Paddling under Palmettos — page 84: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Paddling Under Palmettos. 77 norther burst upon them and they realized that they dragged anchor, these selfsame veterans felt in any- thing but a laughing humor—at least his recollec- tion favored such a theory. The wind howled all day, although the sky was erfectly clear. Dick and Archie walked down to the Sebastian post office, which was also the general store. Sebastian had about three houses, with the inevitable steamboat pier jutting out into the river. One of the postmaster’s boats, a skipjack, had torn loose from her moorings in the gale and could be seen half a mile down the river, where she had become fast again, riding the waves, buoyantly enough for a castaway. That night the boys determined to sleds ashore, and passed the hours of darkness comfortably enough. It was decided to move on the next day, and ride out the end of the norther. About noon they bade farewell to St. Sebastian and the scene of their midnight revel. The wind held out until they were well in the Narrows, when it began to die out; still they floated on the rest of the afternoon with the tide, (EOANIKEleveyxe) “S (E(0)