第2章
Mr。Atkinssmiledabland，congressionalsmile。Heapproachedthegroupbythefenceandextendedhishand。
“Ah，Asaph！”hesaid；“itisyouthen？Ithoughtso。AndBailey，too。Itiscertainlydelightfultoseeyoubothagain。Yes，mydaughteriswell，Ithankyou。She，likeherfather，isgladtobebackintheoldhomenestaftertheroundofhotellifeandgayetywhichwehave——er——recentlyundergone。Yes。“
“Mr。Atkins，“saidBailey，glancingnervouslyatCaptainCy，whohadstoppedwhistlingandwasregardingtheAtkinshatandwhiskerswithaninterestedair，“Iwanttomakeyouacquaintedwithyournewneighbor。Youusedtoknowhimwhenyouwasaboy，but——but——
er——Mr。Atkins，thisisCaptainCyrusWhittaker。Cy，thisisCongressmanAtkins。You"veheardusspeakofhim。“
Thegreatmanstarted。
“Isitpossible！”heexclaimed。“IsitpossiblethatthisisreallymyoldplaymateCyrusWhittaker？”
“Yup，“repliedthecaptaincalmly。“Howareyou，Heman？Fatter"nyouusedtobe，ain"tyou？Washin"tonmustagreewithyou。“
BaileyandAsaphwerescandalized。Mr。Atkinshimselfseemedatrifletakenaback。CommentsonhispersonalappearancewerenotusualinBayport。Butheralliedbravely。
“Well，well！”hecried。“Cyrus，Iamdelightedtowelcomeyoubackamongus。Ishouldscarcelyhaveknownyou。Youareolder——yes，mucholder。“
“Well，fortyyearmoreorless，addedtowhatyoustartedwith，isapttomakeafellersomeolder。Don"tneedanyNormalSchoolgraduatetodothatsumforus。I"mwithinsevenoreightyearofbein"asoldasyouare，Heman，andthat"stooantiquetobesoldforveal。“
Mr。Atkinschangedthesubject。
“Ihadheardofyourreturn，Cyrus，“hesaid。“Itgavememuchpleasuretolearnthatyouwererebuildingand——er——renovatingthe——er——theancestral——er——“
“Theoldhomenest？Yup，I"mputtin"backafewfeathers。Oldbirdsliketoroostcomf"table。You"vegotafairlyroomycoopyourself。“
“Hum！Isn"tit——er——Ishouldsupposeyouwouldfinditratherexpensive。Canyou——doyou——“
“Yes，Icanaffordit，thankyou。Maybethere"llbeenoughleftinthestockin"tobuyafewknickknacksfortheyard。Youcan"ttell。“
ThecaptainglancedattheirondogsguardingtheAtkinsgate。Histonewasrathersharp。
“Yes，yes，certainly；certainly；ofcourse。Itgivesmemuchpleasuretohaveyouasaneighbor。Ihavealwaysfeltafondnessfortheoldplace，evenwhenyouallowedit——evenwhenitwasmost——
er——rundown，ifyou"llexcusetheterm。Ialwaysfeltalikingforitand——“
“Yes，“wasthesignificantinterruption。“Ijudgedyoumusthave，fromwhatIheard。“
Thiswassteeringdangerouslyclosetotheselectmenandthecontemplated“salefortaxes。“Thetownclerkbrokeinnervously。
“Mr。Atkins，“hesaid，“there"sbeenconsider"bletalkintownaboutwho"stobeteacherdownstairsthiscomin"year。We"vesortofchaweditoveramongus，butnaturallywewantedyouropinion。
Whatdoyouthink？I"mkindofleanin"towardtheDaweswoman，myself。“
TheCongressmanclearedhisthroat。
“Farbeitfromme，“hesaid，“tospeakexceptasamerememberofourlittlecommunity，anordinarymember，but，ASsuchamember，withthewelfareofmybirthplaceverynearanddeartome，I
confessthatIaminclinedtofavoramodernteacher，oneeducatedandtrainedintheinstitutionprovidedforthepurposebyourgreatcommonwealth。TheDawes——er——personisundoubtedlyworthyandcapableinherway，but——well——er——weknowthatWellmouthisnotBayport。“
Thereferenceto“ourgreatcommonwealth“hadbeengiveninthevoiceandthemannerwonttothrillusatourFourth-of-JulycelebrationsandOctober“rallies。“Twoofhishearers，atleast，werevisiblyimpressed。Asaphlookedsomewhatcrestfallen，buthesurrenderedgracefullytosuperiorwisdom。
“That"sso，“hesaid。“That"sso，ain"tit，Cy？Ihadn"tthoughtofthat。“
“What"sso？”askedthecaptain。
“Why——why，thatWellmouthain"tBayport。“
“Nodoubtofit。They"retwentymilesapart。“
“Yes。Well，I"mgladtohearyouputitsoconclusive，Mr。Atkins。
IcanseenowthatPhoebewouldn"tdo。Hum！Yes。“
Mr。Atkinsbuttonedthefrockcoatandturnedtogo。
“Goodday，gentlemen，“hesaid。“Cyrus，permitmeoncemoretowelcomeyouheartilytoourvillage。We——mydaughterandmyself——
willprobablyremainathomeuntilthefall。Itrustyouwillbeafrequentcaller。Runinonusatanytime。Praydonotstanduponceremony。“
“No，“saidCaptainCyshortly，“Iwon"t。“
“That"sright。That"sright。Goodmorning。“
Hewalkedbrisklydownthehill。Thetriogazedafterhim。
“Well，“sighedMr。Tidditt。“That"ssettled。Andit"sacomforttoknow"tissettled。StillIdidkindofwantPhoebeDawes；butofcourseHemanknowsbest。“
“Courseheknowsbest！”snappedBailey。“Ain"thethebiggestguninthiscounty，prettynigh？I"dliketoknowwhoisifheain"t。
Thecommittee"llcalltheNormalSchoolgirlnow，andagoodthing，too。“
CaptainCywasstillgazingatthedignifiedformofthe“biggestguninthecounty。“
“Let"ssee，“heasked。“Who"sontheschoolcommittee？EbenSalters，ofcourse，and——“
“Yes。Eben"schairmanandhe"llvotePhoebe，anyhow；he"sthatpig-headedthatnobody——notevenaUnitedStatesRepresentative——
couldchangehim。ButDariusEllis"llbeforHeman"swayandso"llLemuelMyrick。
“LemuelMyrick？LemMyrick，thepainter？”
“Sartin。Thereain"tbutoneMyrickintown。“
“Hum！”murmuredthecaptainandwassilentforsomeminutes。
TheschoolcommitteemetonthefollowingWednesdayevening。OnThursdaymorningastartlingrumorspreadthroughoutBayport。
PhoebeDaweshadbeencalled，byavoteoftwotoone，toteachthedownstairsschool。Asaph，aghast，rushedoutofSimmons"sstoreanduptothehilltotheCyWhittakerplace。HefoundCaptainCyinthefrontyard。Mr。Myrick，schoolcommitteemanandhousepainter，waswithhim。
“Hello，Ase！”hailedthecaptain。“What"sthematter？Hasn"tthetidecomeinthismornin"？”
Asaph，somewhatembarrassedbythepresenceofMr。Myrick，hesitatedoverhisnews。Lemuelcametohisrescue。
“AsehasjustheardthatwecalledPhoebe，“hesaid。“Whatofit？
Ivotedforher，andIain"tashamedofit。“
“But——butMr。Atkins，he——“
“Well，Hemanain"tonthecommittee，ishe？IvotethewayIthinkright，andnooneinthistowncanchangeme。Anyway，“headded，“I"mgoingtoresignnextspring。Yes，Cap"nWhittaker，Ithinkthreecoatsofwhite"lldoonthesideshere。“
“Lem"sgoin"todomypaintin"jobs，“explainedCaptainCy。“Hispricewasalittlehigherthansomeoftheotherfellers，butI
likehiswork。“
