Locke hailed a night-hawk cabman and they were soon speeding on their
way back to safety and Brent Rock.
CHAPTER XXI
At the cove fishing-village, set on the extreme outskirts of the town,
there stood an old fisherman's shack that was shunned by all the good
folk of the city.
While there was nothing definite that could be said of the evil deeds of
the inhabitants, there was much shaking of heads and wagging of tongues
to the effect that all was not as it should be at the cove.
The owner of the old shack, Old Tom, was an ill-favored, taciturn man
who would have naught to do with any of his neighbors, and asked only
that they keep out of his path and leave him alone. He even evinced an
aversion to dogs and to little children, driving them away from his
shack whenever he found them near it.
The threat that "Old Tom will catch you" would make a cove
fishing-village tractable at any time.
Old Tom rarely put to sea, and when he did it was more often than not
after nightfall, a time when the good folk of the village were preparing
for a night's rest.
It was stated by one old crony that often at night other men came to Old
Tom's shack, that they entered slyly, and that well into the morning
revelry, and often oaths and brawls, could be heard from within.
Pages:
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233