"Robert Norman."
It was difficult to read the final lines, for the pencil had wavered sadly, and it was evident that the entry had been finished with intense effort.
When Mr. Winslow at last laid aside the yellow old notebook there were no dry eyes, and for a little while all were silent. Then Edward took Skipper Ed's hand in a strong grasp.
"With God's help," said he, "I will live as my father wished, and always endeavor to be worthy his ideal."
But our story must end. I might relate how Bobby and Jimmy went to college, for Skipper Ed would not part from his partner. How the three always spent their summers with Abel Zachariah and Mrs. Abel, and provided for their comfort until in the fullness of years they went to their final rest; and how Edward erected a stone on Itigailit Island to his father's memory. But already our story has grown too long.
We may be sure in the busy years that followed, Bobby and Jimmy never forgot the cabins at Abel's Bay, nor the cozy hours in the easy chairs before the big box stove. Nor Skipper Ed's teaching: "Destiny is God's will."
THE END
[Footnote A: "Oksunae" is the Eskimo greeting when one is addressed, and, literally translated, means "You be strong." "Oksutingai" is addressed to two—"You two be strong." "Okiusee" to more than two—"You all be strong.]