, China, and this is my 
 daughter, Miss Enderton. We are returning to the 
 United States by way of the Sandwich Islands, and 
 took passage in a sailing-vessel for Honolulu. About 
 two weeks ago this vessel, in some way which I do 
 not understand, became disabled—" 
 
 " Rotten f orem'st," interrupted the man with the 
 red beard, " which give way in a gale ; strained and 
 leaky, besides." 
 
 "I did not know the mast was rotten," said the 
 gentleman, " but, since the occasion of our first really 
 serviceable wind, she has been making very unsatis- 
 factory progress. And, more than that, the whole 
 force of seamen was employed night and day in en- 
 deavoring to keep the water out of the tea, thereby 
 causing such a thumping and pounding that sleep 
 was out of the question. Add to this the fact that 
 our meals became very irregular, and were sometimes 
 entirely overlooked—" 
 
 "Prog was gettin' mighty short," interpolated the 
 red-bearded man. 
 
 " You can easily discern, sir," continued the gentle- 
 man, "that it was impossible for myself and my 
 daughter to remain longer on that vessel, on which 
 
78 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 we were the only passengers. I therefore requested 
 the captain to put us ashore at the nearest land, and, 
 after more than a week of delay and demur, he con- 
 sented to do so." 
 
 '^ Could n't do it," said the man, '' till there was 
 land nigh enough." 
 
 " The captain informed me," continued the gentle- 
 man, " that this island was inhabited, and that I could 
 here find shelter and repose until a vessel could be sent 
 from Honolulu to take me off. He furnished me with 
 this boat and three seamen, one of whom," pointing 
 to the red-bearded man, "is a coxswain. We have 
 been rowing ever since early this morning, with but 
 a very moderate quantity of food and much discom- 
 fort. Now, sir, you have heard my story ; and I ask 
 you, as one man to another, if you still intend to bar 
 your water-gates against us ? " 
 
 " I did not bar the gates," I said, " and I would gladly 
 unlock them if I could. I belong to a shipwrecked 
 party who took refuge here some two weeks ago." 
 
 " And how did you get in ? " hastily inquired the 
 red-bearded coxswain. 
 
 " Our boat sunk when we were within sight of the 
 island, and we came here on life-preservers, and so 
 got under the bars." 
 
 The two men who had been rowing now turned 
 suddenly and looked at me. They both had black 
 beards, and they both exclaimed at the same moment, 
 "By George!" 
 
 " I won't stop here to tell any more of our story," 
 said I. " The great point now is to get you aU ashore, 
 and have you cared for." 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 79 
 
 " That 's so ! " said the coxswain. And the two 
 sailors murmured, "Aye, aye, sir." 
 
 The bar which stopped the progress of the larger 
 boat was just under the surface of the water, while 
 another a foot above the water kept my skiff about 
 six feet distant from the other boat. There was some 
 loose flooring in the bottom of the coxswain's boat, 
 and he ordered two of the boards taken out, and with 
 them a bridge was made, one end resting on the bow 
 of the larger boat, and the other on the iron bar by 
 my skiff. 
 
 " Now," said the coxswain, " let the lady go first." 
 
 The elderly gentleman arose, as if he would prefer 
 to take the lead, but his daughter, who had not yet 
 spoken a word, was passed forward by the coxswain, 
 steadied over the bridge by one of the sailors, and 
 assisted by me into the skiff. Then her father came 
 aboard, and I rowed with them to the wharf. 
 
 Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine came forward most 
 cordially to meet them. 
 
 " Mr. Dusante, I suppose ? " said Mrs. Leeks, while 
 Mrs. Aleshine hurriedly whispered in my ear, " Is it 
 Lucille or Emily ? " 
 
 As quickly as possible I explained the situation. 
 For a few moments Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine 
 stood speechless. Nothing which had happened to 
 them, the wreck of the steamer, the sinking of the 
 boat, or our experience with life-preservers, affected 
 them so much as this disappointment in regard to the 
 problem of the Dusante family. Travel by sea was 
 all novel and strange to them, and they had expected 
 all sorts of things to which they were not accustomed, 
 
80 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 but they liad never imagined that Fate would be so 
 hard upon them as to snatch away the solution of this 
 mystery just as they were about to put their hands 
 upon it. But, in spite of this sudden blow, the two 
 good women quickly recovered themselves, and with 
 hearty and kindly words hurried the missionary and 
 his daughter to the house, while I went to bring over 
 the men. 
 
 I found the three sailors busy in securing their boat 
 so that it would not be injured by the rocks during 
 the rising and falling of the tide. When they had 
 finished this job, they had to do a good deal of sci am- 
 bling before they reached my skiff. 
 
 "We thought at first, sir," said the coxswain, as I 
 rowed them across the lagoon, " that it was all gam- 
 mon about your not livin' here, and havin' no keys to 
 them bars ; but we 've come to the 'pinion that if 
 you 'd been able to unlock 'em you 'd have done it 
 sooner than take all this trouble." 
 
 I now related my story more fully, and the men 
 were greatly astonished when they heard that my 
 companions in this adventure were two women. Upon 
 my asking the coxswain why he had come to this 
 island, he replied that his captain had heard that 
 people lived on it, although he knew nothing about 
 them ; and that, as it would be almost impossible to 
 get his brig here with the wind that was then prevail- 
 ing, and as he did not wish to go out of his course 
 anyway, he made up his mind that he would rather 
 lose the services of three men than keep that mission- 
 ary on board a day longer. 
 
 "You see, sir," said the coxswain, as we went 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 81 
 
 ashore, "the parson would n't never take it into ac- 
 count that we were short of prog, and leakin' like 
 Sam Hill; and because things were uncomfortable 
 he growled up and he growled down, till he was wuss 
 for the spirits of the men than the salt water comin' 
 in or the hard-tack givin' out, and there was danger, 
 if he was n't got rid of, that he 'd be pitched overboard 
 and left to take his chances for a whale. And then, 
 by sendin' us along, that give the crew three half- 
 rations a day extry, and that '11 count for a good deal 
 in the fix they 're in." 
 
 When I reached the house I took the men into the 
 kitchen, where Mrs. Aleshine already had the table 
 spread. There were bread and cold meat, while the 
 tea-kettle steamed by the fire. In a very short time 
 three happy mariners sat round that table, while Mrs. 
 Aleshine, with beaming face, attended to theii* wants, 
 and plied them with innumerable questions. They had 
 not finished eating when Mrs. Leeks entered the kitchen. 
 
 " I put that minister and his daughter in the two 
 front bedrooms," said she to me, after hospitably 
 greeting the three men, " which me and Mrs. Aleshine 
 had run and got ready for the Dusantes, as soon as 
 you went in your boat to meet 'em. The young lady 
 was mighty nigh worn out, and glad enough of the tea 
 and things, and to get into bed. But the gentleman 
 he wanted a soft-boiled egg, and when I told him I 
 had n't come across no hen-house yet on this island, he 
 looked at me as if he did n't half believe me, and 
 thought I was keepin' the eggs to sell.^ 
 
 "Which it would be ridiculous to do," said Mrs. 
 Aleshine, "in the middle of an ocean like this." 
 
 Q 
 
82 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 "If he lets you off with softb'iled eggs, ma^am," 
 said the coxswain, very respectfully, " I think you may 
 bless your stars." 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir," said the two sailors with black 
 beards. 
 
 Miss Ruth Enderton and her father did not make 
 their appearance until the next morning at breakfast- 
 time. I found the young lady a very pleasant person. 
 She was rather slight in figure, inclined to be pretty, 
 and was what might be called a warm-colored blonde. 
 Her disposition was quite sociable, and she almost 
 immediately stepped into the favor of Mrs. Leeks and 
 Mrs. Aleshine. 
 
 Mr. Enderton, however, was a person of another 
 sort. He was a prim and somewhat formal man, and 
 appeared to be entirely self-engrossed, with very 
 vague notions in regard to his surroundings. He 
 was not by any means an ill-tempered man, being 
 rather inclined to be placid than otherwise; but he 
 gave so little attention to circumstances and events 
 that he did not appear to understand why he should 
 be incommoded by the happenings of life. I have no 
 doubt that he made existence on board the disabled 
 brig a hundred times more unsatisfactory than it 
 would otherwise have been. With his present condi- 
 tion he seemed very well satisfied, and it was quite 
 plain that he looked upon Mrs. Leeks, Mrs. Aleshine, 
 and myself as the proprietors of the establishment, 
 having forgotten, or paid no attention to, my state- 
 ment in regard to our coming here. 
 
 As soon as she thought it fit and proper— and this 
 moment arrived in the course of the first forenoon— 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 83 
 
 ME. ENDEKTON WAS A PEESON 
 OF ANOTHEE SOET." 
 
 Mrs. Leeks spoke to Mr. Enderton on the subject of 
 the board which should be paid to the Dusantes. She 
 stated the arrangements we had made in the matter, 
 and then told him that as he and his daughter had 
 the best accommodations in the house, each occupy- 
 ing a large, handsome 
 room, she thought that he 
 should pay fifteen dollars 
 a week for the two. 
 
 "Now, if your daugh- 
 ter," she continued, "can 
 do anything about the 
 house which will be of 
 real help, though for the 
 life of me I don't see what 
 she can find to do, with 
 me and Mrs. Aleshine here, somethin' might be took 
 off on account of her services ; but of course you, sir^ 
 can't do nothin', unless you was to preach on Sun" 
 days, and not knowin' what denomination the Du- 
 santes belong to, it would n't be fair to take their 
 money to pay for the preachin' of doctrines which, 
 perhaps, they don't believe in." 
 
 This financial proposal aroused Mr. Enderton's op- 
 position. " When I came here, madam," he said, " I 
 did not expect to pay any board whatever, and I 
 think, moreover, that your rates are exorbitant. In 
 Nanfouchong, if I remember rightly, the best of 
 board did not cost more than two or three dollars 
 a week." 
 
 " I don't want to say anjiihing, sir," said Mrs. Leeks, 
 " which might look disrespectful, but as long as I 've 
 
84 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 got a conscience inside of me I ^m not goin' to stay 
 here and see the Dusantes lose money by Chinese 
 cheapness." 
 
 " I don't know anything about the Dusantes," said 
 Mr. Enderton, "but I am not going to pay fifteen 
 dollars a week for board for myself and daughter." 
 
 The discussion lasted for some time, with consider- 
 able warmth on each side, and was at last ended by 
 Mr. Enderton agreeing to pay board at the same rate 
 as the two women and myself, and each week to de- 
 posit in the ginger- jar eight dollars for himself and 
 daughter. 
 
 "You may not care to remember, sir," said Mrs. 
 Leeks, with cold severity, "that Mr. Craig and me 
 and Mrs. Aleshine puts in services besides, although, 
 to be sure, they don't go into the jar." 
 
 " I only remember," said Mr. Enderton, " that I am 
 jaaying an unjustifiable price as it is." 
 
 Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine, however, were not 
 at all of this opinion, and they agreed that, if it should 
 be in their power, they would see to it that the Du- 
 santes lost nothing by this close-fisted missionary. 
 
 After dinner— and I may remark that the newcomers 
 were not consulted in regard to the hours for meals 
 —Mrs. Leeks had an interview with the coxswain on 
 the subject of board for himself and his two compan- 
 ions. This affair, however, was very quickly settled, 
 for the three mariners had among them only one dol- 
 lar and forty-three cents, and this, the coxswain ex- 
 plained, they would like to keep for tobacco. It was 
 therefore settled that, as the three sailors could pay 
 no money, as much work as possible should be got out 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MES. ALESHINE 85 
 
 of them, and to this plan they agreed heartily and 
 cheerfully. 
 
 "There 's only one thing we '11 ask, ma'am," said 
 the coxswain to Mrs. Leeks, " and that is that we be 
 put in a different mess from the parson. We 've now 
 eat two meals with the passengers, and me and my 
 mates is agreed that that 's about as much as we 
 can go." 
 
 After this, therefore, the three men had their meals 
 in the kitchen, where they were generally joined by 
 Mrs. Aleshine, who much delighted in their company. 
 But she made it a point sometimes to sit down with 
 us in the dining-room, merely to show that she had as 
 much right there as anybody. 
 
 "As to the work for them sailormen," said Mrs. 
 Aleshine, " I don't see what they 're goin' to do. Of 
 course they don't know nothin' about gardenin', and 
 it seems to me that the best thing to be done is to put 
 ^em to fishin'." 
 
 Mrs. Leeks considered this a good suggestion, and 
 accordingly the coxswain and his companions were 
 told that thereafter they would be expected to fish 
 for eight hours a day, Sundays excepted. This plan, 
 however, did not work very well. During the first 
 two days the sailors caught so many fish that, al- 
 though the fishermen themselves had excellent appe- 
 tites for such food, it was found utterly impossible to 
 consume what they brought in. Consequently, it was 
 ordered that thereafter they should catch only as 
 many fish as should be needed, and then make them- 
 selves useful by assisting Mrs. Aleshine and Mrs. 
 Leeks in any manner they might direct. 
 
86 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 I found it quite easy to become acquainted with 
 Miss Ruth Enderton, as she was very much inchned 
 to conversation. '' It 's ever so long," she said, '^ since 
 I 've had anybody to talk to." 
 
 She had left the United States when she was quite 
 a little girl, and had since seen nothing of her native 
 land. She was, consequently, full of questions about 
 America, although quite willing to talk of her life in 
 China. Society, at least such kind as she had ever 
 cared for, had been extremely scarce in the little mis- 
 sionary station at which she had lived so long, and 
 now, coming from a wearisome sojoui-n on a disabled 
 saihng-vessel, with no company but the crew and a 
 preoccupied father, she naturally was delighted to get 
 among people she could talk to. With Mrs. Leeks, 
 Mrs. Aleshine, and myself she soon became very 
 friendly, and showed herself to be a most lively and 
 interesting young person. 
 
 I did all that I could to make Miss Ruth^s time pass 
 agreeably. I rowed with her on the lagoon, taught 
 her to fish, and showed her all the pleasant points on 
 the island which could be easily reached by walking. 
 Mr. Enderton gave us very little of his company, for, 
 having discovered that there was a library in the 
 house, he passed most of his time in that room, 
 
 " You have made a very fair selection of books, sir,'' 
 he remarked to me, ^' but it may readily be conceived, 
 from the character of the works, that your tastes are 
 neither ecclesiastic nor scientific." 
 
 Several times I explained to him the ownership of 
 the library and the house, but he immediately forgot 
 what I had said, or paid no attention to it. When he 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 87 
 
 paid his board at the end of the week, he handed the 
 money to Mrs. Leeks; and although before his eyes 
 she put it into the ginger- jar, beneath the paper of 
 
 *1 DID ALL THAT I COULD TX) MAKE MISS EUTH'S TIME PASS 
 AGREEABLY," 
 
 nsh-hooks, I know very well that he considered he was 
 paying it to her for her own use and behoof. He 
 was comfortably lodged, he had all that he needed— 
 and very nearly all that he wanted— to eat, and I do not 
 know that I ever saw a man more contented with his lot 
 
88 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 As for the coxswain and the two sailors, they had 
 a very pleasant time of it, but Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. 
 Aleshine would not think of such a thing as allowing 
 them to eat in idleness the bread of the Dusantes. 
 After they had been with us a few days, Mrs. Leeks 
 told me that she thought she could show the coxswain 
 and his mates how to dig and gather the garden-stuff 
 which was daily needed. 
 
 " To be sure,'^ said she, " that work goes ag'in' part 
 of your board, but fishin' and bringin' in fire-wood 
 don't take up quarter of the time of them sailors, and 
 so that the garden work is done, I don't suppose it 
 matters to the Dusantes who does it. And that '11 
 give you more time to make things pleasant for Miss 
 Ruth, for, as far as I can see, there is n't a thing for 
 her to do, even if she knows how to do it." 
 
 The thi-ee mariners were more than willing to do 
 anything desired by Mrs. Leeks or Mrs. Aleshine, to 
 whom they looked up with great admiration and re- 
 spect. The latter was their favorite, not only because 
 she was with them a great deal during their meals 
 and at other times, but because of her genial nature 
 and easy sociability. The men were always trying to 
 lighten her labors, and to do something that would 
 please her. 
 
 One of them climbed to the top of what she called 
 a ^' palm-leaf -fan tree," and brought therefrom some 
 broad leaves, which he cut and trimmed and sewed, in 
 true nautical fashion, until he made some fans which 
 were heavy and clumsy, but, as he said, they would 
 stand half a gale of wind if she chose to raise it. The 
 coxswain caught or trapped two sea-birds, and, hav- 
 
MES. LECKS AND MES. ALESHINE 89 
 
 ing clipped their wings, he spent days in endeavoring 
 to tame them, hoping to induce them, as far as the 
 power in them lay, to take the place of the barn-yard 
 fowls whose absence Mrs. Aleshine continually de- 
 plored. Every evening the two black-bearded sailors 
 would dance hornpipes for her, much to her diversion 
 and delight. 
 
 ^' I 've often heard," she remarked, '^ that in these 
 hot cocoanut countries the tricks of the monkeys was 
 enough to keep everybody on a steady laugh, but I 'm 
 sure sailormen is a great deal better. When you get 
 tired of their pranks and their tomfooleries you can 
 tell 'em to stop, which with monkeys you can't." 
 
 It was about ten days after the arrival of the mis- 
 sionary's party that, as I was going to get ready the 
 boat in which Miss Ruth and myself generally rowed 
 in the cool of the evening, I saw Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. 
 Aleshine sitting on the beach in the shade of some 
 low-growing trees. They were evidently waiting for 
 me, and as soon as I appeared Mrs. Leeks beckoned 
 to me ; whereupon I joined them. 
 
 " Sit down," said Mrs. Leeks ; '' there 's somethin' I 
 want to talk to you about. Mrs. Aleshine and me 
 have made up our minds that you ought to be hurried 
 up a little about poppin' the question to Miss Ruth." 
 
 This remark astounded me. "Popping the ques- 
 tion ! " I exclaimed. 
 
 "Yes," continued Mrs. Leeks, "and me and Mrs. 
 Aleshine know very well that you have n't done it 
 yet, for both of us havin' been through that sort of 
 thing ourselves, we know the signs of it after it has 
 happened." 
 
90 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 "And we would n't say nothin' to hurry you/' 
 added Mrs. Aleshine, " if it was n't that the groceries, 
 especially the flour, is a-gettin' low. We Ve been 
 talkin' to them sailormen, and they 're pretty well 
 agreed that there 's no use now in expectin' their 
 captain to send for 'em ; for if he was a-goin' to do it at 
 all, he 'd 'a' done it before this. And perhaps he never 
 got nowhere himself, in which case he could n't. And 
 they say the best thing we can all do when the vic- 
 tuals has nearly give out, provided the Dusantes don't 
 come back in time, is to take what 's left, and all get 
 into their big boat, and row away to that island, which 
 I don't know just how far it is, that the captain of our 
 ship was goin' to. There we can stay pretty comfort- 
 able till a ship comes along and takes us off." 
 
 '' But what has all that to do," I asked, " with Miss 
 Ruth and me?" 
 
 " Do ? " cried Mrs. Leeks. " It has every thin' to do. 
 When it 's all settled and fixed between you and Miss 
 Ruth, there '11 be nothin' to hinder us from gettin' 
 ready to start when we please." 
 
 " But, my dear friends," I said with much earnest- 
 ness, " I have not the slightest idea of proposing to 
 Miss Enderton." 
 
 " That 's just what I said to Mrs. Aleshine," said 
 Mrs. Leeks, " and that 's the reason we let our irons 
 cool, and come out here to talk to you. It 's just like 
 a young man to keep puttin' off that sort of thing, 
 but this can't be put off." 
 
 " That 's so ! " cried Mrs. Aleshine ; " and I 'U just 
 let you see how the matter stands. There is house- 
 keepers who allows a pint of flour a day to each per« 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 91 
 
 son, but this is for farm-hands and people who works 
 hard and eats hearty, and I 've found that three 
 quarters of a pint will do very well, if the dough is 
 kneaded conscientious and made up light, so that it '11 
 rise well when it 's put into the oven. Now I Ve 
 measured all the flour that 's left, and me and Mrs. 
 Leeks we 've calculated that, allowin' three quarters 
 
 'THEY WEEE EVIDENTLY WAITING FOE ME." 
 
 of a pint of flour a day to each one of us, there 's just 
 eight days more that we can stay here— that is, if the 
 Dusantes don't come back before that time, which, of 
 course, can't be counted on. So you can see for 
 yourself, Mr. Craig, there 's no time to be lost, even 
 considerin' that she has n't to make up anything to be 
 married in." 
 
 '^No," said Mrs. Leeks; "just for us and three 
 sailors, that would n't be needed." 
 
 I looked from one to the other in dumb astonish- 
 ment. Mrs. Leeks gave me no time to say anything. 
 
92 THE CASTING AWAY OP 
 
 "In common cases/' said she, ^'this might all be 
 put off till we got somewhere ; but it won't do now. 
 Here you are, with everythin' in your own hands, but 
 just get away from here, and there 's an end of that. 
 She 's as pretty a girl as you '11 see in a month of 
 Sundays, and if she leaves here without your gettin' 
 her, there 's no knowing who '11 snap her up. When 
 we 've got to that island, you may see her once a 
 week, but maybe you won't. She may go away in one 
 ship, and you in another, and there may be somebody 
 right there— a missionary, for all I know— who '11 
 have her before you have a chance to put in a word." 
 
 "And that 's not the worst of it," said Mrs. Ale- 
 shine. " Supposin' them Dusantes come back before 
 we go. There 's no knowin' what that Mr. Dusante 
 is. He may be a brother of Emily and Lucille. And 
 what sort of a chance would you have then, I 'd like 
 to know, with Miss Ruth right here in his own house, 
 and he ownin' the rowboat, and everythin'? Or it 
 may be he 's a widower, and that '11 be a mighty sight 
 worse, I can tell you." 
 
 " No matter whether they 're widowers or never 
 been married," said Mrs. Leeks, "there '11 be plenty 
 that '11 want her as soon as they see her ; and if it 
 is n't for the girl's own pretty face, it 'U be for her 
 fathei^s money." 
 
 " Her father's money ! " I exclaimed. " What are 
 you talking of?" 
 
 " There 's no good tellin' me anything about that," 
 said Mrs. Leeks, very decidedly. " There never was 
 a man as close-fisted as Mr. Enderton who had n't 
 money." 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 93 
 
 " And you know as well as we do," said Mrs. Ale- 
 shine, "that in them countries where he 's been the 
 heathens worship idols of silver and idols of gold, and 
 when them heathens is converted, don't you suppose 
 the missionaries get any of that ? I expect that Mr. 
 Enderton has converted thousands of heathens." 
 
 At this suggestion I laughed outright. But Mrs. 
 Leeks reproved me. 
 
 "Now, Mr. Craig," said she, "this is no laughin* 
 matter. What me and Mrs. Aleshine is sayin^ is for 
 your good, and for the good of Miss Ruth along with 
 you. I have n't much opinion of her father, but his 
 money is as good as anybodj^ else's, and though they 
 had to leave their trunks on board their ship, what 
 little they brought with them shows that they 've been 
 used to havin' the best there is. Mrs. Aleshine and 
 me has set up till late into the night talkin' over this 
 thing, and we are both of one mind that you two need 
 never expect to have the same chance again that you 've 
 got now. The very fact that the old gentleman is a 
 preacher, and can marry you on the spot, ought to 
 make you tremble when you think of the risks you 
 are runnin' by puttin' it off." 
 
 " I 've got to go into the house now to see about 
 supper," said Mrs. Aleshine, rising, "and I hope 
 you '11 remember, Mr. Craig, when your bread is on 
 your plate, and Miss Ruth is sittin' opposite to you, 
 that three quarters of a pint of flour a day is about 
 as little as anybody can live on, and that time is 
 flyin'." 
 
 Mrs. Leeks now also rose. But I detained the two 
 for a moment. 
 
94 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 " I hope you have not said anytMng to Miss Ender- 
 ton on this subject," I said. 
 
 '' No," replied Mrs. Aleshine, " we have n't. We are 
 both agreed that as you 're the one that 's to do what 's 
 to be done, you are the one that 's to be spoke to. 
 And havin' been through it ourselves, we understand 
 well enough that the more a woman don't know 
 nothin' about it, the more likely she is to be ketched 
 if she wants to be." 
 
 The two women left me in an amused but also 
 somewhat annoyed state of mind. I had no intention 
 whatever of proposing to Miss Ruth Enderton. She 
 was a charming girl, very bright and lively, and 
 withal, I had reason to believe, very sensible. But it 
 was not yet a fortnight since I first saw her, and no 
 thought of marrying her had entered into my head. 
 Had Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine, or, more important 
 than all, had Miss Enderton, any reason to believe 
 that I was acting the part of a lover? 
 
 The latter portion of this question was almost im- 
 mediately answered to my satisfaction by the appear- 
 ance of Miss Ruth, who came skipping down to me and 
 calling out to me in that free and hearty manner with 
 which a woman addresses a friend or near acquain- 
 tance, but never a suspected lover. She betrayed no 
 more notion of the Leeks and Aleshine scheme than 
 on the day I first met her. 
 
 But, as I was rowing her over the lagoon, I felt a 
 certain constraint which I had not known before. 
 There was no ground whatever for the wild imagin- 
 ings of the two women, but the fact that they had 
 imagined interfered very much with the careless 
 
MES. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 95 
 
 freedom with which I had previously talked to Miss 
 Ruth. I do not think, however, that she noticed any 
 change in me, for she chatted and laughed, and showed, 
 as she had done from the first, the rare delight which 
 she took in this novel island life. 
 
 When we returned to the house, we were met by 
 Mrs. Aleshine. "I am goin' to give you two your 
 supper," she said, "on that table there under the 
 tree. We all had ours a little earlier than common, 
 as the sailormen seemed hungry; and I took your 
 fathei'^s to him in the libr'ry, where I expect he 's 
 a-sittin' yet, holdin' a book in one hand and stirrin' 
 his tea with the other, till he 's stirred out nearly 
 every drop on the floor; which, however, won't 
 matter at all, for in the mornin' I '11 rub up that floor 
 till it 's as bright as new." 
 
 This plan delighted Miss Ruth, but I saw in it the 
 beginning of the workings of a deep-laid scheme. I 
 was just about to sit down when Mrs. Aleshine said 
 to me in a low voice, as she left us : 
 
 " Remember that the first three quarters of a pint 
 apiece begins now ! " 
 
 "Don't you think that Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Ale- 
 shine are perfectly charming?" said Miss Ruth, as she 
 poured out the tea. " They always seem to be trying 
 to think of some kind thing to do for other people." 
 
 I agreed entirely ^dth Miss Enderton's remark, but 
 I could not help thinking of the surprise she would 
 feel if she knew of the kind thing that these two 
 women were trying to do for her. 
 
 " Have you taken any steps yet ? " asked Mrs. Leeks 
 of me, the next day. On my replying that I had 
 
96 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 taken no steps of the kind to which I supposed she 
 alluded, she walked away with a very grave and seri- 
 ous face. 
 
 A few hours later Mrs. Aleshine came to me. 
 ^' There 's another reason for hurryiu' up," said she. 
 ^'Them sailormen seems able to do without 'most 
 anything in this world except tobacco, and Mrs. Leeks 
 has been sellin' it to 'em out of a big box she found in 
 a closet up-stairs, at five cents a teacupful,— which I 
 think is awful cheap, but she says prices in islands is 
 always low,— and wrapping the money up in a paper, 
 with 'Cash paid by sailormen for tobacco' written 
 on it, and puttin' it into the ginger- jar with the 
 board money. But their dollar and forty-three cents 
 is nearly gone, and Mrs. Leeks she says that not a 
 whiff of Mr. Dusante's tobacco shall they have if they 
 can't pay for it. And when they have nothin' to smoke 
 they '11 be wan tin' to leave this island just as quick as 
 they can, without waitin' for the flour to give out." 
 
