But that
consent had been granted and Georgie might stay until Christmas, perhaps
even after that if he was not too great a care.
He was something of a care, there was no doubt of that. Imogene, whom he
liked and who liked him, declared that "that young one had more jump in
him than a sand flea." The very afternoon of his arrival he frightened
the hens into shrieking hysterics, poked the fat and somnolent Patrick
Henry, the pig, with a sharp stick to see if he was alive and not "gone
dead" like the kitten, and barked his shins and nose by falling out of
the wheelbarrow in the barn. Kenelm, who still retained his position at
the High Cliff House and was meek and lowly under the double domination
of his fiancee and his sister, was inclined to grumble. "A feller can't
set down to rest a minute," declared Kenelm, "without that young one's
jumpin' out at him from behind somethin' or 'nother and hollerin',
'Boo!' Seems to like to scare me into a fit. Picks on me wuss than
Hannah, he does."
But even Kenelm confessed to a liking for the "pesky little nuisance."
Captain Obed idolized him and took him on excursions along the beach
or to his own fish-houses, where Georgie sat on a heap of nets and came
home smelling strongly of cod, but filled to the brim with sea yarns.
And Thankful found in the boy the one comfort and solace for her
increasing troubles and cares. Altogether the commodore was in a fair
way to become a thoroughly spoiled officer.
With November came the rains again, and, compared with them, those of
early September seemed but showers.
Pages:
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256