Blow the Man Down - A Romance of the Coast
Page 116"No, sir!" declared the selectman, with vigor.
"It's only monthly lease, I repeat. You can prevent them from getting
pauper residence here, in case none of my plans work."
"Don't want 'em here--won't have 'em! I consider taxpayers first!"
"Don't ye ever consider common, ordinary, human decency?" roared Captain
Epps Candage.
It was astonishing interruption. Its violence made it startling. Mayo
whirled and stared amazedly at this new recruit.
Captain Candage yanked his fat wallet from his pocket and dammed it down
on the counter with a bang which made the selectman's eyes snap.
"You know me, Rowley! We've got the money to pay for what we order and
We are bringing 'em ashore, here, because it's right to help 'em get
onto their feet. Hold on, Captain Mayo; you let me talk to Rowley! Him
and me know how to get sociable in a business talk!"
However, Captain Candage seemed to be seeking sociability by bellowing
ferociously, thudding his hard fist on the counter. Mayo was not easily
surprised by the temperamental vagaries of queer old 'longcoast crabs
like Captain Candage, but this sudden conversion did take away his
breath.
"When a close and partickler friend of mine, like this one I've just
introduced, comes to you all polite and asks a favor, I want general
intermediary. "Look-a-here, Rowley, you pretend to be a terrible
Christian sort of a man. When I have been fog-bound here I've tended out
on prayer-meetings, and I have heard you holler like a good one about
dying grace and salvation is free. I've never heard you say much about
living charity that costs something!"
"I claim to be a Christian man," faltered Rowley, backing away from the
banging fist.
"Then act like one. If you don't do it, blast your pelt, I'll post you
for a heathen from West Quoddy to Kittery!"
"God bless you, my dad!" whispered the girl, snuggling close to the
"Furthermore, Rowley, besides paying you a fair rental for that old
fish-house we'll buy grub for them poor devils out of your store."
Mr. Rowley caressed his beard and blinked.
"They're like empty nail-kags, and they'll eat a lot of vittles and
we've got the money to pay!"
"I have a wallet of my own," stated Captain Mayo. He had not recovered
from his amazement at the sudden shift about of Captain Candage. After
all the sullen growling he had been tempted to ask the old skipper to
stop tagging him about on his errand of mercy.