第5章
ShallIgoand——“
“No！Setstill。“
Thepaironthesofasatstill。CaptainCystoodlikeastatueinthemiddleofthefloor。Hesquaredhisshouldersandjammedhisclenchedfistsintohispockets。Stepscrunchedthegravelofthewalk。Therecameaknockatthedoorofthediningroom。
Walkingsteadily，butwithafacesetasthefigureheadononeofhisownships，thecaptainwenttoanswertheknock。Theyheardthedooropen，andthenaman"svoiceasked：
“IsthisCap"nWhittaker？”
“Yes，“wastheshortanswer。
“Well，Cap，Iguessyoudon"tknowme，thoughmaybeyouknowsomeofmyfamily。Ha，ha！Don"tunderstandthat，hey？Well，youletmeinandI"llexplainthejoke。“
Thecaptain"sreplywascalmanddeliberate。
“Ishouldn"twonderifIunderstoodit，“hesaid。“Comein。
Don"t——“Theremainderofthesentencewaswhisperedandthelistenersonthesofacouldnothearit。AmomentlaterCaptainCyenteredthesittingroom，followedbyhiscaller。
Thelatterwasastranger。Hewasabroad-shoulderedmanofmediumheight，withayellowishmustacheandbrownhair。Hewasdressedinrathershabbyclothes，withoutanovercoat，andhehadasoftfelthatinhishand。Themostnoticeablethingabouthimwasaslighthesitancyinhiswalk。Hewasnotlame，hedidnotlimp，yethisleftfootseemedtohaltforaninstantashebroughtitforwardinthestep。Theylearnedafterwardsthatithadbeenhurtinaminecave-in。Hecarriedhimselfwithaswagger，and，afterhisentrance，therewasaperceptiblearomaofalcoholintheroom。
HestaredattheBoardofStrategyandthestarewasreturnedinfullmeasure。BaileyandAsaphwerewildlycurious。They，ofcourse，connectedthestranger"sarrivalwiththemysteriousletterandthecaptain"sperturbationoftheday。
Buttheircuriositywasnottobesatisfied，atleastnotthen。
“Howareyou，gents？”hailedthenewcomercheerfully。“Likethelooksofme，doyou？”
CaptainCycutofffurtherconversation。
“Ase，“hesaid，“this——er——gentlemanandIhavegotsomebusinesstotalkover。Iknowyou"regoodenoughfriendsofminenottomindifIaskyoutoclearout。You"llunderstand。YouWILL
understand，boys，won"tyou？”headded，almostentreatingly。
“Sartinsure！”repliedMr。Tidditt，risinghurriedly。“Don"tsayanotherword，Whit。“AndthemystifiedBangsconcurredwitha“Yes，yes！Why，ofcourse！Didn"thavenothin"thatamountstonothin"tostayforanyhow。Seeyouto-morrer，Cy。“
Outsideandatthegatetheystoppedandlookedateachother。
“Well！”exclaimedAsaph。“Ifthatain"tthestrangestthing！Whowasthatfeller？Where"dhecomefrom？DidyounoticehowCyacted？Seemedtobeholdin"himselfinbymainstrength。“
“Didyousmelltherumonhim？”returnedBailey。“Onthatt"otherchap，Imean？Didn"thelooklikeareg"larno-accounttoyou？
Andsay，Ase，didn"theremindyouofsomebodyyou"dseensomewheres——kindof，inaway？”
Theywalkedhomeinadazedstate，askingunanswerablequestionsandmakingprofitlessguesses。ButAsaph"sfinalremarkseemedtosumupthesituation。
“There"stroublecomin"ofthis，Bailey，“hedeclared。“Andit"stroubleforCyWhittaker，I"mafraid。PooroldCy！Well，WE"LL
standbyhim，anyhow。Idon"tbelievehe"llsleepmuchto-night。
Didn"tlookasthoughhewould，didhe？WhoISthatfeller？”
IfhehadseenCaptainCy，attwoo"clockthenextmorning，sittingbyBos"n"sbedsideandgazinghopelesslyatthechild，hewouldhaverealizedthat，ifhisformerpredictionswerewipedofftheslateandhecouldbejudgedbytheoneconcerningthecaptain"ssleeplessnight，hemightthereafterposeasatrueprophet。
CHAPTERXI
ABARGAINOFF
“Mornin"，Georgianna，“saidCaptainCytohishousekeeperasthelatterunlockedthebackdooroftheWhittakerhousenextmorning。
“I"malittleaheadofyouthistime。“
MissTaylor，beingBayportbornandbred，wasanearlyriser。Shelodgedwithhersister，inBassett"sHollow，agoodhalfmilefromtheCyWhittakerplace，butshewasalwaysonhandatthelatterestablishmentbysixeachmorning，exceptSundays。Nowsheglancedquicklyattheclock。Thetimewastenminutestosix。
“Landsakes！”sheexclaimed。“Ishouldsayyouwas！Whatintheworldgotyouupsoearly？Ain"tsick，areyou？”
“No，“repliedthecaptainwearily。“Iain"tsick。Ididn"tsleepverywelllastnight，that"sall。“
Georgiannalookedsharplyathim。Hisfacewashaggardandhiseyeshaddarkcirclesunderthem。
“Humph！”shegrunted。“No，Iguessyoudidn"t。Lookstomeasifyou"dbeenupallnight。“Thensheaddedananxiousquery：
“"Tain"tBos"n——sheain"tsick，Ihope？”
“No。She"sallright。Isay，Georgianna，youputonanextryplatethismornin"。Gotcompanyforbreakfast。“
Thehousekeeperwassurprised。
“Forbreakfast？”sherepeated。“Landofgoodness！who"scomin"forbreakfast？Ineverheardofcompanydroppin"inforbreakfast。
That"sonemealfolksgenerallygettohome。Whoisit？Mr。
Tidditt？HasKeturyturnedhimoutdoorbecausehe"stoobadanexampleforherhusband？”
“No，"tain"tAse。It"sa——afriendofmine。Well，notexactlyafriend，maybe，butanacquaintancefromoutoftown。Hecamelastevenin"。He"supinthesparebedroom。“
“Well，Inever！Comeunexpected，didn"the？IwishI"dknownhewascomin"。Thatspareroombedain"tbeenairedIdon"tknowwhen。“
“Iguesshecanstandit。Ical"latehe"ssleptinconsider"bleworse——Hum！Yes，hedidcomekindofsudden。“
“What"shisname？”
“Whatdifferencedoesthatmake？Idon"tknow"shisnamemakesanyoddsaboutgettin"hisbreakfastforhim。“
Georgiannawashurt。Hereasy-goingemployerhadneverusedthistonebeforewhenaddressingher。
“Oh！”shesniffed。“IsTHATthewayyoufeel？Allright！Icanmindmyownbusiness，thankyou。Ionlyaskedbecauseit"sconvenientsometimestoknowwhethertocallapersonBillSmithorSolJones。ButIdon"tcareifit"sNebuchadnezzar。Iknowwhentokeepmytonguestill，Iguess。“
Sheflouncedovertotherange。CaptainCylookedashamedofhimself。
“I"mkindofoutofsortsto-day，“hesaid。“Gotsomeheadache。
Why，hisnameis——is——yes，"tisSmith，cometothinkofit——JohnSmith。Funnyyoushouldguessright，wan"tit？”
“Humph！”wastheungraciousanswer。“Namesdon"tinterestme，I
tellyou。“
ThecaptainwasinthediningroomwhenBos"nappeared。
“Goodmorning，UncleCyrus，“shesaid。“You"vebeenwaiting，haven"tyou？AmIlate？Ididn"tmeantobe。“
“No，no！youain"tlate。Early，ifanything。Breakfastain"tquitereadyyet。Comehereandsetinmylap。Iwanttotalktoyou。“
Hetookheronhisknee。Shelookedupintohisface。
“What"sthematter，UncleCy？”sheasked。“Whatmakesyousosober？”
“Sober？Ifyouain"ttheoldestyoungoneforeightyearsIeversaw！Why，Iain"tsober。No，no！Say，Bos"n，doyoulikeyourschoolaswellasever？”
“Yes，sir。Ilikeitbetterallthetime。“
“Do，hey？Andthatteacherwoman——goonlikin"her？”
Thechildnoddedemphatically。“Yes，sir，“shesaid。“AndI
haven"tbeenkeptaftersincethatonce。“
“Sho！sho！Courseyouain"t"！SoyouthinkBayport"sasniceasConcord，doyou？”
“Oh！lotsnicer！IfmammawasonlyhereI"dneverwanttobeanywhereelse。Andnotthen，maybe，unlessyouwasthere，too。“
“Hum！Wanttoknow！Say，Bos"n，howwouldyoufeelifyouhadtogosomewhereselse？”
“Tolive？Havewegotto？I"dfeeldreadful，ofcourse。Butifyou"vegottogo，UncleCyrus，why——“
“Me？No；Iain"tgottogoanywheres。But"twasyouIwasthinkin"
of。Wouldn"twanttoleavetheoldman，hey？”
“ToleaveYOU！Oh，UncleCyrus！”
Shewasstaringathimnowandherchinwastrembling。
“Uncle，“shedemanded，“youain"tgoingtosendmeaway？Haven"tI
beenagoodgirl？”
