第4章
ItwasEmily"sbestgown，thefinestofthenew“rigout“preparedbyMissTaylor。ThegirlandCaptainCygazedruefullyattherentsandpitchstainsmadebythevinesandpinetrees。
“Well，yousee，“repliedtheabashedcaptain，“thefactis，sheain"tgotanymother。“
“Oh！Ibegyourpardon。Andhers，too，poordear。Well，ifIwereyouIshouldn"tgotosleepnexttimeItookherwalking。Goodafternoon。“
Sheturnedandcalmlywalkeddownthepath。Atthebendshespokeagain。
“Ishouldbegentlewithher，ifIwereyou，“shesaid。“Hernervesareprettywellupset。Besides，ifyou"llexcusemysayingso，I
don"tthinksheistheonethatneedsscolding。“
Theythoughtshehadgone，butsheturnedoncemoretoaddafinalsuggestion。
“Ithinkthatdresscouldbefixed，“shesaid，“ifyoutookittosomeonewhoknewaboutsuchthings。“
Shedisappearedamidstthegraveyardshrubbery。CaptainCyandBos"nslowlyfollowedher。Fromthepasturetheredandwhitecowsentafterthemabroken-spirited“Moo！”
Bos"nwashighlyindignant。Duringthehomewardwalkshesputteredlikeadampfirecracker。
“Theideaofhertalkingsotoyou，UncleCyrus！”sheexclaimed。
“Itwasn"tyourfaultatall。“
Thecaptainsmiledone-sidedly。
“Idon"tknowaboutthat，shipmate，“hesaid。“Iwouldn"twonderifshewasmorethanhalfright。Butsay！shewasallbusinessandnofrills，wasn"tshe！Ha，ha！Howshedidspunkuptothatheifer！Whointhedickensdoyoucal"latesheis？”
CHAPTERVIII
THE“COWLADY“
Thatquestionwasansweredtheverynextday。Bos"n，carefullydressedbyGeorgiannaunderthecaptain"ssupervision，andweighteddownwithadviceandcounselfromthelatter，startedfortheschoolhouseataquartertonine。OnlyasenseofshamekeptCaptainCyfromwalkingtoschoolwithher。Hespentamiserableforenoon。Theywerequitethelongestthreehoursinhisvariedexperience。Thehousewasdreadfullylonely。Hewanderedfromkitchentosittingroom，worriedGeorgianna，wokeupthecat，andmadeacompletenuisanceofhimself。Twelveo"clockfoundhimleaningoverthegateandlookingeagerlyinthedirectionoftheschoolhouse。
Bos"nranallthewayhome。Shewasinahighstateofexcitement。
“Whatdoyouthink，UncleCyrus？”shecried。“WhatDOyouthink？
I"vefoundoutwhothecowladyis！”
“Thecowlady？Oh，yes，yes！Haveyou？Whoisshe？”
“She"steacher，that"swhosheis！”
Thecaptainwasastonished。
“No！”heexclaimed。“PhoebeDawes？Youdon"tsayso！Well，well！”
“Yes，sir。WhenIwentintoschoolandfoundhersittingthereI
wassosurprisedIdidn"tknowwhattodo。Sheknewme，too，andsaidgoodmorning，andwasIallrightagainandwasmydressreallyasbadasitlookedtobe？ItoldherthatGeorgiannathoughtshecouldfixit，andifshecouldn"t，hersistercould。
Shesaidthatwasnice，andthen"twastimeforschooltobegin。“
“Didshesayanythingaboutme？”inquiredCaptainCywhentheywereseatedatthedinnertable。
“Oh，yes！Iforgot。Shemusthavefoundoutwhoyouare，"causeshesaidshewassurprisedthatamanwhohadmadehismoneyoutofhidesshouldhavebeensocarelessaboutthecreaturesthatwore"em。“
“Humph！How"dshegetalongwiththeyoungonesinschool？”
Itappearedthatshehadgottenalongverywellwiththem。Someofthebiggerboysinthebackseats，cherishingpleasantmemoriesofthe“fun“theyhadunderMissSeabury"seasy-goingrule，attemptedtorepeattheirperformancesofthepreviousterm。Buttheveryfirst“spitball“whichspatteredupontheblackboardprovedadisastrousmissileforitsthrower。
“Shemadehimcleantheboard，“proclaimedBos"n，big-eyedandawestruck，“andthenhehadtostandinthecorner。HewasBennieEdwards，andhe"smostthirteen。MissSeabury，theysaid，couldn"tdoanythingwithhim，butteachersaid"Go，"asquietascouldbeandjustlookedathim，andhewent。Andhe"smostastallassheis。Hedidlooksosilly！”
TheEdwardsyouthwasnottheonlyonewhowasmadeto“looksilly“
bylittleMissDawesduringthefirstdaysofherstayinBayport。
ShedealtwiththeunrulymembersofherclassesasbravelyasshehadfacedtheCahooncow，andtheresultswerejustassatisfactory。
Shewasstrict，butshewasimpartial，andAliciaAtkinsfound，tohergreatsurprise，thatthedaughterofacongressmanwasexpectedtostudyasfaithfullyandbehaveherselfaswellasfreckled-facedNoahHamlin，whosefatherpeddledfishandwhoseeverydaycostumewasacheckered“jumper“andpatchedoveralls。
Theschoolcommittee，thatis，themajorityofit，wasdelightedwiththenewteacher。LemuelMyrickboastedloudlyofhisgoodjudgmentinvotingforher。ButTadSimpsonandDariusEllisandothersoftheAtkinsfollowingstillscoffedandhintedattroubleinthefuture。
“Anewbroomsweepsfine，“quotedMr。Simpson。“She"sdoin"allrightnow，maybe。Anyway，theyoungonesarebehavin"themselves，butdisCIPlineain"tthewholething。HemantoldmethattheteacherhewantedcouldtalkFrenchlanguageandplaymusicandallkindsofaccomplishments。Phoebe——notfindin"anyfaultwithher，youunderstand——don"tknownomoreaboutmusicthanahen；mywifesaysshedon"tevensinginchurchloudenoughforanybodytohearher。AndasforFrench！whyeverybodyknowssheusesthecommonestsortofUnitedStates，justaseasytounderstandaswhatI"msayin"now。“
MissDawesboardedattheperfectboardinghouse。Thereopinionwasdividedconcerningher。BaileyandMr。Tiddittlikedher，butthefeminineboarderswerenotsofavorablyimpressed。
“Ithinkshe"saltogethertoopertaboutwhatdon"tconcernher，“
commentedAngelinePhinney。“SarahEmmaSimpsondroppedint"otherdaytodinner，andwechurchfolksgottotalkin"abouttheminister"spreachin"such"advanced"sermons。AndSarahEmmatoldhowshe"dheardhesaidhe"dknownsomerealmoralUniversalistsinhistime，orsomesuchunreligiousfoolishness。AndIsaidI
wonderedhedidn"tgetanewtailcoat；theonehepreachedinSundayswasoldasthehillsandsooutgrownitwouldn"tscurcelybuttonacrosthim。"Amanbein"paidninehundredayear，"Isays，"oughttodressdecent，anyhow。"AndthatPhoebeDawesspeaksup，withoutbein"asked，andsaysforherpartshe"drutherhearabroadmaninanarrercoatthant"otherwayabout。"Twasaregularslapinthefaceforme，andSarahEmmaandIain"tgotoverityet。“
CaptainCyheardthegossipconcerningthenewteacheranditratherpleasedhim。Sheappearedtobeindependent，andhelikedindependence。Hemetheronceortwiceonthestreet，butshemerelybowedandpassedon。Oncehetriedtothankheragainforherpartinthecowepisode，butshewouldnotlistentohim。
Bos"nwasmakinggoodprogresswithherstudies。Shewasnaturallyabrightchild——notthemarvelthecaptainandthe“BoardofStrategy“consideredher，butquicktolearn。Shewasnotasaint，however，andoccasionallymisbehavedinschoolandwaspunishedforit。Oneafternoonshedidnotreturnatherusualhour。CaptainCywaswaitingatthegatewhenAsaphTidditthappenedalong。
Bailey，too，waswithhim。