 Here was another pressure brought to bear upon 
 me. Not only the waning flour, but the rapidly dis- 
 appearing tobacco money was used as a weapon to 
 urge me forward to the love-making which Mrs. 
 Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine had set their hearts upon. 
 
 I was in no hurry to leave the island, and hoped 
 very much that when we did go we should depart in 
 some craft more comfortable than a ship's boat. In 
 order, therefore, to prevent any undue desire to leave 
 on the part of the sailors, I gave them money enough 
 to buy a good many teacups full of tobacco. By this 
 act I think I wounded the feelings of Mrs. Leeks and 
 Mrs. Aleshine, although I had no idea that such would 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 97 
 
 be the effect of my little gift. They said nothing to 
 me on the subject, but their looks and manners indi- 
 cated that they thought I had not been acting honor- 
 ably. For two days they had very little to say to me, 
 and then Mrs. Aleshine came to me to make what, I 
 suppose, was their supreme effort. 
 
 ''Mrs. Leeks and me is a-goin' to try," she said,— 
 and as she spoke she looked at me with a very sad ex- 
 pression and a watery appearance about the eyes,— 
 "to stretch out the time for you a little longer. 
 We are goin' to make them sailormen eat more fish ; 
 and as for me and her, we '11 go pretty much without 
 bread, and make it up, as well as we can, on other 
 things. You and Miss Ruth and the parson can each 
 have your three quarters of a pint of flour a day, just 
 the same as ever, and what we save ought to give you 
 three or four days longer." 
 
 This speech moved me deeply. I could not al'.ow 
 these two kind-hearted women to half starve them- 
 selves in order that I might have more time to woo, 
 and I spoke very earnestly on the subject to Mrs. 
 Aleshine, urging her to give up the fanciful plans 
 which she and Mrs. Leeks had concocted. 
 
 "Let us drop this idea of love-making," I said, 
 "' which is the wildest kind of vagary, and all live 
 happily together, as we did before. If the pro\^sions 
 give out before the Dusantes come back, I suppose we 
 shall have to leave in the boat ; but, until that time 
 comes, let us enjoy life here as much as we can, and 
 be the good friends that we used to be." 
 
 I might as well have talked to one of the palm- 
 trees which waved over us. 
 
 7 
 
98 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 " As I said before," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, " what 
 is saved from Mrs. Lecks's and mine and the three 
 sailormen's three quarters of a pint apiece ought to 
 give you four days more." And she went into the 
 house. 
 
 All this time the Reverend Mr. Enderton had sat 
 and read in the library, or meditatively had walked 
 the beach with a book in his hand; while the three 
 mariners had caught fish, performed their other work, 
 and lain in the shade, smoking their pipes in peace. 
 Miss Ruth and I had taken our daily rows and walks, 
 and had enjoyed our usual hours of pleasant converse, 
 and all the members of the little colony seemed happy 
 and contented except Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine. 
 These two went gravely and sadly about their work, 
 and the latter asked no more for the hornpipes and 
 the sea-songs of her sailormen. 
 
 But, for some unaccountable reason, Mr. Enderton's 
 condition of tranquil abstraction did not continue. 
 He began to be fretful and discontented. He found 
 fault with his food and his accommodations, and in- 
 stead of spending the greater part of the day in the 
 library, as had been his wont, he took to wandering 
 about the island, generally with two or three books 
 under his arm, sometimes sitting down in one place, 
 and sometimes in another, and then rising suddenly 
 to go grumbling into the house. 
 
 One afternoon, as Miss Ruth and I were in the 
 skiff in the lagoon, we saw Mr. Enderton approaching 
 us, walking on the beach. As soon as he was near 
 enough for us to hear him, he shouted to his daughter : 
 
 ^' Ruth, come out of that boat ! If you want to take 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 99 
 
 the air, I should think you might as well walk with me 
 as to go rowing round with— with anybody." 
 
 This rude and heartless speech made my blood boil, 
 while my companion turned pale with mortification. 
 The man had never made the slightest objection to 
 our friendly inter- ^ 
 
 course, and this 
 unexpected attack 
 was entirely inde- 
 fensible. 
 
 ''Please put me 
 ashore," said Miss 
 Ruth, and with- 
 out a word, for I 
 could not trust my- 
 self to speak, I 
 landed her ; and, 
 petulantly com- 
 plaining that she 
 never gave him one 
 moment of her so- 
 ciety, her father led 
 her away. 
 
 An hour later, my soul still in a state of turmoil, 
 but with the violence of its tossings somewhat abated, 
 I entered one of the paths which led through the 
 woods. After a few turns, I reached a point where I 
 could see for quite a long distance to the other end of 
 the path, which opened out upon the beach. There I 
 perceived Mr. Enderton sitting upon the little bench 
 on which I had found Emily's book. His back was 
 toward me, and he seemed to be busily reading. 
 
 'SMOKING THEIR PIPES IN PEACE." 
 
100 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 About midway between him and myself I saw Miss 
 Ruth slowly walking toward me. Her eyes were fixed 
 upon the ground, and she had not seen me. 
 
 Stepping to one side, I awaited her approach. 
 When she came near I accosted her. 
 
 ^^ Miss Ruth," said I, " has your father been talking 
 to you of me ? " 
 
 She looked up quickly, evidently surprised at my 
 being there. ^^ Yes," she said, '^ he has told me that it 
 is not— suitable that I should be with you as much as 
 I have been since we came here." 
 
 There was something in this remark that roused 
 again the turmoil which had begun to subside within 
 me. There was so much that was unjust and tyran- 
 nical, and— what perhaps touched me still deeper- 
 there was such a want of consideration and respect in 
 this behavior of Mr. Enderton's, that it brought to the 
 front some very incongruous emotions. I had been 
 superciliously pushed aside, and I found I was angry. 
 Something was about to be torn from me, and I 
 found I loved it. 
 
 ^'Ruth," said I, stepping up close to her, "do you 
 like to be with me as you have been ? " 
 
 If Miss Ruth had not spent such a large portion of 
 her life in the out-of-the-world village of Nanfou- 
 chong, if she had not lived among those simple- 
 hearted missionaries, where it was never necessary to 
 conceal her emotions or her sentiments, if it had not 
 been that she never had had emotions or sentiments 
 that it was necessary to conceal, I do not believe that 
 when she answered me she would have raised her 
 eyes to me with a look in them of a deep-blue sky seen 
 
MRS. LECKS AND Mil's AL'^SHlNE 101 
 
 through a sort of Indian-summer mist, and that, gaz- 
 ing thus, she would have said : 
 
 ^^ Of course I like it." 
 
 '^ Then let us make it suitable," I said, taking both 
 her hands in mine. 
 
 There was another look, in which the skies shone 
 clear and bright, and then, in a moment, it was all 
 done. 
 
 About five minutes after this I said to her, ^' Ruth, 
 shall we go to your father ? " 
 
 ^'Certainly," she answered. And together we 
 walked along the thickly shaded path. 
 
 The missionary still sat with his back toward us, 
 and, being so intent upon his book, I found that by 
 keeping my eyes upon him it was perfectly safe to 
 walk with my arm around Ruth until we had nearly 
 reached him. Then I took her hand in mine, and we 
 stepped in front of him. 
 
 '' Father," said Ruth, ^' Mr. Craig and I are going to 
 be married." 
 
 There was something very plump about this remark, 
 and Mr. Enderton immediately raised his eyes from 
 his book and fixed them first upon his daughter and 
 then upon me ; then he let them drop, and through 
 the narrow space between us he gazed out over the 
 sea. 
 
 "Well, father," said Ruth, a httle impatiently, 
 "what do 3^ou think of it?" 
 
 Mr. Enderton leaned forward and picked up a leaf 
 from the ground. This he placed between the open 
 pages of his book, and closed it. 
 
 " It seems to me," he said, " that on many accounts 
 
102 
 
 TKE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 the arrangement you propose may be an excellent one. 
 Yes," he added more decidedly; "I think it will do 
 very well indeed. I shall not be at all surprised if 
 we are obliged to remain on this island for a consider- 
 able time, and. for my 
 part, I have no desire 
 to leave it at present. 
 And when you shall 
 place yourself, Ruth, 
 in a position in which 
 you will direct the do- 
 mestic economies of 
 the establishment, I 
 hope tliat you will see 
 to it that things gen- 
 erally are made more 
 compatible with com- 
 fort and gentility, and, 
 as regards the table, I 
 may add with palata- 
 biUty." 
 
 Ruth and I looked 
 at each other, and tlicn 
 together we promised that as far as in us lay we would 
 try to make the life of Mr. Enderton a happy one, not 
 only while we were on the island, but ever afterward. 
 We were promising a great deal, but at that mo- 
 ment we felt very grateful. 
 
 Then he stood up, shook us both by the hands, and 
 we left him to his book. 
 
 When Ruth and I came walking out of the woods 
 and approached the house, Mrs. Aleshine was stand- 
 
 'IT WAS PERFECTLY SAFE. 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 103 
 
 ing outside, not far from the kitchen. When she saw 
 us she gazed steadily at us for a few moments, a 
 strange expression coming over her face. Then she 
 threw up both her hands, and without a word she 
 turned and rushed indoors. 
 
 We had not reached the house before Mrs. Leeks 
 and Mrs. Aleshine came hurrying out together. Run- 
 ning up to us with a haste and an excitement I had 
 never seen in either of them, first one and then the 
 other took Ruth into her arms and kissed her with 
 much earnestness. Then they turned upon me and 
 shook my hands with hearty vigor, expressing, more 
 by their looks and actions than their words, a tri- 
 umphant approbation of what I had done. 
 
 ^' The minute I laid eyes on you," said Mrs. Ale- 
 shine, '^ I knowed it was all right. There was n't no 
 need of askin' questions." 
 
 I now became fearful lest, in the exuberance of 
 their satisfaction, these good women might reveal to 
 Ruth the plans they had laid for our matrimonial 
 future, and the reluctance I had shown in entering 
 into them. My countenance must have expressed 
 my apprehensions, for Mrs. Aleshine, her ruddy face 
 glowing with warmth, both mental and physical, gave 
 me a little wink, and drew me to one side. 
 
 "You need n't suppose that we 've ever said any- 
 thing to Miss Ruth, or that we 're goin' to. It 's a great 
 deal better to let her think you did it all yourself." 
 
 I felt like resenting this imputation upon the inde- 
 pendence of my love-making, but at this happy mo- 
 ment I did not want to enter into a discussion, and 
 therefore merely smiled. 
 
104 THE CASTING AWAY OP 
 
 " I 'm SO glad, I don't know how to tell it," continued 
 Mrs. Aleshine, as Mrs. Leeks and Ruth walked toward 
 the house. 
 
 I was about to follow, but my companion detained 
 me. 
 
 " Have you spoke to the parson ? " she asked. 
 
 " Oh, yes," said I, " and he seems perfectly satisfied. 
 I am rather surprised at this, because of late he has 
 been in such a remarkably bad humor." 
 
 "That 's so," said Mrs. Aleshine; "there 's no 
 gettin' round the fact that he 's been a good deal 
 crosser than two sticks. You see, Mr. Craig, that 
 Mrs. Leeks and me we made up our minds that it 
 was n't fair to the Dusantes to let that rich mission- 
 ary go on payin' nothin' but four dollars a week apiece 
 for him and his daughter, and if we could n't get no 
 more out of him one way, we ^d do it another. It was 
 fair enough that if he did n't pay more he ought to 
 get less; and so we gave him more fish and not so 
 much bread, the same as we did the sailormen ; and 
 we weakened his tea, and sent him just so much 
 sugar, and no more ; and as for openin' boxes of sar- 
 dines for him, which there was no reason why they 
 should n't be left here for the Dusantes, I just would n't 
 do it, though he said he 'd got all the fresh fish he 
 wanted when he was in China. And then we agreed 
 that it was high time that that libr'ry should be 
 cleaned up, and we went to work at it, not mindin' 
 what he said ; for it 's no use tellin' me that four dol- 
 lars a week will pay for a front room and good board, 
 and the use of a libr'ry all day. And as there was n't 
 no need of both of us cleanin' one room, Mrs. Leeks 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 105 
 
 she went into the parlor, where he 'd took his books, 
 and begun there. And then, again, we shut down on 
 Mr. Dusante's dressing-gown. There was no sense 
 includin' the use of that in his four dollars a week, so 
 
 -<I KNOWED IT WAS ALL EIGHT/" 
 
 we brushed it up, and camphored it, and put it away. 
 We just wanted to let him know that if he undertook 
 to be skinflinty, he 'd better try it on somebody else 
 besides us. We could see that he was a good deal 
 upset, for if ever a man liked to have things quiet 
 and comfortable around him, and everything his own 
 
106 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 way, that man is that missionary. But we did n^t 
 care if we did prod him up a little. Mrs. Leeks and 
 me we both agreed that it would do him good. Why, 
 he 'd got into such a way of shettin' himself up in 
 himself that he did n't even see that his daughter was 
 goin' about with a young man, and fixin' her affections 
 on him more and more every day, when he never had 
 no idea, as could be proved by witnesses, of marryin' 
 her." 
 
 " Mrs. Aleshine," said I, looking at her very stead- 
 fastly, " I believe, after all, that you and Mrs. Leeks 
 had your own way in regard to hurrying up this 
 matter." 
 
 "Yes," said she, with happy complacency; "I 
 should n't wonder if we had. Stirrin' up the parson 
 was our last chance, and it was n't much trouble to 
 do it." 
 
 Mrs. Leeks, whose manner toward me for the last 
 few days had been characterized by cold severity, now 
 resumed her former friendly demeanor, although she 
 was not willing to let the affair pass over without 
 some words of reproach. 
 
 "I must say, Mr. Craig," she remarked the next morn- 
 ing, " that I was gettin' pretty well outdone with you. I 
 was beginnin' to think that a young man that could n't 
 see and would n't see what was good for him did n't 
 deserve to have it ; and if Miss Ruth's father had just 
 come down with a heavy foot and put an end to the 
 whole business, I 'm not sure I 'd been sorry for you. 
 But it 's all right at last, and bygones is bygones. 
 And now, what we 've got to do is to get ready for 
 the weddin'." 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 107 
 
 '* The wedding ! " I exclaimed. 
 
 Mrs. Leeks regarded me with an expression in which 
 there was something of virtuous indignation and 
 something of pity. " Mr. Craig/' said she, '^ if there 
 ever was anybody that wanted a guardeen, it 's you. 
 Now, just let me tell you this. That Mr. Enderton 
 ain^t to be trusted no further than you can see him, 
 and not so fur, neither, if it can be helped. He 's 
 willin' for you to have Miss Ruth now, because he 's 
 pretty much made up his mind that we 're goin' to 
 stay here, and as he considers you the master of this 
 island, of course he thinks it '11 be for his good for 
 his daughter to be mistress of it. For one thing, he 
 would n't expect to pay no board then. But just let 
 him get away from this island, and just let him set his 
 eyes on some smooth-faced young fellow that '11 agree 
 to take him into the concern and keep him for nothin' 
 on books and tea, he '11 just throw you over without 
 winkin'. And Miss Ruth is not the girl to marry you 
 against his will, if he opens the Bible and piles texts 
 on her, which he is capable of doin'. If in any way 
 you two should get separated when you leave here, 
 there 's no knowin' when you 'd ever see each other 
 again, for where he '11 take her nobody can tell. He 's 
 more willin' to set down and stay where he finds him- 
 self comfortable than anybody I 've met yet." 
 
 " Of course," I said, '^ I 'm ready to be married at 
 any moment ; but I don't believe Miss Ruth and her 
 father would consent to anything so speedy." 
 
 *' Don't you get into the way," said Mrs. Leeks, " of 
 beforehand believin' this or that. It don't pay. Just 
 you go to her father and talk to him about it, and if 
 
108 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 you and him agree, it '11 be easy enough to make her 
 see the sense of it. You attend to them, and I '11 see 
 that everythin' is got ready. And you 'd better fix 
 the day for to-morrow, for we can't stay here much 
 longer, and there 's a lot of house-cleanin' and bakin' 
 and cookin' to be done before we go." 
 
 I took this advice, and broached the subject to Mr. 
 Enderton. 
 
 *^Well, sir," said he, laying down his book, "your 
 proposition is decidedly odd ; I may say, very odd, 
 indeed. But it is, perhaps, after all, no odder than 
 many things I have seen. Among the various de- 
 nominational sects I have noticed occurrences quite 
 as odd ; quite as odd, sir. For my part, I have no 
 desire to object to an early celebration of the matri- 
 monial rites. I may say, indeed, that I am of the 
 opinion that a certain amount of celerity in this mat- 
 ter will conduce to the comfort of all concerned. It 
 has been a very unsatisfactory thing to me to see my 
 daughter occupying a subordinate position in our lit- 
 tle family, where she has not even the power to turn 
 household affairs into the channels of my comfort. 
 To-morrow, I think, will do very well indeed. Even 
 if it should rain, I see no reason why the ceremony 
 should be postponed." 
 
 The proposition of a wedding on the morrow was 
 not received by Ruth with favor. She was unpre- 
 pared for such precipitancy. But she finally yielded 
 to arguments ; not so much to mine, I fear, as to those 
 offered by Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine. 
 
 For the rest of that day the three mariners were 
 kept very busy, bringing in green things to deck the 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 109 
 
 parlor, and doing every imaginable kind of work 
 necessary to a wedding which Mrs. Aleshine was will- 
 ing to give into their hands. As for herself and her 
 good friend, they put themselves upon their mettle as 
 providers of festivals. They made cakes, pies, and 
 I never knew half so well as the three sailors how 
 many other kinds of good things. Besides all this, 
 they assisted Ruth to array herself in some degree in 
 a manner becoming a bride. Some light and pretty 
 adornments of dress were borrowed from Emily or 
 Lucille, they knew not which, and, after having been 
 "done up" and fluted and crimped by Mrs. Leeks, 
 were incorporated by Ruth into her costume with so 
 much taste that on the wedding morning she appeared 
 to me to be dressed more charmingly than any bride 
 I had ever seen. 
 
 The three sailors had done their own washing and 
 ironing, and appeared in cleanly garb, and with hair 
 and beards well wet and brushed. Mrs. Leeks and 
 Mrs. Aleshine put on their best bibs and tuckers, and 
 Mr. Enderton assumed his most clerical air as he 
 stood behind a table in the parlor and married Ruth 
 and me. 
 
 ^' This," said Mr. Enderton, as we were seated at the 
 wedding-feast, " is a most creditable display of attrac- 
 tive viands, but I may say, my dear Ruth, that I 
 think I perceived the influence of the happy event of 
 to-day even before it took place. I have lately had a 
 better appetite for my food, and have experienced 
 a greater enjoyment of my surroundings." 
 
 "I should think so," murmured Mrs. Aleshine in 
 my ear, ^' for we 'd no sooner knowed that you two 
 
110 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 were to make a matcli of it than we put an extry 
 spoonful of tea into his pot, and stopped scrubbing the 
 libr'ry." 
 
 For the next two days all was bustle and work on 
 the island. Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine would not 
 consent to depart without leaving everything in the 
 best possible order, so that the Dusantes might not be 
 dissatisfied with the condition of their house when 
 they returned. It was, in fact, the evident desire of 
 the two women to gratify their pride in their house- 
 wifely abilities by leaving everything better than 
 they found it. 
 
 Mr. Enderton was much surprised at these prepara- 
 tions for immediate dejjarture. He was very well 
 satisfied with his life on the island, and had prepared 
 his mind for an indefinite continuance of it, with the 
 position of that annoying and obdurate Mrs. Leeks 
 filled by a compliant and affectionate daughter. He 
 had no reasonable cause for complaint, for the whole 
 subject of the exhaustion of our supply of provisions, 
 and the necessity of an open-boat trip to an inhabited 
 island, had been fully discussed before him ; but he 
 was so entirely engrossed in the consideration of his 
 own well-being that this discussion of our plans had 
 made no impression upon him. He now became con- 
 vinced that a conspiracy had been entered into against 
 him, and fell into an unpleasant humor. This, how- 
 ever, produced very little effect upon any of us, for 
 we were all too busy to notice his whims. But his 
 sudden change of disposition made me understand 
 how correct were the opinions of Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. 
 Aleshine concerning him. If I had left that island 
 
THEY ASSISTED KUTH TO AEKAY HERSELF. 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 113 
 
 with my marriage with Ruth depending upon Mr. 
 Enderton's cooperation, my prospects of future hap- 
 piness would have been at the mercy of his caprices. 
 
 Very early on a beautiful morning Ruth and I 
 started out on our wedding journey in the long-boat. 
 Mr. Enderton was made as comfortable as possible in 
 the stern, with Ruth near him. Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. 
 Aleshine sat facing each other, each with a brown- 
 paper package by her side, containing the life-pre- 
 server on which she had arrived. These were to be 
 ever cherished as memorials of a wonderful experience. 
 The three sailors and I took turns at the oars. The 
 sea was smooth, and there was every reason to believe 
 that we should arrive at our destination before the 
 end of the day. Mrs. Aleshine had supplied us with 
 an abundance of provisions, and, with the exception 
 of Mr. Enderton, who had not been permitted to take 
 away any of the Dusante books, we were a contented 
 party. 
 
 '' As long as the flour held out," remarked Mrs. Ale- 
 shine, '^ I 'd never been willin' to leave that island till 
 the Dusantes came back, and we could have took 
 Emily or Lucille, whichever it was that kept house, 
 and showed her every thin', and told her just what we 
 had done. But when they do come back," she added, 
 '' and read that letter which Mr. Craig wrote and left 
 for them, and find out all that happened in their 
 country -place while they was away ; and how two of 
 us was made happy for life ; and how two more of us, 
 meanin' Mrs. Leeks and me, have give up goin' to 
 Japan, intendin', instid of that, writin' to my son to 
 come home to America and settle down in the coun- 
 
 8 
 
114 
 
 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 try he ought to live in,— why, then, if them Dusantes 
 ain't satisfied, it 's no use for anybody to ever try to 
 satisfy 'em." 
 
 "I should think not," said Mrs. Leeks, "with the 
 weddin'-cards on the parlor table, not a speck of dust 
 in any corner, and the board money in the ginger-jar." 
 
PART IV 
 
 WHEN the little party, consisting of Mrs. Leeks 
 and Mrs. Aleshine, Mr. Enderton, my newly 
 made wife, and myself, with the red-bearded coxswain 
 and the two sailormen, bade farewell to that island in 
 the Pacific where so many happy hours had been 
 passed, where such pleasant friendships had been 
 formed, and where I had met my Ruth and made her 
 my wife, we rowed away with a bright sky over our 
 heads, a pleasant wind behind us, and a smooth sea 
 beneath us. The long-boat was comfortable and well 
 appointed, and there was even room enough in it for 
 Mr. Enderton to stretch himself out and take a noon- 
 day nap. We gave him every advantage of this kind, 
 for we had found by experience that our party was 
 happiest w^hen my father-in-law was best contented. 
 
 Early in the forenoon the coxswain rigged a small 
 sail in the bow of the boat, and with this aid to our 
 
 115 
 
116 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 steady and systematic work at the oars we reached, 
 just before nightfall, the large island whither we were 
 bound, and to which, by means of the coxswain's 
 pocket-compass, we had steered a direct course. Our 
 arrival on this island, which was inhabited by some 
 white traders and a moderate population of natives, 
 occasioned great surprise; for when the boats con- 
 taining the crew and passengers of our unfortunate 
 steamer had reached the island, it was found that 
 Mrs. Leeks, Mrs. Aleshine, and myself were missing. 
 There were many suppositions as to our fate. Some 
 persons thought we had been afraid to leave the 
 steamer, and, having secreted ourselves on board, had 
 gone down with her. Others conjectured that in the 
 darkness we had fallen overboard, either from the 
 steamer or from one of the boats ; and there was even 
 a surmise that we might have embarked in the leaky 
 small boat— in which we really did leave the steamer 
 —and so had been lost. At any rate, we had disap- 
 peared, and our loss was a good deal talked about 
 and, in a manner, mourned. In less than a week 
 after their arrival the people from the steamer had 
 been taken on board a sailing-vessel and carried 
 westward to their destination. 
 
 We, however, were not so fortunate, for we re- 
 mained on this island for more than a month. Dur- 
 ing this time but one ship touched there, and she was 
 western bound and of no use to us, for we had deter- 
 mined to return to America. Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. 
 Aleshine had given up their journey to Japan, and 
 were anxious to reach once more their country homes, 
 while my dear Ruth and I were filled with a desire to 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 117 
 
 found a home on some pleasant portion of the At- 
 lantic seaboard. What Mr. Enderton intended to do 
 we did not know. He was on his way to the United 
 States when he left the leaking ship on which he and 
 his daughter were passengers, and his intentions re- 
 garding his journey did not appear to have been 
 altered by his mishaps. 
 
 By the western-bound vessel, however, Mrs. Ale- 
 shine sent a letter to her son. 
 
 Our life on this island was monotonous and to the 
 majority of the party uninteresting ; but as it was the 
 scene of our honeymoon, Mrs. Craig and I will always 
 look back to it with the most pleasurable recollections. 
 We were comfortably lodged in a house belonging to 
 one of the traders, and although Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. 
 Aleshine had no household duties to occupy their 
 time, they managed to supply themselves with knit- 
 ting-materials from the stores on the island, and filled 
 up their hours of waiting with chatty industry. The 
 pipes of our sailor friends were always well filled, 
 while the sands of the island were warm and pleasant 
 for their backs, and it was only Mr. Enderton who 
 showed any signs of impatient repining at our 
 enforced stay. He growled, he grumbled, and he 
 inveighed against the criminal neglect of steamship 
 companies and the owners of sailing-craft in not 
 making it compulsory in every one of their vessels 
 to stop on every voyage at this island, where, at any 
 time, intelligent and important personages might be 
 stranded. 
 
 At last, however, we were taken off by a three- 
 masted schooner bound for San Francisco, at which 
 
118 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 city we arrived in due time and in good health and 
 condition. 
 
 We did not remain long in this city, but soon 
 started on our way across the continent, leaving 
 behind us our three sailor companions, who intended 
 to ship from this port as soon as an advantageous 
 opportunity offered itself. These men heard no news 
 of their vessel, although they felt quite sure that she 
 had reached Honolulu, where she had probably been 
 condemned and the crew scattered. As some baggage 
 belonging to my wife and my father-in-law had been 
 left on board this vessel, I had hopes that Mr. Ender- 
 ton would remain in San Francisco and order it for- 
 warded to him there ; or that he would even take a 
 trip to Honolulu to attend to the matter personally. 
 But in this I was disappointed. He seemed to take 
 very little interest in his missing trunks, and wished 
 only to press on to the East. I wrote to Honolulu, 
 desiring the necessary steps to be taken to forward 
 the baggage in case it had arrived there; and soon 
 afterward our party of five started eastward. 
 
 It was now autumn, but, although we desired to 
 reach the end of our journey before winter set in, we 
 felt that we had time enough to visit some of the 
 natural wonders of the California country before 
 taking up our direct course to the East. Therefore, 
 in spite of some petulant remonstrances on the part 
 of Mr. Enderton, we made several trips to points of 
 interest. 
 
 From the last of these excursions we set out in a 
 stage-coach, of which we were the only occupants, 
 toward a point on the railroad where we expected to 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 119 
 
 take a train. On the way we stopped to change horses 
 at a small stage-station at the foot of a range of 
 mountains ; and when I descended from the coach I 
 found the driver and some of the men at the station 
 discussing the subject of our route. It appeared that 
 there were two roads, one of which gradually ascended 
 the mountain for several miles, and then descended 
 to the level of the raih'oad, by the side of which it 
 ran until it reached the station where we wished to 
 take the train. The other road pursued its way along 
 a valley or notch in the mountain for a considerable 
 distance, and then, by a short but somewhat steep 
 ascending grade, joined the upper road. 
 
