“I don’t know wot Cal’s goin’ to do about ’is last name that ’e’s got to be married with. He says ’e’s been livin’ alone so long ’e’s fergot wot it is, an’ we got to pick out a new one fer ’im. I told ’im ’e better call it Mud, but ’e didn’t cetch on to no joke. Wouldn’t that make a fine soundin’ lot o’ names fer Elvirey’s lot in the church-yard? Swisher, Smythe, Smetters, an’ Mud! Ev’rybody’d stop to look at ’em.
“Cal’s gone to tell John, an’ Saturd’y night him an’ Holy Zeke’ll come down, an’ Cal’s kitten’s going to fetch a cake. Cal said you was invited, an’ if you got any business to close up ’fore you come, you’d better ’tend to it, fer mebbe hell’ll be to pay ’fore it’s over. I’ll bet Elvirey won’t stand fer me an’ Bill w’en she sees wot we’re goin’ to do to the shanty fer the wedd’n.”
After inspecting the nets we returned, and I promised to be on hand Saturday evening. Sipes requested me to come early, “so as to think o’ sump’n us fellers might fergit.”
I looked forward to Saturday with eager anticipation, and arrived at the shanty just before dusk. Evidently the old shipmates had been very busy. They were in high spirits.
A couple of old fish-nets were stretched from each side of the door, in parallel lines, to a point about fifty feet away on the sand. Boards, obtained from among the driftwood on the beach, had been laid along between them. “Bill’s a big help about them things,” said the old man. “He says it’s ’is habit w’en ’e gits married to have sump’n like that stretched out fer the bride to walk between so’s nobody’ll try to steal ’er at the last minute.”
The roof of the shanty was thickly covered with dead leaves, held in place by more nets which were laid over them and weighted with stones. “We could ’a’ got green ones,” said Sipes, “but them old leaves looks more fit like. They wasn’t neither of ’em born yisterd’y.
The rusty stove-pipe, which served as a chimney, had been carefully wrapped in white cloth, at least it had once been white, and a long strip of bright red material had been tied to it, which fluttered in the breeze. Sipes said that this was the danger signal. A large bunch of bulrushes and cat-tails was stuffed into the top of the stove-pipe.
The sign on the shanty—
$IPE$ & $AUNDER$—FRE$H FI$H had been covered with a strip of rotten canvas, on which was painted,