Mr。Tiddittpondereddeeplyuntildinnertime。ThenhecorneredthecaptainbehindtheBangsbarnandspokewithconviction。
“Whit，“hesaid，“you"retheoneresponsibleforthecommittee"shirin"PhoebeDawes。YouofferedLemthepaintin"jobifhe"dvoteforher。Whatdidyoudoitfor？Youdon"tknowher，doyou？”
“Neverseteyesonherinmylife。“
“Then——then——YouheardHemansayhewantedtheotherone。Whatmadeyoudoit？”
CaptainCygrinned。
“Ase，“hesaid，“I"vealwaysbeenagreathandfortryin"
experiments。Hadoneofmycooksaboardputraisinsintheflapjacksonce，justtoseewhattheytastedlike。IjudgedHemanhadhadhisownwayinthistownforthirtyoddyear。Ikindofwantedtoseewhatwouldhappenifhedidn"thaveit。“
CHAPTERIV
BAILEYBANGS"SEXPERIMENT
LemuelMyrick"spaintingjobshavethequalitysoprizedbyourvillagesmallboysinthespeciesofcandycalled“jawbreakers，“
namely，thatof“lastinglong。“ButevenLemmustfinishsometimeorotherand，lateinJuly，theCyWhittakerplacewasreadyforoccupancy。Thepictureswereintheirplacesonthewalls，theold-fashionedfurniturefilledtherooms，therewasevenapileofoldmagazines，backnumbersofGodey"sLady"sBook，ontheshelfinthesittingroomcloset。
Then，whenCaptainCyhadnotifiedMrs。Bangsthattheperfectboardinghousewouldshelterhimnolongerthanthecomingweek，anewproblemarose。
“Whit，“saidAsaphearnestly，“you"vesartinmadetheplaceriseupoutofitstomb；youhaveso。It"samiracle，prettynigh，andI
cal"lateitmusthavecostaheap，butyou"vedoneit——allbuttheoldfolksthemselves。Youcan"traisethemup，Cy；moneywon"tdothat。Andyoucan"tliveinthisgreathouseallalone。Who"sgoin"tocookforyou，andsweepanddust，andswabdecks，andonethinga"nother？You"llhavetohaveahousekeeper，asItoldyouaspellago。Haveyoudoneanythinkin"aboutthat？”
Andthecaptain，takinghispipefromhislips，staredblanklyathisfriend，andanswered：
“Bythebigdipper，Ase，Iain"t！Irememberwedidmentionit，butI"vebeensobusygettin"thiscraftoffthewaysthatIforgotallaboutit。“
ThediscussionwhichfollowedMr。Tidditt"sreminderwaslongandserious。AsaphandBaileyBangsrackedtheirbrainsandofferednumeroussuggestions，butthemajorityofthesewerenotfavorablyreceived。
“There"sMatildyTripp，“saidBailey。“She"dlikethejob，I"msartin。She"sawidow，too，andshe"shadexperiencekeepin"housealongofTobias，himthatwasherhusband。But，ifyoudohireher，don"tletKeturyknowIhintedatit，"causewe"regoin"toloseoneboarderwhenyouquit，andthat"stoomany，"cordin"totheoldlady"swayofthinkin"。“
“YoucankeepMatildy，forallme，“repliedthecaptaindecidedly。
“Come-Outerreligion"sallright，forthosethathavethatkindofappetite，buthavin"itpassedtomethreetimesaday，sameasI"vehaditatyourhouse，isenough；Idon"thankertohaveitwarmedoverbetweenmeals。IfIshippedMatildyaboardheresheandtheReverendDanielswouldstandoverme，watchandwatch，tillIwasconvertedorcrazy，oneortheother。“
“Well，there"sAngie。She——“
“Angie！”sniffedMr。Tidditt。“Stopyourjokin"，Bailey。Thisisaseriousmatter。“
“Iwan"tjokin"。What——“
“There！there！boys，“interruptedthecaptain；“don"tfight。
Baileydidn"tmeantojoke，Ase；he"sfullofwhatthepaperscall"unconscioushumor。"I"llgiveinthatAngieisaboutasseriousamatterasIcanthinkofwithoutsettin"downtorest。Humph！sofurwehaven"tgainedanyknotstospeakof。Anymorecandidatesonyourmind？”
Morepossibilitieswerementioned，butnoneofthemseemedtofillthebill。Theconferencebrokeupwithoutarrivingatadecision。
Mr。Bangsandthetownclerkwalkeddownthehilltogether。
“Doyouknow，Bailey，“saidAsaph，“thewayIlookatit，thispickin"outahousekeeperforWhitain"tanycommonjob。It"ssomethin"tothinkover。Cy"sarestlesscritter；beencruisin"
hitherandyonallhislife。I"msortofscaredthathe"llgettiredofBayportandquitifthingsheredon"tgotosuithim。Nowifarealgoodnicewoman——aniceLOOKIN"woman，say——wastokeephouseforhimit——it——“
“Well？”
“Well，Imean——thatis，don"tyous"poseifsomesuchwomanasthatwastobefoundforthejobhemightintimecometolikeherand——
and——er——“
“AseTidditt，whatareyoudrivin"at？”
“Why，Imeanhemightcometomarryher；there！Thenhe"dbecontentedtosettledowntohomeandstayput。Whatdoyouthinkoftheidea？”
“Thinkofit？Ithinkit"sthedumdestfoolishnesseverIheard。
Ideclareiftheverymentionofawomantosomeofyouoldbachesdon"tmakeyourheadssoftenuplikeajellyfishinthesun！Ain"tCyWhittakergotmoney？Ain"thegotanicehome？Ain"thehappy？”
“Yes，heisnow，Is"pose，but——“
“WELL，then！Andyouwanthimtogetmarried！Whatdoyouknowaboutmarryin"？Nevertriedit，haveyou？”
“CourseIain"t！YouknowIain"t。“
“Allright。ThenI"dkeepquietaboutsuchthings，ifIwasyou。“
“Youneedn"tflyuplikeasettin"hen。Everybody"swifeain"t——“
Hestoppedinthemiddleofthesentence。
“What"sthat？”demandedhiscompanion，sharply。
“Nothin"；nothin"。_I_don"tcare；Iwasonlytryin"tofixthingscomf"tableforWhit。HasHemansaidanythingabouttheharborappropriationsencehe"sbeenhome？Ihaven"theardofitifhehas。“
Mr。Bangs"sanswerwasagrunt，signifyinganegative。CongressmanAtkinshadbeen，sincehisreturntoBayport，exceedinglynoncommittalconcerningtheappropriation。ToTadSimpsonandaveryfewchosenlieutenantsandintimateshehadsaidthathehopedtogetit；thatwasall。Thiswasadisquietingchangeofattitude，for，atthebeginningofthetermjustpassed，hehadaffirmedthathewasGOINGtogetit。However，asMr。Simpsonreassuringlysaid：“Thejob"sinasgoodhandsascanbe，sowhat"stheuseofOURworryin"？”
BaileyBangscertainlywasnottroubledonthatscore；butthetownclerk"sproposalthatCaptainCybeprovidedwithasuitablewifedidworryhim。Baileywassoverymuchmarriedhimselfandhadsuchdecided，thoughunspoken，viewsconcerningmatrimonythatsuchaproposalseemedtohimlunacy，pureandsimple。Hehadlikedandadmiredhisfriend“Whit“intheolddays，whenthelatterledthemintoallsortsofboyishscrapes；nowheregardedhimwithalikingthatwasclosetoworship。Thecaptainwassojollyandoutspoken；
sobraveandindependent——witnesshiscrossingofthegreatAtkinsinthematterofthedownstairsteacher。Thatwasarecklesspieceoffollywhichwould，doubtless，berewardedafteritskind，butBailey，thoughheprofessedtocondemnit，secretlywishedhehadtheplucktodaresuchthings。Asitwas，hedidn"tdarecontradictKeturah。