 It was growing quite cold, and the sky and the wind 
 indicated that bad weather might be expected; and 
 as the upper road was considered the better one at 
 such a time, our driver concluded to take it. Six 
 horses, instead of four, were now attached to our 
 stage ] and as two of these animals were young and 
 unruly, and promised to be unusually difficult to drive 
 in the ordinary way, our driver concluded to ride one 
 of the wheel-horses, postilion fashion, and to put a boy 
 on one of the leaders. Mr. Enderton was very much 
 afraid of horses, and objected strongly to the young 
 animals in our new team. But there were no others 
 to take their places, and his protests were disregarded. 
 
 My wife and I occupied a back seat, having been 
 ordered to take this comfortable position by Mrs. 
 Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine, who had constituted them- 
 selves a board of instruction and admonition to Mrs 
 Craig, and incidentally to myself. They fancied that 
 my wife's health was not vigorous, and that she needed 
 
120 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 coddling, and if she had had two mothers she could 
 not have been more tenderly cared for than by these 
 good women. They sat upon the middle seat with 
 their faces toward the horses, while Mr. Enderton 
 had the front seat all to himself. He was, however, 
 so nervous and fidgety, continually twisting himself 
 about endeavoring to get a view of the horses or of 
 the bad places on the road, that Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. 
 Aleshine found that a position facing him and in close 
 juxtaposition was entirely too uncomfortable; and 
 consequently, the back of their seat being adjustable, 
 they turned themselves about and faced us. 
 
 The ascent of the mountain was slow and tedious, 
 and it was late in the afternoon when we reached the 
 highest point in our route, from which the road de- 
 scended for some eight miles to the level of the rail- 
 road. Now our pace became rapid, and Mr. Enderton 
 grew wildly excited. He threw open the window, and 
 shouted to the driver to go more slowly; but Mrs. 
 Leeks seized him by the coat and jerked him back on 
 his seat before he could get any answer to his appeals. 
 
 " If you want your daughter to ketch her death o' 
 cold you '11 keep that window open ! " As she said 
 this, she leaned back and pulled the window down 
 with her own strong right arm. " I guess the driver 
 knows what he is about," she continued, ''this not 
 bein' the first time he 's gone over the road." 
 
 '^ Am I to understand, madam," said Mr. Enderton, 
 '^ that I am not to speak to my driver when I wish 
 him to know my will ? " 
 
 To this question Mrs. Leeks made no answer, but 
 sat up very straight and stiff, with her back square 
 
MKS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 121 
 
 upon the speaker. For some time she and Mr. En- 
 derton had been ^'out," and she made no effort to 
 conceal the fact. 
 
 Mr. Enderton's condition now became pitiable, for 
 our rapid speed and the bumping over rough places 
 in the road seemed almost to deprive him of his wits, 
 notwithstanding my assurance that stage-coaches 
 were generally driven at a rapid rate down long 
 inclines. In a short time, however, we reached a 
 level spot in the road, and the team was drawn up 
 
 'THE ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN WAS SLOW AND TEDIOUS.' 
 
 and stopped. Mr. Enderton popped out in a moment, 
 and I also got down to have a talk with the di-iver. 
 
 " These bosses won't do much at holdin' back," he 
 said, "and it worries 'em less to let 'em go ahead 
 with the wheels locked. You need n't be afraid. If 
 nothin' breaks, we 're all right." 
 
 Mr. Enderton seemed endeavoring to satisfy him- 
 self that everything about the running-gear of the 
 
122 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 coach was in a safe condition. He examined the 
 wheels, the axles, and the whiffletrees, much to the 
 amusement of the driver, who remarked to me that 
 the old chap probably knew as much now as he did 
 before. I was rather surprised that my father-in-law 
 subjected the driver to no further condemnation. On 
 the contrary, he said nothing except that for the rest 
 of this downhill drive he should take his place on 
 the driver's unoccupied seat. Nobody offered any 
 objection to this, and up he climbed. 
 
 When we started again, Ruth seemed disturbed 
 that her father should be in such an exposed posi- 
 tion, but I assured her that he would be perfectly 
 safe, and would be much better satisfied at being able 
 to see for himself what was going on. 
 
 We now began to go downhill again at a rate as 
 rapid as before. Our speed, however, was not equal. 
 Sometimes it would slacken a little where the road 
 was heavy or more upon a level, and then we would 
 go jolting and rattling over some long downward 
 stretch. After a particularly unpleasant descent of 
 this kind the coach seemed suddenly to change its 
 direction, and with a twist and an uplifting of one 
 side it bumped heavily against something, and stopped. 
 I heard a great shout outside, and from a window 
 which now commanded a view of the road I saw our 
 team of six horses, with the drivers pulling and tug- 
 ging at the two they rode, madly running away at 
 the top of their speed. 
 
 Ruth, who had been thrown by the shock into the 
 arms of Mrs. Aleshine, was dreadfully frightened, 
 and screamed for her f ather» I had been pitched for- 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 123 
 
 ward upon Mrs. Leeks, but I quickly recovered 
 myself, and as soon as I found that none of the 
 occupants of the coach had been hurt, I opened the 
 door and sprang out. 
 
 In the middle of the road stood Mr. Enderton, en- 
 tirely uninjured, with a jubilant expression on his 
 face, and in one hand a 
 large closed umbrella. 
 
 ^' What has happened ? " 
 I exclaimed, hurrying 
 around to the front of the 
 coach, where I saw that 
 the pole had been broken 
 off about the middle of its 
 length. 
 
 '' Nothing has happened, 
 sir," replied Mr. Enderton. 
 ''You cannot speak of a 
 wise and discreet act, de- 
 terminately performed, as 
 a thing which has hap- 
 pened. We have been 
 
 saved, sir, from being dashed to pieces behind that 
 wild and unmanageable team of horses; and I will 
 add that we have been saved by my forethought and 
 prompt action." 
 
 I turned and looked at him in astonishment. 
 ''What do you mean?" I said. "What could you 
 have had to do with this accident ? " 
 
 "Allow me to repeat," said Mr. Enderton, "that it 
 was not an accident. The moment that we began to 
 go downhill I perceived that we were in a position of 
 
 'WHAT HAS HAPPENED?' I 
 EXCLAIMED." 
 
124 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 the greatest danger. The driver was reckless, the 
 boy incompetent, and the horses unmanageable. As 
 my remonstrances and counsels had no effect upon 
 the man, and as you seemed to have no desire to join 
 me in efforts to restrain him to a more prudent rate 
 of speed, I determined to take the affair into my own 
 hands. I knew that the first thing to be done was to 
 rid ourselves of those horses. So long as we were 
 connected with them disaster was imminent. I knew 
 exactly what ought to be done. The horses must be 
 detached from the coach. I had read, sir, of inven- 
 tions especially intended to detach runaway horses 
 from a vehicle. To all intents and pui-poses our 
 horses were runaways, or would have become so in 
 a very short time. I now made it my object to free 
 ourselves from those horses." 
 
 " What ! " I exclaimed. ''You freed us ? " 
 " Yes, sir," he answered ; *' I did. I got out at 
 our first stop, and thoroughly examined the car- 
 riage attachments. I found that the movable bar 
 to which the whiffletrees were attached was con- 
 nected to the vehicle by two straps and a bolt, the 
 latter having a ring at the top and an iron nut 
 at the bottom. While you and that reckless driver 
 were talking together, and paying no attention to 
 me, the only person in the party who thoroughly 
 comprehended our danger, I unbuckled those straps, 
 and with my strong, nervous fingers, without the aid 
 of implements, I unscrewed the nut from the bolt. 
 Then, sir, I took my seat on the outside of the coach, 
 and felt that I held our safety in my own hands. 
 For a time I allowed our vehicle to proceed j but 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 125 
 
 when we approached this long slope which stretches 
 before us, and our horses showed signs of increasing 
 impetuosity, I leaned forward, hooked the handle of 
 my umbrella in the ring of the bolt, and with a mighty 
 effort jerked it out. I admit to you, sir, that I had 
 overlooked the fact that the horses were also attached 
 to the end of the pole, but I have often noticed that 
 when we are discreet in judgment and prompt in 
 action we are also fortunate. Thus was I fortunate. 
 The hindermost horses, suddenly released, rushed 
 upon those in front of them, and, in a manner, jum- 
 bled up the whole team, which seemed to throw the 
 animals into such terror that they dashed to one side 
 and snapped off the pole, after which they went madly 
 tearing down the road, entirely beyond the control of 
 the two riders. Our coach turned and ran into the side 
 of the road with but a moderate concussion, and as I 
 looked at those flying steeds, with their riders vainly 
 endeavoring to restrain them, I could not, sir, keep 
 down an emotion of pride that I had been instru- 
 mental in freeing myself, my daughter, and my 
 traveling companions from theii' dangerous prox- 
 imity.'' 
 
 The speaker ceased, a smile of conscious merit 
 upon his face. For the moment I could not say a 
 word to him, I was so angry. But had I been able 
 to say or do anything to indicate the wild indignation 
 that filled my brain, I should have had no opportunity, 
 for Mrs. Leeks stepped up to me and took me by the 
 arm. Her face was very stern, and her expression 
 gave one the idea of the rigidity of Bessemer steel. 
 
 *'I Ve heard what has been said," she remarked, 
 
126 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 " and I wish to talk to this man. Your wife is over 
 there with Mrs. Aleshine. Will you please take a walk 
 with her along the road ? You may stay away for a 
 quarter of an hour." 
 
 " Madam," said Mr. Enderton, '' I do not wish to talk 
 to you." 
 
 ^'I did n't ask you whether you did or not," said 
 Mrs. Leeks. "Mr. Craig, will you please get your 
 wife away as quick and as far as you can ? " 
 
 I took the hint, and, with Ruth on my arm, walked 
 rapidly down the road. She was very glad to go, for 
 she had been much frightened, and wanted to be alone 
 with me to have me explain to her what had occurred. 
 Mrs. Leeks, imagining from the expression of his 
 countenance that Mr. Enderton had, in some way, 
 been at the bottom of the trouble, and fearing that she 
 should not be able to restrain her indignation when 
 she found how he had done it, had ordered Mrs. Ale- 
 shine to keep Ruth away from her father. This action 
 had increased the poor girl's anxiety, and she was glad 
 enough to have me take her away and tell her all about 
 our accident. 
 
 I did tell her all that had happened, speaking as 
 mildly as I could of Mr. Enderton's conduct. Poor 
 Ruth burst into tears. 
 
 "I do wish," she exclaimed, 'Hhat father would 
 travel by himself ! He is so nervous, and so easily 
 frightened, that I am sure he would be happier when 
 he could attend to his safety in his own way ; and I 
 know, too, that we should be happier without him." 
 
 I agreed most heartily with these sentiments, al- 
 though I did not deem it necessary to say so, and 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 127 
 
 Ruth now asked me what I supposed would become 
 of us. 
 
 '' If nothing happens to the driv^er and the boy," I 
 replied, " I suppose they will go on until they get to 
 the station to which we were bound, and there they 
 will procure a pole, if such a thing can be found, or, 
 perhaps, get another coach, and come back for us. It 
 would be useless for them to return to our coach in its 
 present condition." 
 
 '' And how soon do you think they wiU come back f " 
 she said. 
 
 " Not for some hours," I replied. '^ The driver told 
 me there were no houses between the place where we 
 last stopped and the raihoad-station, and I am sure he 
 will not turn back until he reaches a place where 
 he can get either a new pole or another vehicle." 
 
 Euth and I walked to a turn at the bottom of the 
 long hiU down v/hich oiu' runaway steeds had sped. 
 At this point we had an extended view of the road as 
 it wound along the mountain-side, but we could see no 
 signs of our horses, nor of any living thing. I did not, 
 in fact, expect to see our team, for it would be foolish 
 in the driver to come back until he was prepared to do 
 something for us, and even if he had succeeded in con- 
 trolling the runaway beasts, the quicker he got down 
 the mountain the better. 
 
 By the time we had returned we had taken quite a 
 long walk, but we were glad of it, for the exercise 
 tranquilized us both. On our way back we noticed 
 that a road which seemed to come up from below us 
 joined the one we were on a short distance from the 
 place where our accident occurred. This, probably. 
 
128 THE CASTING AWAY OP 
 
 was the lower road which had been spoken of when we 
 changed horses. 
 
 We found Mr. Enderton standing by himself. His 
 face was of the hue of wood-ashes, his expression hag- 
 gard. He reminded me of a man who had fallen from 
 a considerable height, and who had been frightened 
 and stupefied by the shock. I comprehended the 
 situation without difficulty, and felt quite sure that 
 had he had the choice he would have much preferred 
 a thrashing to the plain talk he had heard from Mrs. 
 Leeks. 
 
 "What is the matter, father?" exclaimed Ruth. 
 "Were you hurt?" 
 
 Mr. Enderton looked in a dazed way at his daugh- 
 ter, and it was some moments before he appeared to 
 have heard what she said. Then he answered abruptly : 
 " Hurt ? Oh, no ! I am not hurt in the least. I was 
 just thinking of something. I shall walk on to the 
 village or town, whichever it is, to which that man was 
 taking us. It cannot be more than seven or eight 
 miles away, if that. The road is downhill, and I can 
 easily reach the place before nightfall. I will then 
 personally attend to your rescue, and will see that a 
 vehicle' is immediately sent to you. There is no trust- 
 ing these ignorant drivers. No," he continued, de- 
 precatingly raising his hand 5 "do not attempt to 
 dissuade me. Your safety and that of others is 
 always my first care. Exertion is nothing." 
 
 Without further words, and paying no attention to 
 the remonstrances of his daughter, he strode off down 
 the road. 
 
 I was very glad to see him go. At any time his 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 129 
 
 presence was undesirable to me, and under the present 
 circumstances it would be more objectionable than 
 ever. He was a good walker, and there was no doubt 
 he would easily reach the station, where he might pos- 
 sibly be of some use to us. 
 
 Mrs. Leeks was sitting on a stone by the roadside. 
 Her face was still stern and rigid, but there was an 
 expression of sat- 
 isfaction upon it 
 which had not been 
 there when I left 
 her. Ruth went to 
 the coach to get a 
 shawl, and I said to 
 Mrs. Leeks : 
 
 ^'I suppose you 
 had your talk with 
 Mr. Enderton ?" 
 
 '' Talk ! " she re- 
 plied. ''I should 
 say so ! If ever a 
 man understands 
 what people think 
 of him, and knows 
 what he is, from his 
 crown to his feet, 
 inside and outside, 
 soul, body, bones, 
 
 and skin, and what he may expect in this world and 
 the next, he knows it. I did n't keep to what he has 
 done for us this day. I went back to the first moment 
 when he began to growl at payin' his honest board on 
 
 'MES. LECKS WAS SITTING ON A STONE. 
 
130 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 the island, and I did n't let him off for a single sin 
 that he has committed since. And now I feel that 
 I 've done my duty as far as he is concerned; and 
 havin' got through with that, it 's time we were lookin' 
 about to see what we can do for ourselves." 
 
 It was indeed time, for the day was drawing toward 
 its close. For a moment I had thought we would give 
 Mr. Enderton a good start, and then follow him down 
 the mountain to the station. But a little reflection 
 showed me that this plan would not answer. Ruth 
 was not strong enough to walk so far, and although 
 Mrs. Aleshine had plenty of vigor, she was too plump 
 to attempt such a tramp. Besides, the sky was so 
 heavily overcast that it was not safe to leave the 
 shelter of the coach. 
 
 As might have been expected, Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. 
 Aleshine took immediate charge of the personal com- 
 fort of the party, and the first thing they did was to 
 make preparations for a meal. Fortunately, we had 
 plenty of provisions. Mrs. Aleshine had had charge 
 of what she called our lunch-baskets,— which were, in- 
 deed, much more like market-baskets than anything 
 else,— and having small faith in the resources of road- 
 side taverns, and great faith in the unlimited capabili- 
 ties of Mr. Enderton in the matter of consuming food 
 on a journey, she had provided bounteously and even 
 extravagantly. 
 
 One side of the road was bordered by a forest, and 
 on the ground was an abundance of dead wood. I 
 gathered a quantity of this, and made a fire, which was 
 very grateful to us, for the air was growing colder 
 and colder. When we had eaten a substantial supper 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 131 
 
 and had thoroughly warmed ourselves at the fire, we 
 got into the coach to sit there and wait until relief 
 should come. We sat for a long time — all night, in 
 fact. We were not uncomfortable, for we each had a 
 corner of the coach, and we were plentifully provided 
 with wraps and rugs. 
 
 Contrary to their usual habit, Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. 
 Aleshine did not talk much. When subjected to the 
 annoyances of an ordinary accident, even if it should 
 have been the result of carelessness, their disposition 
 would have prompted them to take events as they 
 came, and to make the best of whatever might happen 
 to them. But this case was entirely different. We 
 were stranded and abandoned on the road, on the side 
 of a lonely, desolate mountain, on a cold, bleak night ; 
 and all this was the result of what they considered the 
 deliberate and fiendish act of a man who was afraid 
 of horses, and who cared for no one in the world but 
 himself. Their minds were in such a condition that 
 if they said anything they must vituperate, and they 
 were so kindly disposed toward my "wdf e, and had such 
 a tender regard for her feelings, that they would not, 
 in her presence, vituperate her father. So they said 
 very little, and, nestling into their corners, were soon 
 asleep. 
 
 After a time Ruth followed their example, and, 
 though I was very anxiously watching out of the win- 
 dow for an approaching light, and listening for the 
 sound of wheels, I, too, fell into a doze. It must have 
 been ten or eleven o'clock when I was awakened by 
 some delicate but cold touches on my face, the nature 
 of which, when I first opened my eyes, I could not 
 
132 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 comprehend. But I soon understood what these cold 
 touches meant. The window in the door of the coach 
 on my side had been slightly lowered from the top to 
 give us air, and through the narrow aperture the cold 
 particles had come floating in. I looked through the 
 window. The night was not very dark, for, although 
 the sky was os^ercast, the moon was in its second 
 quarter, and I could plainly see that it was snowing, 
 and that the ground was already white. 
 
 This discovery sent a chill into my soul, for I was 
 not unfamiliar with snows in mountain regions, and 
 knew well what this might mean to us. But there 
 was nothing that we could now do, and it would be 
 useless and foolish to awaken my companions and 
 distress them with this new disaster. Besides, I 
 thought our situation might not be so very bad, after 
 all. It was not yet winter, and the snowfall might 
 prove to be but a light one. I gently closed the win- 
 dow, and made my body comfortable in its corner ; 
 but my mind continued very uncomfortable for I do 
 not know how long. 
 
 When I awoke I found that there had been a heavy 
 fall of snow in the night, and that the flakes were 
 still coming down thick and fast. When Ruth first 
 looked out upon the scene she was startled and dis- 
 mayed. She was not accustomed to storms of this 
 kind, and the snow frightened her. Upon Mrs. Leeks 
 and Mrs. Aleshine the sight of the storm produced an 
 entirely different effect. Here was a difficulty, a dis- 
 comfort, a hardship ; but it came in a natural way, 
 and not by the hand of a dastardly coward of a man. 
 With natural-happening difficulties they were accus- 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 133 
 
 tomed to combat without fear or repining. They 
 knew all about snow, and were not frightened by this 
 storm. The difficulties which it presented to their 
 minds actually raised their spirits, and from the grim 
 and quiet beings of the last evening they became the 
 same cheerful, dauntless, ready women that I had 
 known before. 
 
 " Upon my word," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, as she 
 clapped her face to a window of the coach, '4f this 
 is n't a reg'lar old-fashioned snow-storm ! I Ve shov- 
 eled my own way through many a one like it to git to 
 the barn to do my milkin' afore the men-folks had 
 begun makin' paths, and I feel jus' like as though I 
 could do it ag'in," 
 
 " Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Leeks, " if you 're 
 thinkin' of shovelin' your way from this place to 
 where your cows is, you 'd better step right out and 
 get at it, and I really do think that if you felt they 
 were sufferin' for want of milkin' you 'd make a start." 
 
 '' I don't say," answered Mrs. Aleshine, with an illu- 
 minating grin, "that if the case was that way I 
 might n't have the hankerin', though not the capable- 
 ness; but I don't know that there 's any place to 
 shovel our way to, jus' now." 
 
 Mrs. Leeks and I thought differently. Across the 
 road, under the great trees, the ground was compara- 
 tively free from snow, and in some places, owing to the 
 heavy evergreen foliage, it was entirely bare. It was 
 very desirable that we should get to one of these spots 
 and build a fire, for, though we had been well wrapped 
 up, we all felt numbed and cold. In the boot at the 
 back of the coach I knew that there was an ax, and I 
 
134 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 thought I might possibly find there a shovel. I opened 
 the coach door, and saw that the snow was already 
 above the lower step. By standing on the spokes of 
 the back wheel I could easily get at the boot, and I 
 soon pulled out the ax, but found no shovel. But this 
 did not deter me. I made my way to the front wheel, 
 and climbed up to the driver's box, where I knocked 
 off one of the thin planks of the foot-board, and this, 
 with the ax, I shaped into a rude shovel, with a handle 
 rather too wide, but serviceable. With this I went 
 vigorously to work, and soon had made a pathway 
 across the road. Here I chopped off some low dead 
 branches, picked up others, and soon had a crackling 
 fire, around which my three companions gathered 
 with delight. 
 
 A strong wind was now blowing, and the snow 
 began to form into heavy drifts. The fire was very 
 cheery and pleasant, but the wind was cutting, and 
 we soon returned to the shelter of the coach, where 
 we had our breakfast. This was not altogether a cold 
 meal, for Mrs. Aleshine had provided a little tea-ket- 
 tle, and, with some snow-water which I brought in 
 boiling from the fire in the woods, we had all the hot 
 and comforting tea we wanted. 
 
 We passed the morning waiting and looking out, 
 and wondering what sort of conveyance would be 
 sent for us. It was generally agreed that nothing on 
 wheels could now be got over the road, and that we 
 must be taken away in a sleigh. 
 
 '^I like sleigh-ridinV said Mrs. Aleshine, "if you 're 
 well wrapped up, with good bosses, and a hot brick 
 for your feet j but I must say I don't know but what 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 135 
 
 "I SOON HAD A CRACKLING FIEE.' 
 
 I 'm goin^ to be a little skeery goin' down these long 
 hills. If we git fairly slidin', hosses, sleigh, and all 
 together, there 's no knowin' where we '11 fetch up." 
 
 ^' There 's one comfort, Barb'ry," remarked Mrs. 
 Leeks, '' and that is that when we do fetch up it '11 be 
 at the bottom of the hills, and not at the top ; and as 
 the bottom is what we want to get to, we ought n't to 
 complain." 
 
 '^ That depends a good deal whether we come down 
 hind part foremost, or fore part front. But nobody 's 
 complainin' so fur, 'specially as the sleigh is n't here." 
 
 I joined in the outlooking and the conjectures, but 
 I could not keep up the cheerful courage which ani- 
 mated my companions ; for not only were the two 
 elder women bright and cheery, but Ruth seemed to 
 be animated and encouraged by their example, and 
 showed herself as brave and contented as either of 
 them. She was convinced that her father must have 
 
136 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 reached the railroad-station before it began to snow, 
 and therefore she was troubled by no fears for his 
 safety. But my mind was filled with many fears. 
 
 The snow was still coming down thick and fast, 
 and the wind was piling it into great drifts, one of 
 which was forming between the coach and a low 
 embankment on that side of the road near which it 
 stood. 
 
 About every half -hour I took my shovel and cleared 
 out the path across the road from the other side of 
 the coach to the woods. Several times after doing 
 this I made my way among the trees, where the snow 
 did not impede my progress, to points from which I 
 had a view some distance down the mountain ; and I 
 could plainly see that there were several places where 
 the road was blocked up by huge snow-drifts. It 
 would be a slow, laborious, and difficult undertaking 
 for any relief -party to come to us from the station ; 
 and who was there at that place to come ? This was 
 the question which most troubled me. The settle- 
 ment at the station was probably a very small one, 
 and that there should be found at that place a sleigh 
 or a sled with enough men to form a party suffi- 
 ciently strong to open a road up the mountain-side was 
 scarcely to be expected. Men and vehicles might be 
 obtained at some point farther along the railroad, but 
 action of this kind would requii-e time, and it was not 
 unlikely that the railroad itself was blocked up with 
 snow. I could form no idea satisfactory to myself 
 of any plan by which relief could come to us that day. 
 Even the advent of a messenger on horseback was not 
 to be expected. Such an adventurer would be lost in 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 137 
 
 the storm and among the drifts. On the morrow re- 
 lief might come, but I did not like to think too much 
 about the morrow; and of any of my thoughts and 
 fears I said nothing to my companions. 
 
 At intervals, after I had freshly cleared out the 
 pathway, the three women, well bundled up, ran across 
 the road to the fire under the trees. This was the 
 only way in which they could keep themselves warm, 
 for the coach, although it protected us from the storm, 
 was a very cold place to sit in. But the wind and the 
 snow which frequently drove in under the trees made 
 it impossible to stay very long by the fire, and the 
 frequent passages to and from the coach were at- 
 tended with much exposure and wetting of feet. I 
 therefore determined that some better way must be 
 devised for keeping ourselves warm; and, shortly 
 after our noonday meal, I thought of a plan, and im- 
 mediately set to work to carry it out. 
 
 The drift between the coach and the embankment 
 had now risen higher than the top of the vehicle, 
 against one side of which it was tightly packed. I 
 dug a path around the back of the coach, and then 
 began to tunnel into the huge bank of snow. In 
 about an hour I had made an excavation nearly high 
 enough for me to stand in, and close to the stage door 
 on that side ; and I cleared away the snow so that this 
 door could open into the cavern I had formed. At 
 the end opposite the entrance of my cave, I worked a 
 hole upward until I reached the outer air. This hole 
 was about a foot in diameter, and for some time the 
 light, unpacked snow from above kept f aUing and fill- 
 ing it up ; but I managed, by packing and beating the 
 
138 THE CASTING AWAY OP 
 
 sides with my shovel, to get the whole into a con- 
 dition in which it would retain the form of a rude 
 chimney. 
 
 Now I hurried to bring wood and twigs, and having 
 made a hearth of green sticks, which I cut with my 
 ax, I built a fire in this snowy fii-eplace. Mrs. Leeks, 
 Mrs. Aleshine, and Ruth had been watching my pro- 
 ceedings with great interest ; and when the fire began 
 to burn, and the smoke to go out of my chimney, the 
 coach door was opened, and the genial heat gradually 
 pervaded the vehicle. 
 
 " Upon my word," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, " if that 
 is n't one of the brightest ideas I ever heard of ! A 
 fire in the middle of a snowbank, with a man there 
 attendin' to it, an' a chimney ! 'T is n't every day that 
 you can see a thing like that ! " 
 
 "I should hope not," remarked Mrs. Leeks, "for if 
 the snow drifted this way every day, I 'd be ready to 
 give up the seein' business out and out ! But I think, 
 Mr. Craig, you ought to pass that shovel in to us so 
 that we can dig you out when the fire begins to melt 
 your little house and it all caves in on you." 
 
 "You can have the shovel," said I, "but I don't 
 believe this snowbank will cave in on me. Of course 
 the heat will melt the snow, but I think it will dissolve 
 gradually, so that the caving in, if there is any, won't 
 be of much account, and then we shall have a big 
 open space here in which we can keep up our fire." 
 
 "Oh, dear! " exclaimed Ruth, "you talk as if you 
 expected to stay here ever so long, and we certainly 
 can't do that. We should starve to death, for on© 
 thing." 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 139 
 
 "Don't be afraid of that," said Mrs. Aleshine. 
 " There 's plenty of victuals to last till the people 
 come for us. When I pack baskets for travelin' or 
 picnickin', I don't do no scrimpin'. An' we 've got to 
 keep up a fire, you know, for it would n't be pleasant 
 for those men, when they 've cut a way up the moun- 
 tain to git at us, to find us all froze stiff." 
 
 Mrs. Leeks smiled. " You ^re awful tender of the 
 feelin's of other people, Barb'ry," she said, ''and a 
 heart as warm as yourn ought to keep from freezin'." 
 
 "Which it has done, so far," said Mrs. Aleshine, 
 complacently. 
 
