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forward to his coming strengthened the bond that brought him back to Sunset Lane each spring. No one had ever needed him before and it was a man-satisfying sensation. And in Aunt Achsaā€™s affection for him there was a depth which he divined but only vaguely understood. In his hardy six feet four the compassionate mother-woman was seeing her poor Lavender, big and strong and ā€œstraight.ā€ To her Dugald was what Lavender ā€œwasnā€™tā€; in her way she put him and Lavender together and made a satisfying whole. Sometimes she wondered if Dugald might not be the answer to her prayers!

It had been to young Allan that Aunt Achsa had carried the letter that the baker brought so unexpectedly to the door. Joe had lingered on the doorstep, but had not been rewarded by any hint of its contents. Achsa could not remember when she had had a letter before. She fingered the envelope apprehensively. Yet it could scarcely be bad news of any sort, for there was just herself and Lavender and he was only down in the flats. No one would write anything about him.

ā€œRead itā€”my eyes ainā€™t certain with folkā€™s writing,ā€ she had begged Dugald Allan, in a shaky voice. Thereupon he had read aloud Sidneyā€™s letter.

ā€œI never!ā€ ā€œI swan!ā€ ā€œWhy, thatā€™s Annie Greenā€™s girlā€”Annie was Jonā€™thanā€™s daughterā€”I recā€™lect her when she wasnā€™t much bigger than a pint of cider.ā€ Achsa Green fluttered with excitement like a quivering brown leaf caught in a sudden stir of wind. ā€œAnd the little thing says she knows all about me. Heard her folks tell. Well, well, I wouldnā€™t ā€™a said there was a Godā€™s soul knew about Achsa Green outside this harbor! The little pretty. And her maā€™s deadā€”died when she was a baby, poor little mite. Sidneyā€”thatā€™s not a Cape name. Like as not they got it from the other side. Well, Uncle Jonā€™than allas was diffā€™runtā€”he was for books and learninā€™ and was a peaked sort, as I recā€™lect himā€”He was considā€™rable younger than Pa!ā€

During Achsaā€™s excited soliloquy Dugald Allan had an opportunity to reread the letter. He smiled broadly over the reading. But his smile changed to a quick frown as he observed the signature. For a brief second he pondered over it, then by a shake of his head seemed to dismiss some thought.

ā€œWhat are you going to tell her?ā€ he asked Achsa Green. ā€œWill you let her come on?ā€

Achsa Green started. She had not thought of the real business of the letter. ā€œWhy, I donā€™t know. Itā€™s a poor place for a young girlā€”ā€

ā€œDonā€™t talk like that, Aunt Achsa. Havenā€™t I told you this is the only corner of the earth where Godā€™s air is sweetā€”and untainted?ā€

Achsa Green could only understand what her Mr. Dugald meant by the expression of his eyes. Now, they encouraged her. ā€œI might fix up the downstairs bedroom. It ainā€™t been used except to store things since Lavender was born in there and his ma was taken out in a box, but I donā€™t know but that I could fix it up suitā€™ble; a young girl ainā€™t so finicky as grownups. If you wonā€™t mind havinā€™ a young piece ā€™roundā€”ā€ uncertainly.

It was not exactly to Dugald Allanā€™s liking to have a ā€œyoung pieceā€ around. He had planned some difficult and steady work for the summer. And he had an unreasonable aversion to fifteen-year-olds, at least the kind like his young cousin and her friends, which was the only kind he really knew. But he was touched by Aunt Achsaā€™s delight in finding ā€œflesh-and-bloodā€ kin; he did not like to dampen her pleasure. He could work somewhere else, in one of the corners of the breakwall or among the dunes. He smilingly assured her that a ā€œyoung pieceā€ around would add tremendously to his summer.

