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188 nine o’clock and brought this cot down, intendin’ t’ turn in here an relieve father at midnight. Father was settin’ out there on the pier a-smokin’ his pipe when I turned in. I went t’ sleep almost as soon as I touched th’ piller. I don’t know how long it was, but after a while I kind o’ woke up an’ heard voices a-talkin’ out there on th’ pier. I got up an’ looked out th’ winder an’ purty soon I saw it was Mr. Drysdale with father.”

“Drysdale? Who’s he?” asked the coroner.

“He’s a friend of mine,” spoke up Delroy quickly. “An old friend. He’s staying here at the house with us. In fact, he’s to marry my wife’s sister.”

The coroner bowed.

“Very well,” he said, turning back to Graham, “you may continue.”

“Well,” went on the young fellow, “as soon as I saw it was Mr. Drysdale, I knowed it was all right, so I went back to bed ag’in. An’ I didn’t know nothin’ more till a great clap o’ thunder nearly took th’ roof off th’ house. I set up in bed, but I couldn’t seem t’ git awake fer a minute, my head was whirlin’ so. Then I got on my feet an’ looked out th’ winder an’ jest then it lightened ag’in an’ I seen father layin’ there”

He stopped with a sob that shook him through and through.

“That will do for t’e present,” said the coroner kindly. “It seems rather extraordinary,” he added, turning to Delroy, “t’at t’is man should have sat out t’ere in t’e rain at t’at time of night. Was he fishing?”