第6章
Thehousekeeperdrewherselfup。Herfacewasveryredandhersmalleyessnapped。
“CyWhittaker，“shebegan，mannersanddeferencetoemployeralikeforgotten，“don"tyousaynomoreofthatwickedfoolishnesstome。
I"llleavetheminuteyou"remean-spiritedenoughtoletthatchildgoandnotafore。AndwhenTHAThappensI"llbeGLADtoleave。
Landsakes！there"ssomebodyatthedoor；andIexpectI"maperfectsight。“
Sherubbedherfacewithherapron，therebymakingitredderthanever，andhurriedintothediningroom。
“Bos"n，“saidCaptainCyquickly，“youstayhereinthekitchen。“
Emmielookedathiminsurprisedbewilderment，butshesuppressedhercuriosityconcerningtheidentityofthepersonwhohadknocked，andobeyed。Thecaptainpulledthekitchendooralmostshutandlistenedatthecrack。
ThefirstspokenwordsbythevisitorappearedtorelieveCaptainCy"sanxiety；buttheyseemedtoastonishhimgreatly。
“Why！”heexclaimedinawhisper。“Ain"tthat——Itsoundslike——“
“It"steacher，“whisperedBos"n，whoalsohadbeenlistening。
“She"scometofindoutwhyIwasn"tatschool。Youtellher，UncleCy。“
Georgiannareturnedtoannounce：
“It"sMissDawes。Shesaysshewantstoseeyou，Cap"n。She"sinthesettin"room。“
Thecaptaindrewalongbreath。Then，repeatinghiscommandtoEmmietostaywhereshewas，helefttheroom，closingthedoorbehindhim。ThelatterprocedurerousedBos"n"sindignation。
“Whatmadehimdothat？”shedemanded。“Ihaven"tbeenbad。HeNEVERshutmeupbefore！”
TheschoolmistresswasstandingbythecentertableinthesittingroomwhenCaptainCyentered。
“Goodevenin"，“hesaidpolitely。“Won"tyousitdown？”
ButMissDawespaidnoattentiontotrivialities。Sheseemedmuchagitated。
“Cap"nWhittaker，“shebegan，“Ijustheardsomethingthat——“
Thecaptaininterruptedher。
“Excuseme，“hesaid，“butIthinkwe"llpulldownthecurtainsandhavealittlelightonthesubject。Itgetsdarkearlynow，especiallyofagraydaylikethisone。“
Hedrewtheshadesatthewindowsandlitthelamponthetable。
Theredglowbehindthepanesofthestovedoorfadedintoinsignificanceastheyellowradiancebrightened。Theuglyportraitsandthestiffoldengravingsonthewallretiredintoabecomingdusk。Theold-fashionedroombecamemorehomelike。
“Nowwon"tyousitdown？”repeatedCaptainCy。“Takethatrocker；
it"sthemostcomf"tableoneaboard——soBos"nsays，anyhow。“
MissPhoebetooktherocker，underprotest。Herhostremainedstanding。
“It"sbeenaniceafternoon，“hesaid。“Bos"n——Emmie，ofcourse——
andIhavebeenforawalk。"Twan"therfault，"twasmine。Ikeptheroutofschool。Iwas——well，kindoflonesome。“
Theteacher"sgrayeyesflashedinthelamplight。
“Cap"nWhittaker，“shecried，“pleasedon"twastetime。Ididn"tcomeheretotalkabouttheweathernorEmily"sreasonfornotattendingschool。Idon"tcarewhyshewasabsent。ButIhavejustheardofwhathappenedatthatmeeting。Isittruethat——“
Shehesitated。
“ThatEmmie"sdadisaliveandhere？Yes，it"strue。“
“But——butthatmanlastnight？WasheTHATman？”
Thecaptainnodded。
“That"stheman，“hesaidbriefly。
MissDawesshuddered。
“Cap"nWhittaker，“sheaskedearnestly，“areyousureheisreallyherfather？Absolutelysure？”
“Sureandsartin。“
“Thenshebelongstohim，doesn"tshe？Legally，Imean？”
“Maybeso。“
“Are——areyougoingtogiveheruptohim？”
“No。“
“ThenwhatIheardwastrue。Youdidsayatthemeetingthatyouweregoingtodoyourbesttokeephimfromgettingher。“
“Um——hum！WhatIsaidamountstojustaboutthat。“
“Why？”
CaptainCywassurprisedandalittledisappointedapparently。
“Why？”herepeated。
“Yes。Why？”
“Well，forreasonsI"vegot。“