WiththeexceptionofonevoyageascabinboytoNewOrleans，avoyagewhichconvincedhimthathewasnotmeantforaseaman，Mr。
BangshadneverbeenfartherfromhisnativevillagethanBoston。
CaptainCyhadbeenalmosteverywhereandseenalmosteverything。
HecouldspinyarnsthatbeattheserialstoriesinthepatentinsideoftheBayportBreezeallhollow。Baileyhadfiguredthat，whenthe“fixin"over“wasended，theCyWhittakerplacewouldbeforhimadelightfulhavenofrefuge，wherehecouldputhisbootsonthefurniture，smokeuntildizzywithoutbeingpouncedupon，beentertainedandthrilledwithtalesofadventureafloatandashore，andevenexpresshisownopinion，whenhehadany，withthevoiceandlungpowerofafree-bornAmericancitizen。
AndnowAsaphTidditt，whoshouldknowbetter，eventhoughhewasabachelor，wantedtobringawifeintothisparadise；notapaiddomesticwhocouldbesilenced，ordischarged，ifshebecameanuisance，butaWIFE！Baileyguessednot；notifhecouldpreventit。
SohelayawakenightsthinkingofpossiblehousekeepersforCaptainCy，andcarefullyrejectingallthosepossessingdangerousattractionsofanykind。Eachmorning，afterbreakfast，heranoverthelistwiththecaptain，takingcarethatAsaphwasnotpresent。CaptainCy，whowasverybusywiththefinishingtouchesatthenewoldhouse，weariedonthethirdmorning。
“There，there，Bailey！”hesaid。“Don"tbothermenow。I"vegototherthingsonmymind。HowdoIknowwhoallthesewomenfolksareyou"restringingofftome？Letmealone，do。“
“Butyoumusthaveahousekeeper，Cy。You"llmoveinMondayandyouwon"thavenobodyto——“
“Oh，dryup！IwanttothinkwhoImustseethismorning。There"sLemandoldladyPenniman，and——“
“Butthehousekeeper，Cy！Don"tyousee——“
“Hireoneyourself，then。Youknow"em；Idon"t。“
“Hey？Hireonemyself？Doyoumeanyou"llleaveitinmyhands？”
“Yes，yes！Iguessso。Runalong，that"sagoodfeller。“
Hedepartedhurriedly。Mr。Bangsscratchedhishead。Aweightyresponsibilityhadbeenlaiduponhim。
MondaymorningafterbreakfastCaptainCy"strunkwasputaboardthedepotwagon，andDan"lWebsterdrewittoitsowner"shome。
Thefarewellsattheperfectboardinghousewereaffecting。Mrs。
TrippsaidthatshehadspokentotheReverendMr。Daniels，andhewouldbesuretocalltheveryfirstthing。Keturahaffirmedthatthecaptain"sstayhadbeenarealpleasure。
“Youneverfindfault，Cap"nWhittaker，“shesaid。“You"resuchamanlyman，ifyou"llexcusemysayin"so。Ionlywishtherewasmorelikeyou，“withasignificantglanceatherhusband。AsforMissPhinney，shemighthavebeensayinggood-byyetifthecaptainhadnotexcusedhimself。
Asaphaccompaniedhisfriendtothehouseonthehill。Thetrunkwasunloadedfromthewagonandcarriedintothebedroomonthefirstfloor，theroomwhichhadbeenCaptainCy"ssolongago。
GabeshriekedatDan"lWebster，andthedepotwagoncrawledawaytowardtheupperroad。
“Gottomeettheuptrain，“grumbledthedriver。“Notthatanybodyevercomesonit，butIcal"lateI"ms"posedtobethere。BemoretalkthanalittleifIwan"t。Gitdap，Dan"l！you"reslower"nthemorallaw。“
“Soyou"regoin"todoyourowncookin"foraspell，Cy？”observedAsaph，ahalfhourlater，“Well，Iguessthat"sagoodidea，tillyoucanfindtherighthousekeeper。Iain"tbeenabletothinkofonethatwouldsuityouyet。“
“NorI，either。Neither"sBailey，Ijudge，thoughforawhilehewasasfullofsuggestionsasapinegroveisofwoodticks。Hestartedtosaysomethin"aboutittomelastnight，butKeturyhoveinsightandyankedhimofftoprayermeetin"。“
“Yes，Iknow。Shecal"latestogethimintoheavensomehow。“
“Iguess"twouldn"tBEheavenforherunlesshewasroundtopickat。Therehecomesnow。How"dhegetoutofwipin"dishes？”
Mr。Bangsstrolledintotheyard。
“Hello！”hehailed。“IwasonmywaytoSimmons"sonanerrandandIthoughtI"dstopinaminute。Gotsomethin"totellyou，Whit。“
“Allright。Overboardwithit！Itwon"tkeeplongthishotweather。“
Baileysmiledknowingly。“Didn"tIheartheuptrainwhistleasI
wascomin"along？”heasked。“SeemstomeIdid。Yes；well，ifI
ain"tmistakensomebody"scomin"onthattrain。Somebodyforyou，CyWhittaker。“
“SomebodyforME？”
“Um——hum！Icangen"rallybedependedon，Ical"late，andwhenyousaystome："Bailey，yougetmeahousekeeper，"Ididn"tlosemuchtime。Igother。“
Mr。Tiddittgasped。
“GOTher？”herepeated。“Gotwho？Gotwhat？BaileyBangs，whatintheworldhave——“
“Belay，Ase！”orderedCaptainCy。“Bailey，whatareyougivin"
us？”
“Givin"youahousekeeper，andagoodone，too，Ishouldn"twonder。
Shemaynotbeoneofthemten-thousand-dollarprizemuseumbeauties，“withascornfulwinkatAsaph，“butifwhatIhear"strueshecankeephouse。Anyhowshe"skeptoneforfortyoddyear。
Hername"sDeborahBeasley，she"sawidowovertoEastTrumet，andifIdon"tmissmyguess，she"sinthedepotwagonnowheadedinthisdirection。“
CaptainCywhistled。Mr。Tiddittwastoomuchsurprisedtodoeventhat。
“Iwasspeakin"tothefellerthatdrivesthecandycart，“continuedBailey，“andIaskedhimifhe"drunacrostanybody，durin"histrips"roundthecountry，who"dbelikelytohireoutforahousekeeper。Hethoughtaspellandthennamedoversome。Among"emwasthisBeasleyone。Iaskedsomemorequestionsand，theanswersbein"satisfactorytoME，thoughtheymightnotbetosomefolks——“
anotherderisivewinkatAsaph——“Isetdownandwroteher，tellin"
whatyou"dpay，Cy，whatshe"dhavetodo，andwhenshe"dhavetocome。SaturdaynightIgotaletter，sayin"termswasallright，andshe"dbeonhandbythismornin"strain。Courseshe"sonlyontrialforamonth，butyouhadtohaveSOMEBODY，andthecandy-cartfellersaid——“
Thetownclerkslappedhisknee。
“DebbyBeasley！”hecried。“Iknowwhosheis！I"vegotacousininTrumet。DebbyBeasley！AuntDebby，theycallher。Why！she"soldenoughtobeMethusalem"sgrandmarm，and——“
“IfIrecollectright，“interruptedBailey，withdignity，“CyneversaidhewantedaYOUNGwoman——afrivolous，giddycritter，alwaysriggin"upandchasin"thefellers。Hewantedasot，soberhousekeeper。“
“Godfrey！AuntDebbyain"tfrivolous！Shecouldn"tchasealameclam——andcatchit。AndDEEF！Godfrey——scissors！she"sdeefer"noneofthemcast-ironNewfoundlandsinHeman"syard！Doyoumeantosay，BaileyBangs，thatyouwentahead，onyourownhook，andhiredthatoldrelicto——“
“Idid。AndIhadmyauthority，didn"tI，Whit？Youtoldmeyou"dleaveitinmyhands，nowdidn"tyou？”
