. St. Nicholas [serial]. man was left stand-ing beside Rick, and hesignaled the boy to fol-low him. My names Hoag—Ban Hoag, said this oneas they started forward,an— he bent towardRick, speaking with cau-tion,—an if you likes,I 11 bear y a hand onthe cookin. Surprised and warmedby this unexpected offer, Rick glanced up from hiscurious inspection of the schooners decks andlooked at his companion. He saw a youth nearhis own age, but taller, bigger boned, with a mopof sandy hair tossing over frank blue eyes thatsmiled encouragingly. Hoag—that was a funnyname! His face was covered with frec
. St. Nicholas [serial]. man was left stand-ing beside Rick, and hesignaled the boy to fol-low him. My names Hoag—Ban Hoag, said this oneas they started forward,an— he bent towardRick, speaking with cau-tion,—an if you likes,I 11 bear y a hand onthe cookin. Surprised and warmedby this unexpected offer, Rick glanced up from hiscurious inspection of the schooners decks andlooked at his companion. He saw a youth nearhis own age, but taller, bigger boned, with a mopof sandy hair tossing over frank blue eyes thatsmiled encouragingly. Hoag—that was a funnyname! His face was covered with freckles. It 996 PHANTOM GOLD [Sept. looked as if there was an honest laugh stowedaway somewhere—a laugh that would be goodto hear. Ban Hoag, too, was dressed in rags; atattered shirt partly covered him to the waist-line, where dirty black trousers, hanging by astring over one shoulder, took up the unequaltask and abandoned it forlornly in a fringe justbelow the knee. His feet were bare, and brownas ginger I IX BEAR Y A HAND ON THE COOKIN A glance was sufficient for the realization thatthere was something of a contradiction about thisHoag. His rags were the rags of the humanwharf-rat, and when he spoke it was in the sharp,sophisticated accents, the jargon of the water-front. Yet there was that about him—it were apuzzle to say what—that breathed clean, widemeadows, cut red clover, warm milk. LikeManuel, he seemed out of place: one wanted tothink of Ban Hoag pitching hay into a NewHampshire barn. Rick had never seen a New Hampshire barn,but he sensed enough of this matter to connectthe boy with Sussex heath. He was to learn laterhow deep into Ban Hoags character that livjngcontradiction sank. Me name s Richard Hartley, said he, anI be thankin you for your offer on the cooking. They had reached the forecastle companion,and Hoag led the way down. The lines of a smallforecastle made themselves dimly apparent totheir sun-blinded eyes. Three bunks rangedeach side,
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Keywords: ., bookauthordodgemar, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookyear1873