“Waitin"forBos"n，wasyou？”askedthetownclerk。“Well，you"llhavetowaitquiteaspell，Ical"late。She"sbeenkeptafterschool。“
“Yes；andshe"sgottowritefiftylinesofcopy，“addedBailey。
CaptainCywashighlyindignant。
“Getout！”hecried。“Sheain"tneither。“
“Yes，shehas，too。OneoftheSaltersyoungonestoldme。Iknewyou"dbemad，thoughIs"posefolksthatdidn"tknowher"swell"swedowouldsayshe"snodifferentfromotherchildren。“
Thiswasclosetoheresy，accordingtothecaptain"sopinion。
“Sheain"t！”hecried。“I"dliketoknowwhynot！Ifsheain"ttwiceassmartastherunofyoungones"roundherethen——Humph！
Andshe"skeptafterschool！Well，now；Iwon"thaveit！There"senoughtimeforstudyin"withoutwearin"outherbrainsafterhours。Oh，Iguessyou"remistaken。“
“No，weain"t。Itellyou，Whit，ifIwasyouI"dmakeafussaboutthis。She"sasmartchild，Bos"nis；Ineverseeasmarter。
Andsheain"tanytoostrong。“
“That"sso，sheain"t。“TheideathatEmily"shealthwas“delicate“
hadbecomeafixedfactinthemindsofthecaptainandthe“Board。“
Itmadeagoodexcuseforthesystematicprocessof“spoiling“thegirl，whichtheindulgentthreeweredoingtheirbesttocarryon。
“Iwouldn"tletherbekept，Cy，“urgedBailey。“Whydon"tyougorightoffandseePhoebeandsettlethisthing？You"vegotarighttotalktoher。Shewouldn"tbeteacherifitwasn"tforyou。“
AsaphaddedhisargumentstothoseofMr。Bangs。CaptainCy，carriedawaybyhisfirmbeliefthatBos"nwasaparagonofallthatwasbrilliantandgood，finallyyielded。
“Allright！”heexclaimed。“Comeon！Thatpoorlittlethingshan"tbeputuponbynobody。“
Thetriomarchedmajesticallydownthehill。AstheynearedtheschoolhouseBailey"scouragebegantofail。MissDaweswasaboarderathishouse，andhefearedconsequencesshouldKeturahlearnofhisinterference。
“I——Iguessyoudon"tneedme，“hestammered。“Thethreeofus"llscarethatteacherwomanmosttodeath。Andshe"ssolittleandmeek，youknow。IfIshouldlosemytemperandrareupImightsaysomethin"thatwouldhurtherfeelin"s。I"llsetonthefenceandwaitforyouandAse，Whit。“
Mr。Tidditt"sscornfulcommentsconcerning“whitefeathers“and“backsliders“hadnoeffect。Mr。Bangsperchedhimselfonthefence。
“Giveittoher，fellers！”hecalledafterthem。
“TalkDutchtoher！Letherknowthatthere"sonechildshecan"tabuse。“
AtthefootofthestepsAsaphpaused。
“Say，Cy，“hewhispered，“don"tyouthinkIbetternotgoin？Itain"treallymybusiness，youknow，and——and——Well，I"monthes"lectmenandshemightbefrightenedifsheseemepouncin"downonher。"Tain"tasifIwasjustacommonman。I"llgoandsetalongofBaileyandyougoinandtalkquiettoher。She"dfeelsosortofashamediftherewasanyoneelsetoheartherakin"over——
hey？”
“Now，seehere，Ase，“expostulatedthecaptain，“Idon"tliketodothisallbymyself！Besides，"twasyouchapsputmeuptoit。Youain"tgoin"topulloutoftheraceandleavemetogooverthecoursealone，areyou？Comeon！whatare，youafraidof？”
Hiscompanionhotlydeniedthathewas“afraid“ofanything。Hehadallsortsofargumentstobackhisdecision。AtlastCaptainCylostpatience。
“Well，BEaskulk，ifyouwantto！”hedeclared。“I"vesetouttoseethisthingthrough，andI"mgoin"todoit。Only，“hemuttered，asheenteredthedownstairsvestibule，“IwishIdidn"tfeelquitesomuchasifIwasstealin"hens"eggs。“
MissDawesherselfopenedthedoorinresponsetohisknock。
“Oh，it"syou，Cap"nWhittaker，“shesaid。“Comein，please。“
CaptainCyenteredtheschoolroom。Itwasempty，savefortheteacherandhimselfandonelittlegirl，who，seatedatadesk，waswritingbusily。Shelookedupandblushedavividred。ThelittlegirlwasBos"n。
“Sitdown，Cap"n，“saidMissPhoebe，indicatingthevisitor"schair。“Whatwasityouwantedtoseemeabout？”
Thecaptainacceptedtheinvitationtobeseated，buthedidnotimmediatelyreplytoMissDawes"squestion。Hedroppedhishatonthefloor，crossedhislegs，uncrossedthem，andthenobservedthatitwasprettysummeryweatherforsolateinthefall。Theteacheradmittedthetruthofhisassertionandwaitedforhimtocontinue。
“I——Is"poseschool"sprettyfull，nowthatcranb"ryin""sover，“
saidCaptainCy。
“Yes，prettyfull。“
“Gettin"alongfirstratewiththescholars，Ihear。“
“Yes。“
Thiswasamostunpromisingbeginning，reallynobeginningatall。
Thecaptainclearedhisthroat，sethisteeth，and，withoutlookingathiscompanion，doveheadlongintothebusinesswhichhadbroughthimthere。
“MissDawes，“hesaid，“I——Is"poseyouknowthatBos"n——ImeanEmilythere——islivin"atmyhouseandthatI"mtakingcareofherfor——forthepresent。“
Theladysmiled。
“Yes，“shesaid。“Igatheredasmuchfromwhatyousaidwhenwefirstmet。“
Sheherselfhadsaidoneortwothingsonthatoccasion。CaptainCyrememberedthemdistinctly。
“Yes，yes，“hesaidhastily。“Well，mydoin"sthattimewasn"texactlythebestsampleofthecare，Iwillsay。Wan"tevenafairsample，maybe。Itrytodomybestwiththechild，longasshestayswithme，and——er——and——er——I"mprettyparticularaboutherhealth。“
“I"mgladtohearit。“
“Yes。Now，MissPhoebe，IappreciatewhatyoudidforBos"nandmethatSunday，andI"mthankfulforit。I"vetriedtothank——“
“Iknow。Pleasedon"tsayanymoreaboutit。Iimaginethereissomethingelseyouwanttosay，isn"tthere？”
“Why，yes，thereis。I——IheardthatEmmiehadbeenkeptafterschool。Ididn"tbelieveit，ofcourse，butIthoughtI"drunupandseewhat——“
Hehesitated。Theteacherfinishedthesentenceforhim。
“Toseeifitwastrue？”shesaid。“Itis。Itoldhertostayandwritefiftylines。“
“Youdid？Well，nowthat"swhatIwantedtospeaktoyouabout。
CourseIain"tinterferin"inyouraffairs，youknow，butIjustwantedtoexplainaboutBos"n——Emmie，Imean。Sheain"tacommonchild；she"sgottoomuchheadfortherestofher。Ifyou"dlivedwithhersameasIhaveyou"dappreciateit。Herhealth"sdelicate。“
“Isit？Sheseemsstrongenoughtome。Ihaven"tnoticedanysymptoms。“
“Coursenot，elseyouwouldn"thavekeptherin。But_I_know，andIthinkit"smydutytotellyou。Nevermindifshecan"tdoquitesomuchwritin"。I"drathershewouldn"t；shemightbustabloodvesselorsomethin"。SuchthingsHAVEhappened，toextrysmartyoungones。Youjustlethertrotalonghomewithmenowand——“
“Cap"nWhittaker，“MissDaweshadrisentoherfeetwithadeterminedexpressiononherface。
“Yes，ma"am，“saidthecaptain，risingalso。
“Cap"nWhittaker，“repeatedtheteacher，“I"mverygladthatyoucalled。I"vebeenratherexpectingyoumight，becauseofcertainthingsIhaveheard。“
“Youheard？Whatwasityouheard——ifyoudon"tmindmyaskin"？”
“No，Idon"t，becauseIthinkwemusthaveanunderstandingaboutEmily。Ihaveheardthatyouallowhertodoasshepleasesathome；inotherwords，thatyouarespoilingher，and——“
“SPOILIN"her！_I_spoilin"her？Whotoldyousuchanunlikelyyarnasthat？Iain"tthekindtospoilanybody。Why，I"msostrictthatI"mashamedofmyselfsometimes。“