Thecaptainsmiledsomewhatruefully，andscratchedhishead。
“Why，tobehonest，Bailey，IbelieveIdid，“headmitted。“Still，Ihardlyexpected——Humph！isshedeef，asAsesays？”
“Iunderstandshe"salittlemitehardofhearin"，“repliedMr。
Bangs，withdignity；“butthatain"tanydrawback，thewayIlookatit。Factis，I"dcallitanadvantage，butyoufolksseemtobehardtoplease。Irutherimaginedyou"dthankmeforgettin"her，butIs"posethatwastoomuchtoexpect。Allright，pitchherout！Don"tmindMYfeelin"s！Poorhomelesscrittercomin"to——“
“Homeless！”repeatedAsaph。“What"sthatgottodowithit？Cyain"trunnin"theOldWoman"sHome。“
“Well，well！”observedthecaptainresignedly。“There"snouseinrowin"aboutwhatcan"tbehelped。Baileysaysheshippedherforamonth"strial，andherecomesthedepotwagonnow。That"sherontheaftthwart，Ijudge。SheAIN"Twhatyou"dcallaspringpullet，isshe！”
Shecertainlywasnot。Theoccupantofthedepotwagon"srearseatwasathin，nottosayscraggy，female，wearingablack，befloweredbonnetandablackgown。Ablackknitshawlwasdrapedabouthershouldersandsheworespectacles。
“Whoa！”commandedMr。Lumley，pilotingthedepotwagontothesidedooroftheWhittakerhouse。Dan"lWebstercametoanchorimmediately。Gabeturnedandaddressedhispassenger。
“Herewebe！”heshouted。
“Hey？”observedtheladyinblack。
“Here——we——be！”repeatedGabe，raisinghisvoice。
“See？Seewhat？”
“Oh，heavenstoBetsey！I"mgettin"thecroupfromhowlin"。I——
say——HERE——WE——BE！GETOUT！”
Heaccompaniedthefinalbellowwithanexpressivepantomimeindicatingthatthepassengerwasexpectedtoalight。Sheseemedtounderstand，forsheopenedthedoorofthecarriageandslowlydescended。Mr。Bangsadvancedtomeether。
“Howd"yedo，Mrs。Beasley！”hesaid。“Gladtoseeyouallsafeandsound。“
Mrs。Beasleyshookhishand；herswerecovered，asfarastheknuckles，byblackmitts。
“Howd"yedo，Cap"nWhittaker？”shesaid，inashrillvoice。“Youprettysmart？”
Baileyhastenedtoexplain。
“Iain"tCap"nWhittaker，“heroared。“I"mBaileyBangs，theonethatwrotetoyou。“
“Hey？”
Mr。LumleyandAsaphchuckled。Baileycoloredandtriedagain。
“Iain"tthecap"n，“hewhooped。“Hereheis——here！”
Heledherovertoherprospectiveemployerandtappedthelatteronthechest。
“Howd"yedo，sir？”saidthehousekeeper。“Idon"tknow"sIjustcaughtyourname。“
Infiveminutesorsothesituationwasmadereasonablyclear。
Mrs。Beasleythendemandedhertrunkandcarpetbag。ThegrinningLumleyborethemintothehouse。Thenhedroveaway，stillgrinning。BaileylookedfearfullyatCaptainCy。
“SheISkindofhardofhearin"，ain"tshe？”hesaidreluctantly。
“YourememberIsaidshewas。“
Thecaptainnodded。
“Yes，“heanswered，“you"reatruth-tellin"chap，Bailey，I"llsaythatforyou。Youdon"texaggerateyourstatements。“
“Hardofhearin"！”snappedMr。Tidditt。“Ifthelasttrumpain"tasteamwhistleshe"llmissJudgmentDay。I"llstopintoSimmons"sonmywayalongandbuyyouabottleofthroatbalsam，Cy；you"regoin"toneedit。“
Thecaptainneededmorethanthroatbalsamduringthefortnightwhichfollowed。ThewidowBeasley"sdeafnesswasnotheronlyfailing。Infactshewasaltogetherafailure，sofarasherhousekeepingwasconcerned。Shecouldcook，afterafashion，butthefashionwassolimitedthateventhebilloffareattheperfectboardinghouselookedtemptinginretrospect。
“Bakedbeansagain，Cy！”exclaimedAsaph，droppinginoneeveningaftersupper。“"Tain"tSaturdaynightsosoon，isit？”
“No，“wasthedismalrejoinder。“It"sTuesday，ifmyalmanacain"toutofjoint。ButwehadbeansSaturdayandtheyain"tallgoneyet，soIpresumewe"llhave"emtillthelastone"sswallowed。
AuntDebby"sgotwhatthepieceintheReaderusedtocalla"frugalmind。"Shedon"tintendtowasteanything。LastThursdayIspunkedupcourageenoughtoyellforsaltfishandpotatoes——
fixedupwithporkscraps，youknow，same"sweusedtohavewhenI
wasaboy。Wehad"emallright，andifbeansofaSaturdayhadn"tbeenpartofherreligionwe"dbewarmin""emupyet。Itookinacatforcompany"totherday，butthecritter"srunaway。Toseeitlookatthebeansinitssaucerandthenatmewaspitiful；Ifeltlikehandin"myselfovertotheCrueltytoAnimals"folks。“
“Issheneat？”inquiredMr。Tidditt。
“Idon"tknow。Iguessso——ontheinstallmentplan。Ittakesheraweektoscrubupthekitchen，andthenoneendofitissodirtyshehastobeginagain。ConsequentlythedustissothickintherestofthehousethatIcanseemytracks。If"twan"tsolateintheseasonI"dplantgardenstuffintheparlor——nicesoilandlotsofshade，withthecurtainsdown。“
Fromtheroomsintherearcamethewordsofagospelhymnsunginatremuloussopranoandatconcertpitch。
“Musicwithmymeals，justlikeahigh-tonedrestaurant，“commentedCaptainCy。
“Butwhatmakeshersingsoeverlastin"LOUD？”
“Can"thearherselfifshedon"t。Icouldstandherdeefness，becausethat"sanafflictionandwemayallcometoit；but——“
Thehousekeeper，stillsinging，enteredtheroomandplantedherselfinachair。
“Goodevenin"，Mr。Tidditt，“shesaid，smilinggenially。“Niceweatherwe"vebeenhavin"。“
Asaphnodded。
“Sociablecritter，ain"tshe！”observedthecaptain。“Alwayswillin"tohelpentertain。Comesandsetsupwithmetillbedtime。
Tellsaboutherfamilytroubles。PreachesabouthernieceoutWest，andhowsetthenieceandtherestoftheWesternrelationsaretohavehermake"emavisit。Itoldhershebettergo——I
thought"twoulddohergood。Iknow"twouldhelpMEconsider"bletoseeherstart。
“She"sgotsonowshefindsfaultwithmyneckties，“headded，“saysImustbecarefulandnotgetmyfeetwet。PicksoutwhatI
oughttowearso"sIwon"tgetcold。She"lladoptmeprettysoon。
Oh，it"sallright！Shecan"thearwhatyousay。Areyourdishesdone？”heshrieked，turningtotheoldlady。
“One？Onewhat？”inquiredMrs。Beasley。
“Theywon"tBEdonetillyougo，Ase，“continuedthemasterofthehouse。“She"llstaywithustillthelastgunfires。T"otherdayAngiePhinneycalledandIturnedDebbylooseonher。Ididn"tbelieveanythingcouldwearoutAngie"stalkin"machinery，butshedidit。Angelinestayedtwentyminutesandthenquit，hoarseasacrow。“
Herethewidowjoinedintheconversation，evidentlyundertheimpressionthatnothinghadbeensaidsinceshelastspoke。