 As I had expected, the water soon began to drip 
 from the top and the sides of my cavern, and the 
 chimney rapidly enlarged its dimensions. I made a 
 passage for the melted snow to run off into a hollow, 
 back of the coach ; and as I kept up a good strong 
 fire, the drops of water and occasional pieces of snow 
 which fell into it were not able to extinguish it. The 
 cavern enlarged rapidly, and in a little more than an 
 hour the roof became so thin that while I was outside 
 collecting wood it fell in and extinguished the fire. 
 This accident, however, interrupted my operations but 
 for a short time. I cleared away the snow at the bot- 
 tom of the excavation, and rebuilt my fire on the bare 
 ground. The high snow walls on three sides of it 
 protected it from the wind, so that there was no dan- 
 ger of the flames being blown against the stage-coach, 
 while the large open space above allowed a free vent 
 for the smoke. 
 
 About the middle of the afternoon, to the great de- 
 light of us all, it stopped snowing, and when I had 
 
140 THE CASTING AWAY OP 
 
 freshly shoveled out the path across the road, my 
 companions gladly embraced the opportunity of walk- 
 ing over to the comparatively protected ground under 
 the trees and giving themselves a little exercise. 
 During their absence I was busily engaged in arran- 
 ging the fire, when I heard a low crunching sound on 
 one side of me, and, turning my head, I saw in the 
 wall of my excavation opposite to the stage-coach, 
 and at a distance of four or five feet from the ground, 
 an irregular hole in the snow, about a foot in diame- 
 ter, from which protruded the head of a man. This 
 head was wrapped, with the exception of the face. In 
 a brown woolen comforter. The features were those 
 of a man of about fifty, a little sallow and thin, with- 
 out beard, whiskers, or mustache, although the cheeks 
 and chin were darkened with a recent growth. 
 
 The astounding apparition of this head projecting 
 itself from the snow wall of my cabin utterly paralyzed 
 me, so that I neither moved nor spoke, but remained 
 crouching by the fire, my eyes fixed upon the head. 
 It smiled a little, and then spoke. 
 
 ^' Could you lend me a small iron pot ? " it said. 
 
 I rose to my feet, almost ready to run away. Was 
 this a dream? Or was it possible that there was a 
 race of beings who inhabited snowbanks ? 
 
 The face smiled again very pleasantly. ^' Do not 
 be frightened," it said. '^ I saw you were startled, and 
 spoke first of a familiar pot in order to reassure you." 
 
 " Who, in the name of Heaven, are you ? " I gasped. 
 
 " I am only a traveler, sir," said the head, '^ who has 
 met with an accident similar, I imagine, to that which 
 has befallen you. But I cannot further converse with 
 
'COULD YOU LEND ME A SMALL IKON FOTP^ 
 
J* 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 143 
 
 you in this position. Lying thus on my breast in a 
 tunnel of snow will injuriously chill me. Could you 
 conveniently lend me an ii'on pot ? " 
 
 I was- now convinced that this was an ordinary 
 human being, and my courage and senses returned to 
 me ; but my astonishment remained boundless. '^ Be- 
 fore we talk of pots," I said, '^ I must know who you 
 are, and how you got into that snowbank." 
 
 '' I do not believe," said my visitor, " that I can get 
 down, head foremost, to your level. I will therefore 
 retire to my place of refuge, and perhaps we can com- 
 municate with each other through this aperture." 
 
 " Can I get through to your place of refuge ? " I asked. 
 
 " Certainty," was the answer. '' You are young and 
 active, and the descent will not be so deep on my side. 
 But I will first retire, and will then project toward 
 you this sheepskin rug, which, if kept under you as 
 you move forward, will protect your breast and arms 
 from direct contact with the snow." 
 
 It was difficult to scramble up into the hole, but I 
 succeeded in doing it, and found awaiting me the 
 sheepskin rug, which, by the aid of an umbrella, the 
 man had pushed toward me for my use. I was in a 
 horizontal tunnel barely large enough for the passage 
 of my body, and about six feet in length. When I 
 had worked my way through this, and had put my head 
 out of the other end, I looked into a small wooden 
 shed, into which light entered only through a pane of 
 glass set in a rude door opposite to me. I immediately 
 perceived that the whole place was filled with the 
 odor of spirituous liquors. The man stood awaiting 
 me, and by his assistance I descended to the floor. As 
 
144 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 I did so I heard something which sounded like a 
 titter, and looking around I saw in a corner a bundle 
 of clothes and traveHng-rugs, near the top of which 
 appeared a pair of eyes. Turning again, I could dis- 
 cern in another corner a second bundle, similar to, 
 but somewhat larger than, the other. 
 
 " These ladies are traveling with me,^ said the man, 
 who was now wrapping about him a large cloak, and 
 who appeared to be of a tall though rather slender 
 figure. His manner and voice were those of a gentle- 
 man, extremely courteous and considerate. "As I 
 am sure you are curious— and this I regard as quite 
 natural, sir— to know why we are here, I will at once 
 proceed to inform you. We started yesterday in a 
 carriage for the railway-station, which is, I believe, 
 some miles beyond this point. There were two roads 
 from the last place at which we stopped, and we chose 
 the one which ran along a valley, and which we sup- 
 posed would be the pleasanter of the two. We there 
 engaged a pair of horses which did not prove very 
 serviceable animals, and, at a point about a hundred 
 yards from where we now are, one of them gave out 
 entirely. The driver declared that the only thing to 
 be done was to turn loose the disabled horse, which 
 would be certain, in time, to find his way back to his 
 stable, and for him to proceed on the other animal to 
 the station to which we were going, where he would 
 procure some fresh horses and return as speedily as 
 possible. To this plan we were obliged to consent, as 
 there was no alternative. He told us that if we did 
 not care to remain in the carriage, there was a shed 
 by the side of the road, a little farther on, which was 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 145 
 
 erected for tlie accommodation of men who are some* 
 times here in charge of relays of horses. After as- 
 suring us that he would not be absent more than three 
 hours, he rode away, and we have not seen him since. 
 
 " Soon after he left us I came to this shed, and find- 
 ing it tight and comparatively comfortable, I con- 
 cluded it would give us relief from our somewhat 
 cramped position in the carriage, and so conducted 
 the ladies here. As night drew on it became very 
 cold, and I determined to make a fii'e, a proceeding 
 which, of course, would have been impossible in a 
 vehicle. Fortunately I had with me, at the back of 
 the carriage, a case of California brandy. By the aid 
 of a stone I knocked the top off this case, and brought 
 hither several of the bottles. I found in the shed an 
 old tin pan, which I filled with the straw coverings of 
 the bottles, and on this I poured brandy, which, being 
 ignited, produced a fire without smoke, but which, as 
 we gathered around it, gave out considerable heat." 
 
 As the speaker thus referred to his fuel, I understood 
 the reason of the strong odor of spirits which filled 
 the shed, and I experienced a certain relief in my 
 mind. 
 
 The gentleman continued: "At first I attributed 
 the delay of the driver's return to those ordinary 
 hindrances which so frequently occur in rural and 
 out-of-the-way places; but after a time I could not 
 imagine any reasonable cause for his delay. As it 
 began to grow dark I brought here our provision- 
 baskets, and we partook of a slight repast. I then 
 made the ladies as comfortable as possible, and 
 awaited with much anxiety the return of the driver, 
 
 10 
 
146 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 ''After a time it began to snow, and feeling that 
 the storm might interrupt communication with the 
 carriage, I brought hither, making many trips for the 
 purpose, the rest of the brandy, our wraps and rugs, 
 and the cushions of the carriage. I did not believe 
 that we should be left here all night, but thought it 
 prudent to take all precautions, and to prepare for 
 remaining in a place where we could have a fire. The 
 morning showed me that I had acted wisely. As you 
 know, sir, I found the road in each direction com- 
 pletely blocked up by snow, and I have since been 
 unable to visit the carriage," 
 
 " Have you not all suffered from cold V I inquired. 
 *' Have you food enough ? " 
 
 " I will not say," replied the gentleman, '^ that in 
 addition to our anxiety we have not suffered somewhat 
 from cold, but for the greater part of this day I have 
 adopted a plan which has resulted in considerable 
 comfort to my companions. I have wrapped them up 
 very closely and warmly, and they hold in each hand 
 a hard-boiled egg. I thought it better to keep these 
 for purposes of warmth than to eat them. About 
 every half -hour I reboil the eggs in a little traveling 
 tea-pot which we have. They retain their warmth for 
 a considerable period, and this warmth in a moderate 
 degree is communicated through the hands to the 
 entire person," 
 
 As he said this a low laugh again burst forth from 
 the bundle in one corner of the room, and I could not 
 help smiling at this odd way of keeping warm. I 
 looked toward the jocose bundle, and remarked that 
 the eggs must be pretty hard by this time. 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 147 
 
 " These ladies," said the gentleman, " are not accus- 
 tomed to the cold atmosphere of this region, and I 
 have therefore forbidden them to talk, hoping thus 
 to prevent injury from the inhalation of frosty air. 
 So far we have not suffered, and we still have some 
 food left. About noon I noticed smoke floating over 
 this shed, and I forced open the door and made my 
 way for some little distance outside, hoping to dis- 
 cover whence it came. I then heard voices on the 
 other side of the enormous snow-drift behind us ; but 
 I could see no possible way of getting over the drift. 
 Feeling that I must, without fail, open communication 
 with any human beings who might be near us, I at- 
 tempted to shout; but the cold had so affected my 
 voice that I could not do so. I thereupon set my 
 wits to work. At the back of this shed is a small 
 window closed by a wooden shutter. I opened this 
 shutter, and found outside a wall of snow packed 
 closely against it. The snow was not very hard, and 
 I believed that it would not be difficult to tunnel a 
 way through it to the place where the voices seemed 
 to be. I immediately set to work, for I feared that if 
 we were obliged to remain here another night with- 
 out assistance we should be compelled to-morrow 
 morning to eat those four hard-boiled eggs which 
 the ladies are holding, and which, very shortly, I must 
 boil again." 
 
 '^How did you manage to cut through the snow?" 
 I asked. '' Had you a shovel ? " 
 
 *^ Oh, no," replied the other. " I used the tin pan. 
 I found it answered very well as a scoop. Each time 
 that I filled it I threw the contents out of our door." 
 
148 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 ^' It must have been slow and difficult work," I said. 
 
 '' Indeed it was/' he replied. " The labor was ardu- 
 ous, and occupied me several hours. But when I saw 
 a respectable man at a fire, and a stage-coach near by, 
 I felt rewarded for aU my trouble. May I ask you, 
 sir, how you came to be thus snow-bound?" 
 
 I then briefly related the circumstances of our mis- 
 hap, and had scarcely finished when a shrill sound 
 came through the tunnel into the shed. It was the 
 voice of Mrs. Aleshine. 
 
 " Hello ! " she screamed, " are you in there ? An' 
 you don't mean to tell me there are other people in 
 that hole?" 
 
 Feeling quite certain that my wife and her com- 
 panions were in a state of mental agitation on the 
 other side of the drift, I called back that I would be 
 with them in a moment, and then explained to the 
 gentleman why I could not remain with him longer. 
 ^' But before I go," I said, '' is there anything I can do 
 for you ? Do you really want an iron pot ? " 
 
 "The food that remains to us," he answered, "is 
 fragmentary and rather distasteful to the ladies, and 
 I thought if I could make a little stew of it, it might 
 prove more acceptable to them. But do not let me 
 detain you another instant from your friends, and I 
 advise you to go through that tunnel feet foremost, 
 for you might, otherwise, experience difficulties in 
 getting out at the other end." 
 
 I accepted his suggestion, and by his assistance and 
 the help of the rough window-frame, I got into the 
 hole feet first, and soon ejected myself into the midst 
 of my alarmed companions. When they heard where 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 149 
 
 I had been, and what I had seen, they were naturally 
 astounded. 
 
 " Another party deserted at this very point ! " ex- 
 claimed Ruth, who was both excitable and imagina- 
 tive. " This looks like a conspiracy ! Are we to be 
 robbed and murdered ? " 
 
 At these words Mrs. Aleshine sprang toward me. 
 "Mr. Craig," she exclaimed, "if it 's robbers, don't 
 lose a minute! Never let 'em get ahead of you! 
 Pull out your pistol and fire through the hole ! " 
 
 " Gracious me ! Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Leeks, 
 "you don't suppose the robbers is them poor unfor- 
 tunates on the other side of the drift ! And I must 
 say, Mrs. Craig, that if there was any such thing as 
 a conspiracy, your father must have been in it, for 
 it was him who landed us just here. But of course 
 none of us supposes nothin* of that kind, and the first 
 thing we 've got to think of is what we can do for 
 them poor people." 
 
 " They seem to have some food left, but not much," 
 I said, "and I fear they must be suffering from 
 cold." 
 
 " Could n't we poke some wood to them through this 
 hole?" said Mrs. Aleshine, whose combative feelings 
 had changed to the deepest compassion. " I should 
 think they must be nearly froze, with nothin' to warm 
 'em but hard-b'iled eggs." 
 
 I explained that there was no place in their shed 
 where they could build a fire, and proposed that we 
 should give them some hot tea and some of our pro- 
 visions. 
 
 " That 's so ! " said Mrs. Aleshine. "Just shout in 
 
150 
 
 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 to them that if they '11 shove them eggs through the 
 hole, I '11 bile 'em fur 'em as often as they want 'em." 
 
 ''I 've just got to say this/' ejaculated Mrs. Leeks, 
 as she and Mrs. Aleshine were busily placing a portion 
 of our now very much reduced stock of provisions in 
 the smallest of our baskets : " this is the first time in 
 my life that I ever heard of people warmin' themselves 
 up with hens' eggs and spirits, excep' when mixed up 
 into egg-nog; and that 
 they resisted that temp- 
 tation and contented 
 themselves with plain 
 honest heat, though very 
 little of it, shows what 
 kind of people they must 
 be. And now, do you 
 suppose we could slide 
 this basket in without up- 
 settin' the little kittle?" 
 
 I called to the gentle- 
 man that we were about to 
 
 send him a basket, and then, by the aid of an umbrella, 
 I gently pushed it through the snow tunnel to a point 
 where he could reach it. Hearty thanks came back to 
 us through the hole, and when the basket and kettle 
 were returned, we prepared our own evening meal. 
 
 " For the life of me," said Mrs. Leeks, as she sipped 
 a cup of tea, '' I can't imagine, if there was a shed so 
 near us, why we did n't know it." 
 
 ''That has been puzzling me," I replied; ''but the 
 other road, on which the shed is built, is probably 
 lower than this one, so that the upper part of the shed 
 
 'WE WEKE ABOUT TO 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 151 
 
 could not have projected far above the embankment 
 between the two roads, and if there were weeds and 
 dead grasses on the bank, as there probably were, 
 they would have prevented us from noticing the top 
 of a weather-worn shed." 
 
 "Especially," said Mrs. Leeks, "as we was n't 
 lookm' for sheds, and, as far as I know, we was n't 
 lookin' for anything on that side of the coach, for all 
 
 my eyes was busy starin' 
 about on the side we got 
 in and out of, and down 
 the road." 
 
 " Which mine was too," 
 added Mrs. Aleshine. 
 "An' after it begun to 
 snow we could n't see 
 nothin' anyhow, partic'- 
 larly when everything 
 was all covered up." 
 
 "Well," added Mrs. 
 Leeks, in conclusion, " as 
 we did n't see the shed, it 's a comfort to think there 
 was reasons for it, and that we are not born fools." 
 
 It was now growing dark, and but few further 
 communications took place through the little tunnel. 
 " Before we get ready to go to sleep," said Mrs. AJe 
 shine, " for, havin' no candles, I guess we won't sit up 
 late, had n't we better rig up some kind of a little sled 
 to put in that hole, with strings at both ends, so that 
 we kin send in mustard-plasters and peppermint to 
 them poor people if they happen to be sick in the 
 night?" 
 
 SEND HIM A BASKET." 
 
152 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 This little project was not considered necessary, and 
 after receiving assurances from the gentleman on the 
 other side that he would be able to keep his party 
 warm until morning, we bade each other good night ; 
 and, after having replenished the fire, I got into the 
 stage, where my companions had already established 
 themselves in their corners. I slept very little, while 
 I frequently went out to attend to the fire, and my mind 
 was racked by the most serious apprehensions. Our 
 food was nearly gone, and if relief did not come to us 
 very soon I could see nothing but a slow death before 
 us, and, so far as I could imagine, there was no more 
 reason to expect succor on the following day than 
 there had been on the one just passed. Where were 
 the men to be found who could cut a road to us 
 through those miles of snow-drifts ? 
 
 Very little was said during the night by my com- 
 panions, but I am sure that they felt the seriousness 
 of our situation, and that their slumbers were broken 
 and unrefreshing. If there had been anything to do, 
 Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine would have been cheered 
 up by the prospect of doing it ; but we all felt that 
 there was nothing we could do. 
 
PART V 
 
 AFTER a second night spent in the stage-coach on 
 ^ that lonely and desolate mountain road where we 
 were now snow-bound, I arose early in the morning 
 and went into the forest to collect some fuel ; and while 
 thus engaged I made the discovery that the snow 
 was covered with a hard crust which would bear my 
 weight. After the storm had ceased the day before, 
 the sun had shone brightly and the temperature had 
 moderated very much, so that the surface of the snow 
 had slightly thawed. During the night it became cold 
 again, and this surface froze into a hard coating of ice. 
 When I found I could walk where I pleased, my spirits 
 rose, and I immediately set out to view the situation. 
 The aspect of the road gave me no encouragement. 
 The snowfall had been a heavy one, but had it not 
 been for the high wind which accompanied it, it would 
 have thrown but moderate difficulties in the way of 
 
 153 
 
154 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 our rescue. Reaching a point which commanded a 
 considerable view along the side of the mountain, I 
 could see that in many places the road was completely 
 lost to sight on account of the great snow-drifts piled 
 up on it. I then walked to the point where the two 
 roads met, and crossing over, I climbed a slight rise 
 in the ground which had cut off my view in this di- 
 rection, and found myself in a position from which I 
 could look directly down the side of the mountain 
 below the road. 
 
 Here, the mountain-side, which I had supposed to 
 be very steep and rugged, descended in a long and 
 gradual slope to the plains below, and for the greater 
 part of the distance was covered by a smooth, shin- 
 ing surface of frozen snow, unbroken by rock or tree. 
 This snowy slope apparently extended for a mile or 
 more, and then I could see that it gradually blended 
 itself into the greenish-brown turf of the lower 
 country. Down in the valley there still were leaves 
 upon the trees, and there were patches of verdure 
 over the land. The storm which had piled its snows 
 up here had given them rain down there and had 
 freshened everything. It was like looking down into 
 another climate and on another land. I saw a little 
 smoke coming up behind a patch of trees. It must 
 be that there was a house there ! Could it be possible 
 that we were within a mile or two of a human habi- 
 tation ? Yet, what comfort was there in that thought 1 
 The people in that house could not get to us, nor we 
 to them, nor could they have heard of our situation, 
 for the point where our road reached the lower coun- 
 try was miles farther on. 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 155 
 
 As I stood thus and gazed, it seemed to me that I 
 could make a run and slide down the mountain-side 
 into green fields, into safety, into life. I remembered 
 those savage warriors who, looking from the summits 
 of the Alps upon the fertile plains of Italy, seated 
 themselves upon their shields and slid down to con- 
 quest and rich spoils. 
 
 An idea came into my mind, and I gave it glad 
 welcome. There was no time to be lost. The sun 
 was not yet high, but it was mounting in a clear sky, 
 and should its rays become warm enough to melt the 
 crust on which I stood, our last chance of escape 
 would be gone. To plow our way to any place 
 through deep, soft snow would be impossible. I 
 hurried back to our coach, and found three very grave 
 women standing around the fire. They were looking 
 at a small quantity of food at the bottom of a large 
 basket. 
 
 '' That 's every crumb there is left," said Mrs. Ale- 
 shine to me, " and when we pass in some to them un- 
 fortunates on the other side of the drift,— which, of 
 course, we 're bound to do,— we '11 have what I call a 
 skimpy meal. And that 's not the worst of it. Until 
 somebody gets up to us, it will be our last meal." 
 
 I took my poor Ruth by the hand, for she was look- 
 ing very pale and troubled, and I said: ''My dear 
 friends, nobody can get up to this place for a long, 
 long time ; and before help could possibly reach us we 
 should all be dead. But do not be frightened. It is 
 not necessary to wait for any one to come to us. The 
 snow is now covered with a crust which wiU bear our 
 weight. I have thought of a way in which we can 
 
156 THE CASTING AWAY OP 
 
 slide down the mountain-side, which, from a spot 
 where I have been standing this morning, is no steeper 
 than some coasting-hills, though very much longer. 
 In a few minutes we can pass from this region of 
 snow, where death from cold and starvation must soon 
 overtake us, to a grassy valley whei-e there is no snow, 
 and where we shall be within walking distance of a 
 house in which people are living." 
 
 Ruth grasped my arm. '' Will it be safe?" she ex- 
 claimed. 
 
 ^' I think so," I answered. "I see no reason why 
 we should meet with any accident. At any rate, it is 
 much safer than remaining here for another hour; 
 for if the crust melts, oui* last chance is gone." 
 
 *'Mr. Craig," said Mrs. Leeks, "me and Mrs. Ale- 
 shine is no hands at coastin' downhill, havin' given 
 up that sort of thing since we was little girls with 
 short frocks and it did n't make no matter anyway. 
 But you know more about these things than we do ; 
 and if you say we can get out of this dreadful place 
 by slidin' downhill, we 're ready to follow, if you '11 
 just go ahead. We followed you through the ocean, 
 with nothin' between our feet and the bottom but 
 miles o' water and nobody knows what sorts of dread- 
 ful fish ; and when you say it 's the right way to save 
 our lives, we 're ready to follow you again. And as 
 for you, Mrs. Ruth, don't you be frightened. I don't 
 know what we 're goin' to slide on, but, whatever it is, 
 even if it 's our own selves, me and Mrs. Aleshine will 
 take you between us, and if anything is run against, 
 we '11 get the bumps, and not you." 
 
 I was delighted to see how rapidly my proposition 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 157 
 
 was accepted, and we made a hasty breakfast, first 
 sending in some of our food to the other party. The 
 gentleman reported through the hole of communica- 
 tion that they were all fairly well, but a good deal 
 stiffened by cold and want of exercise. He inquired, 
 in a very anxious voice, if I had discovered any signs 
 of approaching relief. To this I replied that I had 
 devised a plan by which we could get ourselves out of 
 our present dangerous situation, and that in a very 
 short time I would come round to the door of his shed 
 —for I could now walk on the crusted snow— and tell 
 him about it. He answered that these words cheered 
 his heart, and that he would do everything possible to 
 cooperate with me. 
 
 I now went to work vigorously. I took the cush- 
 ions from the coach, four of them all together, and 
 carried them to the brink of the slope down which I 
 purposed to make our descent. I also conveyed thither 
 a long coil of rawhide rope which I had pre\iously 
 discovered in the boot of the coach. I then hurried 
 along the other road, which, as has been said before, 
 lay at a somewhat lower level than the one we were 
 on, and when I reached the shed I found the door had 
 been opened, and the gentleman, with his tin pan, had 
 scooped away a good deal of the snow about it, so as 
 to admit of a moderately easy passage in and out. 
 He met me outside, and grasped my hand. 
 
 " Sir, if you have a plan to propose," he said, " state 
 it quickly. We are in a position of great danger. 
 Those two ladies inside the shed cannot much longer 
 endure this exposure, and I presume that the ladies 
 in your party— although their voices, which I occa- 
 
158 THE CASTING AWAY OP 
 
 sionally hear, do not seem to indicate it— must be in a 
 like condition." 
 
 I replied that, so far, my companions had borne up 
 very well, and without further waste of words pro- 
 ceeded to unfold my plan of escape. 
 
 When he had heard it the gentleman put on a very 
 serious expression. "It seems hazardous," he said, 
 "but it may be the only way out of our danger. 
 Will you show me the point from which you took 
 your observations?" 
 
 " Yes," said I j " but we must be in haste. The sun 
 is getting up in the sky, and this crust may soon begin 
 to melt. It is not yet really winter, you know." 
 
 We stepped quickly to the spot where I had carried 
 the cushions. The gentleman stood and silently gazed 
 first at the blocked-up roadway, then at the long, 
 smooth slope of the mountain-side directly beneath 
 us, and then at the verdure of the plain below, which 
 had grown greener under the increasing brightness of 
 the day. "Sir," said he, turning to me, "there is 
 nothing to be done but to adopt your plan, or to 
 remain here and die. We will accompany you in the 
 descent, and I place myself under your orders." 
 
 "The first thing," said I, "is to bring here your 
 carriage cushions, and help me to arrange them." 
 
 When he had brought the three cushions from the 
 shed, the gentleman and I proceeded to place them 
 with the others on the snow, so that the whole formed 
 a sort of wide and nearly square mattress. Then, 
 with the rawhide rope, we bound them together in a 
 rough but secure network of cordage. In this part of 
 the work I found my companion very apt and skilful 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 159 
 
 When this rude mattress was completed, I requested 
 the gentleman to bring his ladies to the place, while 
 I went for mine. 
 
 "What are we to pack up to take with us?" said 
 Mrs. Aleshine, when I reached our coach. 
 
 " We take nothing at all," said I, '' but the money in 
 our pockets, and our rugs and wraps. Everything else 
 must be left in the coach, to be brought down to us 
 when the roads shall be cleared out." 
 
 With oui' rugs and shawls on our arms, we left the 
 coach, and as we were crossing the other road we saw 
 the gentleman and his companions approaching. 
 These ladies were very much wrapped up, but one of 
 them seemed to step along lightly and mthout diffi- 
 culty, while the other moved slowly and was at times 
 assisted by the gentleman. 
 
 A breeze had sprung up which filled the air with 
 fine frozen particles blown from the uncrusted beds 
 of snow along the edge of the forest, and I counseled 
 Ruth to cover up her mouth and breathe as little of 
 this snow powder as possible. 
 
 "If I 'm to go coastin* at all," said Mrs. Aleshine, 
 "I 'd as lief do it with strangers as friends; and a 
 little liefer, for that matter, if there 's any bones to 
 be broken. But I must say that I 'd like to make 
 the acquaintance of them ladies afore I git on to 
 the sled, which" — at that moment catching sight of 
 the mattress— "you don't mean to say that that 's 
 it?" 
 
 "Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Leeks, from under- 
 neath her great woolen comforter, "if you want to 
 get your lungs friz, you 'd better go on talkin'. Man- 
 
160 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 ners is manners, but tliey can wait till we get to the 
 bottom of the hill." 
 
 Notwithstanding this admonition, I noticed that as 
 soon as the two parties met, both Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. 
 Aleshine advanced and shook hands with the ladies 
 who had been their neighbors under such peculiar 
 circumstances, and that Mrs. Leeks herself ex- 
 pressed a muffled hope that they might aU get down 
 safely. 
 
 I now pushed the mattress which was to serve as 
 our sled as close as was prudent to the edge of the 
 descent, and requested the party to seat themselves 
 upon it. Without hesitation Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Ale- 
 shine sat down, taking Ruth between them, as they 
 had promised to do. My young wife was very ner- 
 vous, but the cool demeanor of her companions, and 
 my evident belief in the practicability of the plan, 
 gave her courage, and she quietly took her seat. The 
 younger of the two strange ladies stepped lightly on 
 the cushions, and before seating herself stood up for 
 a good look at the far-extending bed of snow ov^r 
 which we were to take our way. The prospect did not 
 appear to deter her, and she sat down promptly and 
 with an air that seemed to say that she anticipated a 
 certain enjoyment from the adventure. The eld**r 
 lady, however, exhibited very different emotions. She 
 shrank back from the cushions toward which the gen- 
 tleman was conducting her, and turned her face awav 
 from the declivity. Her companion assured her that 
 it was absolutely necessary that we should descend 
 from the mountain in this way, for there was no other ; 
 and asserting his belief that our slide would be a per- 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 161 
 
 fectly safe one, he gently drew her to the mattress 
 and induced her to sit down. 
 
