I said Hannah was in a clove hitch, didn't I? Well, she is,
but Kenelm--well, Kenelm's like a young one runnin' 'tiddly' on thin
ice--worse'n that, 'cause he can't stop on either side, got to keep
runnin' between 'em and look out and not fall in."
Labor Day, the day upon which the Cape summer season really ends, did
not, to the High Cliff House, mean the general exodus which it means to
most of the Cape hotels. Some of Thankful's lodgers left, of course, but
many stayed, and were planning to stay through September if the weather
continued pleasant. But on the Saturday following Labor Day it rained.
And the next day it rained harder, and on Monday began a series of cold,
windy, gloomy days which threatened to last indefinitely. One after
the other the sojourners from the cities passed from grumbling at the
weather to trunk-packing and leaving. A few stayed on into the next week
but when, at the end of that week, a storm set in which was more severe
than those preceding it, even these optimists surrendered. Before that
third week was over the High Cliff House was practically deserted.
Except for Heman Daniels and John Kendrick and Miss Timpson and Caleb
Hammond, Thankful and Emily and Imogene were alone in the big house.
This upsetting of her plans and hopes worried Thankful not a little.
Emily, too, was troubled concerning her cousin's business outlook. The
High Cliff House had been a success during its first season, but it
needed the expected September and early October income to make it a
success financially.
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