“Doyoumindtellingmethereasons？”
“Ical"lateyoudon"twanttohear"em。Ifyoudon"tunderstandnow，thenIcan"tmakeitmuchplainer，I"mafraid。“
Thelittleladysprangtoherfeet。
“Oh，youareprovoking！”shecriedindignantly。“Can"tyouseethatIwanttohearthereasonsfromyouyourself？Cap"nWhittaker，Ishookhandswithyoulastnight。“
“YourememberItoldyouyou"dbetterwait。“
“Ididn"twanttowait。IbelievedIknewsomethingofhumannature，andIbelievedIhadlearnedtounderstandyou。Imadeupmymindtopaynomoreattentiontowhatpeoplesaidagainstyou。
Ithoughttheywereenviousanddislikedyoubecauseyoudidthingsinyourownway。Iwouldn"tbelievethestoriesIheardthisafternoon。Iwantedtohearyouspeakinyourowndefenseandyourefusetodoit。Don"tyouknowwhatpeoplearesaying？TheysayyouaretryingtokeepEmilybecause——Oh，I"mashamedtoaskit，butyoumakeme：HASthechildgotvaluablepropertyofherown？”
CaptainCyhadbeen，throughoutthisscene，standingquietlybythetable。Nowhetookastepforward。
“MissDawes，“hesaidsharply，“sitdown。“
“ButI——“
“Sitdown，please。“
Theschoolmistressdidn"tmeantoobeytheorder，butforsomereasonshedid。Thecaptainwentonspeaking。
“It"sprettyplain，“hesaid，“thatwhatyouheardattheboardin"
house——forIsupposethat"swhereyoudidhearit——waswhatyoumightcallaPhinneyizedstoryofthedoin"satthemeetin"。Well，there"sanotheryarn，andit"smine；I"mgoin"tospinitandI
wantyoutolisten。“
Hewentontospinhisyarn。ItwaspracticallyarepetitionofhisreplytoTadSimpsonthatmorning。Itsconclusionwasalsomuchthesame。
“Thelandain"tworthfiftydollars，“hedeclared，“butifitwasfiftymillionheshouldn"thaveit。Why？Becauseitbelongstothatlittlegirl。Andheshan"thaveheruntilheandthosebackofhimhavehammeredmethroughthecourtstillI"mdownfortyfathomunderwater。Andwhentheydogether——and，tobehonest，I
cal"latetheywillintheend——IhopetoGodIwon"tbealivetoseeit！There！I"veansweredyou。“
Hewaswalkingupanddowntheroom，withtheoldquarter-deckstride，hishandsjammeddeepinhispocketsandhisfaceworkingwithemotion。
“It"sprettynighasingle-handedfightforme，“hecontinued，“butI"vefoughtsingle-handedbefore。Theotherside"sgotalmostallthepowderandthemen。HemanandTadandthatThomashavegotseveneighthsofBayportbehind"em，nottomentionthe"Providence"
they"resosureof。Mycrowdisamightyforlornhope：DimickandAseTidditt，andBailey，asmuchashiswife"lllethim。Oh，yes！”
andhesmiledwhimsically，“there"sanotherone。Anewrecruit"sjustjoined；Georgianna"senlisted。That"smyarmy。Sortofrag-jacketedcadets，weare，smallpotatoes，andfewinahill。“
Theteacherroseandlaidahandonhisarm。Heturnedtowardher。
Thelamplightshoneuponherface，andhesaw，tohisastonishment，thatthereweretearsinhereyes。
“Cap"nWhittaker，“shesaid，“willyoutakeanotherrecruit？I
shouldliketoenlist，please。“
“You？Oh，pshaw！I"mthick-headedto-night。Ididn"tseethejokeofitatfirst。“
“Thereisn"tanyjoke。IwantyoutoknowthatIadmireyouforthefightyou"remaking。Lawornolaw，toletthatdearlittlegirlgoawaywiththatdreadfulfatherofhersisasinandacrime。Icameheretotellyouso。Ididwanttohearyourstory，andyoumademeaskthatquestion；butIwascertainofyouranswerbeforeyoumadeit。Idon"tsupposeIcandoanythingtohelp，butI"mgoingtotry。So，yousee，yourarmyisbiggerthanyouthoughtitwas——thoughthenewsoldierisn"tgoodformuch，I"mafraid，“sheadded，withalittlesmile。
CaptainCywasgreatlydisturbed。