 I now noticed, for the first time, that the gentleman 
 carried under one arm, and covered by his long cloak, 
 a large package of some sort, and I immediately said 
 to him : " It will be very imprudent for us to attempt 
 to carry any of our property except what we can put 
 in our pockets or wrap around us. Everything else 
 should be left here, either in your carriage or our 
 coach, and I have no fear that anything will be lost. 
 But even if our luggage were in danger of being mo- 
 lested, we cannot afford to consider it under circum- 
 stances such as these." 
 
 '' My dear sir," said the gentleman, speaking very 
 gravely, '' I appreciate the hazards of our position as 
 keenly as yourself. Our valises, and all the light lug- 
 gage which we had with us in our carriage, I have 
 left there, and shall not give them another thought. 
 But with the parcel I hold under this arm I cannot 
 part, and if I go down the mountain-side on these 
 cushions, it must go with me. If you refuse in such 
 a case to allow me to be one of your party, I must 
 remain behind, and endeavor to find a board or some- 
 thing else on which I can make the descent of the 
 mountain." 
 
 He spoke courteously, but with an air of decision 
 which showed me that it would be of no use to argue 
 with him. Besides, there was no time for parleying, 
 and if this gentleman chose to take his chances with 
 but one arm at liberty, it was no longer my affair. I 
 therefore desired him to sit down, and I arranged the 
 company so that they sat back to back, their feet 
 
162 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 drawn up to the edge of the mattress. I then took 
 the place which had been reserved for me as steers- 
 man, and having tied several shawls together, end to 
 end, I passed them around the whole of us under our 
 arms, thus binding us all firmly together. I felt that 
 one of our greatest dangers would be that one or more 
 of the party might slip from the mattress during the 
 descent. 
 
 When all was ready I asked the gentleman, who, 
 with the elder lady, sat near me at the back of the 
 mattress, to assist in giving us a start by pushing out- 
 ward with his heels while I thrust the handle of my 
 wooden shovel into the crust and thus pushed the 
 mattress forward. The starting was a little difficult, 
 but in a minute or two we had pushed the mattress 
 partly over the brink, and then, after a few more 
 efforts, we began to slide downward. 
 
 The motion, at first slow, suddenly became quite 
 rapid, and I heard behind me a cry or exclamation, 
 from whom I knew not, but I felt quite sure it did 
 not come from any of my party. I hoped to be able 
 to make some use of my shovel in the guidance of 
 our unwieldy raft or mattress-sled, but I soon found 
 this impossible, and down we went over the smooth, 
 hard-frozen slope, with nothing to direct our course 
 but the varying undulations of the mountain-side. 
 Every moment we seemed to go faster and faster, and 
 soon we began to revolve, so that sometimes I was in 
 front and sometimes behind. Once, when passing 
 over a very smooth sheet of snow, we fairly spun 
 around, so that in every direction feet were flying out 
 from a common center and heels grating on the frozen 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 163 
 
 crust. But there were no more cries or exclamations. 
 Each one of us grasped the cordage which held the 
 cushions together, and the rapidity of the motion 
 forced us almost to hold our breath. 
 
 Down the smooth, white slope we sped, as a bird 
 skims through the air. It seemed to me as if we 
 passed over miles and miles of snow. Sometimes my 
 face was turned down the mountain, where the snow- 
 
 "WE BEGAN TO SLIDE DOWNWAKD." 
 
 surface seemed to stretch out inimitably, and then it 
 was turned upward toward the apparently illimitable 
 slopes over which we had passed. 
 
 Presently, my position now being in front of the 
 little group that glanced along its glittering way, I 
 saw at some distance below me a long rise or terrace, 
 which ran along the mountain-side for a considerable 
 distance, and which cut off our view of everything 
 below us. As we approached this hillock the descent 
 became much more gradual and our progress slower, 
 and at last I began to fear that our acquired velocity 
 would not be sufficient to carry us up the side of this 
 elevation and so enable us to continue our descent. 
 I therefore called to everybody in the rear to kick 
 
164 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 out vigorously, and with my shovel I endeavored to 
 assist our progress. As we approached the summit of 
 the elevation we moved slower and slower. I became 
 very anxious, for, should we slide backward, we 
 might find it difficult or impossible to get ourselves 
 and the mattress up this little hill. But the gentle- 
 man and myself worked valiantly, and as for Mrs. 
 Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine, they kicked their heels 
 through the frozen crust with such energy that we 
 moved sidewise almost as much as upward. But in a 
 moment the anxious suspense was over, and we rested 
 on the ridge of the long hillock, with the mountain-side 
 stretching down to the plain, which lay not very far 
 below us. 
 
 I should have been glad to remain here a few min- 
 utes to regain breath, and give some consideration to 
 the rest of our descent, but as some of those behind 
 continued to push, the mattress slid over the edge of 
 the terrace, and down again we went. Our progress 
 now was not so rapid, but it was very much more un- 
 pleasant. The snow was thinner ; there was little or 
 no crust upon it, and we very soon reached a wide 
 extent of exposed turf, over which we slid, but not 
 without a good deal of bumping against stones and 
 protuberances. Then there was another sheet of snow, 
 which quickened our downward impetus; and, after 
 that, the snow was seen only in occasional patches, 
 and our progress continued over a long slope of short, 
 partly dried grass, which was very slippery, and over 
 which we passed with considerable quickness. 
 
 I wished now to bring our uncouth sled to a stop, 
 and to endeavor to make the rest of the descent on 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 16u 
 
 foot. But although I stuck out my heels, and tried to 
 thrust the handle of my shovel into the ground, it was 
 of no use. On we went, and the inequalities of the 
 surface gave an irregularity of motion which Avas un- 
 comfortable and alarming. We turned to this side 
 and that j we bounced and bumped ; and the rawhide 
 ropes, which must have been greatly frayed and cut 
 by the snow-crust, now gave way in several places, 
 and I knew that the mattress would soon separate into 
 its original cushions, if indeed they still could be 
 called cushions. Fearing increased danger should we 
 now continue bound together in a bunch, I jerked 
 apart the shawl-knot under my arms, and the next 
 moment, it seemed to me, there was a general dissolu- 
 tion of our connection with each other. Fortunately, 
 we were now near the bottom of the slope, for while 
 some of us stuck fast to the cushions, others rolled 
 over, or slid, independent of any projection, while I, 
 being thrown forward on my feet, actually ran down- 
 hill ! I had just succeeded in stopping myself when 
 down upon me came the rest of the company, all pros- 
 trate in some position or other. 
 
 Now from an unwieldy mass of shawls came a cry : 
 "Oh, Albert Dusante! Where are you? Lucille! 
 LuciUe ! " 
 
 Instantly sprang to one foot good Mrs. Aleshine, her 
 other foot being entangled in a mass of shawls which 
 di-agged behind her. Her bonnet was split open and 
 mashed down over her eyes. In her left hand she 
 waved a piece of yellow flannel, which in her last mad 
 descent she had torn from some part of the person of 
 Mrs. Leeks, and in the other a bunch of stout dead 
 
166 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 weeds, which she had seized and pulled up by the 
 roots as she had passed them. Her dress was ripped 
 open down her rotund back, and the earth from the 
 weed roots had bespattered her face. From the midst 
 of this dilapidation her round eyes sparkled with ex- 
 citement. Hopping on one foot, the shawls and a part 
 of a cushion dragging behind her, she shouted : 
 
 " The Dusantes ! They are the Dusantes ! " 
 
 Then, pitching forward on her knees before the two 
 strange ladies, who had now tumbled into each other's 
 arms, she cried : 
 
 ^^ Oh, which is Emily, and which is Lucille ? " 
 
 I had rushed toward Ruth, who had clung to a cush- 
 ion and was now sitting upon it, when Mrs. Leeks, 
 who was close beside her, arose to her feet and stood 
 upright. One foot was thrust through her own bon- 
 net, and her clothes gave evidence of the frenzy and 
 power of Mrs. Aleshine's grasp, but her mien was 
 dignified and her aspect stately. 
 
 '■'' Barb'ry Aleshine ! " she exclaimed, " if them Du- 
 santes has dropped down from heaven at your very 
 feet, can't you give 'em a minute to feel their ribs and 
 see if their legs and arms is broken ? " 
 
 The younger lady now turned her head toward Mrs. 
 Aleshine. " I am LuciUe," she said. 
 
 In a moment the good woman's arms were around 
 her neck. " I always liked you the best of the two," 
 she whispered into the ear of the astonished young 
 lady. 
 
 Having found that Ruth was unhurt, I ran to the 
 assistance of the others. The gentleman had just 
 arisen from a cushion, upon which, lying flat on his 
 
1 «iv 
 
 'OH, WHICH IS EMILY, AND WHICH IS LUCILLE?"- 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 169 
 
 back, he had slid over the grass, still holding under 
 one arm the package from which he had refused to 
 part. I helped him to raise the elder lady to her feet. 
 She had been a good deal shaken, and much fright- 
 ened, but although a little bruised, she had received 
 no important injury. 
 
 I went to fill a leather pocket-cup from a brook near 
 by, and when I returned I found the gentleman stand- 
 ing, confronted by Mrs. Leeks, Mrs. Aleshine, and 
 Ruth, while his own companions were regarding the 
 group w4th eager interest. 
 
 " Yes," he was saying, " my name is Dusante. But 
 why do you ask at this moment ? Why do you show 
 such excited concern on the subject ? " 
 
 '^WhyT' exclaimed Mrs. Leeks. ''I will tell you 
 why, sir. My name is Mrs. Leeks, and this is Mrs. 
 Aleshine, and if you are the Mr. Dusante with the 
 house on the desert island, this is the Mrs. Craig who 
 was married in that very house, and the gentleman 
 here with the water is Mr. Craig, who wrote you the 
 letter, which I hope you got. And if that is n't rea- 
 son enough for our wanting to know if you are Mr. 
 Dusante, I 'd like to be told what more there could 
 be!" 
 
 ^' It 's them ! Of course it 's them ! " cried Mrs. Ale- 
 shine. " I had a feelin' while we were scootin' down- 
 hill that they was near and dear to us, though exactly 
 why and how, I did n't know. And she 's told me 
 she 's Lucille, and of course the other must be Emily, 
 though what relations—" 
 
 "Am I to understand," interrupted the gentleman, 
 looking with earnest animation from one to the other 
 
170 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 of US, " that these are the good people who inhabited 
 my house on the island ? " 
 
 " The very ones ! " cried Mrs. Aleshine. " And what 
 relation are you to Emily ? and Lucille to her ? " 
 
 The gentleman stepped backward and laid down the 
 package which he had held under his arm, and ad- 
 vancing toward me with outstretched hands, and with 
 tears starting to his eyes, he exclaimed : 
 
 " And this man, then, to whom I owe so much, is 
 Mr. Craig ! " 
 
 '' Owe me ! " I said. " It is to you that we owe our 
 very lives, and our escape from death in mid-ocean." 
 
 '' Do not speak of it," he said, shaking his head, with 
 a sorrowful expression on his face. " You owe me 
 nothing. I would to Heaven it were not so ! But 
 we will not talk of that now. And this is Mrs. Craig," 
 he continued, taking Ruth by the hand, " the fair lady 
 whose nuptials were celebrated in my house. And 
 Mrs. Leeks, and Mrs. Aleshine." As he spoke he 
 shook hands with each. " How I have longed to meet 
 you ! I have thought of you every day since I re- 
 turned to my island and discovered that you had 
 been — I wish I could say — my guests. And where is 
 the reverend gentleman ? and the three mariners 1 I 
 hope that nothing has befallen them ! " 
 
 "Alas !— for three of them at least," ejaculated Mrs. 
 Aleshine ; " they have left us, but they are all right. 
 And now, sir, if you could tell us what relation you 
 are to Emily, and what Lucille—" 
 
 " Barb'ry ! " cried Mrs. Leeks, making a dash to- 
 ward her friend, " can't you give the man a minute to 
 breathe 1 Don't you see he 's so dumflustered that he 
 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 171 
 
 hardly knows who he is himself ? If them two women 
 was to sink down dead with hunger and hard slidin' 
 right afore your very eyes while you was askin' what 
 relation they was to each other and to him, it would no 
 more 'n serve you right ! We 'd better be seein' if any- 
 thin' 's the matter with 'em, and what we can do for 'em." 
 
 At this moment the younger of Mr. Dusante's ladies 
 quickly stepped forward. " Oh, Mrs. Craig, Mrs. Leeks, 
 and Mrs. Aleshine ! " she exclaimed, ^' I 'm just dying 
 to know all about you ! " 
 
 " And which, contrariwise," cried Mrs. Aleshine, '' is 
 the same with us, exactly." 
 
 "And of all places in the world," continued the 
 young lady, " that we should meet here ! " 
 
 No one could have been more desirous than I was to 
 know all about these Dusantes, and to discuss the 
 strange manner of our meeting ; but I saw that Ruth 
 was looking very pale and faint, and that the elder 
 Dusante lady had sat down again upon the ground as 
 though obliged to do so by sheer exhaustion, and I 
 therefore hailed with a double delight the interruption 
 of further explanations by the appearance of two men 
 on horseback who came galloping toward us. 
 
 They belonged to the house which I had noticed 
 from the road above, and one of them had seen our 
 swift descent down the mountain-side. At first he 
 had thought the black object he saw sliding over the 
 snow-slopes was a rock or a mass of underbrush, but 
 his keen eye soon told him that it was a group of 
 human beings, and summoning a companion, he had 
 set out for the foot of the mountain as soon as horses 
 could be caught and saddled. 
 
172 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 The men were much surprised when they heard the 
 details of our adventure, but as it was quite plain that 
 some members of our party needed immediate nour- 
 ishment and attention, the questions and explanations 
 were made very short. The men dismounted from 
 their horses, and the elder Dusante lady was placed 
 upon one of them, one man leading the animal and 
 the other supporting the lady. Ruth mounted the 
 other horse, and I walked by her to assist her in keep- 
 ing her seat ; but she held fast to the high pommel of 
 the saddle, and got on very well. Mr. Dusante took 
 his younger companion on one arm, and his package 
 under the other, while Mrs. Leeks, having relieved 
 her foot from the encircling bonnet, and Mrs. Ale- 
 shine, now free from the entangling shawls, followed 
 in the rear. The men offered to come back with the 
 horses for them, if they would wait; but the two 
 women declared that they were quite able to walk, and 
 intended to do no waiting, and they trudged vigor- 
 ously after us. The sun was now high, and the air 
 down here was quite different from that of the moun- 
 tain-side, being pleasant and almost warm. The men 
 said that the snows above would probably soon melt, 
 as it was much too early in the season for snow to lie 
 long on these lower sides of the mountains. 
 
 Our way lay over an almost level plain for about a 
 mile. A portion of it was somewhat rough, so that 
 when we reached the low house to which we were 
 bound, we were all very glad indeed to get there. The 
 house belonged to the two men, who owned a small 
 ranch here. One of them was married, and his wife 
 immediately set herself to work to attend to our needs. 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 173 
 
 Her home was small, its rooms few, and her larder 
 very plain in quality ; but everything she had was 
 placed at our disposal. Her own bed was given to 
 the elder Dusante lady, who took immediate posses- 
 sion of it ; and after a quickly prepared but plentiful 
 meal of fried pork, corn-bread, and coffee, the rest of 
 us stretched ourselves out to rest wherever we could 
 find a place. Before lying down, however, I had, at 
 Ruth's earnest solicitation, engaged one of the men to 
 ride to the railroad-station to inquire about Mr. Ender- 
 ton, and to inform him of our safety. By taking a 
 route which ran parallel with the mountain-chain, but 
 at some distance from it, the station, the man said, 
 could be reached without encountering snow. 
 
 None of us had had proper rest during the past two 
 nights, and we slept soundly until dark, when we were 
 aroused to partake of supper. All of us, except the 
 elder Dusante lady, who preferred to remain in bed, 
 gathered around the table. After supper a large fire, 
 principally of brushwood, was built upon the hearth ; 
 and with the bright blaze, two candles, and a lamp, the 
 low room appeared light and cheery. We drew up 
 about the fire— for the night was cool— on whatever 
 chairs, stools, or boxes we could find, and no sooner 
 had we all seated ourselves than Mrs. Aleshine ex- 
 claimed : 
 
 " Now, Mr. Dusante, it ain't in the power of mortal 
 man, nor woman neither,— an' if put the other way it 
 might be stronger, — to wait any longer before knowin' 
 what relation Lucille is to Emily, an' you to them, 
 an' all about that house of yours on the island. If 
 I 'd blown up into bits this day through holdin' in my 
 
174 
 
 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 'WE DEEW DP ABOUT THE if'iKK' 
 
 wantin^ to know, I should n't have wondered ! An' 
 if it had n't been for hard sleep, I don't believe I 
 could have held in, nohow ! " 
 
 '^ That 's my mind exactly," said Mrs. Leeks ; " and 
 though I know there 's a time for all things, and don't 
 believe in crowdin' questions on played-out people, I 
 do think, Mr. Dusante, that if I could have caught up 
 with you when we was comin' over here, I 'd have 
 asked you to speak out on these p'ints. But you 're 
 a long-legged walker, which Mrs. Aleshine is not, and 
 it would n't have done to leave her behind." 
 
 " Which she would n't 'a' been," said Mrs. Aleshine. 
 " long legs or short.'' 
 
 Ruth and I added our entreaties that Mr. Dusante 
 should tell his story, and the good ranchman and his 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 175 
 
 ^fe said that if there was anything to be done in the 
 story-telling line they were in for it, strong ; and quit- 
 ting their work of clearing away supper things, they 
 brought an old hair trunk from another room, and sat 
 down just behind Mrs. Leeks. 
 
 The younger Dusante lady, who, having been di- 
 vested of her wraps, her veil, and the w^oolen shawl 
 that had been tied over her head, had proved to be a 
 very pretty girl with black eyes, here declared that it 
 had been her intention at the fii'st opportunity to get 
 us to tell our story, but as we had asked first, she sup- 
 posed we ought to be satisfied first. 
 
 " I do not msli, my good friends,'' said Mr. Dusante, 
 '' to delay for a moment longer than necessary your 
 very pardonable curiosity concerning me and my 
 family ; and I must say at the same time that, although 
 your letter, sir, gave me a very clear account of your 
 visit to my island, there are many things which natu- 
 rally could not be contained within the limits of a 
 letter, and about which I am most anxious to make 
 inquiries. But these I \\dll reserve until my own nar- 
 ration is finished. 
 
 " My name is Albert Dusante. It may interest you 
 to know that my father was a Frenchman and my 
 mother an American lady from New England. I was 
 born in France, but have lived very little in that 
 country, and for a great part of my life have been a 
 merchant in Honolulu. For the past few years, how- 
 ever, I have been enabled to free myself in a great 
 degree from the trammels of business, and to devote 
 myself to the pursuits of a man of leisure. I have 
 never married, and this young lady is my sister/ 
 
176 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 <^ Then what relation," began Mrs. Aleshine, " is she 
 to-?" 
 
 At this moment the hand of Mrs. Leeks, falling 
 heavily into the lap of the speaker, stopped this ques- 
 tion, and Mr. Dusante proceeded : 
 
 " Our parents died when Lucille was an infant, and 
 we have no near blood relations." 
 
 At this the faces of both Mrs. Aleshine and Mrs. 
 Leeks assumed expressions as if they had each just 
 received a letter superscribed in an unknown hand, 
 and were wondering who it could possibly be from. 
 
 "The lady who is now resting in the adjoining 
 room," continued Mr. Dusante, '4s a dear friend who 
 has been adopted by me as a mother." 
 
 " Upon my word ! " burst from Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. 
 Aleshine, in as much unison of time and tone as if the 
 words had been a response in a church service, while 
 Miss Lucille leaned back against the wall near which 
 she sat, and laughed gleefully. Mr. Dusante, however, 
 continued his statements with the same quiet gravity 
 with which he had begun. 
 
 " This lady was a dear friend of my mother, although 
 younger than she. I adopted her as a mother to my 
 little orphan sister, and, consequently, placed her iiz 
 the same maternal relation to myself, doing this with 
 much earnest satisfaction, for I hoped to be able to 
 return, as a son, something of the tender care and 
 affection which she would bestow on Lucille as a 
 daughter." 
 
 " And she is Emily ? " cried Mrs. Aleshine. 
 
 "She adopted our name," answered the speaker, 
 " and she is Mrs. Emily Dusante." 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 177 
 
 " And she is your adopted mother f " said Mrs. Ale- 
 shine. 
 
 ^'Adopted mother ! " ejaculated Mrs. Leeks. 
 
 ''Yes/' answered Mr. Dusante. 
 
 " And that is the only relation she is to you two ? " 
 said Mrs. Leeks. 
 
 "And you to her?" added Mrs. Aleshine. 
 
 " Most assuredly," answered Mr. Dusante. 
 
 Here Mrs. Leeks leaned back in her chair, folded 
 her hands in her lap, and ejaculated, "Well, well!" 
 and then allowed her face to assume a rigid inten- 
 tion of having nothing more to say at the present 
 moment. 
 
 " One thing is certain," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, in 
 a k)ne which indicated that she did not care who heard 
 her J " I always liked Lucille the best ! " 
 
 At this Ruth and I exchanged smiles with Miss 
 Lucille, and Mr. Dusante proceeded : 
 
 " I do not wish to occupy too much of your time 
 with our personal affairs, and will therefore state that 
 the island on which you found refuge, and where I 
 wish most heartily I had been present to act as 
 host, was bought by me as a retreat from the annoy- 
 ances of business and the exactions of society. I 
 built there a good house—" 
 
 "Which it truly was," said Mrs. Aleshine, "with 
 fixtures in it for water, and letting it off, which I never 
 saw in a house so far out of town." 
 
 " I fui-nished it suitably," said Mr. Dusante. " We 
 had books and music, and for several years we passed 
 vacations there which were both enjoyable and prof- 
 itable. But of late my sister has found the plac(^ 
 
 12 
 
178 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 lonely, and we have traveled a good deal, making 
 intermittent and often short visits to the island. 
 
 "As I never cared to leave any one on that lonely 
 spot during our absences from it, I arranged a gate- 
 way of bars across the only opening in the reef, with 
 the intention of preventing marauding visits from 
 fishing-boats or other small craft which might be pass- 
 ing that way. As the island was out of the ordinary 
 track of vessels, I did not imagine that my bars would 
 ever prove an obstacle to unfortunate castaways who 
 might seek a refuge there." 
 
 '' Which they did n't," remarked Mrs. Aleshine, '' for 
 under we bobbed." 
 
 ^'I never exactly understood," said Mr. Dusante, 
 " and I hope to have it explained to me in due time, 
 how you passed my bars without removing them; 
 and I have had a sore weight upon my conscience 
 since I discovered that shipwrecked persons, fleeing to 
 my house from the perils of the sea, should have found 
 those inhospitable bars in their way—" 
 
 " Which is a weight you might as well cast off, and 
 be done with it," said Mrs. Leeks, her deep-set notions 
 on the rights of property obliging her to speak; "for 
 if a man has n't a right to lock up his house when he 
 goes away and leaves it, I don't know what rights 
 anybody has about anything. Me, or Mrs. Aleshine, 
 or anybody else here who has a house, might just as 
 well go off travelin', or to town visitin', and leave our 
 front door unlocked, and the yard gate swingin' on its 
 hinges, because we was afraid that some tramp or 
 other body with no house or home might come along 
 and not be able to get in and make himself comfor- 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 179 
 
 table. Your business, sir, when you left that house 
 and all your belongin's on that island, was to leave 
 everything tight and safe ; and the business of people 
 sailin' in ships was to go on their proper way, and not 
 be runnin' into each other. And if these last men 
 tioned did n't see fit to do that, and so got into trouble, 
 they should have gone to some island where there 
 were people to attend to 'em, just as the tramps should 
 go to the poorhouse. And this is what we would have 
 done— not meanin' the poorhouse— if we had n't been 
 so over long-headed as to get into a leaky boat, which, 
 I wish it understood, is sayin^ nothin' against Mr- 
 Craig.'^ 
 
 '^ That 's true," said Mrs. Aleshine, " for nobody has 
 got a right to complain that a fellow-bein' locks his 
 own door after him. But it does seem to me, sir, that 
 in such scattered neighborhoods as your island is in, 
 it might be a good thing to leave something to eat an' 
 drink— perhaps in a bottle or in a tin pail— at the 
 outside of your bars for them as might come along 
 shipwrecked, an' not be able to get inside on account 
 of bein' obliged to come in a boat, an' not as we did ; 
 an' so, when they found they 'd have to go on, they 
 might have somethin' to keep up their strength till 
 they got to another house." 
 
 ^' Now, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Leeks, " when 
 you start off on a journey to Japan or any other place, 
 an' leave mince-pies and buttered toast a-stickin' on 
 the p'ints of your pickets for tramps that might come 
 along and need 'em, you can do that kind of talkin'. 
 But as that time has n't come, let 's hear the rest of 
 Mr. Dusante's story." 
 
180 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 "When I first visited my island this year/' con- 
 tinued the narrator, " we made but a short stay, as we 
 were all desirous of taking a somewhat extended sea- 
 voyage in my steam-yacht. We visited several places 
 of interest, and when we returned, just six weeks ago 
 to-day—" 
 
 "Just one week, lackin' a day," exclaimed Mrs. 
 Leeks, " after we left that spot ! " 
 
 "If I 'd 'a' knowed," said Mrs. Aleshine, rising to 
 her feet, " that you 'd be back so soon, I 'd 'a' made 
 them sailormen live on fish, I 'd 'a' eat garden-truck 
 myself, and I 'd be bound I 'd 'a' made the flour hold 
 out for six days more for the rest of 'em, if I 'd 'a' had 
 to work my fingers to the skin and bone to do it ! " 
 Then she sat down solemnly. 
 
 "When we returned," continued Mr. Dusante, "I 
 was pleased to find my bars intact; and when these 
 were unlocked, and the boat from our yacht went 
 through with oui'selves and our servants, it was very 
 agreeable to notice the good order which seemed to 
 prevail everywhere. As we passed from the wharf to 
 the house, not even fallen boughs or weeds were seen 
 to indicate that we had been away from the place for 
 more than two months. When we entered the house, 
 my mother and sister immediately ascended to their 
 chambers, and when the windows had been opened I 
 heard them from above calling to each other and 
 remarking upon the freshness and cleanliness of the 
 rooms. I went to my library, and when I had thrown 
 open the window I was struck with the somewhat 
 peculiar air of order which seemed to obtain in the 
 roonx The books stood upon their shelves with a 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 181 
 
 remarkable regularity, and the chairs and other furni- 
 ture were arranged with a precision which impressed 
 me as unusual. In a moment, sir, I saw your letter 
 upon the table addressed to me. Greatly astonished, 
 I opened and read it. 
 
 ^^ When I had finished it my amazement was great 
 indeed ; but obeying an instant impulse, I stepped into 
 the dining-room, wliich a servant had opened, and 
 took the ginger- jar from the mantelpiece. When 
 I lifted from it the little brown-paper parcel, and 
 beneath it saw the money which had been mentioned 
 in the letter, you may imagine the condition of my 
 mind. I did not take out the money, nor count it; 
 but covering it again with the paper parcel, which I 
 believed contained fish-hooks, and with the jar in my 
 hands, I returned to the library, where I sat down 
 to ponder upon these most astounding revelations. 
 While so doing my mother and sister hastily entered 
 the room. Lucille declared in an excited manner that 
 she believed that the brownies or some other fairies 
 had been there while we were away and had kept the 
 house in order. The whole place was actually cleaner, 
 she said, than when we left it. She had taken down 
 a thin dress from her closet, and it looked as if it 
 had just come from the hand of a laundress, with 
 the ruffles ironed smoother and more evenly than 
 they had ever been since it was first stitched together. 
 ' Albert,' said my mother, her face pale, ^ there has been 
 somebody in this house ! ' Then she went on to say 
 that the windows, which were left unwashed because 
 we went away in somewhat of a hurry, were as bright 
 and clean as if the maids had just been rubbing them ; 
 
182 THE CASTING AWAY OP 
 
 the floors and furniture were cleaner and freer from 
 dust than they had ever been before ; and the whole 
 house looked as if we had just left it yesterday, ' In 
 fact/ she said, ' it is unnaturally clean ! ' " 
 
 During this part of Mr. Dusante's story Mrs. Leeks 
 and Mrs. Aleshine sat very quiet, with an air of sedate 
 humility upon their faces; but I could see by the 
 proud light in their eyes that they felt their superi- 
 ority to ordinary women, although they were properly 
 resolved not to show such feeling. 
 
