"
"And you have mothered his babies all these years?"
"I have, 'm, yes. In course when it come time for their schoolin' I
had to let 'em go. 'Twas then Cap'n Hosmer was going to give up this
house, 'cause 'twa'n't no use a-keepin' it while they was off, but thet
made me put my wits to work, and I planned a plan as I ain't seen fit
to find no fault with to this day. I ups and merries John Gunter,
what's been a-hangin' around a year or more, and I says, 'We'll take
the house off your hands, Cap'n. I've made up a notion to keep
lodgers, and then that'll give my girls a place to come to, and git fed
up, a holidays--don't you see, sir? And at that he laughs and says,
says he--for he's a man what's sound and sweet clear through, like a
hard cabbage, 'm, no rotten nowhere--and he says: 'A good plan, Debby,
and I'll rent your two best rooms for my daughters now, and pay a year
in advance,' and so 'twas done, 'm. And so's went the last five year,
them a-coming and going, jest like the sunshine in Aprile, but now--"
Again the always husky voice broke, and the white apron was turned into
a handkerchief for the nonce.
"Now you are going to lose them, you say?"
"Yes'm. They're to ship with their father for the long cruise--that
is, I s'pose I oughter say they're a-goin with him on the long v'yage
to Ingy."
"I presume he gets lonely for them too, poor man!"
"In course he do, 'm--I sees thet plain--and I can't really say a word,
only--hist! I believes it's 'em, now.
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