Thecaptain"slipsshuttight。Hewaitedamomentbeforereplying。
“"Deedyou"vebeenagoodgirl！”hesaidbrusquely。“Ineversawabetterone。No，Iain"tgoin"toSENDyouaway。Don"tyouworryaboutthat。“
“ButAliciaAtkinssaidonetimeyoutoldsomebodyyouwasgoingtosendmeoutWest，afterawhile。Ididn"tbelieveit，then，she"ssomean，butshesaidyousaid——“
“SAID！”CaptainCygroaned。“TheLordknowswhatIain"tsaid！
I"vebeenafool，dearie，andit"sajudgmentonme，Iguess。“
“Butain"tyougoin"tokeepme？I——I——“
Shesobbed。Thecaptainstrokedherhair。
“Keepyou？”hemuttered。“Yes，bythebigdipper！I"mgoin"tokeepyou，ifIcan——ifIcan。“
“Hello！”saidavoice。Thepairlookedup。Themanwhohadarrivedonthepreviousnightstoodinthesitting-roomdoorway。
Howlonghehadbeenstandingtherethecaptaindidnotknow。WhathedidknowwasthatMr。JohnSmithbydaylightwasnotmoreprepossessingthanthesameindividualviewedbytheaidofalamp。
EmilysawthestrangerandslidfromCaptainCy"sknees。Thecaptainrose。
“Bos"n，“hesaid，“thisisMr——er——Smith，who"sgoin"tomakeusalittlevisit。Iwantyoutoshakehandswithhim。“
ThegirldutifullyapproachedMr。Smithandextendedherhand。Hetookitandhelditinhisown。
“Isthisthe——“hebegan。
CaptainCybowedassent。
“Yes，“hesaid，hiseyesfixedonthevisitor"sface。“Yes。Don"tforgetwhatyousaidlastnight。“
Smithshookhishead。
“No，“hereplied。“Iain"tthekindthatforgets，unlessitpaysprettywell。There"ssomethingsI"verememberedforquiteafewyears。“
Helookedthechildoverfromheadtofootandhisbrowsdrewtogetherinanuglyfrown。
“Sothisisher，hey？”hemutteredmusingly。“Humph！Well，I
don"tknowasI"dhaveguessedit。Favorstheothersideofthehousemore——therespectableside，Ishouldsay。Still，there"salittlebrandofthelostsheep，hey？Enoughtoproveproperty，huh？Markofthebeast，Is"posethepsalm-singin"relationswouldcallit。D——nem！I——“
“Steady！”brokeinthecaptain。Mr。Smithstarted，seemedtorememberwherehewas，andhismannerchanged。
“Comeandseeme，honey，“hecoaxed，drawingthegirltowardhimbythehandhewasholding。“Ain"tyougotanicekissformethisfinemornin"？Don"tbescared。Iwon"tbite。“
Bos"nlookedshrinkinglyatMr。Smith"sunshavencheeksandthenatCaptainCy。Thelatter"sfacewasabsolutelydevoidofexpression。
Hemerelynodded。
SoEmilykissedoneofthebristlingcheeks。Thekisswasreturnedfulluponthemouth。Shewipedherlipsanddartedawaytoherchairbythetable。
“What"syourhurry？”inquiredthevisitor。“Don"tIdoitright？
BeensometimesinceIkissedagirl——alittleone，anyhow，“headded，winkingathishost。“Nevermind，we"llknoweachotherbetterbyandby。“
HelookedoninwonderingdisgustasBos"nsaidher“grace。“
“Whatinblazes！”heburstoutwhenthelittleblessingwasfinished。“Whoputheruptothat？Aleft-overfromthepsalm-
singers，isit？”
“Idon"tknow，“answeredthecaptain，speakingwithdeliberation。
“IdoknowthatIliketohaveherdoitandthatsheshalldoitaslong"sshe"satthistable。“
“Oh！sheshall，hey？Well，Ireckon——“
“Sheshall——ASLONGASSHE"SATTHISTABLE。Isthatrealplainandunderstandable，orshallIwriteitdown？”
Therewasanicyclearnessinthecaptain"stonewhichseemedtofreezefurtherconversationonthepartofMr。Smith。Hemerelygruntedandatehisbreakfastinsilence。Heateagreatdealandateitrapidly。
Bos"ndepartedforschoolwhenthemealwasover。CaptainCyhelpedheronwithhercoatandhood。Then，ashealwaysdidoflate，hekissedhergood-by。
“Hi！”calledMr。Smithfromthesittingroom。“Ain"tIinonthat？
Ifthere"sanykissesgoin"Iwanttotakeahandbeforethedeal"sover。“
“MustI？”whisperedBos"npleadingly。“MustI，UncleCy？Idon"twantto。Idon"tlikehim。“
“Comeon！”calledMr。Smith。“I"mgettin"overmybashfulnessfast。Hurryup！”
“MustIkisshim，UncleCyrus？”whisperedBos"n。“MUSTI？”
“No！”snappedthecaptainsharply。“Trotrightalongnow，dearie。
Beagoodgirl。Good-by。“
Heenteredthesittingroom。HisguesthadfoundtheSundayboxandwaslightingoneofhishost"scigars。
“Well，“heinquiredeasily，“what"snextonthebill？Anythinggoin"oninthisforsakenhole？”
“There"sabarbershopdowntheroad。Youmightgotherefirst，I
shouldsay。Notthatyouneedit，butjustasanoveltylike。“
“Humph！Idon"tknow。What"sthematterwithyourrazor？”
“Nothin"。AtleastIain"tfoundanythingwrongwithityet。“
“Oh！Say，lookhere！you"reaqueerguy，youare。Iain"tgotyourightinmymindyet。Oneminutebutterwouldn"tmeltinyourmouth，andthenextyou"refreshasanewegg。WhatISyourlittlegame，anyway？You"vegotone，sodon"ttellmeyouain"t。“
CaptainCywasplainlyembarrassed。Hegazedatthe“ShoretoShore“pictureonthewallasheanswered。
“Nogameaboutit，“hesaid。“LastnightyouandIagreedthatnothin"wastobesaidforafewdays。YouwastostayhereandI"dtrytomakeyoucomfort"ble，that"sall。Thenwe"dseeaboutthatothermatter，settleonafairprice，and——“
“Yes，Iknow。That"sallright。Butyou"retoowillin"。There"ssomethingelse。Say！”Theuglyscowlwasinevidenceagain。
“Say，lookhere，you！youain"tgotsomethin"upyoursleeve，haveyou？Thereain"tsomethin"morethatIdon"tknowabout，isthere？
Nomoresecretsthanthat——“
“No！Youhearme？No！You"llgetyourrights，andmaybealittlemorethanyourrights，ifyou"redecent。Andit"llpayyoutobedecent。“
“Humph！”Mr。Smithseemedtobethinking。Thenheadded，lookingupkeenlyunderhisbrows：“Howaboutthe——theincumbranceontheproperty？Ofcourse，whenIgoI"llhavetotakethatwithme，and——“
CaptainCyinterrupted。
“There！there！”heexclaimed，andtherewasashakeinhisvoice，“there！there！Don"tlet"stalkaboutsuchthingsnow。I——I——
Let"swaitaspell。We"llhavesomemoreplanstomake，maybe。Ifyouwanttousemyrazorit"srightinthatdrawer。Justhelpyourself。“
Thevisitorlaughedaloud。Henoddedasifsatisfied。“Ho！ho！”
hechuckled。“Isee！Humph！yes——Isee。Thefoolsain"talldead，andthere"snonetobeatanoldone。Well！well！Allright，pard！Iguessyouandme"llgetalongfine。I"vechangedmymind；
IWILLgotothebarbershop，afterall。OnlyI"malittleshyofdustjustatpresent。So，toobligeafriend，maybeyou"llhandover，huh？”
Thecaptainreachedintohispocket，extractedatwo-dollarbill，andpassedittothespeaker。Mr。Smithsmiledandshookhishead。
“Youcan"tcomeinonthat，pard，“hesaid。“Thelimit"sfive。“
CaptainCytookbackthebillandexchangeditforonewithaVineachcorner。Thevisitortookitandturnedtowardthedoor。
“Ta！ta！”hesaid，takinghishatfromthepeginthediningroom。
“I"mofffortheclippers。WhenIcomebackI"llbethesweetestlittleWillieinthediggin"s。Solong。“
Bos"nandthecaptainsatdowntothedinneratnoonalone。Mr。
Smithhadnotreturnedfromhistriptothebarber"s。Hecamein，however，justbeforethemealwasover，stillinanunshorncondition，somewhatflushedandveryloquacious。
“Say！”heexclaimedgenially。“ThatSimpson"stherightsort，ain"the？Himandmetookashinetoeachotherfromthego-off。
He"sbeenWesthimselfandhe"sgotsomewidthtohim。He"snopsalmsinger。“
“Humph！”commentedthecaptain，withdelicatesarcasm。“Hedon"tseemtobemuchofabarber，either。What"sthematter？Goneoutofbusiness，hashe？Orwasyousowildorwoollyhegotdiscouragedbeforehebegun？”
