“His pride fell. He was disconcerted. No one can tell what he may do when he finds a pirate’s ghost to be only the house cat, all so still.
“There are some situations that take away all one’s senses, little things, too.
“He inclined his head more, so to be certain, when the truth was in an instant revealed to him beyond a possibility of doubt, but everything was still, still, still.
“‘Scat!’”
The story-teller had been talking in a very low tone. He uttered the last word with an explosive voice when he had caused all ears to be strained. His hearers leaped at this electric ending of his Red Settle Tale.
He resumed his pipe, and merely added:
“There are some things that human nature can not stand. When a man finds out something to be nothing, for example, like the treasure digger of Cape Ann.”
After a long time, during which heart-beats became normal, some one might venture to ask:
“And what became of the old woman?”
“Oh, after the old man spoke the sea roared and came rushing into the thatch-patch and over it, and he and the cat ran, and I mind me that that cat didn’t have much peace and comfort in the house after that.”