Hehonestlybelievedhewas。MissPhoebecalmlycontinued。
“Ofcourse，whatyoudoathomeisnoneofmybusiness。Ishouldn"tmentionitanyhow，ifyouhadn"tcalled，becauseIpayverylittleattentiontotowntalk，havinglivedinthiscountyallmylifeandknowingwhatgossipamountsto。IlikeEmily；she"saprettygoodlittlegirlandwellbehaved，aschildrengo。Butthisyoumustunderstand。Shecan"tbespoiledhere。Shewhisperedthisafternoon，twice。Shehasbeenwarnedoften，andknowstherule。I
keptherafterschoolbecauseshebrokethatrule，andifshebreaksitagain，shewillbepunishedagain。IkepttheEdwardsboytwohoursyesterdayand——“
“Edwardsboy！Doyoumeantocomparethat——thatyoungripofaBenEdwardswithagirllikeBos"n？Ineverheard——“
“I"mnotcomparinganybody。I"mtryingtobefairtoeveryscholarinthisroom。And，solongasEmilybehavesherself，sheshallbetreatedaccordingly。Whenshedoesn"t，sheshallbepunished。Youmustunderstandthat。“
“ButBenEdwards！Why，he"sawooden-head，sameashisdadwasaforehim！AndEmmie"sthesmartestscholarinthistown。“
“Oh，no，sheisn"t！She"sagoodscholar，butthereareothersjustasgoodandevenquickertolearn。“
Thiswaspilingoneinsultuponanother。OtherchildrenasbrilliantasBos"n！CaptainCywasburstingwithrighteousindignation。
“Well！”heexclaimed。“Well！forateacherthatwe"vecalledto——“
“Andthat"sanotherthing，“brokeinMissDawesquickly。“I"vebeentoldthatyou，Cap"nWhittaker，aretheonedirectlyresponsibleformybeingchosenforthisplace。Idon"tsaythatyouarepresumingonthat，but——“
“Iain"t！Ineverthoughtofsuchathing！”
“Butifyouareyoumustn"t，that"sall。Ididn"taskforthepositionand，nowthatI"vegotit，Ishalltrytofillitwithoutregardtoonepersonmorethananother。Emilystayshereuntilherlinesarewritten。Idon"tthinkweneedtosayanymore。Goodday。“
Sheopenedthedoor。CaptainCypickeduphishat，swallowedhard，andsteppedacrossthethreshold。ThenMissPhoebeaddedonemoreremark。
“Cap"n，“shesaid，“whenyouwereincommandofashipdidyouallowoutsiderstotellyouhowtotreatthesailors？”
Thecaptainopenedhismouthtoreply。Hewantedtoreplyverymuch，butsomehowhecouldn"tfindasatisfyinganswertothatquestion。
“Ma"am，“hesaid，“allIcansayisthatifyou"dbeeninSouthAmerica，sameasIhave，andseenthewaythemhalf-breedyoungonesact，you"d——“
Theteachersmiled，inspiteofanapparenteffortnotto。
“Perhapsso，“shesaid，“butthisisMassachusetts。And——well，Emilyisn"tahalf-breed。“
CaptainCystrodethroughthevestibule。JustbeforethedoorclosedbehindhimheheardastifledsobfrompoorBos"n。
TheBoardofStrategywaswaitingattheendoftheyard。Itsmemberswerefilledwithcuriosity。
“Didyougiveittohergood？”demandedAsaph。“Didyouletherunderstandwewouldn"tputupwithsuchcruelizin"？”
“Where"sBos"n？”askedMr。Bangs。
Theirfriend"sanswerswerebriefandtantalizinglyincomplete。HewalkedhomewardatagaitwhichcausedplumplittleBaileytopuffinhiseffortstokeepup，andhewouldsayalmostnothingabouttheinterviewintheschoolroom。
“Well，“saidMr。Tidditt，whentheyreachedtheWhittakergate，“I
guesssheknowsherplacenow；hey，Cy？Ical"lateshe"llbecarefulwhoshekeepsafterschoolfromnowon。“
“Didn"tusenoprofanelanguage，didyou，Cy？”askedBailey。“I
hopenot，"causeshemighthaveyoutookupjustoutofspite。Didsheaskyourpardonforheractions？”
“No！”roaredthecaptainsavagely。Then，bangingthegatebehindhim，hestrodeuptheyardandintothehouse。
Bos"ncamehomeahalfhourlater。CaptainCywasaloneinthesittingroom，seatedinhisfavoriterockerandmoodilystaringatnothinginparticular。Thegirlgazedathimforamomentandthenclimbedintohislap。
“Iwrotemyfiftylines，UncleCyrus，“shesaid。“TeachersaidI"ddonethemverynicely，too。“
Thecaptaingrunted。
“UncleCy，“whisperedBos"n，puttingherarmsaroundhisneck，“I"mawfulsorryIwassobad。“
“Bad？Who——you？Youcouldn"tbebadifyouwantedto。Don"ttalkthatwayorI"llsaysomethin"Ihadn"toughtto。“
“Yes，Icouldbebad，too。Iwasbad。Iwhispered。“
“Whispered！Whatofit？Thatain"tnothin"。WhenIwasayoungoneinschoolIusedtowhis……Hum！Well，anyhow，don"tyouthinkanymoreaboutit。"Tain"tworthwhile。“
Theyrockedquietlyforatime。ThenBos"nsaid：
“UncleCyrus，don"tyouliketeacher？”
“Hey？LIKEher？Well，ifthatain"taquestion？Yes，IlikeheraboutaswellasLonesomelikesEbenSalter"sdog。“
“I"msorry。Ilikehereversomuch。“
“YouDO？Go"long！Afterthewayshetreatedyou，poorlittlething！”
“Shedidn"ttreatmeanyworsethanshedoestheothergirlsandboyswhenthey"renaughty。AndIdidknowtheruleaboutwhispering。“
“Well，that"sdifferent。Comparin"youwiththatBennieEdwards——
theidea！Andthenmakin"youcry！”
“Shedidn"tmakemecry。“
“Did，too。Iheardyou。“
Thechildlookedupathimandthenhidherfaceinhiswaistcoat。
“Iwasn"tcryingabouther，“shewhispered。“Itwasyou。“
“ME！”Thecaptaingasped。“Goodland！”hemuttered。“It"sjustasIexpected。She"sstudiedtoohardandit"stouchin"herbrain。“
“No，sir，itisn"t。Itisn"ttruly。IdidcryaboutyoubecauseI
didn"tliketohearyoutalkso。AndIwassosorrytohaveyoucomethere。“
“YouWAS！”
“Yes，sir。Otherchildren"sfolksdon"tcomewhenthey"rebad。
AndIkeptfeelingsosortofashamedofyou。“
“AshamedofME？”
Bos"nnoddedvigorously。
“Yes，sir。Everythingteachersaidsoundedsoright，andwhatyousaiddidn"t。AndIliketohaveyoualwaysright。“
“Do，hey？Hum！”CaptainCydidn"tspeakagainforsomefewminutes，butheheldthelittlegirlverytightinhisarms。Atlengthhedrewalongbreath。
“Bythebigdipper，Bos"n！”heexclaimed。“You"reawonder，youare。Iwouldn"tbesurprisedifyougrewuptobeamindreader，likethatfellerintheshowwewenttoatthetownhallaspellago。TotellyouthehonestLord"struth，I"vebeenashamedofmyselfeversinceIcomeoutofthatschoolhousedoor。Whenthatteacherwomansprungthatonmeaboutmyfo"masthandsaboardshipIwassetbackaboutfortyfathom。IneverwantedtoansweranybodysobadinMYlife，andIcouldn"t"causetherewasn"tanythingtosay。Ical"lateI"vemadeafoolofmyself。“
Bos"nnoddedagain。
“Wewon"tdosoanymore，willwe？”shesaid。
“Youbetwewon"t！_I_won"t，anyhow。Youhaven"tdoneanything。“
“Andyou"llliketeacher？”
Thecaptainstampedhisfoot。
“No，SIR！”hedeclared。“Shemaybeallrightinherway——Is"posesheis；butit"stooMassachusettsyawayforme。No，sir！I
don"tlikeherandIWON"Tlikeher。No，sir-ee，never！She——sheain"tmykindofawoman，“headdedstubbornly。“That"swhat"sthematter！Sheain"tmykindofawoman。“
CHAPTERIX
POLITICSANDBIRTHDAYS
“Townmeeting“wascalledforthetwenty-firstofNovember。