“Greatsnakes！”exclaimedthevisitor。“Iforgotallabouttheclippers！Well，that"soneonme，pard！I"llmakeanewtrysoon"sgrub"sover。Don"tbesotight-fistedwiththesteak；thisisaplateI"mpassin"，notacontributionbox。“
HewinkedatBos"nandwouldhavechuckedherunderthechinifshehadnotdodged。SheseemedtohavetakenagreataversiontoMr。
Smithandwasplainlyafraidofhim。
“Ishegoingtostayverylong，UncleCyrus？”shewhispered，whenitwasschooltimeoncemore。“Doyouthinkhe"snice？”
CaptainCydidnotanswer。Whenshehadgoneandtheguesthadrisenfromthetableandputonhishat，thecaptainsaidwarningly：
“There"sonelittlebitofadviceIwanttogiveyou，MisterMan：
Abargain"sabargain，butittakestwotokeepit。Don"tletyourloveforTadSimpsonleadyouintotalkin"toomuch。Talk"scheap，theysay，buttoomuchofitmightbemightydearforyou。
Understand？”
Smithpattedhimontheback。“Lordloveyou，pard！”hechuckled，“I"mnospringchicken。I"mashardtoopenasasafe，Iam。Ittakesacanopenertogetanythingoutofme。“
“Yes；well，youcangetinsidesomefolkseasierwithacorkscrew。
I"vebeentoldthatTad"sakindofamediumsometimes。Ifheraisesanyspiritsinthatbackroomofhis，I"dleave"emalone，ifIwasyou。Solongasyou"redecent，I"llputupwith——“
ButMr。Smithwasonhiswaytothegate，whistlingasifhehadn"tacareintheworld。CaptainCywatchedhimgodowntheroad，andthen，withthedrawn，wearylookonhisfacewhichhadbeentheresincethedaybefore，heenteredthesittingroomandthrewhimselfintoachair。
MissPhoebeDawes，theschoolteacher，workedlatethatevening。
Therewereexaminationpaperstobegoneover，andexperiencehaddemonstratedthattheonlyplacewhereshecouldbefreefrominterruptionswastheschoolroomitself。AttheperfectboardinghousetheshrilltonesofKeturah"svoiceandthoseofMissPhinneyandMrs。Tripppenetratedthroughshutdoors。ItishardtofigurepercentageswhenthemostintimatedetailsofBayport"sfamilylifearebeingrecitedandgloatedoverontheothersideofathinpartition。AndwhenMatildaundertooktodefendtheCome-Outerfaithagainsttheassaultsofthemajority，theverbalriotwas，asMr。Tiddittdescribedit，“likefeedin"timeinaparrotshop。“
SoMissPhoebecametotheboardinghouseforsupperandthenreturnedtotheschoolroom，where，withalightedbracketlampbesideheronthedesk，shelaboreduntilnineo"clock。Thensheputonhercoatandhat，extinguishedthelight，lockedthedoor，andstartedonherlonelywalkhome。
“Themainroad“inourvillageisdarkafternineoclock。Thereisastreetlight——akerosenelamp——onapostinfrontoftheMethodistmeetinghouse，butthesextonforgetsit，generallyspeaking，or，atanyrate，neglectstofillitexceptatrareintervals。Simmons"sfrontwindowsareablaze，ofcourse，andsoarethedingypanesofSimpson"sbarbershop。Butthesetwocentersofsociabilityarebothatthedepotroadcorner，andwhentheyarepassedtheonlysourcesofilluminationarethescatteredgleamsfromthebackwindowsofdwellings。Asmostofusretirebyhalf-pasteight，theglowalongthemainroadisnotdazzling，tosaytheveryleast。
MissDaweswasnotafraidofthedark。Shehadbeenherownescortforagoodmanyyears。Shewalkedbrisklyon，heardthelaughterandloudvoicesinthebarbershopdieawaybehindher，passedtheschoolhousepond，nowbleakandchillwiththerawNovemberwindblowingacrossit，andbegantoclimbtheslopeofWhittaker"sHill。Andherethewind，rushinginunimpededoverthefloodedsaltmeadowsfromthetumbledbayoutside，woundherskirtsaboutherandmadeclimbingdifficultandbreath-taking。
Shewas，perhaps，halfwayupthelongslope，whensheheard，intheintervalsbetweenthegusts，footstepsbehindher。Sheknewmostofthevillagepeoplebythistimeandthethoughtofcompanywasnotunpleasant。Soshepausedandpantinglywaitedforwhoeverwascoming。Shecouldnotseemorethanafewyards，butthefootstepssoundednearerandnearer，and，amomentlater，aman"svoicebegansinging“AnnieRooney，“amelodythenpastitsprimeinthecities，butpopularizedinBayportbysomedepartedbatchofsummerboarders。
Shedidnotrecognizethevoiceandshedidnotparticularlyapproveofsinginginthestreets，especiallysuchloudsinging。
Soshedecidednottowaitlonger，andwasturningtocontinueherclimb，whenthepersonbehindstoppedhisvocalizingandcalled。
“Hi！”heshouted。“Hello，aheadthere！Whoisit？Holdonaminute，pard！I"mcomin"。“
Shedisobeyedtheorderto“holdon，“andbegantohurry。Thehurrywasofnoavail，however，forthefollowerbrokeintoarunandsoonwasbyherside。Hewasastrangertoher。
“Whee！Wow！”hepanted。“Thisisnoracetrack，pard。Pullup，andlet"stakeiteasy。Myoffleg"sgotakinkinit，andIdon"trunsoeasyasIusedto。Greatsnakes；what"syourrush？Ain"tyoufondofcompany？Hello！Ibelieveit"sawoman！”
Shedidnotanswer。Hismannerandthesmellofliquorabouthimweredecidedlyunpleasant。Theideathathemightbeatrampoccurredtoher。TrampsareourbugabooshereinBayport。
“Awoman！”exclaimedthemanhilariously。“Well，say！Ididn"tbelievetherewasonelooseinthistail-endofnowhere。Girlie，I"mgladtoseeyou。NotthatIcanseeyoumuch，butnevermind。
Allcatsaregrayinthedark，hey？Youcan"tseeme，neither，sowe"lltakeeachotherontrust。"She"smysweetheart，I"mherbeau。"Say，Maud，mayIseeyouhome？”
Shewasfrightenednow。TheWhittakerplaceonthehilltopwasthenearesthouse，andthatwassomedistanceoff。
“What"sthematter，Carrie？”inquiredtheman。“Don"tbescared。
Iwouldn"thurtyou。I"mjustlonesome，that"sall，andIneedsociety。Don"trush，you"llruinyourcomplexion。Here！comeundermywingandlet"stoddlealongtogether。How"smamma？”
Heseizedherarmandpulledherbackbesidehim。Shetriedtofreeherself，butcouldnot。Herunwelcomeescortheldherfastandshewasobligedtomoveasslowlyashedid。Itwasverydark。
“Say，whatISyourname？”coaxedtheman。“IsisMaud，hey？OrJulia？IalwayslikedJulia。Don"tbepeevish。Tellus，that"sagoodgirl。“
Shegaveaquickjerkandmanagedtopullherarmfromhisgrasp，givinghimaviolentpushasshedidso。He，beingunsteadyonhisfeet，tumbleddownthelowbankwhichedgedthesidewalk。Thensheranonupthehillasfastasshecould。Sheheardhimswearashefell。
ShehadnearlyreachedtheendoftheWhittakerfencewhenhecaughther。Hewaslaughing，andthatalarmedheralmostasmuchasifhehadbeenangry。
“Naughty！naughty！”hechuckled，holdingherfast。“Tryin"tosneak，wasyou？Notmuch！Notthistime！Didyoueverplayforfeitswhenyouwaslittle？Well，thisisaforfeitgameandyou"reIt。Youmustbowtotheprettiest，kneeltothewittiest，andkisstheoneyoulovebest。AndI"llletyouoffonthefirsttwo。Comenow！Payup！”
Thenshescreamed。Andherscreamwasansweredatonce。Agateswungbackwithabangandsheheardsomeonerunningalongthewalktowardher。
“OCap"nWhittaker！”shecalled。“Come！Comequick，please！”
HowsheknewthatthepersonrunningtowardherwasCaptainCyhasnotbeensatisfactorilyexplainedevenyet。Shecannotexplainitandneithercanthecaptain。Andequallyastonishingwasthelatter"sanswer。Hecertainlyhadnotheardhervoiceoftenenoughtorecognizeitundersuchcircumstances。
“Allright，teacher！”heshouted。“I"mcomin"！Letgoofthatwoman，you——Oh，it"syou，isit？”
HehadseizedMr。Smithbythecoatcollarandjerkedhimawayfromhisvictim。MissDawestookrefugebehindthecaptain"sbulkyform。Thetwomenlookedateachother。Smithwasrecoveringhisbreath。
