"
"The man was studying the faces of the people hereabouts?"
suggested Garcia.
"That was just what he was doing, and later on he made
inquiries here and there, and as events proved, my wife was
the woman who struck his fancy."
"And did he bring her the child?"
"Hold on! let me tell the story just as the events happened.
I told you it was in the winter when the yacht hove to in the
bay; well, one bitter and blustering night about three days
after the arrival of the yacht, I was over on the mainland
having a carouse, and toward morning took the chances of
crossing the bay in a catboat to my home. How I ever reached
here in safety I'll never tell, but I ran on to the beach all
right, and footed to my shanty! Well, sir, as I neared the
house pretty well sobered, the first thing I heard was the
wail of an infant; and I tell you I was surprised, and
entering the house I saw my wife with a lovely child in her
arms, which she was feeding with a spoon.
"'Hello, Betsy,' I yelled, 'where did you get that little
squealer from?'
"Well, sir, my wife raised her finger to her lips, and warned
me to be silent, and in a low tone told me that on the
following day she would tell me all about it. Well. you see
I was pretty well fagged out, and I always had an idea that
what my wife said and done was right. So I tumbled into bed
without making any further inquiries.
"Well, the next morning my good wife told me as how amidst the
storm when it was at its greatest fury, the strange man who
had come ashore from the yacht, entered our cabin having a
bundle wrapped in his arms, and she told me how surprised she
was when he opened his bundle and discovered a beautiful
little child about a year old.
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