“MissPhoebe，“hesaid，“I——Iwon"tsaythatitdon"tpleasemetohaveyoutalkso，foritdoes，more"nyoucanimagine。Sympathymeanssomethin"totheunderdog，anditgiveshimspunktokeeponkickin"。Butyoumustn"ttakeanypartintherow；yousimplymustn"t。Itwon"tdo。“
“Whynot？Won"tIbeANYhelp？”
“Help？You"dbemorehelpthanalltherestofusputtogether。
Youandmehaven"tseenagreatdealofeachother，andmypartinthefewtalkswehavehadhasbeenameanone，butIknewthefirsttimeImetyouthatyouhadmorebrainsandcommonsensethananywomaninthiscounty——thoughIwastoopig-headedtoownit。Butthatain"tit。Igotyouthejobofteacher。It"snocredittome；"twasjustbullluckandforthefunofjarrin"Heman。ButI
didit。And，becauseIdidit，theAtkinscrowd——andthatmeansmosteverybodynow——haven"tanyloveforyou。Mytryin"forschoolcommitteewasreallyjusttogiveyouafairchanceinyourposition。Iwaslicked，sothecommittee"stwotooneagainstyou。
Don"tyouseethatyoumustn"thaveanythingtodowithme？Don"tyouSEEit？”
Sheshookherhead。
“Iseethatcommongratitudealoneshouldbereasonenoughformytryingtohelpyou，“shesaid。“But，besidethat，Iknowyouareright，andISHALLhelp，nomatterwhatyousay。Asfortheteacher"sposition，letthemdischargeme。I——“
“Don"ttalkthatway。Theyoungstersneedyou，andknowit，nomatterwhattheirfoolfathersandmotherssay。Andyoumustn"twreckyourchances。You"reyoung——“
Shelaughed。
“Oh，no！I"mnot，“shesaid。“Young！Cap"nWhittaker，youshouldn"tjokeaboutawoman"sage。“
“Iain"tjokin"。YouAREyoung。“Asshestoodtherebeforehimhewasrealizing，withacuriouslyuncomfortablefeeling，howmuchyoungershewasthanhe。Heglancedupatthemirror，wherehisowngrayhairswerereflected，andrepeatedhisassertion。“You"reyoungyet，“hesaid，“andbein"dischargedfromaplacemightmeanawholelottoyou。I"mgladyoutakesuchaninterestinBos"n，andyourcomin"hereonheraccount——“
Hepaused。MissDawescoloredslightlyandsaid：
“Yes。“
“Yourcomin"hereonheraccountwasmightygoodofyou。Butyou"vegottokeepoutofthistrouble。Andyoumustn"tcomehereagain。That"sowner"sorders。Why，I"mexpectin"aboardin"partyanyminute，“headded。“Ithoughtwhenyouknockeditwas"papa"
comin"forhischild。You"dbettergo。“
Butshestoodstill。
“Ishan"tgo，“shedeclared。“Or，atleast，notuntilyoupromisetoletmetrytohelpyou。Iftheycome，somuchthebetter。
They"lllearnwheremysympathiesare。“
CaptainCyscratchedhishead。
“Seehere，MissPhoebe，“hesaid。“Iain"tsurethatyoufullyunderstandthatScriptureandeverythingelseisagainstus。DidAngieturnlooseonyouthe"WhomtheLordhasjoined"avalanche？”
Theschoolmistressburstintoalaugh。Thecaptainlaughed，too，buthisgravityquicklyreturned。Forstepssoundedonthewalk，therewasawhisperingoutside，andsomeoneknockedonthedining-
roomdoor。
ThesituationwassimilartothatoftheeveningwhentheBoardofStrategycalledand“JohnSmith“madehisfirstappearance。Butnow，oddlyenough，CaptainCyseemedmuchlesstroubled。HelookedatMissDawesandtherewasadancingtwinkleinhiseye。
“Isit——“beganthelady，inanagitatedwhisper。
“Theboardin"party？Ipresumelikely。“
“Butwhatcanyoudo？”
“Standbytherepel，Iguess，“wasthecalmreply。“Itoldyouthattheyhadmostoftheammunition，butoursain"tallblankcartridges。Youstaybelowandlistentothebroadsides。“
TheyheardGeorgiannacrossthediningroom。Therewasamurmurofvoicesatthedoor。Thecaptainnodded。
“It"sthem，“hesaid。“Well，heregoes。Nowdon"tyoushowyourself。“
“DoyouthinkIamafraid？Indeed，Ishan"tstay"below"asyoucallit！Ishallletthemsee——“
CaptainCyhelduphishand。
