Adventure Magazine Cover — page 155: what you’re looking at

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

The Fenceless Meadows light cream; and her standing rigging, tarred and varnished, flashed back the sun- rays. While Tattersall stood upon the bridge, taking in her every detail, Dowser sat upon the cabin skylight watching Nance play about the poop, doll Moses with her. “What think of her, Shoofly?”’ he asked as they went ashore. Tattersall, nodding his head approvingly, said again— “Some young fool who ought never to have been given a ticket.” The following afternoon Dowser entered Tattersall’s room in the small up-town hotel where he stayed; finding him in his shirt sleeves, trimming his beard. Sitting at the window, overlooking the bay, Dow- ser watched him im silence for a few mo- ments. Suddenly he spoke. “Shoofly, I’ve bought her,” he said. ‘““You’ve what?” said Tattersall, starting. “Bought the Diamond,’ replied Dowser, meeting his eye. Tattersall went on with his trimming. “We'll fit her out, Shoofly—dress her all up, eh? Make her look like a real little lady and send her to sea. When can you go aboard?” Tattersall pressed a button, and, the boy coming, said: ‘Send an express man here right away. Get my bill—look alive.” Dowser arose* to leave the room; and, closing the door, turned. “We'll change her name, Shoofly,”’ he said. ‘‘We’ll call her the Fancy Nan.” Tattersall, rising from the basin where he was washing his lean face, grunted— “Unlucky to change a ship’s name.” Dowser laughed and shut the door. IV THE bark Diamond was discharged, and went to drydock to be over- hauled, cleaned and tallowed. Her sides were painted and she was towed to her berth to prepare for sea. Dowser was worried. Now that his old ship was gone he was through with the sea, but Nance he knew was eager to sail again. He talked with Tattersall about it, asking advice. Tattersall shrugged his shoulders. “Better talk to Moses,” he said. Dowser did so, and the old cook looked him square in the eye. =; he 147 “Tf there’s anything that will keep her happy ashore, for ’s sake, doctor, what is it?” “Buy a farm,” said Moses. raised his brows in blank surprize. ‘‘A farm! What in thunder would I do with a farm?” ‘“*?Tain’t what you’d do with a farm, sir— it’s what she’d do with it. There’s cows on a farm, an’ wobble-tailed calves, an’ chickens an’ ducks, an’ all such like. You try it, sir.” Dowser decided to try it. The clipper Fancy Nan was beginning to take cargo for Europe on the day when, leaving Nance with Moses, he took train for the country. Tn twenty-four hours he was owner of the River Bottom farm; an old place gone to seed; dilapidated buildings and fields run wild; no stock and no sign of life save for stray pigeons that had taken up their abode in the deserted barns. Below the buildings, at the foot of the blufis, flowed the river, bank high and swirling amongst the cotton- woods and willows; the house standing upon a bluff overlooking the stream a couple of hundred yards from the buildings. Dowser He reached home to find. his daughter | asleep and Moses sitting up awaiting his return. As he entered the kitchen Moses looked up inquiringly. Dowser sat down. “T’ve taken your advice,” he said. ““You’re a hayseed from now on.” The following day he made an early trip to the bark to see Tattersall, leaving Nance with Moses. ‘“T’m going to rig the old ruin up, Shoo- fly. We'll show these hayseed people how a farm should look, eh?” he said, when he had told Tattersall of his purchase. Tattersall grunted. There was a limejuice clipper in the stream, cleared for Europe. ‘“T want another suit of sails,” he said. “She’s got two suits below and an old suit aloft. I want another suit of new canvas.” “Order anything you need, Shoofly. Fit her out right. Overhaul her and do as you please. That limejuicer bound your way?” Tattersall nodded his head. Dowser went ashore. ‘See you when you get back,” he said; and saw no more of the Fancy Nan. She sailed on the heels of the limejuicer, and he, accompanied by Nance and Moses, took train for the farm. COMicaoo® S (C@ iin