Washy suggested that
the storekeeper was afraid of the sea; that in all his years at
Cardhaven he had never been known to venture out of the quiet waters of
the bay.
To the girl's mind, too, came the remembrance of that talk she had had
with Cap'n Abe on the evening of her arrival at the store. Was there
something he had said then that explained this mystery?
He had told her of the wreck of the Bravo and the drowning of Captain
Joshua Silt, his father, in sight of his mother's window. She had been
powerfully affected by that awful tragedy; this could not be doubted.
And the son, Cap'n Abe, a posthumous child, might indeed have come into
the world with that horror of the sea which must have filled his poor
mother's soul.
"It would explain why Uncle Abram never became a sailor--the only Silt
for generations who remained ashore. Yet, he spoke that night as
though he loved the sea--or the romance of it, at least," Louise
thought.
"Perhaps, too, his own inability to sail to foreign shores and his
terror of the sea made him so worship Cap'n Amazon's prowess.
Pages:
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242