 ^' At that moment," continued Mr. Dusante, " a ser- 
 vant came hurrying into the room, and informed us 
 that the flour was all gone, and that there was scarcely 
 anything in the pantries to eat. At this my mother 
 and my sister, who knew that an abundance of provi- 
 sions had been left in the house, looked at each other 
 aghast. But before they could express their conster- 
 nation in words, I addressed them. ' My dear mother,' 
 said I, ' and Lucille, there truly has been some one in 
 this house. By this letter I am informed that for 
 several weeks eight persons have lived here under this 
 roof ; a marriage has been solemnized, and the happy 
 couple have gone forth from our doors. These persons 
 have eaten our food, they have made use of our prop- 
 erty, and this has been their temporary home. But 
 they are good people, honest and true-hearted, for they 
 have left the house in better order than they found it, 
 and more than the price of all they have consumed is 
 in that ginger- jar.' And thereupon I read them your 
 letter, sir. 
 
 " I cannot undertake to describe the wonder and 
 absorbing interest with wliich this letter filled our 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 183 
 
 minds. All needful stores were brought ashore from 
 the yacht, which lay outside the reef, and we began 
 our usual life on the island ; but none of the occupa- 
 tions or recreations in which we formerly employed 
 our time now possessed any attractions for us. Our 
 minds were filled with thoughts of the persons who 
 had been so strangely living in our house ; and our 
 conversation was mainly made up of surmises as to 
 what sort of people they were, whether or not we 
 should ever see them, and similar suppositions." 
 
 " Yes, indeed ! " exclaimed Miss Lucille. " I thought 
 of you by day and by night, and pictured you all in 
 various ways, but never as you really are. Sometimes 
 I used to think that the boat in which you went away 
 had been sunk in a storm in which you were all 
 drowned, and that perhaps your ghosts would come 
 back and live in our house, and sleep in our beds, and 
 clean our windows, and wash and iron our clothes, 
 and do all sorts of things in the night." 
 
 " Goodnessf ul, gracious me ! " cried Mrs. Aleshine, 
 " don't talk that way ! The idea of bein' a cold ghost, 
 goin' about in the dark, is worse than slidin' down a 
 snow-mountain, even if you had to do it on the bare 
 of your back." 
 
 " Barb'ry ! " said Mrs. Leeks, severely. 
 
 '^ The idea is jus' as chillin'," replied her undaunted 
 friend. 
 
 " Two things connected with this matter," continued 
 Mr, Dusante, "weighed heavily on my mind. One of 
 these I have already mentioned— the cruel inhospitality 
 of the barred entrance.'^ 
 
 I had refrained from adding to the interruptions to 
 
184 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 Mr. Dusante^s narrative, but I now felt impelled to 
 assure the gentleman, on behalf of myself and wife, 
 that we shared the opinions of Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. 
 Aleshine, and felt tliat he could in no way be blamed 
 for thus protecting his private property. 
 
 " You are very good," said Mr. Dusante, ^' but I will 
 say here that there are now no bars to that entrance. 
 I have left some people on the island, who will take 
 care of my property and succor any unfortunate cast- 
 aways who may arrive there. The other matter to 
 which I alluded was, however, the heavier load which 
 oppressed me. This was the money in the ginger- jar. 
 I could not endure to reflect that I had been paid ac- 
 tual money for the hospitality I would have been so 
 glad to offer to you poor shipwrecked people. Every 
 sentiment of my being rebelled against such a thing. 
 I was grieved. I was ashamed. At last I determined 
 I would bear no longer the ignominy of this brand of 
 inhospitality, and that, with the ginger-ja,r in my 
 hand, I would search over the world, if necessary, for 
 the persons who in my absence had paid board to me, 
 and return to them the jar with its contents uncounted 
 and untouched. Your letter informed me of the islana 
 to which you were bound, and if I did not find you 
 there I could discover to what port you had taken 
 your departure There I could make further inquiries, 
 and so follow you. When I proposed this plan to my 
 family they agreed to it instantly, for their interest in 
 the matter was almost as great as mine ; and in a day 
 or two we started on our quest. 
 
 "I easily traced you to San Francisco, and found 
 the hotel at which you had stopped. Here I obtained 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 185 
 
 fresh news of you, and learned that you had started 
 East, and that the destination of the party was be- 
 lieved to be Philadelphia. I had hoped that I should 
 meet with you before you left California ; but suppos- 
 ing that by that time you had reached your destina- 
 tion, or were, at least, far on your way, I yielded to 
 the solicitations of my sister and made some excur- 
 sions in California, intending then to follow you to 
 Philadelphia, and there to advertise for Mr. Craig, if 
 he could not otherwise be found. However, by the 
 rarest and most fortunate of chances, we have met 
 thus early, and for this I can never be too devoutly 
 thankful." 
 
 " Nor we," said I, earnestly ; " for our greatly desired 
 acquaintance with 3^ou and your family could not 
 have begun too soon." 
 
 '' Now," said Mr. Dusante, " I will perform the duty 
 for which my journey was undertaken, and I assure 
 you it is a great pleasure to me to be able so soon to 
 carry out this cherished purpose." 
 
 He then took up from the floor by his side the pack- 
 age which he had so safely guarded during his swift 
 and perilous descent of the mountain-side, and which 
 he had since kept close by him. Placing this upon 
 his knee, he removed the light shawl in which it had 
 been rolled, and then several pieces of wrapping-paper, 
 revealing to our eyes the familiar fat little ginger-jar 
 which had stood on the mantelpiece of the dining- 
 room in the house on the island, and in which we had 
 deposited our board money. 
 
 " It would be simply impossible for me," said Mr. 
 Dusante, ''to consent to retain in my possession 
 
186 
 
 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 money paid for the aid which I involuntarily rendered 
 to shipwrecked people. Had I been present on the 
 island, that aid would have been most heartily and 
 freely given, and the fact of my absence makes no 
 difference whatever in regard to my feelings on the 
 
 subject of your paying for 
 the food and shelter you 
 found at my house. Hav- 
 ing understood from Mr. 
 Craig's letter that it was 
 Mrs. Leeks who superin- 
 tended the collection and 
 depositing of the money, I 
 now return to you, madam, 
 this jar with its contents." 
 "And which," said Mrs. 
 Leeks, sitting up very rig- 
 idly,with her hands clasped 
 behind her, " I don't take. 
 If it had been a day and a 
 night, or even two nights 
 and over a Sunday, it would 
 n't have mattered; but 
 when me and Mrs. Aleshine— and the rest of the 
 party can speak for themselves— stays for weeks and 
 weeks, without leave or license, in a man's house, we 
 pay our board— of course deductin' services. Good 
 night." 
 
 With that she arose, and walked, very erect, into 
 the adjoining room. 
 
 " It was all very well, Mr. Dusante," said Mrs. Ale- 
 shine, " for you to try to carry out what you thought 
 
 EEVEALING THE FAMILIAK FAT 
 LITTLE GIUGER-JAK." 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 187 
 
 was right ; but we have our ideas as to what our duty 
 is, an' you have your ideas as to what your duty is, 
 an' consciences is even." 
 
 Having said this, she followed her friend. 
 
 Mr. Dusante looked surprised and troubled, and he 
 tui'ned toward me. ^' My dear sir," said I, " those two 
 good women are very sensitive in regard to right and 
 justice, and I think it will be well not to press this 
 subject upon them. As for my wife and me, neither 
 of us would consent to touch money which was placed 
 in that jar by Mrs. Leeks with the expectation that no 
 one but you or one of your family would take it out.'^' 
 
 ''Very well, sir," said Mr. Dusante, replacing the 
 wrapping-paper around the jar ; ''I will drop the sub- 
 ject for the present. But you wiU allow me to say, 
 sir, that I also am very sensitive in regard to right 
 and justice." 
 
 Early the next morning the man who had been sent 
 to the railroad-station came back, bringing news that 
 a four-horse wagon would shortly be sent for us, and 
 also bearing a letter from Mr. Enderton to Ruth. In 
 this that gentleman informed his daughter that he was 
 quite well, but that he had suffered anxiety on account 
 of her probable hardships in the abandoned stage- 
 coach. He had hoped, however, that the snow which 
 had precluded his return with assistance had fallen 
 lightly in the elevated position in which she had been 
 left ; and he had trusted also that Mr. Craig had be- 
 thought himself to build a fii'e somewhere near the 
 coach, where his daughter might be warmed ; and that 
 the provisions, of which he knew an ample quantity 
 had been packed for the trip, had been properly heated 
 
188 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 for her and given to her at suitable intervals. This 
 anxiety, he said, had added very much to his own 
 mental disquietude occasioned by the violent vitupera- 
 tions and unjust demands of the driver of the stage- 
 coach, who had seen fit to attack him with all manner 
 of abuse, and might even have resorted to personal 
 violence had it not been for the interference of by- 
 standers and the locking of his room door. He was 
 now, however, much relieved by the departure of this 
 driver, and by the news that his daughter had reached 
 a place of safety, which, of course, he had supposed 
 she would do, her detention having occurred on an 
 ordinary route of travel. 
 
 While waiting for the arrival of the wagon, the 
 adventures of Mrs. Leeks, Mrs. Aleshine, and myself, 
 as well as those of Ruth and her father, from the time 
 the one party left America and the other China, were 
 related at length to the Dusantes, who showed a deep 
 interest in every detail, and asked many questions. 
 
 Mrs. Dusante, whose nervous equilibrium had been 
 fully restored by her night's rest, and who, although 
 feeling a little stiff and bruised, now declared herself 
 quite well, proved to be a very pleasant lady of fifty- 
 five or thereabouts. She was of a quiet disposition, 
 but her speech and manner showed that in former 
 years, at least, she had been a woman of society, and 
 I soon found out that she was much interested in the 
 study of character. This interest was principally 
 shown in the direction of Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Ale- 
 shine, whom she evidently looked upon as most re- 
 markable women. If any of her sentiments were those 
 of admiration, however, they were not returned in 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS, ALESHINE 189 
 
 kind ; Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine had but a small 
 opinion of her. 
 
 " There 's mother-in-laws, and stepmothers, and real 
 mothers, and grandmothers, and sometimes great- 
 grandmothers livinV' said Mrs. Leeks to me, apart; 
 "but though Mr. Dusante may be a well-meanin' 
 man, — and I don't doubt he is,— and wishin', I have n't 
 the least reason to disbelieve, to do his whole duty by 
 his fellow-men, still I must say, bein' brought up as 
 I was, he has n't any right to make a new kind of 
 mother. To be sure, a man can adopt children, but 
 that is n't goin' backward, like this is, which is ag'in* 
 nat'ral law and gospel." 
 
 "I expect," said Mrs. Aleshine, who was with us, 
 "that them French has got fashions that we don't 
 know about, and thankful we ought to be that we 
 don't ! I never had no patience with French heels an' 
 French arsenic-green beans ; an' now, if there 's to be 
 adoptin' of mothers in this country, the next thing 
 will be gullotynes." 
 
 "I don't see," said I, "why you look upon the 
 Dusantes as French people. They are just as much 
 American as French." 
 
 " Well," said Mrs. Leeks, " it 's not for me and Mrs, 
 Aleshine to set ourselves up to judge other people. 
 In our part of the country we don't adopt mothers ; 
 but if they do it in France, or the Sandwich Islands, 
 or down East, I don't know that we ought to have 
 anything to say." 
 
 "He might as well have adopted a father at the 
 same time," said Mrs. Aleshine, "although, to be 
 sure, he would 'a' had to been particular to take one 
 
190 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 that was acquainted with Mrs. Dusante, and not had 
 *em strangers to each other, though parents to him." 
 
 " If I was you, Barb'ry Aleshine," said Mrs. Leeks, 
 " I 'd adopt some sort of rag to the top of my head to 
 serve for a bonnet ; for here comes the wagon, and I 
 suppose now we '11 be off." 
 
 We took leave of the kind-hearted ranch people, 
 who looked upon us as a godsend into their lonely life, 
 and disposed ourselves as comfortably as we could in 
 the large wagon. Our journey of seven or eight miles 
 to the railroad-station was slow, and over ways that 
 were rough. Mrs. Dusante was a delicate woman and 
 not used to hardship, whereas Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. 
 Aleshine were exceedingly vigorous and tough. The 
 consequence of this difference was that the kindly 
 hearts of the latter prompted them to do everything 
 they could to prevent Mrs. Dusante feeling the bumps 
 and jolts, and to give her such advantages of wraps 
 and position as would help her to bear better the 
 fatigues of the journey. 
 
 In doing this these good women gradually forgot 
 the adopted mother, and came to think only of the 
 very pleasant lady who needed their attentions, and 
 who took such a lively and agreeable interest in their 
 family histories, their homes, their manner of living, 
 and everything that pertained to them ; and before we 
 reached the end of our trip these three were talking 
 together Hke old friends. Ruth and Miss Lucille had 
 also struck up a warm acquaintance, while I found 
 Mr. Dusante a very entertaining man— of sedate and 
 careful speech, ingenious ideas, and of a very courte- 
 ous disposition. 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 191 
 
 When we arrived at the railroad-station we were 
 met by Mr. Enderton, who showed a moderate degree 
 of pleasure at seeing us, and an immoderate amount 
 of annoyance, exhibited principally to me, in being 
 obliged to give up to the women of our party the 
 large room he had occupied in the only lodging-house 
 in the little settlement. 
 
 ^0" 
 
 'EUTH AND MISS LUCILLE STRUCK UP A WARM ACQUAINTANCE.* 
 
 When I informed him that the strangers with us 
 were the Dusantes, on whose island we had been stay- 
 ing, he at first listened vaguely. He had always 
 looked upon the Dusante family as a sort of fable used 
 by Mrs. Leeks to countenance her exactions of money 
 from the unfortunate sojourners on the island. But 
 when I told him what Mr. Dusante had done, and re- 
 lated how he had brought the board money with him, 
 and had offered to pay it back to us, an eager interest 
 was aroused in him. 
 
 "I do not wonder," he exclaimed, "that the con- 
 science-stricken man wishes to give the money back, 
 but that any one should refuse what actually belongs 
 to him or her is beyond my comprehension! One 
 
192 THE CASTING AWAY OP 
 
 thing is certain— I shall receive my portion. Fifteen 
 dollars a week for my daughter and myself that 
 woman charged me, and I will have it back." 
 
 "My dear sir," I said, "your board was reduced to 
 the same sum as that paid by the rest of us— four 
 dollars a week each." 
 
 "I call to mind no reduction," said Mr. Enderton. 
 "I remember distinctly the exorbitant sum charged 
 me for board on a desert island. It made a deep im- 
 pression upon me." 
 
 " I do not care to talk any further on this subject,** 
 I said. " You must settle it with Mrs. Leeks." 
 
 Mr. Enderton gave a great sniff, and walked away 
 with dignity. I could not but laugh as I imagined 
 his condition two minutes after he had stated his 
 opinions on this subject to Mrs. Leeks. 
 
 When Mr. Dusante had started from San Francisco 
 on his search for us, he had sent his heavy baggage 
 ahead of him to Ogden City, where he purposed to 
 make his first stop. He supposed that we might pos- 
 sibly here diverge from our homeward-bound route in 
 order to visit the Mormon metropolis ; and, if we had 
 done so, he did not wish to pass us. It was therefore 
 now agreed that we should all go to Ogden City, and 
 there await the arrival of our effects left in the snowed- 
 up vehicles on the mountain-side. We made arrange- 
 ments with the station-master that these should be 
 forwarded to us as soon as the stage-coach and the 
 carriage could be brought down. All the baggage of 
 my party was on the coach, and it consisted only of 
 a few valises bought in San Francisco, and a package 
 containing two life-preservers, which Mrs. Leeks and 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 193 
 
 Mrs. Aleshine said they would take home with them, 
 if they took nothing else. 
 
 On the morning after our arrival at Ogden City, 
 Mr. Dusante took me aside. '' Sir," he said, '' I wish 
 to confide to you my intentions regarding the jar con- 
 taining the money left by your party in my house, 
 and I trust you will do nothing to thwart them. 
 When your baggage arrives, you, with your party, 
 will doubtless continue your eastern way, and we shall 
 return to San Francisco. But the jar, with its con- 
 tents, shall be left behind to be delivered to Mrs. 
 Leeks. If you ^vill take charge of the jar, and hand 
 it to her, sir, I shall be obliged greatly." 
 
 I promised Mr. Dusante that I would not interfere 
 with his intentions, but asserted that I could, on no 
 account, take charge of the jar. The possession of 
 that piece of pottery, with its contents, was now a 
 matter of dispute between him and Mrs. Leeks, and 
 must be settled by them. 
 
 " Very well, then, sir," he said. " I shall arrange 
 to depart before you and youi* company, and I shall 
 leave the jar, suitably packed, in the care of the clerk 
 of this hotel, with directions to hand it to Mrs. Leeks 
 after I am gone. Thus there will be nothing for her 
 to do but to receive it." 
 
 Some one now came into the smoking-room, where 
 we were sitting, and no more was said on this subject. 
 Mr. Dusante's statement of his intention very much 
 amused me, for Mrs. Leeks had previously taken me 
 into her confidence in regard to her intentions in this 
 matter. "Mr. Dusante," she had said, "has n't 
 dropped a word more about the money in that gin- 
 
 13 
 
194 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 ger-jar, but I know just as well as he does what he 's 
 goin' to do about it. When the time comes to go, he ^s 
 goin' to slip off quietly, leavin' that jar behind him, 
 thinkin' then I '11 be obliged to take it, there bein' 
 nobody to give it back to. But he '11 find me just as 
 sharp as he is. I 've got the street and number of his 
 business place in Honolulu from his sister,— askin' 
 about it in an offhand way, as if it did n't mean any- 
 thing,— an' if that jar is left for me, I '11 pack it in a 
 box, money and all, and I '11 express it to Mr. Dusante j 
 and when he gets to Honolulu he '11 find it there, and 
 then he '11 know that two can play at that sort of 
 game." 
 
 Knowing Mr. Dusante, and knowing Mrs. Leeks, I 
 pictured to myself a box containing a ginger- jar, and 
 covered with numerous half-obliterated addresses, 
 traveling backward and forward between the Sand- 
 wich Islands and Pennsylvania during the lifetime of 
 the contestants, and, probably, if testamentary desires 
 should be regarded, during a great part of the life- 
 time of their heirs. That the wear and tear of the box 
 might make it necessary to inclose it in a keg, and 
 that, eventually, the keg might have to be placed in a 
 barrel, and that, after a time, in a hogshead, seemed 
 to me as likely as any other contingencies which might 
 befall this peregrinating ginger-jar. 
 
 We spent three days in Ogden City, and then, the 
 weather having moderated very much, and the snow 
 on the mountains having melted sufficiently to allow 
 the vehicles to be brought down, our effects were for- 
 warded to us, and my party and that of Mr. Dusante 
 prepared to proceed on our different ways. An east- 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 195 
 
 ward-bound train left that evening an hour after we 
 received our baggage, but we did not care to depart 
 upon such short notice, and so determined to remain 
 until the next day. 
 
 In the evening Mr. Dusante came to me to say that 
 he was very glad to find that the westward train would 
 leave Ogden City early in the morning, so that he and 
 his family would start on their journey some hours 
 before we should leave. ^' This suits my plans exactly," 
 he said. " I have left the ginger-jar, securely wrapped, 
 and addressed to Mrs. Leeks, with the clerk of the 
 hotel, who will deliver it to-morrow immediately after 
 my departure. All our preparations are made, and 
 we purpose this evening to bid farewell to you and 
 our other kind friends, from whom, I assure you, we 
 are most deeply grieved to part." 
 
 I had just replied that we also regretted extremely 
 the necessity for this separation, when a boy brought 
 me a letter. T opened it, and found it was from Mr. 
 Enderton. It read as f oUows : 
 
 Dear Sir : I have determined not to wait here until to-mor- 
 row, but to proceed eastward by this evening's train. I desire 
 to spend a day in Chicago, and as you and the others will prob- 
 ably not wish to stop there, I shall, by this means, attain my 
 object without detaining you. My sudden resolution will not 
 give me time to see you all before I start, but I have taken a 
 hurried leave of my daughter, and this let'.er will explain my 
 departure to the rest. 
 
 I will also mention that I have thought it proper, as the nat- 
 ural head of our party both by age and position, to settle the 
 amicable dispute in regard to the reception and disposition of 
 the money paid, under an excusable misapprehension, for our 
 board and lodging upon a desert island. I discovered that the 
 
196 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 receptacle of this money had been left in the custody of the 
 clerk, addressed to Mrs. Leeks, who has not only already refused 
 to receive it, and would probably do so again, but who is, in my 
 opinion, in no wise entitled to hold, possess, or dispose of it. 
 I therefore, without making any disturbance whatever, have 
 taken charge of the package, and shall convey it with me to 
 Chicago. When you arrive there, I will apportion the contents 
 among us according to our several claims. This I regard as a 
 very sensible and prudent solution of the little difficulty which 
 has confronted us in regard to the disposition of this money. 
 Yours hurriedly, David J. Enderton. 
 
 P. S. I shall stop at Brandiger's Hotel, where I shall await you. 
 
PART VI 
 
 MR. ENDERTON'S letter astonished and angered 
 me, but in spite of my indignation, I could not 
 help smiling at the unexpected way in which he had 
 put a stop to the probable perpetual peregrinations 
 of the ginger-jar. I handed the letter to Mr. Dusante, 
 and when he had read it his face flushed, and I could 
 see that he was very angry, although he kept his tem- 
 per under excellent control. 
 
 '^ Sir," he said presently, " this shall not be allowed. 
 That jar, with its contents, is my property until Mrs. 
 Leeks has consented to receive it. It is of my own 
 option that I return it at all, and I have decided to 
 return it to Mrs. Leeks. Any one interfering with my 
 intentions steps entirely beyond the line of just and 
 warrantable procedure. Sir, I shall not go westward 
 to-morrow morning, but, with my family, will accom- 
 pany you to Chicago, where I shall require Mr. Ender- 
 
 197 
 
198 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 ton to return to me my property, which I shall then 
 dispose of as I see fit. You must excuse me, sir, if 
 anything I have said regarding this gentleman with 
 whom you are connected has wounded your sensibili- 
 ties." 
 
 " Oh, don't think of that," I exclaimed. " Pitch into 
 Enderton as much as you please, and you may be sure 
 that I shall not object. When I took the daughter to 
 wife, I did not marry the father. But, of course, for 
 my wife's sake I hope this matter will not be made the 
 subject of public comment." 
 
 " You need have no fear of that," said Mr. Dusante j 
 " and you will allow me to remark that Mr. Enderton's 
 wife must have been a most charming lady." 
 
 " Why do you think so ? " I asked. 
 
 " I judge so," he answered, with a bow, '' from my 
 acquaintance with Mrs. Craig." 
 
 I now went immediately to Ruth, who, I found, 
 knew nothing of what had occurred, except that her 
 father had gone on to Chicago in advance of our 
 party, and had had time only to bid her a hasty 
 good-by. I made no remarks oh this haste, which 
 would not allow Mr. Enderton to take leave of us, but 
 which gave him time to write a letter of some length ; 
 and as Ruth knew nothing of this letter, I determined 
 not to mention it to her. Her father's sudden depar- 
 ture surprised her but little, for she told me that he 
 always liked to get to places before the rest of the 
 party with whom he might be journeying. 
 
 " Even when we go to church," she said, " he always 
 walks ahead of the rest of us. I don't understand 
 why he likes to do so, but this is one of his habits." 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 199 
 
 When I informed Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine of 
 what had happened, they fairly blazed. 
 
 "I don't know what Mr. Dnsante calls it," ex- 
 claimed Mrs. Leeks, '^ but I know what I call it." 
 
 '' Yes, indeed ! " cried Mrs. Aleshine, her round 
 eyes sparkling with excitement; '4f that isn't ex- 
 honesty, then he ain't no ex-missionary ! I pity the 
 heathen he converted ! " 
 
 " I '11 convert him," said Mrs. Leeks, " if ever I lay 
 eyes on him ! Walkin^ away with a package with my 
 name on it ! He might as well take my gold specta- 
 cles or my tortoise-shell comb ! I suppose there 's no 
 such thing as ketchin' up with him, but I '11 telegraph 
 after him ; an' I '11 let him know that if he dares to 
 open a package of mine, I '11 put the law on him ! " 
 
 " That 's so," said Mrs. Aleshine. '' You kin send 
 telegraphs all along the line to one station an' another 
 for conductors to give to him in the cars, an' directed 
 to Mr. Enderton, a tall man with gray-mixed hair an' 
 a stolen bundle. That 's the way they did in our place 
 when Abram Marly's wife fell into the cistern, an' he 'd 
 jus' took the cars to the city, an' they telegraphed to 
 him at five different stations to know where he 'd left 
 the ladder." 
 
 '' Which ain't a bad idea," said Mrs. Leeks, " though 
 his name will be enough on it without no description ; 
 an' I '11 do that this minute, an' find out about the 
 stations from the clerk." 
 
 "You must be very careful," I said, "about any- 
 thing of that kind, for the telegrams will be read at 
 the stations, and Mr. Enderton might be brought into 
 trouble in a way which we all should regret; but a 
 
200 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 despatch may be worded so that he, and no one else, 
 would understand it." 
 
 " Very well/' said Mrs. Leeks, " an^ let 's get at it ; 
 but I must say that he don't deserve bein' saved no 
 trouble, for I 'm as sure as that I 'm a livin' woman 
 that he never saved nobody else no trouble sence the 
 first minute he was born." 
 
 The following despatch was concocted and sent on 
 to Bridger, to be delive^-ed to Mr. Enderton on the 
 train : 
 
 The package you know of has been stolen. You will recog- 
 nize the thief. If he leaves it at Chicago hotel, let him go. If 
 he opens it, clap him in jail. Mrs. Lecks. 
 
 " I think that will make him keep his fingers off it," 
 said Mrs. Lecks 5 '^ an' if Mr. Dusante chooses to send 
 somethin' of the same kind to some other station, it 
 won't do no harm. An' if that Enderton gets so 
 skeered that he keeps out of sight and hearin' of all of 
 us, it 'U be the best thing that 's happened yet. An' 
 I want you to understan', Mr. Craig, that nothin' 's 
 goin' to be said or done to make your wife feel bad ; 
 an' there 's no need of her hearin' about what 's been 
 done or what 's goin' to be done. But I '11 say for 
 her that though, of course, Mr. Enderton is her father, 
 and she looks up to him as such, she 's a mighty deal 
 livelier and gayer-hearted when he 's away than when 
 he ^s with her. An' as for the rest of us, there 's no 
 use sayin' anything about our resignedness to the loss 
 of his company." 
 
 " I should say so," said Mrs. Aleshine ; " for if there 
 ever was a man who thought of himself ninety-nine 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MES. ALESHINE 201 
 
 times httore he thought of anybody else once, an* 
 then as like as not to forgit that once, he 's the man. 
 An' it 's not, by no means, that I 'm down on mis- 
 sionaries, for it 's many a box I 've made up for 'em, 
 an' never begrudged neither money nor trouble, an' 
 will do it ag'in many times, I hope. But he ought n't 
 to be called one, havin' given it up,— unless they gave 
 him up, which there 's no knomn' which it was,— for 
 if there 's auy thing which shows the good in a man, it 's 
 his bein' wdlin' to give up the comforts of a Christian 
 land an' gc an' convert heathens ; though bein' willin' 
 to give up the heathens an' go for the comforts shows 
 him quite different, besides, as like as not, chargin' 
 double, an' only half convertin'." 
 