“It"syou，isit？”repeatedCaptainCy。Then，turningtoMissPhoebe，heasked：“Didhehurtyou？”
“No！Notyet。Buthefrightenedmedreadfully。Whoishe？Doyouknowhim？”
Herpersecutoransweredthequestion。
“Youbetyourlifeheknowsme！”hesnarled。“Heknowsmemightywell！Pard，youkeepyournoseoutofthis，d"yousee！Youmindyourownbusiness。Iwan"tgoin"tohurtherany。“
Thecaptainpaidnoattentiontohim。
“Yup，Iknowhim，“hesaidgrimly。Thenheadded，pointingtowardthelightedwindowofthehouseahead：“You——Smith，yougointhereandstaythere！Trot！Don"tmakemespeaktwice。“
ButMr。Smithwastoofargonewithangerandthe“spirits“raisedbyTadSimpsontoheedthemenaceinthewords。
“Smith，hey？”hesneered。“Oh，yes，SMITH！Well，Smithain"tgoin"，d"yousee！He"sgoin"todowhathepleases。IreckonI"montopoftheroosthere！Iknowwhat"swhat！Youcan"ttalktome。I"vegotrights，Ihave，and——“
“Blastyourrights！”
“What？WHAT？Blastmyrights，hey？Oh，yes！Thinkbecauseyou"vegotmoneyyoucancheatmeoutof"em，doyou？Well，youcan"t！Andhowabouttheotherpartofthoserights？S"poseI
walkrightintothathouseand——“
“Stopit！Shutup！You"dbetternot——“
“Andintothatbedroomandjustsay："Emmie，here"syour——"“
Hedidn"tfinishthesentence。CaptainCy"sbigfiststruckhimfairlybetweentheeyes，andthebackofhisheadstruckthewalkwitha“smack！”Then，throughthefireworkswhichwereilluminatinghismuddledbrain，heheardthecaptain"svoice。
“Youlow-down，good-for-nothin"scamp！”growledCaptainCy。
“AllthisdayI"vebeenhatin"myselfforthewayI"veactedtoyou。I"vehatedmyselfandbeentryin"tospunkupcouragetosay"It"salloff！"ButIwastoomuchofacoward，Iguess。AndnowtheLordA"mightyhasMADEmesayit。Youwantyourrights，doyou？So？Thenget"emifyoucan。It"syouandmeforit，andwe"llseewho"sthebestman。Teacher，ifyou"rereadyI"llwalkhomewithyounow。“
Mr。Smithwasnotentirelycowed。
“Yougo！”heyelled。“Goahead！AndI"llgotoalawyer"sto-
morrow。Butto-night，andinsideoffiveminutes，I"llwalkintothathouseofyoursandgetmy——“
ThecaptaindroppedMissDawes"sarmandstrodebacktowherehisantagonistwassittinginthedustofthewalk。Stoopingdown，heshookabigforefingerintheman"sface。
“You"vebeenoutWest，theytellme，“hewhisperedsternly。“Yes！
Well，outWesttheytakethelawintotheirownhands，sometimes，I
hear。I"vebeeninSouthAmerica，andtheydoitthere，too。Justsosureasyougointomyhouseto-nightandtouch——well，youknowwhatImean——justsosureI"llkillyoulikeadog，ifIhavetochaseyoutoJericho。Nowyoucanbelievethatornot。IfIwasyouI"dbelieveit。“
Takingthefrightenedschoolmistressbythearmoncemorehewalkedaway。Mr。Smithsaidnothingtilltheyhadgonesomedistance。
Thenhecalledafterthem。
“Youwaittillto-morrow！”heshouted。“Youjustwaitandseewhat"llhappento-morrow！”
CaptainCywassilentallthewaytothegateoftheperfectboardinghouse。MissDaweswassilentlikewise，butshethoughtagreatdeal。Atthegateshesaid：
“CaptainWhittaker，I"mEVERsomuchobligedtoyou。Ican"tthankyouenough。“
“Don"ttry，then。That"swhatyousaidtomeaboutthecow。“
“ButI"malmostsorryyouweretheonetocome。I"mafraidthatmanwillgetyouintotrouble。Hashe——canhe——Whatdidhemeanaboutto-morrow？WhoIShe？”
Thecaptainpushedhiscapbackfromhisforehead。
“Teacher，“hesaid，“there"saproverb，ain"tthere，aboutlettin"
to-morrowtakecareofitself？Asfortrouble——well，IdidthinkI"dhadtroubleenoughinmylifetolastmethrough，butI
cal"lateI"vegotanotherguess。Anyhow，don"tyoufret。Ididjusttherightthing，andI"mgladIdidit。IfitwasonlymeI
wouldn"tfret，either。Butthere"s——“Hestopped，groaned，andpulledthecapforwardagain。“Goodnight，“headded，andturnedtogo。
MissDawesleanedforwardanddetainedhim。
“Justaminute，Cap"nWhittaker，“shesaid。“IwasalittleprejudicedagainstyouwhenIcamehere。Iwastoldthatyougotmetheteacher"sposition，andtherewasmorethanahintthatyoudiditforselfishreasonsofyourown。WhenyoucalledthatafternoonattheschoolIwas——“
“Don"tsayaword！Iwasthebiggestfoolintownthattime，andI"vebeenashamedtolookintheglasseversince。Iain"talwayssuchanidiot。“
“ButI"vehadtojudgepeopleformyselfinmylifetime，“continuedtheschoolmistress，“andI"vemadeupmymindthatIwasmistakenaboutyou。Ishouldliketoapologize。Willyoushakehands？”
Sheextendedherhand。CaptainCyhesitated。
“Hadn"tyoubetterwaitaspell？”heasked。“You"veheardthatswabcallmepartner。Hadn"t——“
“No；Idon"tknowwhatyourtroubleis，ofcourse，andIcertainlyshan"tmentionittoanyone。ButwhateveritisI"msureyouarerightandit"snotyourfault。Nowwillyoushakehands？”
Thecaptaindidnotanswer。Hemerelytooktheprofferedhand，shookitheartily，andstrodeoffintothedark。
CHAPTERXII
“TOWN-MEETIN"“
“Thisisgoin"tobeameMOriabletownmeetin"！”declaredSylvanusCahoon，withunction，risingfromthesetteetogazeabouthimovertheheadsofthevotersinthetownhall。“Ibetyoueveryable-
bodiedmaninBayport"llbeherethisforenoon。Yes，sir！that"swhatIcallit，ame-MO-riablemeetin"！”
“SeeanythingofCy？”inquiredJosiahDimick，whosatnexttoSylvanus。
“No，heain"tcomeyet。AndHemanain"there，neither。Hello！
there"sTad。Lookshappy，seemstome。“
CaptainDimickstooduptoinspectMr。Simpson。
“Humph！”hemuttered。“Well，unlessmycount"swrong，heain"tgotmuchtobehappyabout。"LonzoSnow"swithhim。Taddoeslooksortofjoyful，don"the？Themthatlaughslastlaughsbest。Whenthevoteforschoolcommittee"sallinwe"llseewhodoesthegrinnin"。ButIcan"tunderstand——Hello！there"sTidditt。
Asaph！Ase！S-s-t-t！Comehereaminute。“
Mr。Tidditt，tremblingwithexcitement，andshakinghandseffusivelywitheveryonehemet，pushedhiswayuptheaisleandbentoverhisfriend。
“Say，Ase，“whisperedJosiah，“where"sWhit？Whyain"theonhand？
Nothin"shappened，hasit？”
“No，“repliedthetownclerk。“Everythingseemstobeallright。
IstoppedinonthewayalongandCysaidnottowait；he"dbehereontime。He"sbeenkindofoffhisfeedforthelastdayorso，andIcal"latehedidn"tfeellikehurryin"。Say，Joe，nowhonest，whatdoyouthinkofmychances？”
SuchaconfirmedjokerasDimickcouldn"tloseanopportunitylikethis。Withtheaidofonetryingtobecheerfulunderdiscouragementheansweredthat，sofar，Asaph"schanceslookedfair，prettyfair，butofcourseyoucouldn"talwayssometimestell。Mr。Tiddittrushedawaytobeginthehandshakingalloveragain。
Fromthisroundofcordialityhewasreluctantlytornandconductedtotheplatform。Afterthumpingthedeskwithhisfistheannouncedthatthegatheringwould“cometoorderrightoff，astherewasconsider"blebusinesstobedoneanditoughttobegoin"ahead。“
Hethenproceededtoreadthecallforthemeeting。ThisceremonywasnosooneroverthanAbednegoSmall，“UncleBedny，“wasonhisfeetloudlydemandingtobeinformedwhythetown“hadn"tdonenothin"“towardfixinguptheBassett"sHollowroad。UncleBedny"sspeechhadproceedednofurtherthan“Fellercitizens，inthenameofanoutrageous——IshouldsayoutragedportionofourcommunityI——“whenhewaschokedoffbyaself-appointedcommitteewhoknewMr。Smallofoldandhadseatedthemselvesnearhimtobereadyforjustsuchemergencies。Thenextstep，judgedbymeetingsofotheryears，shouldhavebeentounanimouslyelectEbenSaltersmoderator；
