But Daniel himself shut the "hatch," that is to say, the back door. He was on his way to the stairs, but Mr. Ginn detained him.
"Hold on a shake, Cap"n," he said. "I ain"t hardly seen you yet. Let"s have a look at you." Crossing his legs--his feet were like miniature trunks--he added, "How are you, anyway?"
Daniel replied that he was fair to middling.
"Sit still and make yourself comfortable, Labe," he went on. "I"ll tell Zuba you"re here."
"What"s your hurry? Give me a chance to catch my breath. I lugged that dunnage bag," indicating the valise, "from the depot up here, and I feel as if I"d strained every plank in my hull. Ought to go into dry dock and refit, I had. I landed in Philadelphy a week ago," he continued. "Quit the old steamer for good, I have. Me and the skipper had some words and I told him where he could go. Ho! ho! I don"t know whether he went or not; anyhow, I started for Trumet. Got there and found you"d come into money and had moved to Scarford and was livin" with the big-bugs. Some house you"ve got here, ain"t it! Soon"s I see it I headed for the back door. "A first cabin companion like that"s no place for me," I says. Ho!
ho! Besides, I cal"lated to find Zuby Jane out in the fo"castle here.
Didn"t expect to locate you, though, in this end of the ship. How"s it seem to be rich? Ain"t got fat on it, have you."
Daniel, amused in spite of his recent ill temper, shook his head.
"Not yet," he answered. "So you"ve been ash.o.r.e a week and your wife doesn"t know it? Why didn"t you write to her from Philadelphia?"
"Oh, I don"t know. Zuby and me"s got an understandin" about that, and other things. There"s nothin" like havin" a clear understandin" to make married folks get along together. We write letters, of course, but we don"t write very often. I"m li"ble to be "most anywheres on the face of the earth, and it makes me fidgety to think there"s letters chasin" me round and I ain"t gettin" "em. I say to Zuby, "Long"s you don"t hear from me you"ll know I"m all right, and long"s I don"t hear from you I"ll know the same. We"ll write when we feel like it. I"ll come home as often as I can, and when I come I"ll fetch you my share of the wages." That"s our understandin" and it"s a good one. We ain"t had a fight since we was spliced; or, if we have, I always stop it right off--stop her part, I mean. Where IS the old gal, anyhow?"
"She"s up in her room, I presume likely."
"Oh, is she? Well, she"ll be down in a jiffy. If she ain"t I"ll go up and give her a surprise."
"I"ll call her, if you give me a chance."
"No, no, you needn"t. No "special hurry. She"s waited for three years; cal"late ten minutes more won"t hurt neither of us. Had your supper yet?"
Daniel smiled grimly. "Not yet," he replied.
"Then she"ll be down to get it, of course. I shan"t stop her; I"m empty as a rum bottle four days out of port. You folks eat late, don"t you?"
"Sometimes."
"I should think so. What"s Zuby doin" up in her room this time of night?"
"She said she was goin" to change her clothes."
"Oh, yes, yes; I see. Well, "twon"t take her long. If I went up I"d only hold her back, and I want my supper. Let"s have a smoke, Dan, while we"re waitin"."
He patted one pocket after the other and finally located a chunky, battered pipe, which he proceeded to fill with shavings from a black plug. Daniel watched him. A new idea was dawning in his mind, an idea which seemed to afford him some pleasurable antic.i.p.ation. Mr. Ginn looked up from his tobacco shaving.
"Now, tell me about all this money of yours," he commanded. "I didn"t hear nothin" else at Trumet; that and your wife"s gettin" to be commodore of some woman"s lodge or other was all they talked about.
Hey? Why, where"s your pipe? Ain"t you goin" to smoke? I"ve got plenty terbacker."
Daniel looked dubious. "I guess not, Labe," he said. "Zuba--well, the fact is, Zuba doesn"t like people to smoke in her kitchen."
Laban"s face expressed astonishment. "She don"t!" he cried. "She don"t?
How long since?"
"Oh, almost ever since she came here. It is one of her new ways."
""Tis, hey? Well, I like the old ones better, myself. Never you mind her ways; trot out your pipe and light up. I--"
He was interrupted by his companion, who made a flying jump toward the stove. The teakettle was boiling over.
"Let it bile," commented Mr. Ginn. ""Tain"t your funeral, is it? You ain"t supposed to boss the galley. That"s the cook"s business, not the skipper"s."
But Daniel carefully removed the kettle to a place of safety.
"It"s my business to-night," he said. "I"m gettin" my own supper."
Mr. Ginn straightened in his chair. "You be?" he exclaimed. "You BE?
What for? Ain"t there no women folks in the house? Ain"t Zuby--why, you said--"
"I know I said, but what I say don"t seem to amount to much. You see, Labe, your wife has got some of what MY wife calls advanced ideas.
She belongs to some kind of a lodge herself, and this is their meetin"
night. Just before you came Zuba made proclamations that I could cook my own supper. She said she couldn"t stop to do it; she"d be late to the meetin" if she did."
Laban"s mouth opened. The pipe fell from it, scattering sparks like a Roman candle, and bounced upon the spotless floor of the kitchen. Daniel would have picked it up, but his visitor intervened. He put one mammoth foot upon the sparks and, leaning forward, demanded instant attention.
"For thunder sakes, Dan Dott!" he cried. "Never mind that pipe; let it alone. For thunder sakes, tell me what you"re talkin" about? Zuby--Zuby Jane Ginn racin" to lodges and tellin" you--YOU--to cook your own meals!
Go on! You"re loony."
"Maybe I am, Labe, but it"s so."
"It"s so? And you let it be so? I don"t believe it. What do you mean?
How long has it been so?"
Captain Dan proceeded to tell of his housekeeper"s conversion to progress and advancement. He did not suppress any of the details; in fact, he magnified them just a bit.
"She"s a free woman, so she says, Labe," he said, in conclusion. "And a free woman has a right to be free."
"Is that so! That"s what she says, hey? And you let her say it? Why, you--you--" He hesitated, hovering between candid expression and the respect due an ex-skipper of a three-master. "Wh-what do you have such goin"s on in your house for?" he demanded. "What makes you let the gang afore the mast run over you this way? Why don"t you--who"s that upstairs; your wife?"
"No, my wife is out. I shouldn"t wonder if that was Zuba. She"s on her way to the door, probably."
"She is, hey? Call her down here. Sing out to her to come down. Hi!" as the captain stepped to the stairs, "don"t say nothin" about me."
Daniel, suppressing a grin, shouted up the stairs.
"Zuba!" he called. "Zuba, come down here a minute."
Azuba answered, but in no complacent tone. "Don"t bother me, Cap"n Dott," she protested. "I"m late as "tis."
"Just a minute, Zuba, that"s all. One minute, please."
Mr. Ginn snorted at the "please." They heard the housekeeper descending.
At the bottom step she sniffed loudly.
"I do believe it"s tobacco smoke!" she exclaimed. "Cap"n Dott, have you been smokin" in my kitchen?"