Withthesummerboardersgone，thecranberrypickingfinished，stateelectionover，schoolbegunandunderway，andrealwinternotyetuponus，Bayport，inthelatefall，distinctlyneedssomethingtoenlivenit。TheShakespeareReadingSocietyandthesewingcirclecontinue，ofcourse，tointerestthe“womenfolks，“
thereistheusualeveryeveninggatheringatSimmons"s，andtheyoungpeoplearelookingforwardtothe“GrandBall“onThanksgivingeve。Butforthemen，onweekdays，thereislittletodoexceptto“putter“aboutthehouse，bankingitsfoundationswithdryseaweedasaprecautionagainstsearchingno"theasters，whitewashingthebarnsandoutbuildings，orfixingthingsinthevegetablecellarwherethesticksofsmokedherringhanginrowsabovethebarrelsofcabbages，potatoes，andturnips。Thefishweirs，mostofthem，aretakenup，lesttheice，whichwillbedrivenintothebaylateron，tearthenetstopieces。Eventhehensgrowlazyandlaylessfrequently。Therefore，awaybackinthe“airlydays，“somefar-sightedboardofselectmenarrangedthat“townmeeting“shouldbeheldduringthislackadaisicalseason。Atownmeeting——andparticularlyaBayporttownmeeting，whereeverythingfrompersonalaffairstoreligionislikelytobediscussed——canstirupexcitementwhennothingelsecan。
Thisyeartherewereseveralquestionstobetalkedoverandsettledattownmeeting。Twoselectmen，whosetermsexpired，werecandidatesforre-election。LemMyrickhadresignedfromtheschoolcommittee，notwaitinguntilspring，ashehadannouncedthatheshoulddo。Thentherewastheusualsentimentinfavorofbetterroadsandtheusualoppositiontoit。Alsotherewastheever-presenthopeofthegovernmentappropriationforharborimprovement。
Mr。Tiddittwasoneoftheselectmenwhosetermsexpired。InhisdualcapacityasselectmanandtownclerkAsaphfelthimselftobeaveryimportantpersonage。Toelectsomeoneelseinhisplacewouldbe，hewascertain，acalamitywhichwouldstaggerthetownship。Thereforehewasabusymanandmademanycallsuponhisfellowcitizens，nottoinfluencetheirvotes——hewascarefultoexplainthat——butjust，ashesaid，“toseehowtheywasgettin"
along，“andbecausehe“thoughtconsider"bleof"em“and“tookarealpersonalinterest，youunderstand，“intheiraffairs。
ToCaptainCyhecame，naturally，forencouragementandhelp，being——aswashishabitatsuchtimes——inastateofgloomandhopelessdespair。
“Nouse，Whit，“hegroaned。“"Tain"tnouseatall。I"mlicked。
I"mgettin"oldandtheydon"twantmenomore。IguessI"dbettergetrightupaforethevotin"beginsandtell"emmyhealthain"tstrongenoughtobetownclerknolonger。It"sbettertodothatthantobelicked。Don"tyouthinkso？”
“Surething！”repliedhisfriend，withsarcasm。 “IfIwasyouI"dbetotedinonabedsotheycanseeyou"reallreadyforthefuneral。Mighthavethedoctorwalkin"ahead，wipin"hiseyes，andthejoyfulundertakertrottin"alongastern。What"stheparticulardiseasethat"sgotyoubythecollarjustnow——facialparalysis？”
“No。Whatmadeyouthinkofthat？”
“Oh，nothin"！OnlyIheardyoustoppedinattenhousesuptothewestendofthetownyesterday，andtalkedthreequartersofanhoursteadyateveryone。Thatwouldfitmeforthescrapheapinsideofaweek，andyou"vebeengoin"iteversinceSeptembernearly。Whatdoesailyou——anything？”
“Why，no；nothin"specialthatway。Onlytheredon"tseemtobeanyenthusiasmforme，somehow。Ijusthintatmybein"acandidateandfolkssay，"Yes，indeed。Lookslikerain，don"tit？"
andthat"saboutall。“
“Well，thathadn"toughttosurpriseyou。Ifanybodycametomeandsays，"Thesun"sgoin"toriseto-morrermornin"，"Ishouldn"tdanceonmyhatandcrowhallelujahs。Enthusiasm！Why，Ase，you"vebeenacandidateeverytwoyearssinceNoahgotthearkofftheways，oralongthere。Andthereain"tbeenanyoppositiontoyouyet，exceptthattimewhenUncle"BialStickneywokeupinthewrongplaceandhollered"No，"outofprinciple，thinkin"hewastohomewithhiswife。IfIwasyouI"dgoandtakeanap。You"llreadtheminutesatselectmen"smeetingsforanotherfiftyyear，moreorless；takemywordforit。Asfortheschoolcommittee，that"sdifferent。Iain"tmadeupmymindaboutthat。“
Therehadbeenmuchdiscussionconcerningtheschoolcommittee。
WhoshouldbechosentoreplaceMr。Myrickontheboardwasthegravestquestiontocomebeforethemeeting。ManynameshadbeenproposedatSimmons"sandelsewhere，butsomeofthosenamedhadrefusedtorun，andothershadnot，afterfurtherconsideration，seemedtheproperpersonsfortheoffice。IntheabsenceofMr。
Atkins，TadSimpsonwasourleaderinthepoliticalarena。ButTadsofarhadbeenmute。
“Waitawhile，“hesaid。“There"ssomeweeksaforetownmeetin"
day。Thisisaseriousbusiness。Wecan"thavenomore——Imeannounsuitablemantofillsuchanimportantplaceasthat。Thewelfareofourposterity，“headded，andweallrecognizedthequotation，“dependsuponthechoicethat"stobemade。“
Achoicewasmade，however，ontheverynextdaybutoneafterthisdeclaration。Acandidateannouncedhimself。AsaphandBaileyhurriedtotheCyWhittakerplacewiththenews。CaptainCywasinthewoodshedbuildingadollhouseforBos"n。“Justformyownamusement，“hehastilyexplained。“Somethin"forhertotakealongwhenshegoesoutWesttoBetsy。“
Mr。Tiddittwasallsmiles。
“Whatdoyouthink，Cy？”hecried。“Thenewschoolcommitteeman"sasgoodaselected。"LonzoSnow"sgoin"totakeit。“
Thecaptainlaiddownhisplane。
“"LonzoSnow！”herepeated。“Youdon"tsay！Humph！Well，well！”
“Yes，sir！”exclaimedBailey。“He"scomeforwardandsaysit"shisdutytodoso。He——“
“Humph！Hisduty，hey？Iwonderwhopointeditouttohim？”
“Well，Idon"tknow。ButevenTadSimpson"sglad；hesaysthatheknowsHemanwillbepleasedwithTHATkindofacandidateandsohewon"thavetodoanymorehuntin"。Hethinks"Lonzo"scomin"outbyhimselfthiswayisakindofspecialProvidence。“
“Yes，yes！Ishouldn"twonder。DidyouevernoticehowdeadsureTadandhiskindarethatProvidenceisworkin"with"em？Seemstome"twouldbemoresatisfactoryifwecouldgetasightoftheotherpartner"ssignaturetothedeed。“
“What"sthematterwithyou？”demandedAsaph。“Youain"tfindin"
faultwith"Lonzo，areyou？Ain"theagoodman？”
“Good！Surethinghe"sgood！Nobodycansayheisn"tandtellthetruth。“
NoonecouldtruthfullyspeakillofAlonzoSnow，thatwasafact。
Helivedatthelowerendofthevillage，waswelltodo，aleadingcranberrygrower，andveryprominentinthechurch。Amild，easygoingpersonwasMr。Snow，withanalmosttookeenfearofdoingthewrongthingandthereforepronetobeguidedbytheopinionofothers。Hewasdistinctlynotapolitician。
“Thenwhatailsyou？”askedAsaphhotly。
“Why，nothin"，maybe。OnlyI"malwayssuspiciouswhenTadpatsProvidenceontheback。IgenerallyfigurethatIcanseethroughadoughnut，whenthere"salightbehindthehole。Whois"Lonzo"sbestfriendinthistown？Whodoeshechumwithmostofanybody？”
“Why，DariusEllis，Iguess。Youknowit。“
