Cape Cod Stories

In Short

A collection of interconnected short stories set along the Massachusetts coast, this book follows retired sea captains Barzilla Wingate and Jonadab Wixon as they embark on a second career running the Old Home House, a rustic hotel in Wellmouth. Narrated in Barzilla's sharp, dry maritime vernacular, the narrative tracks their encounters with ambitious city hustlers, fake weather prophets, stranded high-society travelers, and deceptive suitors. The book has endured because of its vivid, affectionate preservation of nineteenth-century New England dialect and its classic American humor, which pitted pragmatic local salt against urban pretension.

The Story

The central arc begins in the small town of Orham, where retired sea captains Barzilla Wingate and Jonadab Wixon pass quiet evenings idling around the post office stove. Their predictable routines are upended by the arrival of Peter Theodosius Brown, a fast-talking promoter with an eye for opportunity. Brown convinces the skeptical mariners to pool their savings to lease and refurbish a dilapidated shore estate, converting it into the Old Home House—a resort catering to wealthy city folk seeking an authentic, rustic retreat.

As managers, Barzilla and Jonadab find themselves dragged into a non-stop parade of local schemes and guest drama. When affluent spring visitors request authentic local color, Brown recruits eccentric town residents, including Beriah Crocker, a self-proclaimed weather prophet whose predictions lead a wedding party into a rainstorm and prompt unexpected marriages. When an arrogant British poet named Montague overstays his welcome and tries to manipulate local women, Barzilla and Cap'n Jonadab take him on an unsolicited overnight voyage toward Bermuda to teach him humility.

Financial rivalries and romantic mix-ups dominate life at the hotel. Wealthy boarders compete over antique furniture, while scheming locals attempt to outwit the town selectmen. In one instance, when the town moves to sell the local poorhouse, lazy resident Asaph Blueworthy avoids eviction after a wealthy summer resident mistakenly believes him to be a tragic hero and secretly buys him a home.

The hotel also becomes a haven for hidden identities. A mysterious, hardworking young waiter calling himself Jones arrives at the hotel to be near Mabel Seabury, a popular housekeeper hiding from her past. Barzilla discovers that Jones is actually Robert Van Wedderburn, the estranged son of a wealthy hotel guest. Robert has taken the menial job to prove his devotion to Mabel, whose pride keeps her from accepting his hand until his identity is revealed. After a series of comedic misunderstandings, the elder Van Wedderburn yields to his son’s choice, admitting the young woman has more sense than anyone in his family. The collection concludes with the hotel settling back into its routine, having successfully weathered another season of eccentric boarders and romantic reckonings.

How It Unfolds

The post office letter Barzilla Wingate and Captain Jonadab Wixon receive unusual, official-looking mail at the Orham post office that leaves them utterly baffled. Their confusion makes them the butt of local jokes until a visiting promoter steps in to offer a new proposition.

Opening the Old Home House Promoter Peter Theodosius Brown convinces Jonadab and Barzilla to invest their savings in turning an old coastal estate into a resort for weary city dwellers. Brown aggressively decorates the property with local antiques, including corded beds bought cheap from reluctant neighbors.

The weather prophet’s blunder To entertain early summer guests who want authentic Cape Cod "characters," Brown features Beriah Crocker, a local weather prognosticator. Beriah's faulty forecast leads an unsuspecting party directly into a squall, resulting in a soggy, surprise wedding between two local residents.

Teaching a poet a lesson An obnoxious visiting British poet named Montague irritates the local captains with his arrogance and unwanted advances toward a local woman. Barzilla and Jonadab trap him aboard a small boat and threaten to sail him to Bermuda until he backs down.

A trick with gasoline Local mate Obed Nickerson clashes with an arrogant young man named Allie and his aggressive bulldog. Obed retaliates by secretly draining the gasoline tank of Allie’s powerboat, forcing the young man to abandon ship and allowing Obed to claim the vessel as salvage.