butasCaptainEbenrefusedtoserve，owingtohisinterestintheWhittakercampaign，AlvinKnowleswas，byasmallmajority，chosenforthatoffice。Mr。KnowleswasadevoutadmirerofthegreatAtkins，andhiselectionwouldhavebeenconsideredapreliminaryvictoryfortheoppositionhaditnotbeenthatmanyofCaptainCy"sadherentsvotedforAlvinfromaloveofmischief，knowingfromexperiencehisignoranceofparliamentarylawandhiseasy-goingrule。“Nowthere"llbefun！”declaredonedelightedindividual。
“Anything"sinorderwhenAlvin"schairman。“
Theproceedingsofthefirsthalfhourweredisappointinglytame。
MostofushadcometheretowitnessapoliticalwrestlingmatchbetweenTadSimpsonandCyrusWhittaker。SomeevendaredhopethatCongressmanAtkinsmightdirecthisfightinperson。ButneithertheHonorablenorCaptainCywasinthehallasyet。SolonEldridgewasre-electedselectmanandsoalsowasAsaphTidditt。
NobodybutAsaphseemedsurprisedatthisresult。HisspeechofacceptancewouldundoubtedlyhavebeenatriumphoforatoryhaditnotbeeninterruptedbyUncleBedny，whorosetoemphaticallyprotestagainst“settin"roundandwastin"time“whentheBassett"sHollowroad“hadrutsdeepenoughtodrownacatinwhenevertherewasamore"naverageheavydew。“
TheBassett"sHollowdelegatebeingagaintemporarilysquelched，ModeratorKnowlesannouncedthatnominationsforthevacantplaceontheschoolcommitteewereinorder。Therewasaperceptiblestironthesettees。Thiswaswhatthemeetinghadbeenwaitingfor。
“NosignofCyorHemanyet，“observedMr。Cahoon，craninghisneckinthedirectionofthedoor。“It"sthequeerestthingeverI
see。“
“QueerenoughaboutCy，that"safact，“concurredCaptainDimick。
“Iain"tsosurprisedaboutHeman"snotcomin"。LooksasifWhitwasright；healwayssaidAtkinsdodgedarowwherefolkscouldwatchit。Doesmostofhisfightin"fromroundthecorner。Hello！
there"sTad。Nowyou"llseethecrownofgloryseton"LonzoSnow"shead。Hopethecrown"spaddedniceandsoft。Anythingwithsharpedgeswouldsinkin。“
ButMr。Simpson，itseemed，wasnotyetreadytoproceedwiththecoronation。Hehadrisentoaskpermissionofthemeetingtodefertheschoolcommitteematterforashorttime。Persons，importantpersons，whoshouldbepresentwhilethenominatingwasgoingon，hadnotyetarrived。Hewassurethatthegatheringwouldwishtohearfromthesepersons。Heaskedforonlyaslightdelay。
Matterssuchasthis，affectingthewelfareofourposterity，oughtnottobehurried，etc。，etc。
Mr。Simpson"srequestwasunexpected。Themeeting，apparently，didn"tknowhowtotakeit。UncleBednywasfirmlyheldinhisseatbythoseabouthim。LemuelMyricktookthefloortoprotest。
“Imustsay，“hedeclared，“thatIdon"tseeanyreasonforwaitin"。
Iffolksain"there，that"stheirownfault。Mr。Moderator，I
demandthatthenominatin"goahead。“
Tadwasonhisfeetinstantly。
“I"mgoin"toappeal，“hecried，“tothedecencyandgratitudeofthecitizensofthetownofBayport。OneofthepersonsI"m——thatis，we"rewaitin"forhasdonemoreforourbeautifulvillagethanalltherestofusputtogether。Thereain"tnoneedformetonamehim。Arightup-to-datetownpump，alovelymemorialwindow，a——“
“Howaboutthatharborappropriation？”criedavoicefromthesettees。
Mr。Simpsonwastakenaback。Hisfaceflushedandheangrilyturnedtowardtheinterrupter。
“That"syou，JoeDimick！”heshouted，pointinganagitatedforefinger。“Youneedn"tscoochdown。Iknowyourtongue。Theideaofyoufindin"faultbecauseabigmanlikeCongressmanAtkinsdon"tjumpwhenyouholler"Gitup！"WhatdoYOUknowaboutdoin"satWashington？Thatharborappropriation"llgothroughifanybodyonearthcangetitthrough。There"sotherplacesbesidesBayporttobeprovidedforand——“
“Andtheircongressmenprovidefor"em，“calledanothervoice。Tadwhirledtofacehisnewtormentor。
“Huh！”hegruntedwithsarcasm。“That"sLemMyrick，_I_know。
Lem，thegreatpainter，whovoteswherehepaintsandgetspaidaccordin"。“
“Order！”criedseveral。
“Oh，allright，Mr。Moderator！I"llkeeporderallright。ButI
saytoyou，Lem，andyou，JoeDimick，thatIknowwhoputthesesmartnotionsintoyourheads。Weallknow，unlesswe"rebornfools。Whoisitthat"sbeensayin"theHonorableHemanAtkinswasshirkin"thatappropriation？WhowasitsaidifHEwasrepresentativethethingwouldhavegonethroughaforethis？Who"sbeenmakin"hisbragsthathecouldgetitthroughifhehadthechance？Youknowwho！SodoI！Iwishhewashere。Ionlywishhewashere！I"dsayittohisface。“
“Well，heis。Heaveaheadandsayit。“
Everyoneturnedtowardthedoor。CaptainCyhadenteredthehall。
Hewasstandingintheaisle，andwithhimwasBaileyBangs。Thecaptainlookedverytired，almostwornout，buthenoddedcoollytoMr。Simpson，whohadretiredtohisseatwithsurprisingquicknessandapparentdiscomfiture。
“HereIam，Tad，“continuedthecaptain。“Sayyourpiece。“
ButTad，itappeared，wasnotanxiousto“sayhispiece。“Hewaswhisperingearnestlywithagroupofhisfollowers。CaptainCyhelduphishand。
“Mr。Moderator，“heasked，“canIhavetheflooraminute？AllI
wanttosayisthatIcal"lateI"mthefellerthelastspeakerhadreferenceto。IHAVEsaidthatIdidn"tseewhythatappropriationwassohardtoget。Isayitagain。Otherappropriationsaregot，andwhynotours？IDIDsayifIwasacongressmanI"dgetit。
Yes，andI"llsaymore，“headded，raisinghisvoice，“I"llsaythatifIwassenttoWashin"tonbythistown，congressmanornot，I"dmoveheavenandearth，andallcreationfromthePresidentdowntillIdidgetit。That"sall。Sowouldanyliveman，Ishouldthink。“
Hesatdown。Therewassomeapplause。BeforeithadsubsidedAbelLeonard，oneofthequickest-wittedofMr。Simpson"sworkers，wasonhisfeet，gesticulatingforattention。
“Mr。Moderator，“heshouted，“Iwanttomakeamotion。We"veallheardthebigtalkthat"sbeenmade。Allright，then！Imoveyou，sir，thatCaptainCyrusWhittakerbeappointedacommitteeofonetoGOtoWashin"ton，ifhewantsto，oranywhereselse，andseethatwegettheappropriation。Andifwedon"tgetittheblame"shis！There，now！”
Therewasaroaroflaughter。Thiswasexactlythesortof“tit-
for-tat“humorthatappealstoaYankeecrowd。Themotionwassecondedhalfadozentimes。ModeratorKnowlesgrinnedandshookhishead。
“Ajoke"sajoke，“hesaid，“andwealllikeagoodone。However，thismeetin"issupposedtobeforbusiness，notfun，so——“
“Question！Question！It"sbeenseconded！We"vegottovoteonit！”shoutedachorus。
“Don"tyouthink——seemstomethatain"tinorder，“beganthemoderator，butCaptainCyrosetohisfeet。Thegrimsmilehadreturnedtohisfaceandhelookedatthejoyousassemblagewithalmosthisoldexpressionofappreciativealertness。
“Nevermindthevote，“hesaid。“IrealizethatBrotherLeonardhasrathergotoneonme，sotospeak。Allright，Iwon"tdodge。
I"llBEacommitteeofoneontheharborgrab，andifnothin"comesofitI"lltakemyshareofkicks。Gentlemen，Iappreciateyourtrustfulnessinmyability。“
Thisbriefspeechwasahugesuccess。If，foramoment，thependulumofpublicfavorhadswungtowardSimpson，thistrumpingofthelatter"sleadingcardpusheditbackagain。Themoderatorhadsomedifficultyinrestoringordertothehilariousmeeting。
