I asked Sipes to show me exactly where he had placed the tin box. With a small electric flashlight we explored a deep recess between the boards back of the cuddy-hole, and found the box, wedged about a foot below where the old man had hidden it. Sipes seized it with a shout of jubilation. He and Saunders acted like a couple of small boys who had just been told that they could stay out of school and go to a circus.
The mystery of Narcissus’s disappearance and his presence in the shanty was still to be explained. He was greatly relieved when the box was found, but seemed too much confused by the sudden flood of events to talk, so we let him alone. That night, after the shanty was put in order, and a fire built in the stove, he told his story.
“When Ah took that gas can, an’ went fo’ them things at the stoah, Ah jest thought Ah’d stop at Cap’n Peppehs’s house. That’s the fi’st li’l house Ah come to. Ah wanted to thank ’im fo’ the boat Ah got offen ’im, an’ tell ’im Ah hoped ’e was well. Ah left the can neah the path. Cap’n Peppehs asked me all about you gen’lemen, an’ wanted me to come in a minute. He wanted to know what you-all had done up the rivah, an’ if you got any pea’ls. Ah didn’t tell ’im nuff’n. Then ’e got out ’is bottle, an’ we had some drinks. Then ’e asked me ’bout yo’ motah, an’ how you come by it. I told ’im you got it offen a fish man named John. Then ’e told me John got it f’om him, an’ ’e didn’t want me to let you know that.”
“And to think,” interrupted Sipes, “that we had that cuss right in the boat, an’ didn’t know it!”
“Then, aftah a while, we got to feel’n’ pretty good, an’ Ah done fergot all ’bout the gasoline. We looked out o’ the window, an’ theah was Mr. Sipes goin’ ’round with ’is gun. We didn’t know whethah he thought Ah’d run off with that li’l bunch o’ money Ah was goin’ to get the things with, er was aftah Cap’n Peppehs’ ’count o’ that motah, an’ Ah jest thought we’d keep still fo’ a while ’till Mr. Sipes put away ’is gun. Ah was sca’ed o’ that gun. Aftah that Cap’n Peppehs asked me mo’ about the pea’ls, an’ offe’d me a li’l mo’ ref’eshment. Ah must ’a’ went to sleep then, an’ Ah didn’t wake up ’til this mawnin’. Ah saw yo’ boat way out on the lake set’n’ still. I shuah felt bad, an’ Ah was goin’ to take a boat an’ row out, but ma haid hurt so Ah couldn’t. Ah knew ’bout wheah you lived, ’cause Ah hea’d you talkin’ ’bout it, an’ Ah jest walked ’long the beach ’til Ah come to the place that had yo’ sign. The do’ was locked, but Ah got the window open an’ come in that way. Ah was ve’y ti’ed, an’ laid down fo’ a nap; then Ah got up an’ played that li’l tune Mr. Sipes likes so much.
“Say, Ah hope you’ll lemme off. Ah ain’t done nuff’n so awful bad. Ah’m awful sorry Ah made all that trouble, an’ had all them drinks with Cap’n Peppehs. Ah fo’got all ’bout that gasoline, an’ Ah won’t nevah do nuff’n like that no mo’. Mr. Sipes, does theah happ’n to be jest a few drops in the bottom o’ the jug, that Ah c’d have? Honest, Ah feels weak!”
Narcissus met with the full measure of forgiveness. He had faltered by the wayside, where hosts have fallen. The mantle of charity was laid over his sin. Sipes, while usually intolerant, was mollified with the recovery of the pearls.
We all slept in the shanty that night. In the morning we saw a horse and buggy on the beach in the distance. Saunders inspected the driver attentively through the “spotter.”
“That’s the onion-skinner comin’,” he remarked.
“Yes, an’ I bet we’ll be the onions,” said Sipes, as he took the glass.