Mutiny in the South Seas Barzilla recalls a wild tale involving a trading schooner crew marooned on "Hello Island" in the Pacific. After a series of fights over a local woman named Rosy, the crew finds themselves taking orders from a new "witch king" who forces them into hard labor.

The antique sofa feud Two wealthy, competing hotel families vie to purchase a decrepit, broken davenport solely to outdo one another. The resulting rivalry drives the hotel atmosphere to a freeze, forcing management to seat the families at separate dining tables.

The poorhouse plot Selectman Barzilla attempts to handle Asaph Blueworthy, a lazy town resident facing eviction from the almshouse. A wealthy summer visitor misinterprets Asaph's situation and buys him a private home as a generous gift.

Unmasking the waiter A new waiter named Jones arrives at the resort, drawing the attention of guests and management alike. Barzilla discovers that Jones is actually the wealthy Robert Van Wedderburn in disguise, pursuing the hotel’s housekeeper, Mabel, until his father finally approves the marriage.

The People

• Barzilla Wingate: A retired sea captain and town selectman who serves as the dry, observational narrator of the stories. He wants peace and a steady return on his investments, but his pragmatism is constantly tested by city visitors and local eccentrics.
• Cap'n Jonadab Wixon: Barzilla’s close friend and business partner, a two-hundred-pound former skipper known for his frugality and hot temper. He wants to keep the hotel profitable and traditional, but his impatience often leads to clashes with boarders.
• Peter Theodosius Brown: A fast-talking, plaid-vest-wearing promoter who conceives the Old Home House venture. He wants maximum profit and dramatic publicity, using his relentless charm and salesmanship to drive every enterprise forward.
• Mabel Seabury: A proud, hardworking housekeeper at the Old Home House who wishes to earn an independent living and escape complicated social expectations.
• Robert Van Wedderburn ("Jones"): The son of a wealthy hotel guest who disguises himself as a humble waiter to win Mabel’s affection and prove his genuine worth.
• Asaph Blueworthy: A notoriously lazy local who uses exaggerated ailments like lumbago to avoid work, yet continually stumbles into good fortune through the misplaced sympathy of tourists.

In Its Own Voice

“I pass,” I says. “Where'd you get it?” Barzilla Wingate inspects a strange, wax-sealed letter delivered unexpectedly to Captain Jonadab at the Orham post office.

“He thought he ought to get five dollars for it,” says Brown, telling Jonadab and me about it. “Said he hated to part with it because his grandmother died in it. I told him I couldn't see any good reason why I should pay more for a bed just because it had killed his grandmother, so we split up and called it three dollars.” Peter Brown explains how he haggled for antique furniture to outfit the guest rooms of the Old Home House.

“Cereal, sir?” asks Robert Van Wedderburn, alias “Jonesy.” A wealthy young man in disguise nonchalantly serves his shocked father breakfast at the hotel table.

What It's Really About

Beneath its comedic resort shenanigans, the book explores the cultural friction between rural, self-reliant locals and wealthy urban vacationers at the turn of the twentieth century. It examines how traditional coastal communities adapted to the rise of American tourism, transforming their heritage and environment into commodities for city dwellers seeking artificial "authenticity." The stories consistently ask what constitutes true value—contrasting the superficial status symbols of high society with the practical wisdom, honesty, and hard-earned resilience of working mariners.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy regional comedy, vintage maritime humor, and coastal New England settings will find this collection thoroughly charming. Reading it feels like sitting near a potbelly stove in a drafty wharf office while an old sailor spins yarn after yarn. The dialect is thick with period maritime slang—boats are "hookers," thoughts are "sailed stern first," and people "come to anchor"—which requires a brief period of adjustment for modern readers. Modern audiences should also note that the text reflects turn-of-the-century racial stereotypes and dated social attitudes, particularly in its secondary caricature characters. Yet the book retains its appeal through its sharp timing, warm characterization, and affectionate depiction of Cape Cod life.

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