“Are yer wife an’ daughter with ye on this trip, Captain?” he asked.  “They seem to be out of ’most everything women need.  It’s a wonder ye didn’t get them outfitted in the city.  D’ye think this is a department store?  Guess they must have been studying Eaton’s catalogue.”

Captain Samuel coughed and shuffled uneasily.

“Why, what’s on the list, Ezry?”

“Didn’t ye read it?”

“No, never looked at it.  I thought it was all right, an’ that ye kept ’most everything here.”

“Well, I don’t, and never expect to.  Now, look at this, for instance,” and the storekeeper touched the paper with the forefinger of his right hand.  “A kimona, just think of that!  I never had a call for such a thing before.”

“Is that down thar?” the captain enquired, reaching for the list.

“Sure, ye can see for yourself.  But that isn’t all.  A pair of pyjamas is wanted, bedroom slippers, table-cloth, and napkins.  Say, Captain, your wife an’ daughter must be getting some new fandangled notions all of a sudden.  Going to use them on the boat, eh?”

The captain made no reply.  His face was very red, and he was mopping his forehead with a big pocket-handkerchief.

“It does work ye up, doesn’t it?” the storekeeper chuckled.

“Work me up!  Why, I’m bilin’ hot.  But fer the love of heaven, isn’t there anything on that list ye do keep?  Guess we’ll have to send to Eaton’s after all, only them things are wanted right away.”

The storekeeper again studied the list, and with a pencil scored out the articles he did not have.

“I haven’t that, nor that, nor that,” he commented.

“Well, fer goodness’ sakes what have ye got, Ezry?  Tell me quick, fer I can’t stay here all the mornin’.”

“Nor that, nor that, nor that,” the storekeeper continued.  “Ah, I have that,” and his face brightened.  “Yes, I’ve got a tooth-brush, or I did have one a year ago.  Let me see.”  He turned and began to rummage in a dilapidated show-case, and at length brought forth with triumph the required article.  He laid it carefully on the counter, and resumed his study of the list.  A brush and comb were the next requisites, and these, after considerable searching, were produced.

“Yer doin’ fine, Ezry,” the captain encouraged.  “Don’t work too hard, though I would like to git back to me boat before the river freezes.  I don’t want to lay out thar all winter.  What’s next on the program?”

“A box of choc’lates, hard-centres.  I don’t keep ’em, Captain.  I’ve only mixed-candy an’ conversation lozenges.  Maybe they ’d like some of them.”

“All right, put ’em in; it’s all the same to me.  I never eat sich things.  Is that all?”

“Yes, I guess that’s all I can supply,” the storekeeper replied as he finally viewed the list.  “If ye wanted molasses, sugar, or anything in the hardware line I could accommodate ye.  But kimonas, pyjamas, bedroom slippers, and such things, I don’t carry.”