“Um——hum。AndDariusisonthecommittee——why？”
“Well，Is"pose"causeHemanAtkinsthoughthe"dbeagoodfellertohavethere。But——“
“Yes，and"Lonzo"spewinchurchisrightundertheAtkinsmemorialwindow。ThelightfromitmakesakindofhaloroundhisbaldheadeverySunday。“
“Well，whatofit？Heman，nornobodyelse，couldbuy"LonzoSnow。“
“Buyhim？Indeedtheycouldn"t。Buttherearesomethingsyougetwithoutbuyin"——themeasles，forinstance。Andtheonethat"scatchin""emdon"tknowhe"sindangertillthespecklesbreakout。
Fellers，thiscommitteevotedinPhoebeDawesbyjusttwovotestoone，andoneofthetwowasLemMyrick。Dariuswasagainsther。
NowwithTadandhis"Providence"puttin"in"LonzoSnow，andHemanAtkinssettin"behindthescreenworkin"hisNormalSchoolmusicboxso"stheycanhearthetune——well，PhoebeMAYstaythistermout，buthowaboutnext？”
“Hey？Why，Idon"tknow。Anyhow，you"redownonPhoebeasathousandofbrick。Idon"tseewhyyouworryaboutHER。AfterthewayshetreatedpoorBos"nandall。“
CaptainCystirreduneasilyandkickedachipacrossthefloor。
“Well，“hesaid，“well，I——Idon"tknow"sthat"s——Thatis，right"srightandwrong"swrong。I"veseenbullfightsdownyonder——“
jerkinghisthumboverhisshoulderinthevaguedirectionofBuenosAyres，“andeverytimemysympathy"sbeenwiththebull。
NotthatIlovedthecritterforhisownsake，butbecauseallGreaserdomwasouttodownhim。FromwhatIhear，thisPhoebeDawes——forallherpeskydown-Eaststubbornness——isteachin"prettywell，andanyhowshe"sonelittlewomanagainstTadSimpsonandHemanAtkinsand——andTad"sspecialbrandofProvidence。Shedeservesafairshakeand，bythebigdipper，she"sgoin"tohaveit！Lookhere，youtwo！howwouldIlookontheschoolcommittee？”
“You？”repeatedthepairinconcert。“YOU？”
“Yes，me。Iain"taSolomonforwisdom，butIcal"lateI"dbeasnearthetopofthebarrelasDariusEllis，andonlyoneortwolayersunderEbenSaltersor"LonzoSnow。I"macandidate——see？”
“But——but，Whit，“gaspedthetownclerk，“areyoupopularenough？
Couldyougetelected？”
“Idon"tknow，butIcanfindout。YouandBailey"llvoteforme，won"tyou？”
“Coursewewill，but——“
“Allright。There"stwovotes。Ahundredandoddmore"llputmein。Heregoesforpoliticsandpopularity。Imaybepresidentyet；youcan"ttell。Andsay！thistownmeetin"won"tbeDULL，whicheverwaythecatjumps。“
Thislastwasasafeprophecy。AlldullnessdisappearedfromBayportthemomentitbecameknownthatCaptainCyrusWhittakerwas“out“fortheschoolcommittee。Thecaptainbeganhiselectioneeringatonce。Thatveryafternoonhecalleduponthreepeople——EbenSalters，JosiahDimick，andLemuelMyrick。
CaptainSalterswaschairmanofselectmenaswellaschairmanofthecommittee。Hewasahard-headedoldsalt，whohadmademoneyintheAustralianpacketservice。Hehadcommonsense，independence，andconsiderableinfluenceinthetown。NexttoCongressmanAtkinshewas，perhaps，ourleadingcitizen。And，morethanall，hewasnotafraid，whenhethoughtitnecessary，toopposethegreatHeman。
“Well，“hesaidreflectively，afterlisteningtoCaptainCy"sbriefstatementofhiscandidacy，“Ical"lateI"llstandinwithyou，Cy。
Iain"tgotanythingagainst"Lonzo，but——but——well，consarnit！
maybethat"sthetrouble。Maybehe"ssodarnedgooditmakesmejealous。Anyhow，I"lldowhatIcanforyou。“
JoeDimicklaughedaloud。Hewasaniconoclast，seldomwenttochurch，andwasentirelylackinginreverence。Alsohereallylikedthecaptain。
“Ho，ho！”hecrowed。“Whit，doyourealizethatyou"reunderminin"
thistown"sconstitution？Oh，sartin，I"mwithyou，ifit"sonlytoseethefurfly！Idoloveascrap。“
WithLemMyrickCaptainCy"spolicywasdifferent。Hegentlyremindedthatgentlemanofthepaintingcontract，intimatedthatotherfavorsmightbeforthcoming，andthen，asaclincher，spokeofTadSimpson"scommentwhenMr。MyrickvotedforPhoebeDawes。
“Ofcourse，“headded，“ifyouthinkTad"sgotarighttobossallhandsandthecook，why，Iain"tcomplainin"。Only，if_I_wasapainterdoin"agood，high-classtrade，andaone-hossbarbertriedtodictatetome，Ishouldn"tbowdownandtellhimtokickeasyashecould。SeemstomeI"dkickfirst。ButI"Mnoboss；Imustn"tinfluenceyou。“
Lemuelwasindignant。
“Nobarberrunsme，“hedeclared。“Youstandupformewhenthattownhallpaintin"stobedoneandI"llworkhardforyounow，Cap"nWhittaker。"LonzoSnow"sanelderandallthat，butIcan"thelpit。Anyway，hisplacewasallfixedupayearagoandIdidn"tgetthejob。Afellerhastolookafterhimselfthesedays。“
Withthesedivisioncommanderstoleadtheirforcesintotheenemy"scountryandwithAsaphandBaileydoingwhattheycouldtohelp，CaptainCy"scampaignsoonbecameworthyofrespectfulconsideration。ForawhileTadSimpsonscoffedattheopposition；
thenhebegantoworkopenlyforMr。Snow。Laterhemarshaledhistrustedofficersaroundthepooltableinthebackroomofthebarbershopandconfidedtothemthatitwasanybody"sfightandthathewasworried。
“It"spastbein"ajoke，“hesaid。“It"smightyserious。We"vegottohustle，wehave。Hemantrustedmeinthisjob，andifI
falldownit"llbebadformeandforyoufellers，too。Iwishhewashometorunthingshimself，buthe"sgotbusinessdownSouththere——somepropertyheownsorsomethin"——andsayshecan"tleave。
Butwemustwin！Bymighty！we"veGOTto。Sogeteveryvoteyoucan。Nevermindhow；justget"em，that"sall。“
CaptainCywasthoroughlyenjoyinghimself。Thestrugglesuitedhimtoperfection。Hewasyoung，inspiteofhisfifty-fiveyears，andthistussleagainstodds，remindinghimofothertusslesduringhisfirstseasonsinbusiness，arousedhisenergiesand，asheexpressedit，“stirreduphisvitalsandmadehimhoproundlikeadoseof"painkiller。"“
Hedidnot，however，forgetBos"n。Heandshehadtheirwalksandtheirpleasanteveningstogetherinspiteofpolitics。Hetookthechildintohisconfidenceandtoldherofthedailygain，orloss，invotes，asifshewerehisownage。Sheunderstoodalittleofallthis，andtriedhardtounderstandtherest，preachingbetweentimestoGeorgiannahow“thebadmenweretryingtobeatUncleCyrusbecausehewasgooderthanthey，buttheycouldn"t，"causeeverybodylovedhimso。“Georgiannahadsomedoubts，butshekeptthemtoherself。
AmongthethingsinBos"n"s“box“wasalongenvelope，sealedwithwaxandwithalawyer"snameprintedinonecorner。Thecaptainopenedit，atEmily"ssuggestion，andwasastonishedtofindthattheinclosurewasawill，datedsomeyearsback，inwhichMrs。MaryThomas，thechild"smother，lefttoherdaughterallherpersonalpropertyandalsothelandinOrham，Massachusetts，whichhadbeenwilledtoherbyherownmother。TherewasanotewiththewillinwhichMrs。Thomasstatedthatnoonesaveherselfhadknownofthisland，notevenherhusband。Shehadnottoldhimbecauseshefearedthat，likeeverythingelse，itwouldbesoldandthemoneywastedindissipation。“Hesuspectedsomethingofthesort，“sheadded，“buthedidnotfindoutthesecret，althoughhe——“Shehadevidentlyscratchedoutwhatfollowed，butCaptainCymentallyfilledintheblankwithdetailsofabuseandcruelty。“Ifanythinghappenstome，“concludedthewidow，“IwantthelandsoldandthemoneyusedforEmily"smaintenanceaslongasitlasts。“
