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Cooper, James A.

"Cap'n Abe, Storekeeper"

He
still insisted upon doing much of the cooking; it was true that he had
good reason to doubt Betty Gallup's ability to cook.
When there were no customers in the store Louise often sat there with
Cap'n Amazon, with either a book or her sewing in her hand. Sometimes
they would not speak for an hour, while the substitute storekeeper
"made up the books," which was a serious task for him.
He seemed normally dexterous in everything else, but he wrote with his
left hand--an angular, upright chirography which, Louise thought,
showed unmistakably that he was unfamiliar with the use of the pen.
"Writing up the log" he called this clerkly task, and his awkward
looking characters in the ledger were in great contrast to Cap'n Abe's
round, flowing hand.
For several days following the discovery in the "_Globe_ paper" of the
notice about the _Curlew_, Louise Grayling and Cap'n Amazon lived a
most intimate existence. She would not allow Betty Gallup to criticise
the captain even slightly within her hearing.
They received news from New York which was no news at all.


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