They shook hands. Mrs. Snow calmly expectant; the Captain very nervous
and not knowing how to begin.

"I feel as if I knew you, Cap'n Hedge," said the widow, as the Captain
slid into his own rocker. "The boy on the depot wagon told me a lot
about you and Cap'n Ryder and Cap'n Burgess."

"Did, hey?" The Captain inwardly vowed vengeance on his chum's
grandnephew. "Hope he gave us a clean bill."

"Well, he didn't say nothin' against you, if that's what you mean. If he
had, I don't think it would have made much diff'rence. I've lived
long enough to want to find out things for myself, and not take folks'
say-so."

The lady seeming to expect some sort of answer to this statement,
Captain Eri expressed his opinion that the plan of finding out things
for one's self was a good "idee." Then, after another fidgety silence,
he observed that it was a fine evening. There being no dispute on this
point, he endeavored to think of something else to say. Mrs. Snow,
however, saved him the trouble.

"Cap'n Hedge," she said, "as I'm here on what you might call a bus'ness
errand, and as I've been waitin' pretty nigh two hours already, p'raps
we'd better talk about somethin' besides fine evenin's. I've got to be
lookin' up a hotel or boardin' house or somewheres to stay to-night, and
I can't wait much longer. I jedge you got my letter and was expectin'
me. Now, if it ain't askin' too much, I'd like to know where Cap'n
Burgess is, and why he wa'n't at the depot to meet me."