ThecaptainwentovertoOrhamandlookeduptheland。Itwasastripalongtheshore，almostworthless，andunsalableatpresent。
ThetaxeshadbeenregularlypaideachyearbyMaryThomas，whohadsentmoneyordersfromConcord。Theself-denialrepresentedbytheseorderswasnotalittle。
“Nevermind，Bos"n，“saidCaptainCy，whenhereturnedfromtheOrhamtrip。“Yourancestralestatesain"tmuchnowbutasand-fleamenagerie。However，ifthissectioneverdoesgettobethebigsummerresortfolksareprophesyingforit，youmaysellouttosomemillionaireandyouandme"llgotoEurope。Meantime，we"lltrytokeepafloat，iftheHarnissBankdon"tspringaleak。“
OnthedayfollowingthisconversationhetookaflyingtriptoOstable，thecountyseat，returningthesameevening，andsayingnothingtoanyoneabouthisreasonsforgoingnorwhathehaddonewhilethere。
Bos"n"sbirthdaywastheeighteenthofNovember。Thecaptain，inspiteofthewarmthofhisstruggleforcommitteehonors，determinedtohaveasmallcelebrationontheafternoonandeveningofthatday。ItwastobeasurpriseforEmily，and，afterschoolwasover，someofherparticularfriendsamongthescholarsweretocomein，therewastobeacakewitheightcandlesonit，andasupperatwhichicecream——lemonandvanilla，preparedbyMrs。Cahoon——wastobetheprincipalfeature。Alsotherewouldbegamesandallsortsoffun。
CaptainCywastremendouslyinterestedintheparty。HespenthourswithGeorgiannaandtheBoardofStrategy，preparingthelistofguests。Hiscunninginascertainingfromtheunsuspectingchildwho，amongherschoolmates，shewouldliketoinvite，wasdeepandguileful。
“Now，Bos"n，“hewouldsay，“supposeyouwasgoin"toclearoutandleavethistownforaspell，who——“
“But，UncleCyrus——“Bos"n"seyesgrewfrightenedandmoistinamoment，“Iain"tgoing，amI？Idon"twanttogo。“
“No，no！Courseyouain"tgoin"——thatis，notforalongwhile，anyhow，“withasidelonglookatthemembersofthe“Board，“thenpresent。“Butjustsupposeyouandmewasstartin"onthatEuropetrip。Who"dyouwanttosaygood-bytomostofall？”
EachnamegivenbythechildwassurreptitiouslypenciledbyBaileyonascrapofpaper。Thelistwasalongoneand，whenthegreatafternooncame，theWhittakerhousewascrowded。
Thesupperwasabrilliantsuccess。Sowasthecake，broughtinwithcandlesablaze，bythegrinningGeorgianna。Besidethechildrenthereweresomeolderpeoplepresent，BaileyandAsaph，ofcourse，andthe“regulars“fromtheperfectboardinghouse，whohadbeeninvitedbecauseitwasfairlycertainthatMr。Bangswouldn"tbeallowedtoattendifhiswifedidnot。MissDaweshadalsobeenasked，atBos"n"swell-understoodpartiality，butshehaddeclined。
Towardtheendofthemeal，whenthehilarityatthelongtablewasatitsheight，anunexpectedguestmadehisappearance。Therewasaknockatthedining-roomdoor，andGeorgianna，openingit，waspetrifiedtobehold，standinguponthestep，nolessapersonagethantheHonorableHemanAtkins，supposedbymostofustobethensomewhereinthatwidestretchofterritoryvaguelytermed“theSouth。“
“Goodevening，all，“saidtheillustriousone，removinghissilkhatandsteppingintotheroom。“Whatacharmingscene！ItrustI
donotintrude。“
Georgiannawasstillspeechless，inwhichunwontedconditionshewasnotalone，Messrs。BangsandTiddittbeingalsostrickendumb。
ButCaptainCyrosetotheoccasiongrandly。
“Intrude？”herepeated。“Notamiteofit！Mightygladtoseeyou，Heman。Here，giveusyourhat。Pulluptothetable。Whendidyougetback？Thoughtyouwasintheorangegrovessomewheres。“
“Ahem！Iwas。Yes，Iwasinthatneighborhood。ButitishardtostayawayfromdearoldBayport。Hometies，youknow，hometies。
Icamedownonthemorningtrain，butIstoppedoveratHarnissonbusinessanddroveacross。Ahem！Yes。Thehousekeeperinformedmethatmydaughterwashere，and，seeingthelightsandhearingthelaughter，Icouldn"tresistmakingthisimpromptucall。I"msureasanoldfriendandneighbor，Cyrus，youwillpardonme。
Alicia，darling，comeandkisspapa。“
DarlingAliciaacceptedtheinvitationwitharustleofsilkandanecstaticsquealofdelight。DuringthisaffectingsceneAsaphwhisperedtoBaileythathe“cal"lated“Hemanhadhadahurry-updistresssignalfromSimpson；towhichsageobservationMr。Bangsrepliedwithavigorousnod，showingthatCaptainCy"sexamplehadhaditseffect，inthattheynolongerstoodinsuchaweoftheirrepresentativeatWashington。
HowevertrueAsaph"scalculationmighthavebeen，Mr。Atkinsmadenomentionofpolitics。Hewasurbanityitself。Hedrewuptothetable，partookoftheicecreamandcake，andgreetedhisfriendsandneighborswithcharmingbenignity。
“Wan"titsweetofhimtocome？”whisperedMissPhinneytoKeturah。
“Andhimsoniceandeverydayandsociable。AndwhenCap"nWhittaker"srunnin"againsthisfriend，asyoumightsay。“
Keturahrepliedwithadubiousshakeofthehead。
“IthinkCaptainCyrusisgoin"togetintotrouble，“shesaid。
“I"vepreachedtoBaileymore"nalittleaboutkeepin"clear，buthewon"t。“
“Gamesint"otherroomnow，“orderedCaptainCy。ButMr。Atkinshelduphishand。
“Pardonme，justamoment，Cyrus，ifyouplease，“hesaid。“Ifeelthatonthishappyoccasion，itismydutyandpleasuretoproposeatoast。“Heheldhislemonadeglassaloft。“Permitme，“heproclaimed，towishmanyhappybirthdaysandlonglifetoMiss——I
begpardon，Cyrus，butwhatisyourlittlefriend"sname？”
“EmilyRichardsThayer，“repliedthecaptain，carriedawaybyenthusiasmandoffhisguardforonce。
“ToEm——“beganHeman。Thenhepausedandforthefirsttimeinhispubliclifeseemedatalossforwords。“What？”heasked，andhishandshook。“IfearIdidn"tcatchthename。“
“Nowonder，“laughedMr。Tidditt。“Cy"ssocrazyto-nighthe"dforgethisownname。Knowwhatyousaid，Cy？YousaidshewasEmilyRichardsTHAYER！Haw！haw！Sheain"taThayer，Heman；herlastname"sThomas。She"sEmilyRichardsThayer"sgranddaughterthough。HergranddadwasJohnThayer，overtoOrham。Goodland！
Iforgot。Well，whatofit，Cy？"Twouldhavetobeknownsometime。“
EveryonelookedatCaptainCythen。NooneobservedMr。Atkinsforthemoment。Whentheydidturntheirgazeuponthegreatmanhehadsunkbackinhischair，theglassoflemonadewasupsetupontheclothbeforehim，andhe，withaverywhiteface，wasstaringatEmilyRichardsThomas。
“What"sthematter，Heman？”askedthecaptainanxiously。“Ain"tsick，areyou？”
Thecongressmanstarted。
“Oh，no！”hesaidhurriedly。“Oh，no！butI"mafraidI"vesoiledyourcloth。Itwasawkwardofme。I——Ireally，Iapologize——I——“
