“There’s a hull lot of seemin’ impossible things in this world that come to pass just the same,” the substitute storekeeper made answer, with some tartness.  “Here’s the needle drawer.  Find what you want, ma’am.”

Louise was frankly spying.  She saw that the customer was a lanky young woman in a sunbonnet.  When she dropped the bonnet back upon her narrow shoulders with an impatient jerk, the better to see the needles, it was revealed that her thin, light hair was drawn so tightly back from her face that it actually seemed to make her pop-eyed.

She had a rather pretty pink and white complexion, and aside from the defect of hairdressing might have been attractive.  She possessed a thin and aquiline nose, however, the nostrils fairly quivering with eagerness and curiosity.

“Land sakes!” she was saying.  “I know Cap’n Abe’s been talkin’ of goin’ away—­the longest spell!  But so suddent—­’twixt night and mornin’ as ye might say------”

“Exactly,” said Cap’n Amazon dryly, and went on counting the pins from the box into a paper sack.

“What ’bout the girl that’s come here?  That movie actress?” asked the young woman with added sharpness in her tone.  “What you going to do with her?”

Cap’n Amazon came back to the counter and even his momentary silence was impressive.  He favored the customer with a long stare.

“Course, ‘tain’t none o’ my business.  I was just askin’——­”

“You made an int’restin’ discovery, then, ma’am,” he said.  “It ain’t any of your business.  Me and my niece’ll get along pretty average well, I shouldn’t wonder.  Anything else, ma’am?  I see the needle’s two cents and the pins two cents a dozen.  Six cents in all.”

“Well, I run a book with Cap’n Abe.  I ain’t got no money with me,” said the young woman defiantly.

“Le’s see; what did you say your name was?” and Cap’n Amazon drew from the cash drawer a long and evidently fully annotated list of customers’ names, prepared by Cap’n Abe.

“I’m Mandy Baker—­she ’twas Mandy Card.”

“Yes.  I find you here all right.  Your bill o’ ladin’ seems good.  Good-mornin’, ma’am.  Call again.”

Mandy Baker looked as though she desired to continue the conversation.  But there was that in Cap’n Amazon’s businesslike manner and speech that impressed Mrs. Baker—­as it had Lawford Tapp—­that here was a very different person from the easy-going, benign Cap’n Abe.  Mandy sniffed, jerked her sunbonnet forward, and departed with her purchases.

Cap’n Amazon’s quick eye caught sight of Louise’s amused face in the doorway.

“Kind of a sharp craft that,” he observed, watching’ Mandy cross the road.  “Reminds me some o’ one o’ them Block Island double-enders they built purpose for sword-fishing.  When you strike on to a sword-fish you are likely to want to back water ’bout as often as shove ahead.  I cal’late this here Mandy Baker is some spry in her maneuvers.  And I bet she’s got one o’ the laziest husbands in this whole town.  ’Most always happens that way,” concluded the captain, who seemed quite as homely philosophical and observant as his brother.