"I am an early riser."
"Is that so? Well, I am out a little earlier than usual myself this morning, for I love to come down to the beach and catch the early morning breeze off the ocean; and to tell the truth, I felt a little rusty after that hot punch I drank last night. I ain't much of a drinker, but once in awhile I like a little hot stuff on a chilly night. No, I ain't much of a drinker; when I was a young man I did not touch it at all, and maybe that's how I've lived to such a great age—yes, I am eighty-two years old, and I feel pretty brisk considering that I've led a hard-working life."
"You are a wonderfully well-preserved old man. I should not have taken you to be over seventy."
"Well, I am—yes, I am eighty-two just, and I feel pretty hearty yet."
"You've lived around here all your life?"
"Yes, I have."
"You remember a great many wrecks on this coast?"
"Do I? well, sir, my memory is just stored with sad scenes that I've witnessed."
"You were speaking last night about a man named Jake Canfield."
"Yes, I was; Jake was a fine man, but he had hard luck—yes, he did."