Chapter ONE - Weebly

to the door.
The young minister merely watched him leave.
Ethan thought about making his way directly to the
Berson home, as Abner Berson’s man had instructed.
But Bett’s remark about the blood on his shirt had
reminded him that he ought first to change. He walked
down School Street and then on to Water. With each
step the stink of the harbor grew stronger.
Dall’s cooperage, which had been built by Henry’s
grandfather, stood on the east side of a lane named,
appropriately enough, Cooper’s Alley. It was a modest
building, but sturdy, with a small sign out front that read
simply “Dall’s Barrels and Crates” and a second sign,
on the oak door, that read “Open Entr.” Blue-gray
smoke rose from a small, crooked chimney on the roof.
Shelly and Pitch lay together outside the door. At
Ethan’s approach they raised their heads, their tails
thumping the cobblestones in unison.
Ethan stepped over them, pushed the door open,
and entered the shop. It was warm within. A fire burned
brightly in the stone hearth. Henry sat on a stool by his
workbench, his leather apron covering a worn gray