Heman White Chaplin

“ When it was written he walked out, leaving Eliphalet stupefied.
Joshua Carr was at work, one June afternoon, by the roadside, in front of his low cottage, by an enormous pile of poles, which he was shaving down for barrel-hoops, when Eph appeared.
“Hard at it, Joshua!” he said.
“Yes, yes!” said Joshua, looking up through his steel-bowed spectacles. “Hev to work hard to make a livin'—though I don't know's I ought to call it hard, neither; and yet it is ruther hard, too; but then, on t' other hand, 't ain't so hard as a good many other things—though there is a good many jobs that's easier. ”

“ The doctor smoked on calmly, and studied the boat.
“I don't know as I know you,” said Eph, relaxing a little.
“Good reason,” said the doctor. “I 've only been here two years;” and after a moment's pause, he added: “I am the doctor here, now. You 've heard of my father, Dr. Burt, of Broad River?”
Eph nodded assent; everybody knew him, all through the country,—a fatherly old man, who rode on long journeys at everybody's call, and never sent in his bills.
The visitor had a standing with Eph at once.
“Doctors never pick at folks,” he said to himself—“at any rate, not old Dr. Burt's son. ”

“ Now, what you want to do is to cheer up and go around among folks. Why, now you 're the only fish-buyer there is that the men don't watch when he 's weighing their fish. You'll own up to that, for one thing, won't you?”
“Well, they are good fellows that bring fish to me,” he said.
“They were n't good fellows when they traded at the great wharf,” said Susan. “They had a quarrel down there once a week, regularly.”
“Well, suppose they do trust me in that,” said Eph. “I can never rub out that I 've been in State's-prison.” ”

“ Perhaps you 'll stake a new channel out for others to follow in, that haven't half so much chance as you have. And that's what you will do, too,” she added.
“Susan!” he said, “if there 's anything I can ever do, in this world or the next, for you or your folks, that's all I ask for,—the chance to do it. Your folks and you shall never want for anything while I'm alive.
“There's one thing sure,” he added, rising. “I'll live by myself and be independent of everybody, and make my way all alone in the world ”

“ They say Eliphalet Wood didn't hardly dare to go ou' doors for a month, 'thout havin' his hired man along. But he 's turned out as peaceful as a little gal.”
One June day, as Eph was slitting blue-fish at the little pier which he had built on the bay shore, near his rude ice-house, two men came up.
“Hullo, Eph!”
“Hullo!”
“We 've got about sick, tradin' down to the wharf; we can't git no fair show. About one time in three, they tell us they don't want our fish, and won't take 'em unless we heave 'em in for next to nothin',—and we know there ain't no sense in it. ”

“ But then, other folks must make a livin', too. Still, I should think they might take up suthin' else; and yet, they might say that about me. Understand, I don't mean to say that they actually do say so; I don't want to run down any man unless I know—”
“I can't stand this,” said Eph to himself; “I don't wonder that they always used to put Joshua off at the first port, when he tried to go coasting. They said he talked them crazy with nothing.
“I 'll go into the house and see Aunt Lyddy,” he said aloud. “I 'm loafing, this afternoon.”
“All right! all right!” said Joshua. ”

“ You most gin'lly git your fill o' one tune.”
“How are you this afternoon, Aunt Lyddy?” asked Eph, walking in without knocking, and sitting down near her.
“So as to be able to keep about,” she replied. “It is a great mercy I ain't afflicted with falling out of my chair, like Hepsy Jones, ain't it?”
“I 've brought you some oysters,” he said. “I set the basket down on the door-step. I just took them out of the water myself from the bed I planted to the west of the water-fence.” ”

“ Not but what I allers like to hev folks laugh—but then, I did n't see nothin' to laugh at. Still, perhaps they was suthin' to laugh at that I didn't see; sometimes one man 'll be lookin' down into his plate, all taken up with his victuals, and others, that's lookin' around the room, may see the kittens frolickin', or some such thing. 'T ain't the fust time I 've known all hands to laugh all to once-t, when I didn't see nothin'.”
Susan helped him again, and secured another brief respite.
“Ephraim,” said he, after a while, “you ain't skilled to cook oysters like this, I don't believe. ”

“ Now, I don't s'pose that sounds very well; but still, you know how she is—she allers likes to hev folks to talk, and then she's allers sayin' talkin' wears on her; but I ought not to say that to you, because she allers likes to see you—that is, as much as she likes to see anybody. ”