ThenMr。Myrickwasaccordedtheprivilegeofthefloor，inspiteofTad"sprotests，andproceededtonominateCyrusWhittakerfortheschoolcommittee。Lemhaddevotedhoursoftoilandwearisomementalstruggletothepreparationofhisaddress，anditwaslengthyandflorid。CaptainCywasdescribedaspossessingallthevirtues。Bailey，listeningwithahandbehindhisear，wasmovedtoapplauseatfrequentintervals，andevenAsaphforgotthedignityofhisexaltedpositionontheplatformandpoundedtheofficialdeskinecstasy。Theonlypersontoappearuninterestedwasthenomineehimself。Hesatlistlesslyinhisseat，hiseyescastdown，andhisthoughtsapparentlyfaraway。
JosiahDimicksecondedthecaptain"snomination。ThenMr。Simpsonsteppedtothefrontand，afterawistfulglanceatthedoor，begantospeak。
“Fellercitizens，“hesaid，“itismyprivilegetoputinnominationforschoolcommitteeamanwhosenamestandsforallthat"sgoodandcleanandprogressiveinthistownship。ButaforeIdoitI"mgoin"
toaskyoutoletmesayawordortwoconcernin"somethin"thatbearsrightonthismatter，andwhich，Ibelieve，everyoneofyououghttoknow。It"ssomethin"thatmostofyoudon"tknow，andit"llbeasurprise，abigsurprise。I"llbeasquickasIcan，andIcal"lateyou"llthankmewhenI"mdone。“
Hepaused。Themeetinglookedateachotherinastonishment。
Therewaswhisperingalongthesettees。ModeratorKnowleswasplainlypuzzled。Helookedinquiringlyatthetownclerk，butAsaphwasevidentlyquiteasmuchinthedarkasheconcerningthethreateneddisclosure。
“FellerBayporters，“wentonTad，“there"sonethingwe"veallagreedon，nomatterwhowe"vemeanttovotefor。Thatis，thatamemberofourschoolcommitteeshouldbeanupright，honestman，onefitmorallytolookoutforourdearchildren。Ain"tthatso？
Well，then，Iaskyouthis：Wouldyouconsideramanfitforthatjobwhodeliberatelycamebetweenafatherandhischild，whopizenedthemindofthatchildagainsthisownparent，andwhenthatparentcometoclaimthatchild，firsttriedtobuyhimoffandthenturnedhimoutofthehouse？Yes，andofferedviolencetohim。Anddoneit——markwhatIsay——forreasonswhich——which——well，wecanonlyguess"em，buttheguessmaynotbesoawfulbad。IsTHATthekindofmanwewanttohonorortolookoutforourownchildren"sschoolin"？”
Mr。Simpsonundoubtedlymeanttocauseasensationbyhisopeningremarks。Hecertainlydidso。Thestirandwhisperingredoubled。
Asaph，hismouthopen，staredwildlydownatCaptainCy。Thecaptainrosetohisfeet，thensankbackagain。Hislistlessnesswasgoneand，payingnoattentiontothoseabouthim，hegazedfixedlyatTad。
“Gentlemen，“continuedthespeaker，“lastnightIhadanexperiencethatIshan"tforgetaslongasIlive。Imetapoorman，apoor，lamemanwho"dbeenawayoutWestandgothurtbad。Folksthoughthewasdead。Hiswifethoughtsoanddiedgrievin"forhim。Sheleftalittlebabygirl，onlysevenoreightyearold。Whenthismancomeback，wellagainbutpoor，tolookuphisfamily，hefoundhiswifehadpassedawayandthechildhadbeensentoff，justtogetridofher，toastrangerinanothertown。Thatstrangerfullymeanttosendheroff，too；hesaidsodozensoftimes。Agoodmanyofyoufolksrighthereheardhimsayit。Butheneversenther——hekepther。Why？Well，that"sthequestion。_I_shan"tanswerit。_I_ain"taccusin"nobody。AllIsayis，what"seasyenoughforanyofyoutoprove，andthatisthatitcometolightthechildhadpropertybelongin"toher。Property！land，wuthmoney！”
Hepausedoncemoreanddrewhissleeveacrosshisforehead。Mostofhishearersweresilentnow，ontiptoeofexpectation。DimicklookedsearchinglyatCaptainCy。Thenhesprangtohisfeet。
“Order！”heshouted。“What"sallthisgottodowithnominatin"
forschoolcommittee？Ain"theoutoforder，Alvin？”
Themoderatorhesitated。Hishabitualindecisionwasnowcomplicatedbythefactthathewasascuriousasthemajorityofthosebeforehim。Therewereshoutsof，“Goahead，Tad！”“Tellustherest！”
“Lethimgoon，Mr。Moderator！”
CyWhittakerslowlyrose。
“Alvin，“hesaidearnestly，“don"tstophimyet。Asafavortome，lethimspinhisyarn。“
Simpsonwasreadyandevidentlyeagertospinit。
“Thisman，“heproclaimed，“thisfather，mournin"forhisdeadwifeandlongin"forhischild，comestothetownwherehewastofindandtakeher。Andwhenhemeetsthemanthat"sgother，whenhecomes，pooranddownonhisluck，whatdoesthisman——thisrichman——do？Why；fustofall，he"ssweeter"nsiruptohim，takeshimin，keepshimovernight，andthenextdayhesaystohim："Youjustbequietandsaynothin"tonobodythatshe"syourlittlegirl。I"llmakeitwuthyourwhile。KeepquiettillI"mreadyforyoutosayit。"Andhegivesthefathermoney——notmuch，butsome。
Allrightsofur，maybe；butwait！Thenitturnsoutthatthefatherknowsaboutthisland——thisproperty。AndTHENthekind，charitableman——thisrichmanwithlotsofmoneyofhisown——turnsthepoorfatherout，tellin"himtogetthegirlandthelandifhecan，knowin"——KNOWIN"，mindyou——thatthefatherain"tgotacenttohirelawyersnoreventopayforhisnextmeal。Andwhenthefathersayshewon"tgo，butwantshisdearonethatbelongstohim，therichfellerabuseshim，knockshimdownwithhisfist！
Knocksdownapoor，weak，lameinvalid，justoffasickbed！IsTHATthekindofamanwewantonourschoolcommittee？”
Heaskedthequestionwithbothhandsoutspreadandtheperspirationrunningdownhischeeks。Themeetingwasinanuproar。
“NoneedformetotellyouwhoImean，“shoutedTad，wavinghisarms。“Youknowwho，aswellasIdo。You"vejustheardhimpraisedasbein"allthat"sgoodandgreat。But_I_say——“
“You"vesaidenough！Nowletmesayaword！”
ItwasCaptainCywhointerrupted。Hehadpushedhiswaythroughthecrowd，downtheaisle，andnowstoodbeforethegesticulatingMr。Simpson，whoshrankbackasifhefearedthatthetreatmentaccordedthe“poorweakinvalid“mightbecontinuedwithhim。
“Knowles，“saidCaptainCy，turningtothemoderator，“letmespeak，willyou？Iwon"tbebutaminute。Friends，“hecontinued，facingtheexcitedgathering——“forsomeofyouaremyfriends，orI"vecometothinkyouare——apartofwhatthismansaysisso。
ThegirlatmyhouseisEmilyThomas；hermotherwasMaryThomas，whosomeofyouknow，andherfather"snameisHenryThomas。Shecametomeunexpected，bein"sentbyaMrs。OliveruptoConcord，because"twaseithermeoranorphanasylum。Itookherinmeanin"
tokeepheralittlewhile，andthensendheraway。ButastimewentonIkeptputtin"offandputtin"off，andatlastIrealizedIcouldn"tdoit；I"dcometothinktoomuchofher。
“Fellers，“hewenton，slowly，“I——Ihardlyknowhowtotellyouwhatthatlittlegirl"scometobetome。WhenIfirststruckBayport，afterfortyyearsawayfromit，allIthoughtofwasmakin"overtheoldplaceandlivin"init。Ical"lateditwouldbeasortofParadise，andHOWIwasgoin"toliveorwhetherornotI"dbelonesomewitheveryoneofmyfolksdeadandgone，nevercrossedmymind。ButthelongerIlivedtherealonethelesslikeParadiseitgottobe；Irealizedmoreandmorethatitain"tfurnitureandfixin"sthatmakeahome；it"sthemyoulovethat"sinit。AndjustasI"daboutreachedtheconclusionthat"twasafailure，thewholebusiness，why，then，Bos"n——Emily，thatis——
droppedin，andinsideofaweekIknewI"dgotwhatwasmissin"inmylife。
“InevermarriedandchildrennevermeantmuchtometillIgother。She"sthebestlittle——little……There！Imustn"ttalkthisway。Ibluffedalotaboutnotkeepin"herpermanent，bein"
kindofashamed，Iguess，butdowninsidemeI"dmadeupmymindtobringheruplikeadaughter。SheandmewastolivetogethertillshegrewupandgotmarriedandI……Well，what"stheuse？A
