E-text prepared by Roger Frank
and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
()
FAIR HARBOR
By JOSEPH C. LINCOLN FAIR HARBOR |
FAIR HARBOR A NOVEL BY JOSEPH C. LINCOLN AUTHOR OF "GALUSHA THE MAGNIFICENT," "SHAVINGS," "MARY 'GUSTA," "MR. PRATT," "CAP'N ERI," ETC. |
 |
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY NEW YORK :: 1922 :: LONDON |
COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY D. APPLETON AND COMPANY Copyright, 1922, by the Curtis Publishing Company PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA |
FAIR HARBOR
"Hi hum," observed Mr. Joel Macomber, putting down his knife and forkwith obvious reluctance and tilting back his chair. "Hi hum-a-day! Man,born of woman, is of few days and full of—of somethin', I forgetwhat—George, what is it a man born of woman is full of?"
George Kent, putting down his knife and fork, smiled and replied that hedidn't know. Mr. Macomber seemed shocked.
"Don't know?" he repeated. "Tut, tut! Dear me, dear me! A young fellerthat goes to prayer meetin' every Friday night—or at least waitsoutside the meetin'-house door every Friday night—and yet he don'tremember his Scriptur' well enough to know what man born of woman isfull of? My soul and body! What's the world comin' to?"
Nobody answered. The six Macomber children, Lemuel, Edgar, Sarah-Mary,Bemis, Aldora and Joey, ages ranging from fourteen to two and a half,kept on eating in silence—or, if not quite in silence, at least withoutspeaking. They had been taught not to talk at table; their mother hadtaught them, their father playing the part of horrible example. Mrs.Macomber, too, was silent. She was busy stacking plates and cups andsaucers preparatory to clearing away. When the clearing away wasfinished she would be busy washing dishes2 and after that at some otherhousehold duty. She was always busy and always behind with her work.
Her husband turned to the only other person at the crow