Hewipedhisfacewithhishandkerchief。CaptainCylaughed。
“Oh，nevermindthetablecloth，“hesaid。“Ical"lateit"stoosoiledalreadytobehurtbyabath，evenalemonone。Well，you"veallheardthetoast。Fullglasses，now。Here"sTOyou，Bos"n！Drinkhearty，allhands，andgivetheshipagoodname。“
Iftheheartinesswithwhichtheydrankisacriterion，thegoodnameoftheshipwasestablished。Thentheassemblyadjournedtothesittingroomand——yes，eventhefrontparlor。Notsincethedayswhenthatsacredapartmenthadbeendesecratedbytheirreverentcityboarders，duringtheHowesregime，haditswallsechoedtosuchwhoopsandshoutsoflaughter。Thechildrenplayed“PostOffice“and“Copenhagen“and“Clapin，Clapout，“whilethegrownfolkslookedon。
“Ain"ttheyhavin"afinetime，Cap？”gushedMissPhinney。“Don"titmakeyouwishyouwasyoungagain？”
“Angie，“repliedCaptainCysolemnly，“don"ttemptme；don"t！Iftheykeeponplayin"thatCopenhagenandyoustandrightalongsideofme，there"snotellin"what"llhappen。“
Angelinedeclaredthathewas“turrible，“butshefacedthethreateneddangernevertheless，andbravelyremainedwhereshewas。
Mr。Atkinswenthomeearlyintheevening，takingAliciawithhim。
Heexplainedthathislongrailroadjourneyhad——er——somewhatfatiguedhimand，thoughhehatedtoleavesucha——er——delightfulgathering，hereallyfeltthat，underthecircumstances，hisdeparturewouldbeforgiven。CaptainCyopenedthedoorforhimandstoodwatchingas，holdinghisdaughterbythehand，hemarchedmajesticallydownthepath。
“Hum！”musedthecaptainaloud。“Iguesshehasbeentravelin"
nights。Thoughtheoughttobeherequick，Ishouldn"twonder。Hedoeslooktired，that"safact，andkindofpale，seemedtome。“
“Well，there，now！”exclaimedMrs。Tripp，whowaslookingoverhisshoulder。“Didyouseethat？”
“No；whatwasit？”
“Why，whenhewenttoopenhisgate，oneofthemarborvitybusheshesetoutthisspringknockedhishatoff。Andheneverseemedtonotice，butwentrighton。If"Liciahadn"tpickeditup，thatnicenewhatwouldhavebeenlayin"thereyet。That"sthemostundignifiedthingeverIseeHemanAtkinsdo。HeMUSTbetiredout，poorman！”
CHAPTERX
ALETTERANDAVISITOR
“Whit，“askedAsaphnextday，“wan"tyousurprisedtoseeHemanlastnight？”
CaptainCynodded。Hewasoncemorebusywiththedollhouse，theconstructionofwhichhadprogressedslowlyoflate，owingtothedemandswhichthepartyandpoliticsmadeuponitsbuilder"stime。
“Yup，“hesaid，“Isartinlywas。Prettygoodsign，Ishouldn"twonder。LooksasiffriendTadhadfoundthetidesettin"toostrongagainsthimandhadwhistledforatug。Allright；themorescaredtheothersideget，thebetterforus。“
“ButwhatintheworldmadeHemancomeoverandhavesupper？Heneversomuchassteppedfootinthehouseafore，didhe？That"sthebiggestconundrumofall。“
“Well，IguessI"vegottheanswer。StrikesmethatHeman"ssociablenessisthebestsignyet。Heman"saslickarticle，andwhenheseesthere"sdangeroflosin"thefrostin"onthecakehetakescaretoscrapetheburntpartoffthebottom。Imaybeschoolcommitteemanaftertownmeetin"。He"llmoveallcreationtostopme，ofcourse——inhisquiet，round-the-cornerway——but，ifI
dowinout，hewantstobeinapositiontotakemeonesideandtellmethathe"sgladofit；hefeltallalongIwastherightfellerforthejob，andifthere"sanythinghecandotomakethingseasierformejustcallonhim。That"sthewayIsizeitup，anyhow。“
“Cy，Ineverseeanybodylikeyou。You"redeadsetagainstHeman，andhavebeenrightalong。Andhe"sneverdoneanythingtoyou，fur"sIsee。He"sgivenalottothetown，andhe"salwaysbeenthemostlooked-up-tomanwe"vegot。JoeDimickandtwoorthreemorechronicgrowlshavebeentheonlyonestoslingouthintsagainsthim，tillyoucome。CourseI"mworkingforyou，toothandnail，andIwillsaythatyouseemtobegettin"thevotessomewayorother。ButifHemanSHOULDsteprightoutandsay："Fellercitizens，I"mbehindTadSimpsoninthisfight，andasafavortomeand"causeIthinkit"srightandbest，Iwant"LonzoSnowelected"——well，_I_don"tbelieveyou"dhavemore"nonejackandatenspottocountforgame。“
“Probablynot，Ase；Ipresumelikelynot。ButyoutakeadayoffsometimeandseeifyoucanrememberthatHemanEVERsteppedrightoutandsaidthings。Blameit！that"sjustit。AsforWHYherilesmeupandmakesmestubbornasabalkymule，Idon"tknowexactly。AllI"msureisthathedoes。Maybeit"s"causeIdon"tlikethewayhewearshiswhiskers。Maybeit"sbecausehe"ssotop-loftyandcondescendin"。Afellercanwhistletomeandsay：
"Comeon，Bill，"andI"lltrotathisheelsallday。Butwhenhepatsmeontheheadandsays："Therethere！nicedoggie。Gounderthebedandlaydown，"mybackbristlesupandIcommencetogrowlrightoff。There"sconsider"bleWhittakerinme，asI"vetoldyoubefore。“
Thetownclerkponderedoverthisratherunsatisfactorylineofreasoningforsomeminutes。Hiscompanionfittedawoodenchimneyonthedollhouse，founditatrifleoutofplumb，andproceededtowhittleashavingofftheloweredge。ThenAsaphsighed，asonewhogivesupaperplexingriddle，puthishandinhispocket，andproducedabundleofpapers。
“Imadeoutalistoffellersdowntotheeast"ardthatI"mgoin"
toseethisafternoon，“hesaid。“Someof"emIguess"llvoteforyou，butmostof"emareprettysartin"for"Lonzo。However，I——
Whereisthatlist？Ihaditsomewhere"s。And——well，Iswan！I
comeprettynearforgettin"itmyself。I"m"mostasbadasBailey。“
Fromthebundleofpapersheproducedacrumpledenvelope。
“ThatBailey，“heobserved，“mustbeinlove，Ical"late，thoughI
don"tknowwhowith。Ketury，Is"pose，"cordin"tolawandorder，but——Well，anyhow，he"sgettin"moreabsent-mindedallthetime。
Here"saletterforyou，Cy，thathegotatthepost-officeaweekagoMonday。"Twasthenightofthechurchsociable，andhehadonhisSundaycutaway，andheain"twornitsence，tillthepartyyesterday。Whenhetookoffthecoat，goin"tobed，theletterfelloutofit。Iguesshewasashamedtofetchitroundhimself，soheaskedmetodoit。Betterlatethannever，hey？Here"sthatlistatlast。“
Heproducedthelistandhandedittothecaptainforinspection。
Thelatterlookeditover，madeafewcommentsandsuggestions，andtoldhisfriendtoheaveaheadandlandasmanyofthelistedaspossible。ThisMr。Tiddittpromisedtodo，and，replacingthepapersinhispocket，startedforthegate。
“Oh！Say，Ase！”
Thetownclerk，hishandonthegatelatch，turned。
“Well，whatisit？”heasked。“Don"tkeepmenolonger"nyoucanhelp。Igotworktodo，Ihave。“
“Allright，Iwon"tstopyou。Onlyfallin"inloveiskindofepidemicdownattheboardin"house，Iguess。Whoisitthat"sgotyouintow——Matildy？”
“Whatareyoutalkin"about？Didn"tItellyoutoquitnamin"mewithMatildyTripp？Ilikeajokeaswellasmostfolks，butwhenit"sworeintothegroundI——“
