As a stone thrown into a quiet pool drives circling ripples farther and farther away from the point of contact, so the news of Cap’n Abe’s secret departure and the appearance of the strange brother in his place, spread through the neighborhood.

The coming of Louise to the store on the Shell Road had also set the tongues to clacking.  Mandy Baker, who took her husband’s rating in women’s eyes at his own valuation, was up in arms.  A pretty girl, and an actress at that!—­for until recent years that was a word to be only whispered in polite society on the Cape—­was considered by such as Mandy to be under suspicion right from the start.

The mystery of Cap’n Amazon, however, quite overtopped the gossip about Louise.  Idlers who seldom dropped into the store before afternoon came on this day much earlier to have a look at Cap’n Amazon Silt.  Women left their housework at “slack ends” to run over to the store for something considered suddenly essential to their work.  Some of the clam-diggers lost a tide to obtain an early glimpse of Cap’n Amazon.  Even the children came and peered in at the store door to see that strange, red-kerchief-topped figure behind Cap’n Abe’s counter.

Cap’n Joab Beecher was one of the earliest arrivals.  Cap’n Joab had been as close to Cap’n Abe as anybody in Cardhaven.  There had been some little friction between him and the storekeeper on the previous evening.  Cap’n Joab felt almost as though Cap’n Abe’s sudden departure was a thrust at him.

But when he introduced himself to Cap’n Amazon the latter seized the caller’s hand in a seaman’s grip, and said heartily:  “I want to know Cap’n Joab Beecher, of the old Sally Noble.  I knowed the bark well, though I never happened to clap eyes on you, sir.  Abe give me a letter for you.  Here ’tis.  Said you was a good feller and might help wise me to things in the store here till I’d l’arned her riggin’ and how to sail her proper.”

Cap’n Joab was frankly pleased by this.  He spelled out the note Cap’n Abe had addressed to him slowly, being without his reading glasses, and then said: 

“I’m yours to command, Cap’n Silt.  Land sakes!  I s’pose your brother had a puffict right to go away.  He’d talked about goin’ enough.  Where’s he gone?”

“On a v’y’ge,” said Cap’n Amazon.

“No!  Gone to sea?”

“Yes.  Sailing to-day—­out o’ Boston.”

“I want to know!  Abe Silt gone to sea!  Wouldn’t never believed it.  Always ‘peared to be afraid of gettin’ his paws wet—­same’s a cat,” ruminated Cap’n Joab.  “What craft’s he sailin’ in?”

The Boston morning paper lay before Cap’n Amazon, opened at the page containing the shipping news.  His glance dropped to the sailing notices and with scarcely a moment’s hesitancy he said: 

“Curlew, Ripley, master, out o’ Boston.  I knowed of her—­knowed Cap’n Ripley,” and he pointed to the very first line of the sailing list.  “If Abe got there in time he like enough j’ined her crew.”