 Mr. Dusante was fully determined to go on with us 
 until he had recovered possession of the ginger-jar. 
 His courteous feelings toward Mrs. Craig and myself 
 prevented his saying much about Mr. Enderton, but 
 I had good reason to believe that his opinions in re- 
 gard to my father-in-law were not very different from 
 those of Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine. Ever since 
 Mr. Enderton had shown his petulant selfishness, when 
 obliged to give up his room at the railroad-station for 
 the use of the women of his party, Mr. Dusante had 
 looked upon him coldly, and the two had had but 
 little to say to each other. 
 
 We were all very glad that our pleasant party w^as 
 not to be broken up ; and although there was no resig- 
 nation at the absence of the ginger-jar, we started on 
 our journey the next day in a pleasanter mood for the 
 absence of Mr. Enderton. Before we left, Mr. Dusante 
 sent a telegram to Kearney Junction, to be delivered 
 
202 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 to Mr. Enderton when he arrived there. What this 
 message was I do not know, but I imagine its tone 
 was decided. 
 
 Our journey to Chicago was a pleasant one. We 
 had now all become very well acquainted with each 
 other, and there was no discordant element in the 
 combined party. Some of us were a little apprehen- 
 sive of trouble, or annoyance at least, awaiting us in 
 Chicago, but we did not speak of it ; and while Ruth 
 knew nothing of her father's misbehavior, it might 
 have been supposed that the rest had forgotten it. 
 
 At Chicago we went at once to Brandiger's Hotel, 
 and there we found, instead of Mr. Enderton, a letter 
 from him to Ruth. It read as follows : 
 
 My dear Daughter : I have determined not to wait here, as 
 originally intended, but to go on by myself. I am sorry not to 
 meet you here, but it will not be long before we are together 
 again, and you know I do not like to travel with a party. Its 
 various members always incommode me in one way or another. 
 I had proposed to go to Philadelphia and wait for you there, 
 but have since concluded to stop at Meadowville, a village in" 
 the interior of Pennsylvania, where, as they have informed me, 
 the two women, Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine, reside. I wish 
 to see the party all together before I take final leave of them, 
 and I suppose the two women will not consent to go any farther 
 than the country town in which they live. Inclosed is a note to 
 your husband relating to business matters. I hope that he will 
 take the best of care of you during the rest of the journey, and 
 thus very much oblige Your affectionate Father. 
 
 This was my note : 
 
 Mr. Craig. Sir : I should have supposed that you would have 
 been able to prevent the insolent messages which have been 
 telegraphed to me from some members of your party, but it is 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MES. ALESHINE 203 
 
 my lot to be disappointed in those in whom I trust. I shall 
 make no answer to these messages, but will say to you that I 
 am not to be browbeaten in my intention to divide among its 
 rightful claimants the money now in my possession. It is not 
 that I care for the comparatively paltry simi that will fall to 
 myself and my daughter, but it is the principle of the matter for 
 which I am contending. It was due to me that the amount 
 should have been returned to me, and to no other, that I might 
 make the proper division. I therefore rest upon my principles 
 and my rights ; and, desiring to avoid needless altercations, 
 shaU proceed to Meadowville, where, when the rest of my party 
 arrive, I shall justly apportion the money. I suppose the man 
 Dusante will not be foolish enough to protract his useless jour- 
 ney farther than Chicago. It is your duty to make him see the 
 impropriety of so doing. Yours, etc., 
 
 D. J. Enderton. 
 
 Ruth's letter was shown to all the party, and mine 
 in private to Mr. Dusante, Mrs. Leeks, and Mrs. Ale- 
 shine. When the first moments of astonishment were 
 over, Mrs. Leeks exclaimed : 
 
 "Well, after all, I don't know that I 'm so very 
 sorry that the old sneak has done this, for now we 're 
 rid of him for the rest of the trip ; and I 'm pretty 
 certain, from the way he writes, that he has n't dipped 
 into that jar yet. We 've skeered him from doin* 
 that." 
 
 "■ But the impidence of him ! " said Mrs. Aleshine. 
 "Think of his goin' to the very town where we live 
 an' gittin' there fust ! He '11 be settin' on that tavern 
 porch, with every loafer in the place about him, an' 
 telHn' 'em the whole story of what happened to us from 
 beginnin' to end, tiU by the time we git there it '11 be 
 all over the place an' as stale as last week's bread." 
 
 " ' The man Dusante,' " quietly remarked that indi- 
 
204 
 
 THE CASTING AWAY OP 
 
 vidual, " will not abandon the purpose of his journey. 
 He left his island to place in the hands of Mrs. Leeks, 
 on behalf of her party, the ginger- jar with the money 
 inclosed. He will therefore go on with you to Mea- 
 dowviUe, and will there make formal demand, and, if 
 necessary, legal requisition, for the possession of that 
 jar and that money; after which he will proceed to 
 carry out his original intentions." 
 
 'THE IMPIDENCE OF HIM! 
 
 We all expressed our pleasure at liaviug him, with 
 his ladies, as companions for the remainder of our 
 journey, and Mrs. Leeks immediately offered them the 
 hospitalities of her house for as long a time as they 
 might wish to stay with her. 
 
 ^' The weather there," she said, " is often splendid 
 till past Thanksgivin' day, an' nobody could be wel- 
 comer than you.'' 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 205 
 
 " I ^d have asked you myself," said Mrs. Aleshine, 
 '^if Mrs. Leeks had n't done it,— which of course she 
 would, bein' alive,— but I 'm goin' to have Mr. Craig 
 an' his wife, an' as our houses is near, we '11 see each 
 other all the time. An' if Mr. Enderton chooses to 
 stay awhile at the tavern, he can come over to see 
 his daughter whenever he likes. I '11 go as fur as 
 that, though no further can I go. I 'm not the one to 
 turn anybody from my door, be he heathen, or jus' as 
 bad, or wuss. But tea once, or perhaps twice, is all 
 that I can find it in my heart to offer that man after 
 what he 's done." 
 
 As the Dusantes and Ruth expressed a desire to see 
 something of Chicago, where they had never been be- 
 fore, we remained in this city for two days, feeling 
 that, as Mr. Enderton would await our coming, there 
 was no necessity for haste. 
 
 Early in the afternoon of the second day I went into 
 the parlor of the hotel, where I expected to find our 
 party prepared for a sight-seeing excursion ; but I 
 found the room tenanted only by Mrs. Aleshine, who 
 was sitting with her bonnet and wraps on, ready to 
 start forth. I had said but a few words to her when 
 Mrs. Leeks entered, without bonnet or shawl, and 
 with her knitting in her hand. She took a seat in a 
 large easy-chair, put on her spectacles, and proceeded 
 to knit. 
 
 " Mrs. Leeks ! " exclaimed her friend, in surprise, 
 " don't you intend goin' out this afternoon ? " 
 
 "No," said Mrs. Leeks. "I 've seen all I want to 
 see, an^ I 'm goin' to stay in the house an' keep 
 quiet." 
 
206 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 " Is n't Mr. Dusante goin' out this afternoon 1 '* asked 
 Mrs. Aleshine. 
 
 Mrs. Leeks laid her knitting in her lap ; then she 
 took off her spectacles, folded them, and placed them 
 beside the ball of yarn, and, turning her chair around, 
 she faced her friend. " Barb'ry Aleshine," said she, 
 speaking very deliberately, '' has any such a thing got 
 into your mind as that I 'm settin' my cap at Mr. 
 Dusante?" 
 
 " I don't say you have, an' I don't say you have n't," 
 answered Mrs. Aleshine, her fat hands folded on her 
 knees, and her round face shining from under her new 
 bonnet with an expression of hearty good will ; " but 
 this I will say,— an' I don't care who hears it,— that if 
 you was to set your cap at Mr. Dusante, there need n't 
 nobody say any thin' ag'in' it, so long as you are content. 
 He is n't what I 'd choose for you, if I had the choosin', 
 for I 'd git one with an American name an' no islands. 
 But that 's neither here nor there, for you 're a grown 
 woman an' can do your own choosin'. An' whether 
 there 's any choosin' to be done is your own business, 
 too, for it 's full eleven years sence you 've been done 
 with widder fixin's ; an' if Mr. Leeks was to rise up 
 out of his grave this minute, he could n't put his hand 
 on his heart an' say that you had n't done your full 
 duty by him, both before an' after he was laid away. 
 An' so, if you did want to do choosin', an' made up 
 your mind to set your cap at Mr. Dusante, there 's no 
 word to be said. Both of you is ripe-aged an' qualified 
 to know your own minds, an' both of you is well off 
 enough, to all intents an' purposes, to settle down 
 together, if so inclined. An' as to his sister, I don't 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 207 
 
 expect she will be on his hands for long. An' if you 
 can put up with an adopted mother-in-law, that 's your 
 business, not mine; though I alius did say, Mrs. 
 Leeks, that if you 'd been 'Piscopalian, you 'd been 
 Low- church." 
 
 ^^s that all?" said Mrs. Leeks. 
 
 " Yes," replied the other ; '' it 's all I have to say jus' 
 now, though more might come to me if I gave my 
 mind to it." 
 
 "Well, then," said Mrs. Leeks, "I Ve somethin' to 
 say on this p'int, and I 'm very glad Mr. Craig is here 
 to hear it. If I had a feelin' in the direction of Mr. 
 Dusante that he was a man, though not exactly what 
 I might wish, havin' somethin' of foreign manners, 
 with ties in the Sandwich Islands, which I should n't 
 have had so if I 'd had the orderin' of it, who was still 
 a Christian gentleman,— as showed by his acts, not his 
 words,— a lovin' brother, an' a kind an' attentive son 
 by his own adoption, and who would make me a good 
 husband for the rest of our two lives, then I 'd go 
 and I 'd set my cap at him— not bold nor flauntin' nor 
 unbecomin' to a woman of my age, but just so much 
 settin' of it at him that if he had any feelin's in my 
 direction, and thought, although it was rather late in 
 life for him to make a change, that if he was goin' to 
 do it he 'd rather make that change with a woman 
 ' 'vho had age enough, and experience enough, in downs 
 as weU as ups, and in married life as well as single, to 
 make him feel that as he got her so he 'd always find 
 her, then I say all he 'd have to do would be to come 
 to me an' say what he thought, an' I 'd say what I 
 thought, an' the thing would be settled, an' nobody in 
 
iJOS THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 this world need have one word to say, except to wish 
 us joy, an' then go along and attend to their own 
 business. 
 
 " But now I say to you, Barb'ry Aleshine, an' just 
 the same to you, Mr. Craig, that I have n't got no such 
 feelin's in the direction of Mr. Dusante, an' I don't 
 intend to set my cap at him ; an' if he wore such a 
 thing, and set it at me, I 'd say to him, kind, though 
 firm, that he could put it straight again as far as I was 
 concerned, an' that if he chose to set it at any other 
 woman, if the nearest an' dearest friend I have on 
 earth, I 'd do what I could to make their married lives 
 as happy as they could be under the circumstances, 
 and no matter what happened, I would n't say one 
 word, though I might think what I pleased. An' now 
 you have it, all straight and plain : if I wanted to set 
 caps, I 'd set 'em ; and if I did n't want to set 'em, I 
 would n't. I don't want to, and I don't." 
 
 And, putting on her spectacles, she resumed her 
 knitting. 
 
 Mrs. Aleshine turned upon her friend a beaming 
 face. 
 
 "Mrs. Leeks," she said, "your words has lifted a 
 load from off my mind. It would n't ha' broke me 
 down, an' you would n't never have knowed I carried 
 it-, but it 's gone, an' I 'm mighty glad of it. An' as 
 for me an' my cap,— an' when you spoke of nearest 
 and dearest friends you could n't mean nobody but 
 me,— you need n't be afraid. No matter what I was, 
 nor what he was, nor what I thought of him, nor what 
 he thought of me, I could n't never say to my son, 
 when he comes to his mother's arms all the way from 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 209 
 
 Japan : ^ George, here 's a Freiicliman who I give to 
 you for a father ! ' " 
 
 Here I burst out laughing j but Mrs. Leeks gravely 
 remarked : " Now I hope this business of cap-settin' is 
 settled an' done with." 
 
 " Which it is," said Mrs. Aleshine, as she rose to 
 meet the rest of our party as they entered the room. 
 
 For several days I could not look upon the dignified 
 and almost courtly Mr. Dusante without laughing in. 
 ternally, and wondering what he would think if he 
 knew how, without the slightest provocation on his 
 side, a matrimonial connection with him had been dis- 
 cussed by these good women, and how the matter had 
 been finally settled. I think he would have considered 
 this the most surprising incident in the whole series 
 of his adventures. 
 
 On our journey from Chicago to the little country 
 town in the interior of Pennsylvania we made a few 
 stops at points of interest for the sake of Ruth and the 
 Dusante ladies, Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine gener- 
 ously consenting to these delays, although I knew they 
 felt impatient to reach theii* homes. They were now 
 on most social terms with Mrs. Dusante, and the three 
 chatted together like old friends. 
 
 " I asked her if we might call her Emily," said Mrs. 
 Aleshine in confidence to me, ''an' she said yes, an' 
 we 're goin' to do it. I Ve all along wanted to, be- 
 cause it seemed to come nat'ral, considerin' we knowed 
 'em as Emily and Lucille before we set eyes on 'em. 
 But as long as I had that load on my mind about Mrs. 
 Leeks and Mr. Dusante I could n't ' Emily ' his adopted 
 mother. My feelin's would n't ha' sto( d it. But now 
 u 
 
210 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 it 's all right ; an' though Emily is n't the woman I e» 
 pected her to be, Lucille is the very picter of what I 
 thought she was. And as for Emily, I never knowed 
 a nicer-mannered lady, an' more willin' to learn from 
 people that 's had experience, than she is." 
 
 We arrived at Meadowville early in the afternoon, 
 and when our party alighted from the train we were 
 surprised not to see Mr. Enderton on the platform of 
 the little station. Instead of him, there stood three 
 persons whose appearance amazed and delighted us. 
 They were the red-bearded coxswain and the two sailor- 
 men, all in neat new clothes, and with their hands 
 raised in maritime salute. 
 
 There was a cry of joy. Mrs. Aleshine dropped her 
 bag and umbrella, and rushed toward them with out- 
 stretched hands. In a moment Mrs. Leeks, Ruth, and 
 myself joined the group, and greeted warmly our 
 nautical companions of the island. 
 
 The Dusante party, when they were made acquainted 
 with the mariners, were almost as much delighted as 
 we were, and Mr. Dusante expressed in cordial words 
 his pleasure in meeting the other members of the party 
 to whom his island had given refuge. 
 
 " I am so glad to see you," said Mrs. Aleshine, " that 
 I don't know my bonnet from my shoes ! But how, 
 in the name of all that 's wonderful, did you get. 
 here?" 
 
 " 'T ain't much of a story," said the coxswain, " an' 
 this is just the whole of it. When you left us at 
 'Frisco we felt pretty downsome, an' the more that 
 way because we could n't find no vessel that we cared 
 to ship on ; an' then there come to town the agent of 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 211 
 
 the house that owned our brig, and we was paid off 
 for our last v'yage. Then, when we had fitted our- 
 selves out with new togs, we began to think different 
 about this shippin' on board a merchant- vessel, an' 
 gettin' cussed at, an' livin' on hard-tack an' salt prog, 
 an' jus' as like as not the ship springin' a leak an' all 
 hands pumpin' night an' day, an' goin' to Davy Jones, 
 after all. An' after talkin' this all over, we was struck 
 hard on the weather-bow with a feelin' that it was a 
 blamed sight better— beggin' your pardon, ma'am— to 
 dig garden-beds in nice soft dirt, an' plant peas, an' 
 ketch fish, an' all that kind of shore work, an' eatin' 
 them good things you used to cook for us, Mrs. Ale- 
 shine, and dancin' hornpipes for ye, and tamin' birds 
 when our watch was off. Was n't that so, Jim an' 
 Bill?" 
 
 " Aye, aye, sir ! " said the black-bearded sailormen. 
 
 ^^ Then says I, ' Now look here, mates j don't let 's 
 go and lark away all this money, but take it an' make 
 a land trip to where Mrs. Aleshine lives ' — which port 
 I had the name of on a piece of paper which you gave 
 me, ma'am." 
 
 And here Mrs. Aleshine nodded vigorously, not 
 being willing to interrupt this entrancing story. 
 
 '^ ' An' if she 's got another garden, an' wants it dug 
 in, an' things planted, an' fish caught, an' any other 
 kind of shore work done, why, we 're the men for her ; 
 an' we '11 sign the papers for as long a v'yage as she 
 likes, and stick by her in fair weather or foul, bein' 
 good for day work an' night work, an' alius ready to 
 fall in when she passes the word.' Ain't that so, Jim 
 an'BiU?" 
 
212 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 " Aye, aye, sir ! " returned the sailormen, with son- 
 orous earnestness. 
 
 " Upon my word ! " cried Mrs. Aleshine, tears of joy 
 running down her cheeks, "them papers shall be 
 signed, if I have to work night an' day to find some- 
 thin' for you to do. I 've got a man takin' keer of my 
 place now j but many a time have I said to myself that 
 if I had anybody I could trust to do the work right, 
 I 'd buy them two fields of Squire Ramsey's, an' go into 
 the onion business. An' now you sailormen has come 
 like three sea angels, an' if it suits you we '11 go into 
 the onion business on sheers." 
 
 " That suits us tiptop, ma'am," said the coxswain ; 
 " an' we '11 plant inyans for ye on the shears, on the 
 stocks, or in the dry-dock. It don't make no dif'rence 
 to us where you have 'em j just pass the word." 
 
 " Well, well," said Mrs. Leeks, " I don't know how 
 that 's goin' to work, but we won't talk about it now. 
 An' so you came straight on to this place ? " 
 
 "That did we, ma'am," said the coxswain. "An' 
 when we got here we found the parson, but none of 
 you folks. That took us aback a little at fust, but he 
 said he did n't live here, an' you was comin' pretty 
 soon. An' so we took lodgin's at the tavern, an' for 
 three days we 've been down here to meet every train, 
 expectin' you might be on it." 
 
 Our baggage had been put on the platform, the train 
 had moved on, and we had stood engrossed in the cox- 
 swain's narrative ; but now I thought it necessary to 
 make a move. There was but one small vehicle to 
 hire at the station. This would hold but two persons, 
 and in it I placed Mrs. Dusante and Ruth, the first 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 213 
 
 being not accustomed to walking, and the latter very 
 anxious to meet her father. I ordered the man to 
 drive them to the inn, where we would stay until Mrs. 
 Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine should get their houses 
 properly aired and ready for our reception. 
 
 ^' Mrs. Craig will be glad to get to the tavern and 
 see her father," said Mrs. Aleshine. ^' I expect he for- 
 got all about its bein' time for the train to come." 
 
 ^' Bless you, ma'am ! " exclaimed the coxswain, '^ is 
 she gone to the tavern ? The parson 's not there ! " 
 
 " Where is he, then ? " asked Mrs. Aleshine. 
 
 '' He 's at your house, ma'am," replied the coxswain. 
 
 '^ An' what, in the name of common sense, is he doin^ 
 at my house?" exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, her eyes 
 sparkling with amazement and indignation. 
 
 "Well, ma'am, for one thing," said the coxswain, 
 " he 's had the front door painted." 
 
 " What ! " cried Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine, in one 
 breath. 
 
 " Yes," continued the coxswain ; " the parson said 
 he hated to see men hangin' around doin' nothin^ 
 An' then he looked about, an' said the paint was all 
 wore off the front door, an' we might as well go to 
 work an' paint that ; an' he sent Jim to a shop to git 
 the paint an' brushes—" 
 
 " An' have 'em charged to me 1 " cried Mrs. Aleshine. 
 
 ^' Yes, ma'am," continued the coxswain. "An' Jim an' 
 Bill holystoned all the old paint off the door, an' I 
 painted it, havin' done lots of that sort of thing on 
 shipboard ; an' I think it 's a pretty good job, ma'am 
 —red at top and bottom, an' white in the middle, like a 
 steamer's smoke-stack." 
 
214 THE CASTING AWAY OP 
 
 Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine looked at each other. 
 " An' he told you to do that 1 " said Mrs. Leeks. 
 
 '*Yes, ma'am," answered the coxswain. '^The par- 
 son said he never liked to be nowhere without doin' 
 what good he could. An' there was some other 
 paintin' he talked of havin' done, but we ain't got at 
 it yet. I s'posed he was actin' under your orders, an' 
 I hope I have n't done no wrong, ma'am." 
 
 ^^You 're not a bit to blame," said Mrs. Aleshine; 
 '^ but I '11 look into this thing. No fear about that ! 
 An' how did he come to go to my house ? An' how 
 did he get in, I 'd like to know ? " 
 
 "AU I know about that," said the coxswain, "is 
 what the gal that 's livin' there told me, which she did 
 along of askin' us if we was comin' to live there too, 
 an' if she should rig up beds for us somewhere in the 
 top-loft ; but we told her no, not havin' no orders, an* 
 payin' our own way at the tavern. She said, said she, 
 that the parson come there, an' 'lowed he was a friend 
 of Mrs. Aleshine's an' travehn' with her, an' that if she 
 was at home she would n't let him stay at no tavern ; 
 an' that, knowin' her wishes, he 'd come right there, an' 
 'spected to be took care of till she come. She said she 
 felt oncertain about it, but she tuck him in till she 
 could think it over, an' then Vv^e come an' certified that 
 he was the parson who 'd been along with Mrs. Ale- 
 shine an' the rest of us. Arter that she thought it 
 was all right, an', beggin' your pardon if we was 
 wrong, so did Jim an' Bill an' me, ma'am." 
 
 "Now," exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, "if that is n't 
 exactly like EHzabeth Grootenheimer ! To think of 
 Elizabeth Grootenheimer thinkin'! The Grooten- 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 215 
 
 heimers always was the dumbest family in the town- 
 ship, an' Elizabeth Grootenheimer is the dumbest of 
 'em all ! I did say to myself, when I went away : 
 ' Now, Elizabeth Grootenheimer is so stone dumb that 
 she '11 jus' stay here an' do the 
 little I tell her to do, an' has n't 
 sense enough to get into no 
 mischief.' An' now, look at 
 her ! " 
 
 She waved her hand in the 
 direction of the invisible Eliz- 
 abeth Grootenheimer. 
 
 Mrs. Leeks had said very lit- 
 tle during this startling com- 
 munication, but her face had assumed a stern and 
 determined expression. Now she spoke : 
 
 *' I guess we 've heard about enough, an' we 'd better 
 be steppin' along an' see what else Mr. Enderton an' 
 Elizabeth Grootenheimer is doin'." 
 
 The homes of Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine were 
 not far from each other, and were situated about mid- 
 way between the station and the village inn, and in the 
 direction of these our party now started. Mrs. Ale- 
 shine, contrary to her custom, took the lead, and 
 walked away with strides of unusual length. Mrs. 
 Leeks was close behind her, followed by the two 
 Dusantes and myseK, while the three mariners, who 
 insisted upon carrying all the hand-baggage, brought 
 up the rear. We stepped quickly, for we were all 
 much interested in what might happen next ; and very 
 soon we reached Mrs. Aleshine's house. It was a 
 good-sized and pleasant-looking dwelling, painted 
 
216 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 white, with green shutters, and with a long covered 
 piazza at the front. Between the road and the house 
 was a neat yard with grass and flower-beds, and from 
 the gate of the picket-fence in front of the yard^a 
 brick-paved path led up to the house. 
 
 Our approach had been perceived, for on the piazza, 
 in front of the gaily i)ainted door, stood Mr. Enderton, 
 erect, and with a bland and benignant smile upon his 
 face. One hand was stretched out as if in welcome, 
 and with the other he gracefully held the ginger-jar, 
 now divested of its wrappings. 
 
 At this sight Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine made a 
 simultaneous dash at the gate ; but it was locked The 
 two women stamped their feet in fur}^ 
 
 "Put down that jar ! " shouted Mrs. Leeks. 
 
 "Elizabeth Grootenheimer ! Elizabeth Grooten- 
 heimer ! " screamed Mrs. Aleshine. " Come here and 
 open this gate." 
 
 " Break it down ! " said Mrs. Leeks, turning to the 
 sailors. 
 
 " Don't you do it ! " exclaimed Mrs. Aleshine, throw- 
 ing herself in front of it. " Don't you break my gate ! 
 Elizabeth Grootenheimer ! " 
 
 " My friends," said Mr. Enderton, in clear, distinct 
 tones, " be calm. I have the key of that gate in my 
 pocket. I locked it because I feared that on your 
 first arrival you would hurry up to the house in a 
 promiscuous way, and give heed to irrelevant matters. 
 I wished to address you in a body, and in a position 
 where your attention would not be diverted from me. 
 I hold here, my friends, the receptacle containing the 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 217 
 
 money which, under a misapprehension, was paid for 
 oui* board while on a desert island. This money I 
 have taken care of, and have carefully guarded for the 
 benefit of us all. Unfortunately, objections have arisen 
 to this guardianship, which were forwarded to me by 
 telegraph ; but I have not heeded them. If you can- 
 not see for yourselves the propriety of my assumption 
 of this trust, I will not now undertake to enlighten 
 you. But I hope there is no necessity for this, for, 
 having had time to give the matter your fullest atten- 
 tion, I doubt not that you entirely agree with me. I 
 will merely add, for I see you are impatient, that the 
 sum which will fall to the share of each of us is com- 
 paratively insignificant and in itself not worth striv- 
 ing for J but what I have done has been for the sake 
 of principle. For the sake of principle I have insisted 
 that this money should be received by its rightful own- 
 ers ; for the sake of principle I assumed the custody 
 of it ; and for the sake of principle I shall now empty 
 the contents of this jar— which by me has not been 
 examined or touched— upon the floor of this piazza, 
 and I shall then proceed to divide said contents into 
 five suitable portions— the three mariners, as I under- 
 stand, having paid no board. The gate can then be 
 opened, and each one can come forward and take the 
 portion which belongs to him or to her. The portion of 
 my daughter, whom I saw pass here in a carriage, going, 
 doubtless, to the inn, will be taken charge of by myself." 
 " You man ! " shrieked Mrs. Leeks, shaking her fist 
 over the fence, " if you as much as lift that paper of 
 fish-hooks from out the top of that ginger- jar, I '11—" 
 
218 
 
 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 Here she was interrupted by the loud, clear voice of 
 Mr. Dusante, wlio called out : ^' Sir, I require you to 
 put down that jar, which is my property." 
 
 " I '11 let you know," said Mrs. Leeks, " that other 
 people have principles ! " 
 
 But what more she said was drowned by the voice 
 of Mrs. Aleshine, who screamed for Elizabeth Grooten- 
 
 heimer, and who was 
 now so much excited 
 that she was actually 
 trying to break open 
 her own gate. 
 
 I called out to Mr. 
 Enderton not to make 
 trouble by disturbing 
 the contents of the 
 jar; and even Miss 
 Lucille, who was in- 
 tensely amused at the 
 scene, could be heard 
 joining her voice to 
 the general clamor. 
 
 But the threats and 
 demands of our united 
 party had no effect 
 upon Mr. Enderton. 
 
 •"YOU MANl' SHEIEKED MES. LECKS." Hc StOOd Up, SCrCnC 
 
 and bland, fully ap- 
 preciating the advantage of having the key of the 
 gate's padlock in his pocket and the ginger-jar in his 
 hand. 
 
 " I will now proceed," said he. But at that moment 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 219 
 
 his attention was attracted by the three mariners, who 
 had clambered over the pointed pales of the fence, and 
 who now appeared on the piazza, Bill to the right hand 
 of Mr. Enderton, Jim to the left, and the red-bearded 
 coxswain at his back. They all seemed to speak at 
 once, though what they said we could not hear, 
 nothing but a few hoarse mutterings coming down 
 to us. 
 