“Sho，sho！Don"tgetmad。It"syourownfault。Yousaidthatabsent-mindednesswasalovesymptom，soIjustgottothinkin"，that"sall。ThatletterthatBaileyforgot——youhaven"tgivenittomeyet。“
Asaphturnedredandhastilysnatchedthepapersfromhispocket。
Hestrodebacktothedoorofthewoodshed，handedhisfriendthecrumpledenvelope，andstalkedoffwithoutanotherword。Thecaptainchuckled，laidtheletteronthebenchbesidehimandwentonwithhiswork。Itwasperhapstenminuteslaterwhen，happeningtoglanceatthepostmarkontheenvelope，hesawthatitwas“Concord，N。H。“
Asaph"svote-gatheringtrip“totheeast"ard“madeafulldayforhim。Hereturnedtotheperfectboardinghousejustatsuppertime。DuringthemealherealizedthatMr。Bangsseemedtobetryingtoattracthisattention。Wheneverheglancedinthatgentleman"sdirectionhisglancewasmetbywinksandmystifyingshakesofthehead。Losingpatienceatlast，hedemandedtoknowwhatwasthematter。
“Wanttosaysomethin"tome，doyou？”heinquiredbriskly。“Ifyoudo，outwithit！Don"tsetthereworkin"yourfaceasif"twaswoundup，likeaclockworkimage。“
ThisremarkhadtheeffectofturningalltheotherfacestowardBailey"s。Hewasverymuchupset。
“No，no！”hestammered。“No，no！Idon"twantyoufornothin"。
WasImakin"myfacego？I——Ididn"tknowit。I"vebeenwashin"
carriagesandcleanin"upthebarnalldayandIcal"lateI"veoverdone。I"mgettin"old，andhardwork"slikelytobringonshakin"palsytooldfolks。“
Hiswifetartlyobservedthat，ifWORKwasthecauseofit，sheguessedhewassafefrompalsyforquiteaspellyet。Atanyrate，amarkedrecoverysetinandhesignalednomoreduringthemeal。
Butwhenitwasover，andhistaskasdish-wipercompleted，hehurriedoutofdoorsandfoundMr。Tidditt，shiveringintheNovemberwind，onthefrontporch。
“Nowwhatisit？”askedAsaphsharply。“Iknowthere"ssomethin"
andI"vefrozetodeathbysectionswaitin"tohearit。“
“HaveyouseenCy？”whisperedBailey，glancingfearfullyoverhisshoulderatthelightedwindowsofthehouse。
“No，notsencemornin"。Why？”
“Well，there"ssomethin"thematterwithhim。Somethin"serious。
Iwasswabbin"decksinthebarnabouteleveno"clock，whenhecomepostin"in，whiteandshaky，andsonervoushecouldn"tstandstill。Lookedasifhehadhadastrokealmost。I——“
“Godfreyscissors！Youdon"ts"poseHeman"scomin"backhasknockedouthischancesforthecommittee，doyou？”
“No，sir-ee！"twan"tthat。Cy"sanxioustobeelectedandall，butyouknowhispoliticsaremoreofajokewithhimthananythingelse。AndanyrapHemanorTadcouldgivehimwouldonlymakehimfightharder。Andhewouldn"ttalkpoliticsatall；didn"tseemtogiveadurnabout"em，onewayort"other。No，"twassomethin"
aboutthatletter，theoneIforgotsolong。HewantedtoknowwhyintimeIhadn"tgivenittohimwhenitfustcome。Hewasrealuglyaboutit，forhim，andkeptpacin"upanddownthebarnfloorandlayin"intome，tillIbeguntothinkhewascrazy。Iguessheseemyfeelin"swerehurt，"cause，justaforeheleft，heheldouthishandandsaidImustn"tmindhistalk；he"dbeenknockedonhisbeamends，hesaid，andwan"treallyresponsible。“
“Wouldn"thesaywhathadknockedhim？”
“No，couldn"tgetnothin"outofhim。Andwhenhequithewentofftowardhome，slappin"hisfiststogetherandactin"asifhedidn"tseetheroadacrosshisbows。Now，youknowhowcoolandeasygoin"Whitgenerallyis。Iswantoman，Ase！hemademesosorryforhimIdidn"tknowwhattodo。“
“Ain"tyoubeenuptoseehimsence？”
“No，Keturywassotonhavin"thebarncleaned，andshestoodovermewitharope"send，asyoumightsay。Icouldn"tgetawayaminute，thoughImadeupmore"nadozenerrandsatSimmons"sandthelikeofthat。YouholdontillIsneakintotheentryandgetmycapandwe"llputfortherenow。Iwon"tbebutajiffy。I"mworried。“
TheyenteredtheyardoftheCyWhittakerplacetogetherandapproachedthesidedoor。AstheystoodonthestepsAsaphtouchedhischumonthearmandpointedtothewindowbesidethem。Theshadewashalfdrawnandbeneathittheyhadaclearviewoftheinteriorofthesittingroom。CaptainCywasintherockerbeforethestove，holdingBos"ninhisarms。Thechildwassoundasleep，heryellowbraidhangingoverthecaptain"sbroadshoulder。Hewasgazingdownintoherfacewithalookwhichwassofullofyearningandlovethatitbroughtachokeintothethroatsofthepairwhosawit。
Theyenteredthediningroom。Thecaptainsprangfromhischairand，stillholdingthelittlegirlcloseagainsthisbreast，metthematthesitting-roomdoor。Whenhesawwhothevisitorswere，hecaughthisbreath，almostwithasob，andseemedrelieved。
“S-s-h-h！”hewhisperedwarningly。“She"sasleep。“
ThemembersoftheBoardofStrategynoddedunderstandinglyandsatdownuponthesofa。CaptainCytiptoedtothebedroom，turnedbackthebedclotheswithonehandandlaidBos"ndown。Theysawhimtuckhercarefullyinandthenstoopandkissher。Hereturnedtothesittingroomandclosedthedoorbehindhim。
“Weseeshewasasleepaforewecomein，“explainedAsaph。“Weseeyouandherthroughthewindow。“
Thecaptainlookedhurriedlyatthewindowindicated。Thenhesteppedoverandpulledtheshadedowntothesill，doingthesamewiththecurtainsoftheothertwowindows。
“What"sthematter？”inquiredBailey，tryingtobefacetious。
“"Fraidof"Lonzo"scrowdspyin"onus？”
CaptainCydidnotreply。Hedidnotevensitdown，butremainedstanding，hisbacktothestove。
“Well？”heaskedshortly。“Didyoufellerswanttoseemeforanything"special？”
“Wantedtoseewhathadstruckyoualltoonce，“repliedMr。Tidditt。
“Baileysaysyouscaredhimhalftodeaththisforenoon。Andyoulooknowasifsomebody"sghosthadrizandhollered"Boo！"atyou。
Forthelandsakes，Whit，whatISit？”
Thecaptaindrewhishandacrosshisforehead。
“Ghost？”herepeatedabsently。“No，Ihaven"tSEENaghost。
There！there！don"tmindme。Iain"trealwellto-day，Iguess。“
Hesmiledcrookedly。
“Don"tyouwanttohearaboutmyvote-grabbin"cruise？”askedTidditt。“Iwasflatterin"myselfyou"dbetickledtohearI"ddonesowell。Why，evenMarcellusParkersayshemayvoteforyou——ifhemakesuphismindthatway。“
Marcelluswasanext-doorneighborofAlonzoSnow"s。ButCaptainCydidn"tseemtocare。
“Hey？”hemurmured。“Yes。Well？”
“WELL！Isthatallyou"vegottosay？Areyoureallysick，Cy？
OrisBos"nsick？”
“No！”wastheanswer，almostfierceinitsutterance。“Sheisn"tsick。Don"tbeafool。“
“What"sfoolishaboutthat？Ididn"tknowbutshemightbe。
There"smumpsintownand——“
“She"sallright；soshutup，willyou！There，Ase！”headded。
“I"mthefoolmyself。Don"tmindmybarkin"；Idon"tmeanit。I
amaboutsick，Ical"late。Bebetterto-morrer，maybe。“
“What"sgotintoyou？WasthatletterofBailey"s——“
“Hush！”Thecaptainhelduphishand。“IthoughtIheardateam。“
“Depotwagon，mostlikely，“saidBailey。“Abouttimeforit！
Humph！seemstobestoppin"，don"tit？Wasyouexpectin"anybody？