ā€œI dunno if I can write her a nice enough letter, my hand shakes so, and I ainā€™t much of a head at spelling. Pa never set anything by books himself and Asabelā€™s and my schoolinā€™ sort oā€™ depended on the elements.ā€ Dugald Allan sensed that Achsa did not want this little unknown cousin, miles away, to know of her lack of ā€œschoolinā€™.ā€

ā€œBless you, Iā€™ll write and Iā€™ll write just as though it came from you.ā€

ā€œDonā€™t know as thereā€™s a scrap of writinā€™ paper in this house.ā€

ā€œMy best is none too good,ā€ promised young Allan promptly, delighting in the growing pleasure in the wrinkled face.

But one more doubt assailed Achsa Green. Lavender.

ā€œDā€™you think I ought to tell first handā€”about Lavender?ā€

Early in his acquaintance with Aunt Achsa and Sunset Lane Dugald had come to know how it hurt Aunt Achsa to speak of Lavender as ā€œbeing different.ā€ At first, with courteous consideration he had avoided the truthā€”then as the summers passed he himself had grown fond enough of the boy to forget the crooked body.

He hesitated a moment before he answered, then he spoke gently:

ā€œNo, Aunt Achsa. That is not necessary. And anywayā€”itā€™s only the outer shell of him that is different, his soul is fine and straight and manly.ā€

At this Achsaā€™s eyes caressed him; he put so easily into words what she tried so bravely to remember.

And thus it had come about that Dugald Allan wrote on his best stationery (which he kept for his letters to his mother) to Sidney Ellis Romley, as though, per promise, it was Cousin Achsa, herself. He had had to write several letters before one quite suited both him and Achsa. The letter despatched, to his surprise he shared with Aunt Achsa considerable interest in its outcome. It would certainly knock the summer flat, but Aunt Achsaā€™s delighted anticipation was rare.

He helped her to prepare the ā€œspareā€ room off the parlor and to remove anything that might remind its young occupant of that tragic passing of Lavenderā€™s mother ā€œby box.ā€ He abetted her safeguarding the various mementoes of the days when the Betsy King sailed into the harbor from foreign shores.

ā€œNo sense leavinā€™ things ā€™round waitinā€™ to be knocked off longā€™s they lived through them cats. You canā€™t tell what fifteenā€™s goinā€™ to be!ā€

ā€œNoā€”ā€ groaned Allan inwardly, ā€œYou certainly can not.ā€

In the last hours before Sidneyā€™s expected arrival he agreed to meet her. Though that was Lavenderā€™s duty he knew, as well as Achsa, that she could not depend upon Lavender. ā€œIf he took it into his head to go down to Rockmanā€™s wharf why, heā€™d goā€”cousin or no cousin cominā€™,ā€ Aunt Achsa had worried; and then Dugald had come to the rescue, even promising to go so far as to hire Hiram Fossā€™s hackā€”none of the town taxis would go through the sand of Sunset Lane!

CHAPTER VII
 
WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE

ā€œLand Oā€™ Goshen, you donā€™t tell me youā€™re cruisinā€™ down to the Cape all by yourself! Now, ainā€™t that exciting! And you never been there before, yā€™say?ā€

Sidney nodded, sitting very straight on the seat, her hand closed tightly over her purse which contained all that was left of the Egg after purchasing her tickets. Her face perceptibly brightened. Others had talked to her during the long journey but they had had a way of saying ā€œbrave little girlā€ that had been annoying and that had not helped the lump that persisted in rising in her throat.

This stranger Sidney felt was himself from the Cape. He was big and broad and had bushy white whiskers that encircled a very red face. From his booming voice she knew he must have commanded a ship; perhaps he knew Ezekiel Green and the Betsy King. She smiled shyly at him as he slid into the seat beside her. They were leaving Plymouth behind.

ā€œGoinā€™ to Provincetown? Well, now, thatā€™s about as far as you can go, ā€™lowinā€™ you ainā€™t goinā€™ to Race Pā€™int Light, by chance. You be careful that no pirates come ā€™long and ship and stow you in the foā€™castle! Thereā€™s a-plenty of ā€™em ā€™round these waters yet.ā€

ā€œOf course I know there arenā€™t really piratesā€”but whatā€™s aā€”a foā€™castle?ā€

Her new friend roared. ā€œBless the heart of the little landlubber! Why, theā€”the foā€™castleā€™s theā€”the foā€™castleā€”forā€™ard of the foā€™mast. And donā€™t you be too sure about the piratesā€”you ask Jed Starrow if there ainā€™t! Only they donā€™t run up their flag no moreā€”I guess the black skyā€™s their flag.ā€

ā€œHave they any treasure buried on the Cape?ā€ Sidney ventured.