Continuingherfavorablecommentsontheweathersheobservedthatshewasgladtherewassolittlefog，becausefogwashardforfolkswith“neuralgypains。“Herbrother"swife"scousinhad“neuralgy“foryears，andshedescribedhissufferingswithenthusiasmandinfinitedetail。Mr。Tiddittansweredherquestionsverballyatfirst；laterbynodsandshakesofthehead。CaptainCyfidgetedinhischair。
“Comeonoutdoor，Ase，“hesaidatlast。“Nousetowaittillsherunsdown，"causeshe"saself-winder，guaranteedtokeepgoin"forayear。Good-night！”heshouted，addressingMrs。Beasley，andheadingforthedoor。
“Whereyougoin"？”askedtheoldlady。
“No。Yes。Whosaidso？Hooray！ThreecheersforGen"ralScott！
Comeon，Ase！”Andthecaptain，seizinghisfriendbythearm，draggedhimintotheopenair，andslammedthedoor。
“Areyoucrazy？”demandedtheastonishedtownclerk。“Whatmakesyoutalklikethat？”
“Mightaswell。Shewouldn"tunderstanditanybetterif"twasScripture，anditsavesbrainwork。TheonlysatisfactionIgetisbein"abletogivemyopinionofherandthegrubwithouthurtin"
herfeelin"s。IfIcalledherawooden-headedjumpin"jackshe"donlysmileandsayNo，shedidn"tthink"twasgoin"torain，orsomethin"justasbrilliant。“
“Well，whydon"tyougiveherherwalkin"papers？”
“Ishall，whenhermonth"sup。“
“Iwouldn"twaitnomonth。I"dheaveheroverboardto-night。YouhearME！”
CaptainCyshookhishead。
“Ican"t，verywell，“hereplied。“IhatetomakeherfeelTOO
bad。Whenthemonth"soverI"llhavesomeexcuseready，maybe。
Thejokeofitisthatshedon"treallyneedtoworkout。She"sgotsomemoneyofherown，ownscranberryswampsandIdon"tknowwhatall。SaysshetookupBailey"soffer"causeshecal"latedI"dbecompanyforher。Ihadtolaugh，eveninthefaceofthosebeans，whenshesaidthat。“
“Humph！ifIdon"ttellBaileywhatIthinkofhim，then——“
“No，no！Don"tyousayawordtoBailey。It"sprincipallyonhisaccountthatI"mtryin"tostickitoutforthemonth。Baileydidhisbest；hethoughthewashelpin"。Andhefeelsdreadfullybecauseshe"ssodeef。OnlyyesterdayheaskedmeifIbelievedtherewasanythingmadethatwouldfixherupandmakeitmorecomfortableforme。Icouldhaveprescribedashotgun，butI
didn"t。Yousee，hethinksherdeefnessistheonlytrouble；I
haven"ttoldhimtherest，anddon"tyoudoit，either。Bailey"sagood-heartedchap。“
“Humph！hisheartmaybegood，buthishead"sgoin"toseed。I"llkeepquietif"twillpleaseyou，though。“
“Yes。And，seehere，Ase！Idon"tcaretobethelaughin"stockofBayport。IfanyofthefolksaskyouhowIlikemynewhousekeeper，youtell"emthere"snothin"likeheranywhere。
That"snolie。“
SoMrs。BeasleystayedonattheWhittakerplaceand，thankstoMr。
Tidditt，thegeneralopinionofinquisitiveBayportwasthatthenewhousekeeperwasagrandsuccess。OnlyCaptainCyandAsaphknewthewholetruth，andMr。Bangsapart。Thatpart，Deborah"sdeafness，troubledhimnotalittleandhethoughtmuchconcerningit。AsaresultofthisthinkinghewrotealettertoarelativeinBoston。Theanswertothisletterpleasedhimandhewroteagain。
Oneafternoon，duringthethirdweekofMrs。Beasley"sstay，AsaphcalledandfoundCaptainCyinthesittingroom，readingtheBreeze。Thecaptainurgedhisfriendtoremainandhavesupper。
“We"verunoutofbeans，Ase，“heexplained，“andarejuststartin"
inonacourseofboiledcod。Dostayandeatalot；thentherewon"tbesomuchtowarmover。“
Mr。Tiddittacceptedtheinvitation，alsoasectionoftheBreeze。
Whiletheywerereadingtheyheardthebackdoorslam。
“It"sthegravenimage，“explainedthecaptain。“She"sbeenonacruisedowntownsomewheres。Bealotofsorethroatsinthatdirectionto-morrowmornin"。“
Thetownclerklookedup。
“Therenow！”heexclaimed。“Ibelieve"twasherIsawwalkin"withBaileyaspellago。Ithoughtso，butIdidn"thavemyspecsandI
wan"tsure。“
“WithBailey，hey？Humph！thisisserious。HopeKeturydidn"tsee"em。Wemustn"thaveanyscandal。“
Thehousekeeperenteredthediningroom。Shewassinging“BeulahLand，“buthertonewasmoresubduedthanusual。Theyheardhersettingthetable。
“How"sshegettin"along？”askedAsaph。
“Progressin"backwards，sameasever。She"snobetter，thankyou，andthedoctor"sgivenuphopes。“
“Whenyougoin"totellhershecanclearout？”
“What？”CaptainCyhadreturnedtohispaperanddidnothearthequestion。
“Isaywhenisshegoin"tobebounced？Deefnessain"tcatchin"，isit？”
“Iwouldn"twonderifitmightbe。If"tis，mineoughttobedevelopin"fast。Whatmakeshersostillallatonce？”
“Gonetothekitchen，Iguess。Wondershehasn"tsailedinandsetdownwithus。Oldchromo！Youmustbegladhermonth"smostup？”
Asaphproceededtogivehisopinionofthehousekeeper，raisinghisvoicealmosttoahowl，ashisindignationgrew。IfMrs。Beasley"searshadbeenordinaryonesshemighthaveheardtheunflatteringdescriptioninthekitchen；asitwasMr。Tiddittfeltnofear。
“Comin"hereso"syoucouldbecompanyforher！Theidea！Goodtoherself，ain"tshe！Godfreyscissors！AndBaileywasfoolenoughto——“
“There，there！Don"tletitworryyou，Ase。I"veaboutdecidedwhattosaywhenIlethergo。I"lltellhersheisgettin"toooldtobeslavin"herselftodeath。Yousee，Idon"twanttomaketheoldcrittercry，norIdon"twanthertogetmad。Judgin"bythewaysheusedtocoaxthecatoutdoorswiththebroomhandleshe"sgotsomethin"ofatemperwhenshegetsstarted。I"llgiveheranextrymonth"swages，and——“
“Youwill，hey？YouWILL？”
Theinterruptioncamefrombehindthepartiallycloseddining-roomdoor。Mr。Tiddittsankbackinhischair。CaptainCysprangfromhisandthrewthedoorwideopen。BehinditcrouchedMrs。DeborahBeasley。Hereyessnappedbehindherspectacles，herleanformwastremblingallover，andinherrighthandsheheldamammothtrumpet，thesmallerendofwhichwasconnectedwithherear。
“Youwill，hey？“shescreamed，brandishingherleftfist，butstillkeepingtheeartrumpetinplacewithherright。“YouWILL？
Well，Idon"twantnoneofyourmiser"blemoney！Landknowshowyoumadeit，anyhow，andIwouldn"tsoilmyhandswithit。AfterallI"veputupwith，andthewayI"vedonemywork，andthethingsI"vehadtoeat，and——and——“
Shepausedforbreath。CaptainCyscratchedhischin。Asaph，gazingopen-mouthedatthetrumpet，stirredinhischair。Mrs。
Beasleyswoopeddownuponhimlikeagullonaminnow。
“Andyou！”sheshrieked。“You！amiserablelittle，good-for-
nothin"，lazy，ridiculous，dried-up……Oo——oo——OH！Youcallyourselfatownclerk！YOUdo！I——Iwouldn"thaveyouclerkforahenhouse！I"manoldchromo，beI？Yes！that"snicetalk，ain"tit，toawomanoldenoughtobe——thatis——er——er——"mostasoldasyoube！Yousneakin"，story-tellin"，little，fatTHING，you！You——