 But in consequence of what Bill said, Mr. Enderton 
 handed him the key of the gate ; and in consequence 
 of what Jim said, Mr. Enderton delivered to him the 
 ginger- jar ; and in consequence of what the coxswain 
 said, he and Mr. Enderton walked off the piazza ; and 
 the two proceeded to a distant corner of the yard, 
 where they stood out of the way, as it were, while the 
 gate was opened. Bill bungled a little, but the pad- 
 lock was soon removed, and we all hurried through the 
 gate and up to the piazza, where Jim still stood, the 
 ginger- jar held reverently in his hands. 
 
 The coxswain now left Mr. Enderton, and that 
 gentleman proceeded to the open gate, through which 
 he passed into the road, and then turned, and in a loud 
 and severe tone addressed Mrs. Aleshine : 
 
 '^ I leave your inhospitable house, and go to Join my 
 daughter at the inn, where I request you to send my 
 valise and umbrella as soon as possible." 
 
 Mrs. Aleshine's indignation at this invasion of her 
 home and this trampling on her right to open her own 
 gate had entirely driven away her accustomed genial- 
 ity, and in angry tones she cried : 
 
 " Jus' you stop at that paint-shop, when you git to 
 the village, an' pay for the paint you had charged to 
 
220 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 me ; an' when you 've done that you can send for your 
 things." 
 
 " Come, now, Barb'ry," said Mrs. Leeks, " don't let 
 your feelin's run away with you. You ought to be 
 thankful that he 's let you off so easy, an' that he 's 
 gone." 
 
 " I^^m all that," said Mrs. Aleshine ; " an', on second 
 thoughts, every whip-stitch of his bag and baggage 
 shall be trundled after him as soon as I kin git it 
 away." 
 
 We all now stood upon the piazza, and Mrs. Aleshine, 
 in calmer tones, but with her face still flushed from 
 her recent excitement, turned to us and said : " Now, 
 is n't this a pretty comin' home? My front gate 
 fastened in my very face ; my front door painted red 
 and white; the inside of the house, as like as not, 
 turned upside down by that man jus' as much as the 
 outside ; an' where in the world, I 'd like to know, is 
 Elizabeth Grootenheimer ? " 
 
 "Now don't you be too hard on her," said Mrs. 
 Leeks, " after havin' been away from her so long. I 
 have n't a doubt she 's f eedin' the pigs ; and you know 
 very well she never would leave them as long as she 
 felt they needed her. You need n't mind if your 
 house is upset, for none of us is comin' in, havin' only 
 intended to see you to yoar door, which I must say is 
 a pretty blazin' one." 
 
 "And now, Mrs. Leeks," said Mr. Dusante, taking, 
 as he spoke, the ginger-jar from the hand of Jim, " I 
 think this is a suitable opportunity for me to accom- 
 plish the object for which my present journey was un- 
 dertaken, and to return to you the contents of this jar/' 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 221 
 
 ^* Which," said Mrs. Leeks, in a very decided tone, 
 ** I don't take now no more 'n I did before." 
 
 Mr. Dusante looked surprised and troubled. After 
 all the dangers and adventui-es through which that 
 ginger- jar had gone, I believe that he expected Mrs. 
 Leeks would at last relent and consent to accept it from 
 him. 
 
 " Now, look here," said Mrs. Aleshine, ^' don't let us 
 have any more fuss about the ginger- jar, or anything 
 else. Let 's put off talkin' about that till we 're all 
 settled and fixed. It won't do for you to take the jar 
 to the tavern with you, Mr. Dusante, for like as not 
 Mr. Enderton will git hold of it ag'in, an' I know Mrs. 
 Leeks won't let it come into her house ] so, if you like, 
 you may jus' leave it here for the present, and you may 
 make up your minds nobody '11 touch it while I 'm 
 about. An' about I intend to be." 
 
 This arrangement was gladly agreed upon, and the 
 jar being delivered to Mrs. Aleshine, we took our leave 
 of her. 
 
 Mrs. Leeks found no difficulty in entering her gate, 
 where she was duly welcomed by a man and his wife 
 she had left in charge, while the Dusantes and myself 
 walked on to the inn, or " Hotel," as its sign imported, 
 about which the greater part of the little town clus- 
 tered. The three mariners remained behind to await 
 further orders from Mrs. Aleshine. 
 
 By the afternoon of the next day the abodes of those 
 two most energetic and capable housewives, Mrs. Leeks 
 and Mrs. Aleshine, were fully prepared for the recep- 
 tion of their visitors, and the Dusante family were en- 
 sconced beneath the roof of the one, while my wife and 
 
222 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 I were most warmly welcomed at the gaily adorned 
 door of the other. 
 
 Mr. Endertun remained at the inn, where he fonnd 
 very comfortable quarters, an arrangement satisfactory 
 to all parties. 
 
 In Mrs. Aleshine's dwelling, where, from the very 
 first, Lucille took her position as a most constant visi- 
 tor, being equally welcomed by Ruth and the mistress 
 of the house, all was satisfaction and high good humor. 
 The ceaseless activity and cheerful spirits of our host- 
 ess seemed to animate us all. At Mrs. Lecks's home the 
 case was different. There, I could plainly see, there 
 was a certain uneasiness amounting almost to stiffness 
 between Mrs. Leeks and Mr. Dusante. The latter had 
 not accomplished the purpose for which he had made 
 this long journey; and though, if things had turned 
 out as he wished, he would have been very glad to be 
 the guest of Mrs. Leeks, still, under the present cir- 
 cumstances, the situation did not suit him. Mrs. 
 Leeks, too, possessed an unsettled mind. She did not 
 know when Mr. Dusante would again endeavor to 
 force back upon her the board money in the ginger- 
 jar, and in this state of uneasy expectancy she was not 
 at her best. 
 
 " He 's not satisfied," said she to me, on the morning 
 after the Dusantes had come to her ; " he wants to do 
 somethin', or else to go away. I wish that ginger-jar 
 had dropped into the bottom of the sea while he was 
 bringin' it, or else had smashed itself into a thousand 
 bits while he was slidin' down the mountain, and the 
 money had melted itself into the snow. S'posin^ at the 
 end of the week he was to come to me and offer to pay 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 223 
 
 me board for himseK and his family, sayin' that was 
 no more than I 'd done to him ! Of course the two 
 cases are not a bit alike j for we went to his house 
 strangers, without leave or license, while he comes to 
 mine as a friend, bein' fully invited and pressed. But 
 I don*t suppose I could make him see it in that light, 
 and it worries me." 
 
 I was convinced that something ought to be done to 
 end this unpleasant state of affairs, and I took my wife 
 and Miss Lucille into council on the subject. After 
 we had deliberated a little while an idea came to Ruth. 
 
 "■ In my opinion," said she, ^' the best thing we can 
 do with that board money is to give it to those three 
 sailors. They are poor and will be glad to get it ; Mr. 
 Dusante and Mrs. Leeks ought to be fully satisfied, for 
 the one does n't keep it and the other does n't take it 
 back ; and I 'm sure that this plan will please all the 
 rest of us." 
 
 This proposition was agreed to by the council, and 
 I was appointed to go immediately and lay it before 
 the parties interested. 
 
 Mr. Dusante gave his ready consent to this proposal. 
 " It is not what I intended to do," said he, '' but it 
 amounts to almost the same thing. The money is in 
 fact restored to its owners, and they agree to make a 
 certain disposition of it. I am satisfied." 
 
 Mrs. Leeks hesitated a little. " All right," said she. 
 " He takes the money and gives it to who he chooses. 
 I Ve nothin' to say against it." 
 
 Of coui'se no opposition to the plan was to be ex- 
 pected from anybody else, except Mr. Enderton. 
 But when I mentioned it to him, I found, to my 
 
224 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 surprise, that he was not unwilling to agree to it. 
 HaK closing the book he had been reading, he said : 
 " What I have done was on behalf of principle. I did 
 not believe, and do not believe, that upon an entirely- 
 deserted island money should be paid for board. I 
 paid it under protest, and I do not withdraw that pro- 
 test. According to all the laws of justice and hospital- 
 ity, the man who owned that island should not retain 
 that money, and Mrs. Leeks had no right to insist 
 upon such retention. But if it is proposed to give 
 the sum total to three mariners who paid no board, 
 and to whom the gift is an absolute charity, I am con- 
 tent. To be sure, they interfered with me at a mo- 
 ment when I was about to make a suitable settlement 
 of the matter, but I have no doubt they were told to 
 do so ; and I must admit that while they carried out 
 their orders with a certain firmness, characteristic of 
 persons accustomed to unreasoning obedience, they 
 treated me with entire respect. If equal respect had 
 been shown to me at the beginning of these disputes, 
 it would have been much better for all concerned." 
 
 And opening his book, he recommenced his reading. 
 
 That afternoon all of us, except Mr. Enderton, as- 
 sembled on Mrs. Aleshine's piazza to witness the pres- 
 entation of the board money. The three sailors, who 
 had been informed of the nature of the proceedings, 
 stood in line on the second step of the piazza, clad in 
 their best toggery, and with their new tarpaulin hats 
 in their hands. Mrs. Aleshine went into the house, and 
 soon reappeared carrying the ginger-jar, which she 
 presented to Mr. Dusante. That gentleman took it, 
 and stood holding it for a moment as if he were about 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 225 
 
 to speak ; but even if he had intended to say anything, 
 he had no further opportunity, for Mrs. Leeks now 
 stepped forward and addressed him. 
 
 " Mr. Dusante," said she, " from what I have seen of 
 you myself and heard tell of you from others, I believe 
 you are a man who tries to do his duty, as he sees it, 
 with a single heart and no turnin' from one side to the 
 other. You made up your mind that you 'd travel 
 over the whole world, if it had to be done, with that 
 ginger- jar and the board money inside of it, till you 'd 
 found the people who 'd been livin' in your house ; and 
 then that you 'd give back that jar, jus' as you 'd found 
 it, to the person who took upon herself the overseein^ 
 of the reg'lar payin' of the money and the puttin' of 
 it therein. With that purpose in your mind you car- 
 ried that jar over the ocean j you wandered with it up 
 and down California ; and holdin' it tight fast in your 
 arms, you sUd down the slipperiest mountain that was 
 ever made yet, I believe, and if it had been your only 
 infant child, you could n't have held it firmer,' nor re- 
 garded it more careful. Through ups and downs, and 
 thicks and smooths, you carried that jar or followed 
 it, and for the sake of doin' what you 'd set your mind 
 on you came all the way to this place ; to which, if it 
 had n't been for that one idea, it is n't likely you 'd 
 ever dreamed of comin'. Now, Mr. Dusante, we 've 
 all agreed on what we think is the right thing to do, 
 and you agreed with us, but I can see by your face 
 that you 're disapp'inted. The thing you set ovt to do 
 you have n't done ; and I 'm not goin' to have it to say 
 to myself that you was the only one of ail of us that 
 was n't satisfied, and that I was the stumblin'-block 
 
 15 
 
226 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 that stood in your way. So I '11 back down from say^ 
 in' that I 'd never touch that jar again, and you can 
 put it into my hands, as you set out to do." 
 
 Mr. Dusante made no answer, but stepped forward, 
 and taking Mrs. Lecks's large brown and work-worn 
 hand, he respectfully touched it with his lips. It is not 
 probable that Mrs. Lecks's hand had ever before been 
 kissed. It is not probable that she had ever seen any 
 one kiss the hand of another. But the hard sense and 
 keen insight of that independent countrywoman made 
 her instantly aware of what was meant by that old- 
 fashioned act of courteous homage. Her tall form 
 grew more erect; she slightly bowed her head, and 
 received the salute with a quiet dignity which would 
 have become a duchess. 
 
 This little scene touched us all, and Mrs. Aleshine 
 afterward informed me that for a moment she had n't 
 a dry eye in her head. 
 
 Mr. Dusante now handed the ginger- jar to Mrs. 
 Leeks, who immediately stepped toward Ruth and 
 Lucille. 
 
 " You two young ones," she said, " can jus' take this 
 jar, an* your hands can be the first to lift off that pa- 
 per of fish-hooks and take out the money, which you 
 will then divide among our good friends, these sail- 
 ormen." 
 
 Ruth and Lucille immediately sat down on the floor 
 of the piazza, and the one emptied the board money 
 into the lap of the other, where it was speedily divided 
 into three equal portions, one of which was placed in 
 the hands of each mariner. 
 
 The men stood motionless, each holding his money 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 227 
 
 in his open right hand, and then the red-bearded cox- 
 swain spoke. 
 
 " It ain't for me, nor for Bill, nor for Jim nuther, to 
 say a word ag'in' what you all think is right and square. 
 
 'HE KESPECTFULLY TOUCHED IT WITH HIS LIPS. 
 
 We Ve stood by ye an' obeyed orders since we first 
 shipped on that island, an' we intend to do so straight 
 along. Don't we, Jim an' Bill ? " 
 
 " Aye, aye, sir ! " said Jim and Bill, in hearty hoarse 
 response. 
 
 ^^ There 's some of ye, specially Mrs. Aleshine, 
 though meanin' no disrespec' to anybody else, that 
 
228 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 we 'd follow to the crosstrees of the topgallantmast of 
 the tallest ship that ever floated in the middle of the 
 ragin'est typhoon that ever blowed. Would n't we, 
 Jim an' Bill?" 
 
 ^' Aye, aye, sir ! " sang out Jim and Bill. 
 
 '^ But though we stand ready to obey orders," said 
 the coxswain, " we made up oui- minds, when we heard 
 what was goin' to be done, that we 'd listen keerful f er 
 one thing, an' we have listened keerful, an' we have n't 
 heard that one thing, an' that thing was what we 
 should do with this money. An' not havin' heard it, 
 an' so bein' under no orders as to the spendin' of it, 
 we take the money, an' thank you kindly, one an' all. 
 Don't we, Jim an' Bill?" 
 
 '' Aye, aye, sir ! " said Jim and Bill. 
 
 And into the pocket of each mariner clinked the 
 money. 
 
 Mr. Dusante now took up the ginger- jar, and ap- 
 proached Mrs. Leeks. ^^I hope, madam," he said, 
 ^^ that as the subject of our little differences has now 
 been removed from this jar, you will consent to accept 
 it from me as a memento of the somewhat remarkable 
 experiences through which it has accompanied us." 
 
 " Take it, sir ? " said she. ^' To be sure I will. An' 
 very glad am I to get it. As long as I live it shall 
 stand on the mantelpiece in my parlor ; an' when I die 
 it shall be left to my heirs, to be taken care of as long 
 as it holds together." 
 
 Every reason for dissatisfaction having now been 
 banished from our little company, we all settled down 
 for a season of enjoyment. Even Mr. Enderton, who 
 had found on the top sheK of a closet in his room at 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 229 
 
 the inn a lot of old books, appeared to be in a state 
 of perfect content. To the Dusantes a residence in 
 this absolutely rural portion of our Middle States in 
 the autumnal season was an entirely novel experi- 
 ence. The crisp and invigorating air, the mists and 
 the glowing hues of the Indian-summer time, the soft- 
 ness of the sunshine, and even those masses of limbs 
 and twigs which had already dropped their leaves and 
 spread themselves in a delicate network against the 
 clear blue sky, were all full of a novel beauty for these 
 people who had lived so long in tropical lands and 
 among perennial foliage, and had never known the 
 dehghts of an American country life out of season. 
 Having enjoyed Mrs. Lecks's hospitality for a suitable 
 period, they proposed to that sensible woman that she 
 should receive them as boarders until the winter 
 should set in ; and to this practical proposition she 
 gave a ready assent, hoping that the really cold weather 
 would long defer its coming. 
 
 Ruth and I established ourselves on the same terms 
 with Mrs. Aleshine. A prolonged holiday from the 
 labors of my business had been the object of my 
 attempted journey to Japan, and I could think of no 
 place where it would better please my young wife and 
 myself to rest for a time than here among these good 
 friends. 
 
 A continual source of amusement to us were the 
 acts and doings of Mrs. Aleshine and her three sailor- 
 men. These bold mariners had enlisted, soul and 
 body, into the service of the thrifty housewife ; and as 
 it was impossible to do anything in connection with 
 the growing of the onions until the desired fields should 
 
230 THE CASTING AWAY OP 
 
 be acquired and the spring should open, many and 
 diverse were the labors at which the coxswain and 
 those two able-bodied seamen Bill and Jim set them- 
 selves, or were set by Mrs. Aleshine. 
 
 The brilliantly painted front door, which at first had 
 excited the good woman's ire, gradually came to com- 
 mand her admiration; and when her sailormen had 
 done everything else that they could in the barns, the 
 fields, or at the woodpile, she gave them the privilege 
 to paint various portions of her property, leaving de- 
 signs and colors to their own taste and fancy. Whether 
 they milked the cows, cut the wood, or painted the sides 
 of the house, they always worked like good fellows, 
 and in nautical costume. They holystoned the front 
 deck, as they called the floor of the piazza, until it 
 seemed sacrilegious to set foot upon it ; and when the 
 house and the pale-fence had been suitably painted, 
 they allowed their fancies lofty flights in the decoration 
 of the smaller outbuildings and various objects in the 
 grounds. One of the men had a pocket-chart of the 
 colors adopted by the different steamship companies 
 all over the world, and now smoke-houses, corn-cribs, 
 chicken-houses, and so on, down to pumps and hitch- 
 ing-posts, were painted in great bands of blue and red 
 and white andblack,arrangedin alternating orders, until 
 an observer might have supposed that a commercial 
 navy had been sunk beneath Mrs. Aleshine's house 
 grounds, leaving nothing but its smoke-stacks visible. 
 
 The greatest work of decoration, however, was re- 
 served by the red-bearded coxswain for himself, de- 
 signed by his own brain, and executed by his own 
 hands. This was the tattooing of the barn. Around this 
 

 ^^. ? 
 
 "THE GKEATEST WOKK OF DECORATION WAS EESERVED BY THE 
 RED-BEARDED COXSWAIN FOE HIMSELF," 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 233 
 
 building, the sides of which were already of a color 
 sufficiently resembling a well-tanned human skin, the 
 coxswain painted, in blue spots resembling tattooing, 
 an immense cable passing several times about the 
 structure, a sea-serpent almost as long as the cable, 
 eight anchors, two ships under full sail, with a variety 
 of cannons and flags which filled up all the remaining 
 spaces. This great work was a long time in execution, 
 and before it was half finished its fame had spread 
 over the surrounding country. 
 
 The decoration of her premises was greatly enjoyed 
 by Mrs. Aleshine. ''It gives 'em somethin' to do," 
 said she, '' till the onion season comes on ; it makes 'em 
 happy; an' the leaves an' flowers bein' pretty nigh 
 gone, I like to see the place blossomin' out as if it was 
 a cold- weather garden." 
 
 In the evenings, in the large kitchen, the sailormen 
 danced their hornpipes, and around the great fireplace 
 they spun long yarns of haps and mishaps on distant 
 seas. Mrs. Aleshine always, and the rest of us often, 
 sat by the fire and enjoyed these nautical recreations. 
 
 "Havin' myseK done housekeepin' in the torrid 
 zone," she once said, " a lot of the things they tell come 
 home to me quite nat'ral. An' I d do anything in the 
 world to make 'em content to live on dry land like 
 common Christians, instead of cavortin' about on the 
 pitchin' ocean, runnin' into each other, an' springin' 
 leaks, with no likelihood of findin' a furnished island 
 at every p'int where their ship happened to go down." 
 
 On one subject only did any trouble now come into 
 the mind of Mrs. Aleshine, and she once had a little 
 talk with me in regard to it 
 
234 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 "I Ve been afeard from the very beginning," she 
 said, '^ an' after a while I more 'n half believed it, that 
 Elizabeth Grootenheimer was settin' her cap at the 
 coxswain; so I just went to him an' I spoke to him 
 plain. ' This sort o' thing won't do at all/ says I ; ^ an' 
 although I have n't a doubt you see it for yourself, 
 I thought it my dooty to speak my mind about it. 
 There 's plenty of young women in this township that 
 would make you sailormen fust-rate wives, an' glad 
 enough I 'd be to see you all married an' settled an> 
 gone to f armin' right here amongst us ; but Elizabeth 
 Grootenheimer won't do. Settin' aside everythin' 
 else, if there was to be any children, they might be 
 little coxswains, but they 'd be Grootenheimers too, 
 stone-dumb Grootenheimers ; an' I tell yon plain that 
 this county can't stand no more Grootenheimers ! ' 
 To which he says, says he, ^ I want you to understan', 
 ma'am, that if ever me or Jim or Bill makes up our 
 mind to set sail for any sort of a weddin' port, we 
 won't weigh anchor till we 've got our clearance papers 
 from you.' By which he meant that he 'd ask my ad- 
 vice about courtin'. An' now my mind is easy, an' I 
 can look ahead with comfort to onion-time." 
 
 I found it necessary to go to Philadelphia for a day 
 or two to attend to some business matters ; and, the 
 evening before I started, the coxswain came to me and 
 asked a favor for himself and his mates. 
 
 " It may n't have passed out of your mind, sir," said 
 he, " that when me an' Jim an' Bill took that money 
 that you all give us, which was n't 'zackly like prize- 
 money, because the rest of the crew, to put it that way, 
 did n't get any, we listened keerful to see if anything 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 235 
 
 was said as to what we was to do with the money ; an' 
 nothin' bein' said, we took it, and we was n't long 
 makin' np our minds as to what we was goin' to do 
 with it. What we wanted to do was to put up some 
 sort of signal what could n't get blowed away, or, 
 more like, a kind of reg'lar moniment as would make 
 them that looked at it remember the rough squalls and 
 the jolly larks we 've gone through with together j an' 
 it was when we was talkin' about Mrs. Leeks bein' give' 
 the ginger-jar to put on her mantelpiece an' keep for- 
 ever that me an' Jim an' Bill we said, says we, that 
 Mrs. Aleshine should have a ginger-jar too, havin' as 
 much right to one as her mate, an' that that would be 
 the signal-flag or the moniment that we 'd put up. 
 Now, sir, as you 're goin' to town, we ask you to take 
 this money, which is the whole lot that was give' us, 
 an' have a ginger-jar built, jus' the size an' shape an' 
 gen'ral trim of that other one, but of no pottery-stuff, 
 for you kin buy 'em jus' like that, an' that ain't what we 
 want. We want her built of good oak, stout an' strong, 
 with live-oak knees inside to keep her stiff an' save her 
 from bein' stove in, in case of a collision. We want 
 her bottom coppered up above the water-line with real 
 silver, an' we want a turtle-back deck with a round 
 hatchway, with a tight-fittin' hatch, jus' like common 
 jars. We want her sides calked with oakum, an' well 
 scraped an' painted, so that with water inside of her 
 or outside of her she won't leak. An' on the bottom 
 of her, so they kin be seen if she keels over, we wants 
 the names of me an' Jim an' Bill, which we 've wrote 
 on this piece of paper. An' on her sides, below the 
 water-line, on the silver copperin', we want the names 
 
236 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 of all the rest of you, an^ tlie latitood an^ longitood of 
 that island, an' anything out of the logs that might 'a' 
 been kep' by any of you, as might help to be remem- 
 bered the thing what happened. An' then, if there 's 
 any room left on the copperin', an' any money lef to 
 pay for 'em, you might have cut on as many anchors, 
 an' hearts, an' bits of cable, an' such like suitable things 
 as would fill up. An' that jar we 're goin' to give to 
 Mrs. Aleshine to put on her mantelpiece, to stay there 
 as long as she lives, or anybody that belongs to her. 
 An', by George, sir ! " he added behind his hand, al- 
 though there was nobody to hear, " if ever them two 
 jars run into each other, it won't be Mrs. Aleshine's 
 that '11 go down ! " 
 
 I undertook this commission, and in due course of 
 time there came to the village the most astonishing 
 ginger- jar that was ever built, and which satisfied the 
 three mariners in every particular. When it was pre- 
 sented to Mrs. Aleshine, her admiration of this work 
 of art, her delight in its ownership, and her gratitude 
 to the donors were ahke boundless. 
 
 "However could I have had the idee," said she 
 privately to me, " that any one of them noble sailor- 
 men could have brought himself down to marry 
 Elizabeth Grootenheimer ! " 
 
 It was not long after this happy event that another 
 great joy came to Mrs. Aleshine. Her son returned 
 from Japan. He had heard of the loss of the steamer 
 in which his mother and Mrs. Leeks had set sail, and 
 was in great trouble of mind until he received a letter 
 from his mother which brought him speedily home. 
 He had no intention of settling in MeadowviUe, 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 237 
 
 but it had been a long time since he had seen his 
 mother. 
 
 He was a fine young man, handsome and well edu- 
 cated, and we were all delighted with him ; and in a 
 very short time he and Lucille Dusante, being the only 
 young bachelor and maiden of the company, became 
 so intimate and super-friendly that it was easy to see 
 that to Mrs. Aleshine might come the unexpected rap- 
 ture of eventually being the mother of Lucille. 
 
 We stayed much later at Meadowville than we had 
 expected. Even after the little hills and vales had 
 been well covered with snow, sleighing and coasting 
 parties, led by the lively new-comer, offered attractions, 
 especially to Lucille, which bound us to the cheery 
 homes of Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleshine. But, after 
 a time, the Dusantes considered it prudent to go to 
 Florida for the rest of the winter ; Mr. Enderton had 
 long since read all the books on his closet shelf and 
 departed for New York ; and Ruth and I determined 
 that we, too, must move eastward. 
 
 But, before our little company separated, Mrs. Ale- 
 shine's son and Lucille Dusante had settled it between 
 them that when the springtime came they would set 
 sail for a wedding port. This match w^as a highly 
 satisfactory one to all concerned, for Mr. Dusante 
 could scarcely have found a young brother-in-law who 
 would make his sister so happy, and who was, at the 
 same time, so well fitted by disposition and previous 
 occupation to assist in his increasing business cares. 
 
 In the spring the Dusante family came North again, 
 and Lucille and her lover were married ; and then c.l\ 
 of us, except Mr. Enderton, who had obtained a most 
 
238 THE CASTING AWAY OF 
 
 congenial position as assistant librarian in a pnblic 
 institution seldom visited, gathered at Meadowville 
 to spend a week or two together, after which Ruth 
 and I would repair to the New England town which 
 was to be our home, and the Dusante family, the 
 young husband included, would set out on a tour, 
 partly of business and partly of pleasure, through 
 Canada and the far Northwest. 
 
 It was arranged that, whenever it should be possi- 
 ble, Lucille and Mrs. Dusante should spend their sum- 
 mers at Meadowville ; and as this would also give her 
 much of the society of her son, the heart of Mrs. 
 Aleshine could ask no more. 
 
 This visit to Meadowville was in the onion season ; 
 and one morning Ruth and I sat upon a fence and 
 watched the three sailormen busily at work. The soil 
 looked so fine and smooth that one might almost have 
 supposed that it had been holystoned ; and the three 
 nautical farmers, in their tight- waisted, loose-bottomed 
 trousers, their tarpaulin hats, and their wide-collared 
 shu'ts, were seated on the ground at different points, 
 engrossed in the absorbing task of setting out young 
 onions as onions had never been set out before. All 
 the careful attention to patient minutise which nautical 
 handiwork had taught them was now displayed in their 
 new vocation. In a portion of the field which had been 
 first planted the onions had sprouted, and we could see 
 evidences of astonishing designs. Here were anchors in 
 onions ; hearts in onions ; brigs, barks, and schooners 
 in onions; and more things pertaining to ships, the 
 heart's affections, and the raging main outlined in 
 onions than Ruth and I could give names to. 
 
MRS. LECKS AND MRS. ALESHINE 
 
 239 
 
 " It seems to me," said I, ^^ that there must have been 
 same sort of enchantment in that little island in the 
 Pacific, for in one way or another it has made us all 
 very happy." 
 
 ^ That is true/' answered Ruth, " and, do you know, 
 I believe the cause of a great part of that happiness 
 was the board money in the ginger-jar ! '* 
 
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
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