The old seaman started to laugh again, then smothered it by a big hand at his whiskers. ā€œNow I wonā€™t say they have or they havenā€™t. The Cape ought to be full of it. And these here pirates I speak of bury their treasures somewheresā€”jest whereā€™s the business of Uncle Samā€™s men to find out.ā€ He struck his chest proudly and Sidney caught the gleam of a badge pinned to one of the red straps of his suspenders. He saw that she had glimpsed it; doubtless he had intended she should.

ā€œSpecial deputy marshalā€”Iā€™m Capā€™n Phin Davies of Wellfleet, retired, you might sayā€”at Uncle Samā€™s command.ā€

ā€œOh, I guessed youā€™d sailed a ship. Do youā€”did you know the Greens?ā€

ā€œGreens? Thereā€™s Greens all over the Cape. But I reckon I know ā€™most everyone in these parts and if I donā€™t, Elizy doesā€”ā€

ā€œEzekiel Green sailed the Betsy Kingā€”ā€ enlightened Sidney.

ā€œOld Zeke? Why, sure as spatter! Well, well! I might say I was brought up on stories about Zeke Green. My father overhauled the Betsy King for Zeke. Zekeā€™s folks any folks of yours?ā€ turning suddenly to Sidney.

Sidney explained that they wereā€”that she was Sidney Romley of Middletown, going now to visit her Cousin Achsa, whom she had never seen and of whom she knew little.

ā€œYou donā€™t say. My, my, cominā€™ all this way. So Achsaā€™s livinā€™, is she? Zekeā€™s boy died, near as I can remember. I recā€™lect a benefit they had for his widow. She was a Wellfleet girl. Seems to me she died, too. Yes, she didā€”suddenly, when her baby was born. Canā€™t recā€™lect whether the baby lived or not. Donā€™t pay much time to those things, donā€™t have to for Elizy does it well enough for the two of us. Ainā€™t anything on the Cape Elizy misses. Comes to me though that I heard her say something about that kidā€”sure does. I remember that benefit like it was last night. Iā€™d just come ashore from a long vā€™yage and was rigged from tā€™mast to mizzen for a night at Potterā€™s with the boys and Elizy puts me into a bā€™iled shirt and makes me hitch up the hoss and drive to that benefit. I guess I ought ā€™er remember it.ā€

He was too deep in his own reminiscences to observe the effect of his words upon Sidney. So Cousin Asabel was dead! And they had had a benefit for his widow. Sidney did not know just what a benefit was but the sound of the word connected it in her brain with the League and the mortgage. She wished Capā€™n Phin Davies could remember whether the baby had lived or not.

ā€œIf it had livedā€”I mean that babyā€”how old would it be, now?ā€

ā€œOhā€”yesā€”the baby. Letā€™s see. That benefit must aā€™ been all aā€™ sixteen or seventeen year ago. It was the last trip I made on the Valiant. Yep, the last. Elizyā€™d know for sartin sure, though. Ainā€™t many dates she canā€™t remember down to the minit. Thereā€™s somethinā€™ about that kid of Greenā€™s Iā€™ve heard Elizy tellā€”ā€ He turned suddenly to Sidney: ā€œYouā€™re cominā€™ down to this part of the country to visit whatā€™s left of your folks hereabouts and you donā€™t know nothinā€™ ā€™bout them? Seems to me some one ought ā€™a shipped with you. Now I wish ā€™twas Elizy and me you was cominā€™ to visit. I sartinā€™ do. Elizy likes little girlsā€”weā€™ve often wished we had a boatā€™s crew of ā€™em. Whatā€™s the use

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