oh，Ican"tlaymytonguetowordstotellyouWHATyouare。“
“You"redoin"prettywell，seemstome，“observedCaptainCydryly。
“Iwouldn"tbediscouragedifIwasyou。“
Theonlyeffectofthisremarkwastoturnthewordytorrentinhisdirection。Thecaptainboreitforawhile；thenherosetohisfeetandcommandedsilence。
“That"senough！Stopit！”heordered，and，strangetosay，Mrs。
Beasleydidstop。“I"msorry，Debby，“hewenton，“butyouhadnobusinesstobelistenin"evenif——“andhesmiledgrimly，“youhavegotanewfoghorntohearwith。Youcangoandpackyourthingsassoonasyouwantto。Imadeupmymindthefirstdayyoucomethatyouandmewouldn"tcruisetogetherlong，andthisonlyshortensthetripbyaweekorso。I"llpayyouforthismonthandforthenext，andIguess，whenyoucometothinkitover，you"llbewillin"torisksoilin"yourhandswiththemoney。It"syourownfaultifanybodyknowsthatyoudidn"tleaveofyourownaccord。_I_shan"ttell，andI"llseethatTiddittdoesn"t。Nowtrot！AseandI"llgetsupperourselves。“
Itwasevidentthattheex-housekeeperhadmuchmorewhichshewouldhavelikedtosay。Buttherewasthatinherlateemployer"smannerwhichcausedhertoforbear。Sheslammedoutoftheroom，andtheyheardherbangingthingsaboutonthefloorabove。
“Butwhere——WHERE，“repeatedMr。Tidditt，overandover，“didshegetthattrumpet？”
Thepuzzlewassolvedsoonafter，whenBaileyBangsenteredthehouseinahighstateofexcitement。
“Well，“hedemanded，expectantly。“Didtheyhelpher？Hasanythinghappened？”
“HAPPENED！”beganAsaph，butCaptainCysilencedhimbyawink。
“Yes，“answeredthecaptain；“something"shappened。Why？”
“Hurrah！Ithought"twould。Shecanhearbetter，can"tshe？”
“Yes，Iguessit"ssafetosayshecan。“
“Good！Youcanthankmeforit。WhenIseehowdreadfuldeefshewasIwrotemycousinEddieT，who"sanopticianuptoBoston——youknowhim，Ase——andIsays："Ed，youknowwhat"sgoodforfolkswhocan"tsee？Ain"ttherenothin"，"saysI，"that"llhelpthemwhocan"thear？Howabouteartrumpets？"AndEdwrotethataneartrumpetwouldprobablyhelpsome，butwhydidn"tItryapairofthempatentfixin"sthataremadetoputinsidedeefpeople"sears？
He"dknownofcaseswheretheyhelpedalot。SoIsentforapair，andthebiggesteartrumpetmade，besides。AndwhenImetDebbyto-dayIgive"emtoherandtoldhertoputthepatentthingsIN
herearsandcoupleonthetrumpetoutside"em。Andnottosaynothin"toyou，butjustsurpriseyou。Anditdidsurpriseyou，didn"tit？”
ThewrathfulMr。Tiddittcouldwaitnolonger。Heburstintoavividdescriptionofthe“surprise。“Baileywasaghast。CaptainCylaugheduntilhisfacewaspurple。
“Ideclare，Cy！”exclaimedthedejectedpurchaserofthe“earfixin"s“andthetrumpet。“IdodeclareI"mawfulsorry！ifyou"donlytoldmeshewasnogoodI"dhaveletheralone；butIthought"twasjustthedeefness。I——I——“
“Iknow，Bailey；youmeantwell，likethelayin"-on-of-handsdoctorwhorubbedtherheumaticman"swoodenleg。Allright；_I_forgiveyou。"TwasworthitalltoseeAsaph"sfacewhenMarmBeasleywascomplimentin"him。Ha！ha！Oh，dearme！I"velaughedtillI"msore。Butthere"sonethingISHOULDliketodo，ifyoudon"tmind：Ishouldliketopickoutmynexthousekeepermyself。“
CHAPTERV
AFRONT-DOORCALLER
Mrs。Beasleydepartednextmorning，takingwithhertheextramonth"swages，inspiteoffervidavowalsthatshewouldn"ttouchacentofit。OnthewaytothedepotshefavoredMr。Lumleywithsundryhintsconcerningthereasonsforherdeparture。She“couldn"tstanditnolonger“；iffolksonlyknewwhatshe"dhadtoputupwithshecal"latedthey"dbesomesurprised；shecould“tellafewthings“ifshewantedto，andsoon。Incidentallyshewaskindofgladshedidn"tliketheplace，becausenowshecal"latedsheshouldgoWestandvisitherniece；they"dbeenwantinghertocomeforsolong。
Gabewasmuchinterestedandrepeatedthemonologue，withimaginativeadditions，tothedepotmaster，who，inturn，repeatedittohiswifewhenhewenthometodinner。Thatladyattendedsewingcircleintheafternoon。NextdayalargeshareofBayport"sconversationdealtwiththehousekeeper"sleavingandherreasonstherefor。Thereasonsdifferedwidely，accordingtotheportionofthetowninwhichtheywerediscussed，butitwasthegeneralopinionthatthewholeaffairwasnotcreditabletoCaptainWhittaker。
Onlyattheperfectboardinghousewasthecaptainupheld。MissPhinneydeclaredthatsheknewhehadmadeamistakeassoonassheheardtheBeasleywomantalk；nobodyelse，soAngelinedeclared，could“getawordinedgeways。“Mrs。Trippsighedandaffirmedthatgoingoutoftownforawomantodohouseworkwasridiculousonthefaceofit；therewereplentyofBayportladies，womenofcapabilityandsoundintheirreligiousviews，whomightbehirediftheywereapproachedintherightway。Keturahgave，asheropinion，thatifthecaptainknewwhenhewaswelloff，hewould“takehismealsout。“AsaphsnortedandintimatedthatthatDebbyBeasleywasn"tfitto“keephouseinapigsty，andanybodybutaborngumpwouldhaveknownit。“Bailey，the“borngump，“saidnothing，butlookedappealinglyathischum。
AsforCaptainCy，hedidnottakethetroubletoaffirmordenytherumors。PeaceandquietdominatedtheWhittakerhouseforthefirsttimeinthreeweeksanditsownerwashappier。Hecookedhisownfoodandwashedhisowndishes。Therunawaycatventuredtoreturn，foundotherviandsthanbeansinitssaucer，anddecidedtoremain，purringthankfulcontentment。Thecaptainmadehisownbed，afterafashion，whenhewasreadytooccupyit，buthewasconsciousthatitmightbebettermade。Herefused，however，tospendhistimeinsweepinganddusting，andthedustcontinuedtoaccumulateonthecarpetsandfurniture。Thisconditionofaffairstroubledhim，buthekepthisowncounsel。AsaphandBaileycalledoften，buttheyofferednomoresuggestionsastohiringahousekeeper。Mr。Tiddittmighthavedoneso，butthecaptaingavehimnoencouragement。Mr。Bangs，recenthumiliationfreshinhismind，wouldassoonhavesuggestedsettingthehouseonfire。
OneeveningAsaphhappenedin，onhiswaytoSimmons"s。Hedesiredthecaptaintoaccompanyhimtothatgatheringplaceofthewiseandtalkative。CaptainCywasinthesittingroom，asheetofnotepaperinhishand。Thetownclerkenteredwithoutceremonyandtossedhishatonthesofa。