fewdaysagocomealetterfromtheOliverwomaninConcordsayin"
thatthisHenryThomas，Bos"n"sfather，wan"tdeadatall，buthadturnedupthere，havin"learnedsomehowor"notherthathiswifewasgoneandthathischildhadbeenwilledalittlebitoflandwhichbelongedtohermother。HehadfoundoutthatEmmiewaswithme，andthelettersaidhewouldlikelycomeafterher——andtheland。
“Thatletterwaslikeaflashoflightnin"tome。Iwasdismastedandonmybeamends。Ididn"tknowwhattodo。I"dlearnedenoughaboutthisHenryThomastoknowthathewasnouse，adrunken，good-for-nothin"scampwhohadcruelizedhiswifeandthenrunoffandleftherandthebaby。Butwhenhecome，theverynightIgottheletter，Igavehimachance。Itookhimin；Iwaswillin"togivehimajobontheplace；Iwaswillin"topayforhiskeep，andmore。IDIDaskhimtokeephismouthshutandeventouseanothername。"Twasweakofme，maybe，butyouwanttorememberthishadcomeonmesudden。Andlastnight——theverysecondnight，mindyou——hewentoutsomewhere，perhapswecanguesswhere，boughtliquorwiththemoneyIgavehim，gotdrunk，andtheninsultedoneofthebestwomeninthistown。Yes，sir！Isayitrighthere，oneofthebest，pluckiestlittlewomenanywhere，althoughsheandIain"talwaysagreedoncertainmatters。IDIDtellhimtoclearout，andIDIDknockhimdown。Yes，andbythebigdipper，I"ddoitagainunderthesamecircumstances！
“Asfortheproperty，“headdedfiercely，“why，darntheproperty，Isay！Itain"twuthmuch，anyhow，and，if"twasanybody"selse，heshouldhaveitandwelcome。Butit"sBos"n"s，and，bein"whatheis，heSHAN"Thaveit。Andheshan"thaveHERtocruelize，neither！BytheAlmighty！heshan"t，solongasI"vegotadollartofighthimwith。Isaythattoyou，TadSimpson，andtotheman——
towhoeverputyouuptothis。There！I"vesaidmysay。Now，gentlemen，youcanchooseyourside。“
Hestrodebacktohisseat。Therewassilenceforamoment。ThenJosiahDimicksprangupandwavedhishat。
“That"sthewaytotalk！”heshouted。“That"saMAN！ThreecheersforCap"nWhittaker！Comeon，everybody！”
Buteverybodydidnot“comeon。“Thecheerswerefeeble。Itwasevidentthatthemajorityofthosepresentdidnotknowhowtomeetthisunexpectedcontingency。Ithadtakenthembysurpriseandtheywereundecided。Theuproarofargumentandquestionbeganagain，louderthanever。Thebewilderedmoderatorthumpedhisdeskandshoutedfeeblyfororder。TadSimpsontookthefloorand，inafewwordsandatthetopofhislungs，nominatedAlonzoSnow。AbelLeonardsecondedthenomination。Therewereyellsof“Question！
Question！”and“Vote！Vote！”
EbenSalterswasrecognizedbythechair。CaptainSaltersmadefewspeeches，andwhenhedidmakeoneitwasbecausehehadsomethingtosay。
“Mr。Moderator，“hesaid，“I，forone，hatetovotejustnow。Itisn"tthattheschoolcommitteeissoimportantofitself。ButI
dothinkthattherightsofafatherwithhischildISprettyimportant，andourvoteforCap"nWhittaker——andmostofyouknowI
intendedvotin"forhimandhavebeenworkin"forhim——mightseemlikeanindorsementofhisposition。Thiswholethingisabigsurprisetome。Idon"tfeelyetthatweknowenoughoftheinsidefactstogivesuchanindorsement。I"dliketoseethisThomasmanbeforeIdecidetogiveit——ornottogiveit，either。It"saqueerthingtocomeupattownmeetin"，butit"sup。Hadn"twebetteradjournuntilnextweek？”
Hesatdown。Themeetingwasdemoralized。Somewereshoutingforadjournment，othersto“Voteitout。“Astrawwouldturnthescaleandthestrawwasforthcoming。WhileCaptainCywasspeakingthedoorhadsilentlyopenedandtwomenenteredthehallandsoughtseclusioninacorner。Nowoneofthesemencameforward——theHonorableHemanAtkins。
Mr。Atkinswalkedsolemnlytothefront，amidstaburstofrecognition。Manyofthevotersrosetoreceivehim。Itwascustomary，whenthegreatmancondescendedtoattendsuchgatherings，toofferhimaseatontheplatform。ThistheobsequiousKnowlesproceededtodo。Asaphwastooovercomebythedisclosureof“JohnSmith"s“identityandbyMr。Simpson"sattackonhisfriendtorememberevenhismanners。Hedidnotrise，butsatstonilystaring。
Themoderator"sgaveldescended“Order！”heroared。“Order，Isay！
CongressmanAtkinsisgoin"totalktous。“
TheHonorableHemanfacedtheexcitedcrowd。Onehandwasinthebreastofhisfrockcoat；theotherwasclencheduponhiship。Hestoodcalm，benignant，dignified——theincarnationofwisdomandrighteousworth。Theattitudehaditseffect；theapplausebeganandgrewtoanovation。Menwhohadintendedvotingagainsthisfavoredcandidateforgottheirintention，inthemagnetismofhispresence，andcheered。Hebowedandbowedagain。
“Fellowtownsmen，“hebegan，“farbeitfrommetoinfluenceyourchoiceinthematteroftheschoolcommittee。Stillfurtherbeitfrommetoinfluenceyouagainstanoldboyhoodfriend，aneighbor，onewhomIbelieve——er——hadbelievedtobeallthatwassincereandtrue。But，fellowtownsmen，myesteemedfriend，CaptainSalters，hasexpressedawishtoseeMr。Thomas，thefatherwhosestoryyouhaveheardto-day。Ihappentobeinapositiontogratifythatwish。Mr。Thomas，willyoukindlycomeforward？”
ThenfromtherearofthehallMr。Thomascame。Butthedrunkenrowdyofthenightbeforehadbeentransformed。Gonewasthescrubbybeardandtheshabbysuit。Shornwastheunkemptmopofhairandvanishedtheimpudentswagger。Hewasdressedincleanlinenandrespectableblack，andhismannerwasmodestandsubdued。
OnlyadiscolorationofoneeyeshowedwhereCaptainCy"sblowhadleftitsmark。
Hesteppedupontheplatformbesidethecongressman。Thelatterlaidahanduponhisshoulder。
“Gentlemenandfriends，“saidHeman，“mynamehasbeenbroughtintothiscontroversy，byMr。Simpsondirectly，andininsinuationby——
er——another。Thereforeitismyrighttomakemypositionclear。
Mr。Thomascametomelasteveningindistress，bothofmindandbody。Hetoldmehisstory——substantiallythestorywhichhasjustbeentoldtoyoubyMr。Simpson——and，gentlemen，Ibelieveit。ButifIdidnotbelieveit，ifIbelievedhimtohavebeeninthepastallthathisopponenthassaid；evenifIbelievedthat，onlylastevening，spurned，drivenfromhischild，pennilessandhopeless，hehadyieldedtotheweaknesswhichhasbeenhiscurseallhislife——
evenifIbelievedthat，stillIshoulddemandthatHenryThomas，repentantandearnestasyouseehimnow，shouldbegivenhisrightfulopportunitytobecomeamanagain。Heispoor，butheisnot——shallnotbe——friendless。No！athousandtimes，no！Youmaysay，someofyou，thattheaffairisnotmybusiness。IaffirmthatitISmybusiness。ItismybusinessasaChristian，andthatbusinessshouldcomebeforeallothers。Ihavenotallowedsympathytoinfluenceme。Ifthatwerethecase，myregardformyneighborandfriendofformerdayswouldhaveheldmefirm。But，gentlemen，Ihaveachildofmyown。Iknowwhatafather"sloveis，asonlyafathercanknowit。And，afterasleeplessnight，I
standherebeforeyouto-daydeterminedthatthismanshallhavehisown，ifmymoney——whichyouwill，I"msure，forgivemymentioning——andmyunflinchingsupportcangiveittohim。Thatismyposition，andIstateitregardlessofconsequences。“Hepaused，andwithraisedrighthand，likethepictureofJoveintheoldacademymythology，launchedhisfinalthunderbolt。“WhomGodhathjoined，“heproclaimed，“letnooneputasunder！”
Thatsettledit。Thecheersshookthewalls。AmidstthetumultDimickandBaileyBangsseizedCaptainCybytheshouldersandendeavoredtolifthimfromhisseat。
