“I’ve heard say he walked the island after that, and sharp-sighted folks could see him an’ lose him like one o’ them citizens Cap’n Littlepage was acquainted with up to the north pole,” announced Mrs. Todd grimly. “Anyway, there was Indians,—you can see their shell-heap that named the island; and I’ve heard myself that ’twas one o’ their cannibal places, but I never could believe it. There never was no cannibals on the coast o’ Maine. All the Indians o’ these regions are tame-looking folks.” “Sakes alive, yes!” exclaimed Mrs. Fosdick. “Ought to see them painted savages I’ve seen when I was young out in the South Sea Islands! That was the time for folks to travel, ’way back in the old whalin’ days!” “Whalin’ must have been dull for a lady, hardly ever makin’ a lively port, and not takin’ in any mixed cargoes,” said Mrs. Todd. “I never desired to go a whalin’ v’y’ge myself.” “I used to return feelin’ very slack an’ behind the times, ’tis true,” explained Mrs. Fosdick, “but ’twas excitin’, an’ we always done extra well, and felt rich when we did get ashore. I liked the variety. There, how times have changed; how few seafarin’ families there are left! What a lot o’ queer folks there used to be about here, anyway, when we was young, Almiry. Everybody’s just like everybody else, now; nobody to laugh about, and nobody to cry about.” It seemed to me that there were peculiarities of character in the region of Dunnet Landing yet, but I did not like to interrupt. “Yes,” said Mrs. Todd after a moment of meditation, “there was certain a good many curiosities of human natur’ in this neighborhood years ago. There was more energy then, and in some the energy took a singular turn. In these days the young folks is all copy-cats, ’fraid to death they won’t be all just alike; as for the old folks, they pray for the advantage o’ bein’ a little different.” “I ain’t heard of a copy-cat this great many years,” said Mrs. Fosdick, laughing; “’twas a favorite term o’ my grandmother’s. No, I wa’n’t thinking o’ those things, but of them strange straying creatur’s that used to rove the country. You don’t see them now, or the ones that used to hive away in their own houses with some strange notion or other.” I thought again of Captain Littlepage, but my companions were not reminded of his name; and there was brother William at Green Island, whom we all three knew. “I was talking o’ poor Joanna the other day. I hadn’t thought of her for a great while,” said Mrs. Fosdick abruptly. “Mis’ Brayton an’ I recalled her as we sat together sewing. She was one o’ your peculiar persons, wa’n’t she? Speaking of such persons,” she turned to explain to me, “there was a sort of a nun or hermit person lived out there for years all alone on Shell-heap Island. Miss Joanna Todd, her name was,—a cousin o’ Almiry’s late husband.” I expressed my interest, but as I glanced at Mrs. Todd I saw that she was confused by sudden affectionate feeling and unmistakable desire for reticence.