“Evenin"，Ase，“observedthecaptain，foldingthesheetofpaperandputtingitintohispocket。“Gladyoucome。Sitdown。I
wantedtoaskyousomethin"。“
“Allright！HereIbe。Heaveaheadandask。“
CaptainCypuffedathispipe。Heseemedabouttospeakandthentothinkbetterofit，forhecrossedhislegsandsmokedoninsilence，gazingatthenickelworkofthe“base-burner“stove。Itwasbadlyinneedofpolishing。
“Well？”inquiredAsaph，withimpatientsarcasm。“Thinkin"ofaskin"metobuildafireforyou，wasyou？Nobodyelsebutyouwouldhavesetupastoveinsummertime，anyhow。“
“Hey？No，youneedn"tstartafireyetawhile。Thatnecktieofyours"llkeepuswarmtillfall，Ishouldn"twonder。Newone，ain"tit？Where"dyougetit？”
Mr。Tiddittwaswearingacrochetedscarfofabrilliantcrimsonhue，particularlybecomingtohiscomplexion。Thecomplexionnowbrighteneduntilitwasalmostamatchforthetie。
“Oh！”hesaid，withelaborateindifference。“That？Yes，it"snew。
Yesterdaywasmybirthday，andMatildyTrippsheknewIneededanecktie，soshegivemethisone。“
“Oh！Onesheknitpurposeforyou，then？Dearme！Lookout，Ase。
Widowwomenaredangerous，theysay；presentsareoneofthefirstbaitstheyheaveout。“
“Don"tbefoolish，now！Icouldn"tchuckitbackather，couldI？
Thatwouldbeprettymanners。Youneedn"ttalkaboutwidders——notafterDebby！Ho！ho！”
CaptainCychuckled。Thenhesuddenlybecameserious。
“Ase，“hesaid，“yourememberthetimewhentheHowesfolkshadthishouse？Courseyoudo。Yes；well，wasthereanyoftheirrelationsherewith"em？A——acousin，orsomethin"？”
“No，notasIrecollect。Yes，therewas，too，cometothink。A
thirdcousin，MaryThayerhernamewas。ITHINKshewasathirdcousinofBetsyHowes，SethHowes"ssecondwife。Betsy"snamewasGinnaforeshemarried，andtheGinnswasrelatedontheirma"ssidetoaRichards——EmilyRichards，Ithink"twas——andEmilymarriedaThayer。WouldthatmakethisMaryathirdcousin？Nowlet"ssee；SarahJaneGinn，shehadanauntwhokeptaboardin"
houseinHarniss。Irememberthat，"countofhersellin"myUncleBijeapig。Seemstome"twasapig，butIain"tsurethatitmightn"thavebeenasettin"ofPlymouthRockhens"eggs。Anyhow，UncleBijeKEPThens，becauseIrememberonetime——“
“There！there！we"llbeoutofsightoflandinaminute。ThisMaryThayer——old，wasshe？”
“No，no！Justayounggirl，eighteenortwentyorso。PrettyandniceandquietaseverIsee。ByGodfrey，sheWASpretty！Iwan"tasoldasIbenow，and——“
“Ase，don"ttellyourheartsecrets，eventome。Imightgetabsent-mindedandmention"emtoMatildy。Andthen——whew！”
“Ifyoudon"tstoptryin"toplaysmartyI"llgohome。What"sMatildyTripptome，I"dliketoknow？AndevenwhenMaryThayerwashereIwasoldenoughtobeherdad。ButIrememberwhatanicegirlshewasandhowtheboarderslikedher。TheyusedtosayshedonemorethanalltheHowestribeputtogethertomaketheSeaSightHouseagoodhotel。Youngasshewasshedonemostofthehousekeepin"anddoneitwell。Iftherestof"emhadbeenlikeheryoumightn"thavehadtheplaceyet，Whit。Butwhatsetyoutothinkin"abouther？”
“Oh，Idon"tknow！Nothin"much；thatis——well，I"lltellyousomeothertime。Whatbecameofher？”
“ShewentuptoNewHampshirealongwiththeHowesfolksandI
ain"tseenhersince。SeemstomeIdidhearshewasmarried。Seehere，Whit，whatisitabouther？Tellafeller；come！”
ButCaptainCyrefusedtogratifyhischum"slivelycuriosity。
AlsoherefusedtogotoSimmons"sthatevening，sayingthathewastiredandguessedhe"dstayathomeand“turninearly。“Mr。
Tiddittdepartedgrumbling。Afterhehadgonethecaptaindrewhischairnearerthecentertable，tookfromhispocketasheetofnotepaper，andproceededtoreadwhatwaswrittenonitspages。Itwasaletterwhichhehadreceivednearlyamonthbeforeandhadnotyetanswered。Duringthepastweekhehadreaditmanytimes。
Thewritingwascrampedandblottedandthepapercheapanddingy。
TheenvelopeborethepostmarkofasmalltowninIndiana，andtheinclosurewaswordedasfollows：
CAPTAINCYRUSWHITTAKER。
DEARSIR：Isupposeyouwillbeagooddealsurprisedtohearfromme，especiallyfromwayoutWesthere。WhenyouboughttheoldhouseofSeth，heandIwaslivinginConcord，N。H。Hecouldn"tmakeagoofhisbusinessthere，sowecameWestandhehasbeensickmostofthetimesince。Weain"twellofflikeyou，andtimesarehardwithus。WhatIwantedtowriteyouaboutwasthis。MycousinMaryThomas，MaryThayerthatwas，isstilllivinginConcordandsheispoorandneedshelp，thoughIdon"tsupposeshewouldaskforit，beingtooproud。FalseprideIcallit。MeandSethwouldliketodosomethingforher，butwehaveahardenoughjobtokeepgoingourselves。MarymarriedamanbythenameofHenryThomas，andheturnedouttobeamiserablegood-for-nothing，asIalwayssaidhewould。Shewouldn"tlistentomethough。HerunoffandlefthersevenyearagolastApril，andIunderstandwaskilledordrownedsomewheresupinMontana。Maryand[severalwordsscratchedouthere]gotalongsomehowsince，butIdon"tknowhow。WhilewelivedinConcordSethsortofkeptaneyeonher，butnowhecan"tofcourse。She"sagoodgirl，orwomanrather，beingmostforty，andwouldmakeagoodhousekeeperifyoushouldneedoneasIsupposelikelyyouwill。IfyoucouldhelpheritwouldbeanactofcharityandyouwillberewardedAbove。Sethsayswhynotwritetoherandtellhertocomeandseeyou？Hefeelsbadabouther，becauseheissosickIsuppose。Andheknowsyouarerichandcoulddogoodifyoufeltlikeit。Herfather"snamewasJohnThayer。Iwouldn"twonderifyouusedtoknowhermother。ShewasEmilyRichardsaforeshemarriedandtheyusedtoliveinOrham。
Yourstruly，ELIZABETHHOWES。
P。S——Mary"saddressisMrs。MaryThomas，careMrs。Oliver，128
BlankStreet，Concord，N。H。
N。B——Sethwon"tsayso，butIwill：weareveryhardupourselvesandifyoucouldhelphimandmewiththeloanofalittlemoneyitwouldbethankfullyreceived。
CaptainCyreadtheletter，foldedit，andreplaceditinhispocket。HeknewtheHowesfamilybyreputation，andthereputationwasthatofgeneralsharpnessintradeandstinginessinmoneymatters。Betsy"spersonalappealdidnot，therefore，touchhishearttoanygreatextent。HesurmisedalsothatforSethHowesandhiswifetoaskhelpforsomepersonotherthanthemselvespremisedadarkyinthewoodpilesomewhere。ButforthedaughterofEmilyRichardstobesuggestedasapossiblehousekeeperattheCyWhittakerplace——thatwasinteresting，certainly。
Whenthecaptainwasnotacaptain——whenhewasmerely“youngCy，“