“Fortheloveofgoodness，Whit！”groanedJosiah，desperately，“standupandanswerhim。Ifyoudon"t，we"llfoundersure。“
Thecaptainsmiledgrimlyandshookhishead。HehadnottakenhiseyesfromthefaceofthegreatAtkinssincethelatterbeganspeaking。
“What？”hereplied。“Afterthat"putasunder"sockdolager？Manalive！doyouwantmetoaddSabbathbreakin"tomyothercrimes？”
Thevote，byballot，followedalmostimmediately。ItwaspitifultoseetheerstwhileWhittakermajoritymeltaway。AlonzoSnowwastriumphantlyelected。Butahandfulvotedagainsthim。
CaptainCy，stillgrimlysmiling，roseandleftthehall。Asheclosedthedoor，heheardtheshrillvoiceofUncleBednydemandingjusticefortheBassett"sHollowroad。
Ithad，indeed，beena“memoriable“townmeeting。
CHAPTERXIII
THEREPULSE
WhenDeaconZebClark——thesameDeaconZebwhofellintothecistern，asnarratedbyCaptainCy——madehisfirstvisittothecity，yearsandyearsago，hestayedbuttwodays。Ashehadproudlyboastedthatheshouldremaininthemetropolisatleastaweek，ourpeopleweremuchsurprisedathisprematurereturn。Tothedriverofthebutchercartwhofoundhimsittingcontentedlybeforehisdwelling，amidsthisdesolateacres，thenearestneighborahalfmileaway，didDeaconZebdisclosehisreasonforleavingthecrowdedthoroughfares。“Therewassomanyfolksthere，“hesaid，“thatIfeltlonesome。“
AndCaptainCy，returningfromthetownmeetingtotheWhittakerplace，feltlonesomelikewise。NotfortheDeacon"sreason——hemetnooneonthemainroad，saveagroupofschoolchildrenandMissPhinney，and，sightingthelatterintheoffing，hedodgedbehindthetreesbytheschoolhousepondandwaiteduntilshepassed。Butthecaptain，histroublenowheavyuponhim，didfeeltheneedofsympathyandcongenialcompanionship。HeknewhemightcountuponDimickandAsaph，and，wheneverKeturah"ssupervisioncouldbeevaded，uponMr。Bangs。Buttheywerenottheadvisersandcomfortersforthishourofneed。AlltherestofBayport，hefeltsure，wouldbeagainsthim。HadnotKingHemantheGreatfromthestepsofthethrone，bannedhimwiththeroyaldispleasure！“IfHemaneverSHOULDcomerightoutandsay——“beganAsaph"swarning。
Well，strangeasitmightseem，Hemanhad“comerightout。“
Astowhyhehadcomeouttherewasnoquestioninthemindofthecaptain。ThelatterhadleftMr。Thomas，theprodigalfather，prostrateandblasphemousintheroadthepreviousevening。Hisnextviewofhimwaswhen，transformedandsanctified，hehadbeensummonedtotheplatformbyMr。Atkins。Nodoubthehadreturnedtothebarbershopand，inhisrageandunderMr。Simpson"scrossexamination，hadrevealedsomethingofthetruth。Tad，thepolitician，recognizingopportunitywhenitknockedathisdoor，hadhurriedhimtothecongressman"sresidence。Therestwasplainenough，soCaptainCythought。
However，warwasalreadydeclared，andthereasonsforitmatteredlittle。Thefirstskirmishmightoccuratanymoment。Thesituationwasdesperate。Thecaptainsquaredhisshoulders，thrustforwardhischin，andwalkedbrisklyupthepathtothedoorofthediningroom。Itwasnearlyoneo"clock，butBos"nhadnotyetgone。Shewaswaiting，totheverylastminute，forher“UncleCyrus。“
“Hello，shipmate，“hehailed。“Notheadedforschoolyet？Good！
Ical"lateyouneedn"tgothisafternoon。I"mthinkin"ofhirin"ateamanddrivin"toOstable，andIdidn"tknowbutyou"dliketogowithme。Thinkyoucould，withoutthatteacherwomanhavin"youbroughtupaftformutiny？”
Bos"nthoughtitover。
“Yes，sir，“shesaid；“Iguessso，ifyouwrotemeanexcuse。I
don"tliketobeabsent，"causeIhaven"tbeenbefore，butthere"sonlymyreadinglessonthisafternoonandIknowthateversowell。
I"dlovetogo，UncleCy。“
Thecaptainremovedhiscoatandhatandpulledachairforwardtothetable。
“Hello！”heexclaimed。“What"sthis——themail？”
Bos"nsmileddelightedly。
“Yes，sir，“shereplied。“IknewyouwasatthemeetingandsoI
broughtitfromtheoffice。Ain"tyouglad？”
“Sure！Yes，indeed！Muchobliged。Tryin"tokeephousewithoutyouwouldbelikesteerin"withoutarudder。“
Evenashesaidittherecametohimtherealizationthathemighthavetosteerwithoutthatrudderinthenearfuture。Hissmilevanished。Hesmotheredagroanandpickedupthemail。
“Hum！”hemused，“theBreeze，acircular，andoneletter。Hello！
itisn"tpossiblethat——Well！well！”
Theletterwasinalongenvelope。Hehastilytoreitopen。Attheinclosureheglancedinevidentexcitement。Thenhissmilereturned。
“Bos"n，“hesaid，afteramoment"sreflection，“Iguessyouandmewon"thavetogotoOstableafterall。“Noticingthechild"slookofdisappointment，headded：“Butyouneedn"tgotoschool。Maybeyou"dbetternot。Youandme"lltakeatrampalongshore。Whatdoyousay？”
“Oh，yes，UncleCy！Let"s——shallwe？”
“Why，Idon"tseewhynot。We"llcruiseincompanyaslongaswecan，hey，littlegirl？Thesquall"slikelytostrikeaforenight，“
hemutteredhalfaloud。“We"llenjoythefineweathertillit"stimetoshortensail。“
Theywalkedallthatafternoon。CaptainCywasevenmorekindandgentlewithhissmallcompanionthanusual。Hetoldherstorieswhichmadeherlaugh，pointedoutspotsinthepineswherehehadplayedIndianwhenaboy，carriedher“pigback“whenshegrewtired，andkissedhertenderlywhen，atthebackdooroftheWhittakerplace，hesetheronherfeetagain。
“Hadagoodtime，dearie？”heasked。
“Oh，splendid！Ithinkit"sthebestwalkweeverhad，don"tyou，UncleCy？”
“Ishouldn"twonder。Youwon"tforgetourcruisestogetherwhenyouareabiggirlandoffsomewhereselse，willyou？”
“I"llNEVERforget"em。AndI"mnevergoinganywherewithoutyou。“
Itwasafterfiveastheyenteredthekitchen。
“AnybodybeenherewhileIwasout？”askedthecaptainofGeorgianna。
Thehousekeeper"seyeswereredandswollen，andshehuggedBos"nasshehelpedheroffwithherjacketandhood。
“Yes，therehas，“wasthedecidedanswer。“FirstAseTidditt，andthenBaileyBangs，andthenthat——thatAngiePhinney。“
“Humph！”musedCaptainCyslowly。“SoAngiewashere，wasshe？
Wherethecarcassisthevulturesareondeck，orwordssimilar。
Humph！DidourAngelicfriendhavemuchtosay？”
“DIDshe？And_I_hadsomethin"tosay，too！Ineverinmylife！”
“Humph！”Heremployereyedhersharply。“So？Andsosoon？Talkaboutthetelegraphspreadin"news！I"dbackmostanyhalfdozentonguesinBayporttospreadmorenews，andaddmoretrimmin"toit，inadaythanthetelegraphcoulddoinaweek。Especiallyifallthetelegraphoperatorswasliketheoneupatthedepot。
Well，Georgianna，whenyougoin"toleave？”
“Leave？Leavewhere？Whatareyoutalkin"about？”
“Leavehere。Ofcourseyourealizethatthisshipofours，“
indicatingthehousebyacomprehensivewaveofhishandaroundtheroom，“isgoin"tobeamightyunpopularcraftfromnowon。Wemaybeonaleeshoreanyminute。You"vegotyourownwell-bein"tothinkof。“
“Myownwell-bein"！Whatdoyous"poseIcareformywell-bein"
whenthere"s——Cap"nWhittaker，youtellmenow！Isitso？”
“Someofitis——yes。He"scomebackandhe"swhohesaysheis。
You"veseenhim。Hewasherealldayyesterday。“
“SoAngiesaid，butIcouldn"tscarcelybelieveit。Thattoughy！
Cap"nWhittaker，doyouintendtohandoverthatpoorlittleinnocentthingto——tosuchamanasTHAT？”
“No。There"llbenohandin"overaboutit。Buttheoddsareagainstus，andthere"snoreasonwhyyoushouldbeintherumpus，Georgianna。Youmaynotunderstandwhatwe"refacin"。“