aboy，livingwithhisparents，adancingschoolwasorganizedinBayport。Itwasaninnovationforourvillage，andfrowneduponbymanyoftheolderandstricterinhabitants。However，mostofthecaptain"sboyfriendswerepermittedtoattend；youngCywasnot。
Hisfatherconsidereddancingawasteoftimeand，ifnotwicked，certainlyfrivolousandnonsensical。Sotheboyremainedathome，but，inspiteoftheparentalorder，hepracticedsomeofthefiguresofthequadrillesandthecontradancesinhiscomrades"
barns，learningthematsecondhand，sotospeak。
OnewintertherewastobeapartyinOrham，givenbytheNickersons，wealthypeoplewithafifteen-year-olddaughter。Itwastobeagrandaffair，andmostoftheboysandgirlsintheneighboringtownswereinvited。Cyreceivedaninvitation，and，forawonder，waspermittedtoattend。TheBayportcontingentwentoverinabighayrickonrunnersandthemoonlightridewasjollyenough。TheNickersonmansionwascrowdedandthereweremusicanddancing。
YoungCywasmiserableduringthedancing。Hedidn"tdareattemptit，inspiteofhislessonsinthebarn。So，whiletherestofhisboyfriendssoughtpartnersforthe“PortlandFancy“and“Hull"sVictory“hesatforlorninacorner。
Ashesattherehewasapproachedbyayounglady，radiantinmuslinandribbons。Shewasthreeorfouryearsolderthanhewas，andhehadworshippedherfromafarasshewhirledupanddownthelineintheVirginiaReel。Sheneverlackedpartnersandseemedtobeagreatfavoritewiththeyoungmen，especiallyonegood-lookingchapwithasunburnedface，wholookedlikeasailor。
Theywereformingsetsfor“MoneyMusk“；itwas“ladies"choice，“
andtherewasademandformorecouples。TheyoungladycameevertoCy"scornerandlaughinglydroppedhimacourtesy。
“Ifyouplease，“shesaid，“Iwantapartner。Willyoudomethehonor？”
Cyblushinglyavowedthathecouldn"tdanceanytospeakof。
“Oh，yes，youcan！I"msureyoucan。You"retheWhittakerboy，aren"tyou？I"veheardaboutyourbarnlessons。AndIwantyoutotrythiswithme。Pleasedo。No，John，“sheadded，turningtothesunburnedyoungfellowwhohadfollowedheracrosstheroom；“thisismychoiceandhereismypartner。SusieTaylorisafteryouandyoumustn"trunaway。Come，Mr。Whittaker。“
SoCytookherarmandtheydanced“MoneyMusk“together。Hemadebutafewmistakes，andtheseshehelpedhimtocorrectsoeasilythatnonenoticed。Hissuccessgavehimcourageandheessayedotherdances；infact，hehadaverygoodtimeatthepartyafterall。
Onthewayhomehethoughtagreatdealabouttheprettyyounglady，whosenamehediscoveredwasEmilyRichards。Hedecidedthatifshewouldonlywaitforhim，hemightliketomarryherwhenhegrewup。Buthewasthirteenandshewasseventeen，andtheverynextyearshemarriedJohnThayer，thesailorinthebluesuit。
AndtwoyearsafterthatyoungCyranawaytobeasailorhimself。
Inspiteofhisageandhislifetimeofbatteringabouttheworld，CaptainCyhadasentimentalstreakinhismakeup；hisrejuvenationoftheoldhomeprovedthat。Betsy"sletterinterestedhim。HehadmadeguardedinquiriesconcerningMaryThayer，nowMaryThomas，ofothersbesidesAsaph，andtheanswershadbeensatisfactorysofarastheywent；thosewhorememberedherhadlikedherverymuch。
ThecaptainhadevenbegunalettertoMrs。Thomas，butlaiditasideunfinished，having，sinceBailey"sunfortunateexperiencewiththewidowBeasley，aprejudiceagainstexperiments。
Butthisevening，beforeMr。Tiddittcalled，hehadbeenthinkingthatsomethingwouldhavetobedoneanddonesoon。Thegenerallyshiftlessconditionofhisdomesticsurroundingswasgettingtobeunbearable。Dustanddirtdidnotfitintohismentalpictureoftheoldhomeasitusedtobeandashehadtriedtorestoreit。
Therehadbeenneitherdustnordirtinhismother"sday。
Hemeditatedandsmokedforanotherhour。Then，hismindbeingmadeup，hepulleddownthedesklidoftheold-fashionedsecretary，resurrectedfromapileofpapersthenotehehadbeguntoMrs。Thomas，dippedasputteringpenintotheinkbottleandproceededtowrite。
Hisletterwasashortoneandrathernoncommittal。AsMrs。Thomasnodoubtknewhehadcomebacktoliveinhisfather"shouseatBayport。Hemightpossiblyneedsomeonetokeephouseforhim。
Heunderstoodthatshe，MaryThayerthatwas，wasagoodhousekeeperandthatshewasopentoanengagementifeverythingwasmutuallysatisfactory。HehadknownhermotherslightlywhenthelatterlivedinOrham。Hethoughtaninterviewmightbepleasant，fortheycouldtalkoveroldtimesifnothingmore。Perhaps，onthewhole，shemightcaretoriskatriptoBayport，thereforeheinclosedmoneyforherrailroadfare。“Youunderstand，ofcourse，“sohewroteinconclusion，“thatnothingmaycomeofourmeetingatall。
Sopleasedon"tsayawordtoanybodywhenyoustriketown。You"velivedhereyourself，andyouknowthatthreewordshoveoverboardinBayportwilldredgeupgabenoughtosinkadictionary。Sojustkeepmumtillthebusinessissettledonewayortheother。“
Heputonhishatandwentdowntothepostoffice，wherehedroppedhisletterintheslotoftheboxfastenedtothefrontdoor。Thenhereturnedhomeandretiredatexactlyeleveno"clock。
InspiteofhisremarkstoAsaph，hehadnot“turnedin“soearlyafterall。
Ifthecaptainexpectedapromptreplytohisnotehewasdisappointed。Aweekpassedandheheardnothing。ThenthreemoredaysandstillnowordfromtheNewHampshirewidow。MeanwhilefreshlayersofdustspreadthemselvesovertheWhittakerfurniture，andthegaudypatternsofthecarpetsblusheddimlybeneathagrimyfog。Thesituationwasdesperate；evenMatildaTripp，Come-Outersermonsandall，begantobethinkableasapossibility。
Theeleventhdaybeganwithapouringrainthatchanged，lateron，toadismaldrizzle。Thesilver-leaftreeinthefrontyarddripped，andtheoverflowingguttersgurgledandsplashed。Thebaywasgrayandlonely，andthefishweirsalongtheouterbarwerelostinthemist。TheflowersintheAtkinsurnsweredraggledandbeatendown。Onlytheirondogsglistenedundauntedasthewetranofftheirnewlypaintedbacks。Theairwasheavy，andthesaltyflavoroftheflatsmightalmostbetastedinit。
CaptainCywasinthesittingroom，asusual。Hisspiritswereasgrayastheweather。Hewasactuallylonesomeforthefirsttimesincehisreturnhome。Hehadkindledawoodfireinthestove，justforthesociabilityofit，andthecrackleandglowbehindtheisinglasspanesonlyservedtoremindhimofotherdaysandotherfires。Thesittingroomhadnotbeenlonesomethen。