“I"mcommodoreofthisfleet，“hesaid；“andthatbein"thecase，I
expectmycrewtoobeyorders。There"snothin"youcando，and——
Why，yes！thereis，too。YoucantakecareofBos"n。Georgianna，“
tothehousekeeperwho，lookingfrightenedandnervous，hadappearedatthedoor，“sendBos"ninherequick。“
“They"rethere，“whisperedGeorgianna。“Mr。AtkinsandTadandthatThomascritter，andlotsmore。Andthey"vecomeafterher。
Whatshallwedo？”
“JumpwhenIspeaktoyou，that"sthefirstthing。SendBos"ninhereandyoustayinyourgalley。“
Emilycamerunning。MissDawesputanarmabouther。CaptainCy，thebattlelanternsstilltwinklingunderhisbrows，steppedforthtomeetthe“boardingparty。“
Theywerethere，asGeorgiannahadsaid。Mr。Thomasonthetopstep，HemanandSimpsononthenextlower，andbehindthemAbelLeonardandagroupofinterestedvolunteers，principallyrecruitedfromthebackroomofthebarbershop。
“Evenin"，gentlemen，“saidthecaptain，openingthedoorsobrisklythatMr。ThomasstartedbackwardandcamedownheavilyuponthetoesofthedevotedTad。Mr。Simpsonswore，Mr。Thomasclawedabouthimtogainequilibrium，andthedignityofthegroupwasseriouslyimpaired。
“Evenin"，“repeatedCaptainCy。“Quiteasurprisepartyyou"regivin"me。Comein。“
“Cyrus，“begantheHonorableAtkins，“weareheretoclaim——“
“Givememydaughter，yourobber！”demandedThomas，fromhisnewpositionintherearoftheothertwo。
“Mr。Thomas，“saidHeman，“pleaserememberthatIamconductingthisaffair。Irespectthenaturalindignationofanoutragedfather，but——ahem！Cyrus，weareheretoclaim——“
“Thendoyourclaimin"inside。It"skindofchillyto-night，there"splentyofemptychairs，andwedon"tneedtoholdanoverflowmeetin"。Comeaheadin。“
Thetriolookedateachotherinhesitation。ThenMr。Atkinsmajesticallyenteredthediningroom。ThomasandSimpsonfollowedhim。
“Abe，“observedCaptainCytoLeonard，whowasadvancingtowardthesteps，“I"msorrynottobehospitable，butthere"stoomanyofyoutoinviteatonce，and"tain"tpolitetoshowpartiality。Youandtherestarewelcometositontheterraceorstroll"roundthedeerpark。Goodnight。“
HeclosedthedoorinthefaceofthedisappointedAbelandturnedtothethreeintheroom。
“Well，“hesaid，“outwithit。You"vecometoclaimsomethin"，I
understand。“
“Icomeformyrights，“shoutedMr。Thomas。
“Yes？Well，thisain"tState"sprisonorI"dgive"emtoyouwithpleasure。Heman，you"dbetterdothetalkin"。We"llprobablygetaheadfaster。“
TheHonorableclearedhisthroatandwavedhishand。
“Cyrus，“hebegan，“youaremyboyhoodfriendandmyfellowtownsmanandneighbor。Undersuchcircumstancesitgivesmepain——“
“Thendon"tletusdiscusspainfulsubjects。Let"sgetdowntobusiness。You"vecometorescueBos"n——Emily，thatis，——fromthe"robber"——I"mquotin"DeaconThomashere——that"sgother，so"stoturnherovertohersorrowin"father。Isthatit？Yes。Well，youcan"thaveher——notyet。“
“Cyrus，“saidMr。Atkins，“I"msorrytoseethatyoutakeitthisway。Youhaven"ttheshadowofaright。Wehavethelawwithus，andyourconductwillleadustoinvokeit。Theconstableisoutside。ShallIcallhimin？”
“UncleBedny“wasthetownconstableandhadbeensincebeforethewar。Thepurelyhonoraryofficewasgivenhimeachyearasajoke。
CaptainCygrinnedbroadly，andevenTadwasobligedtosmile。
“Don"tbeinhuman，Heman，“urgedthecaptain。“Youwouldn"tturnmeovertobeman-handledbyUncleBedny，wouldyou？”
“Thisisnotahumorousaffair——“beganthecongressman，withdignity。Butthe“bereavedfather“hadbeenprospectingonhisownhook，andnowhepeepedintothesittingroom。
“Heresheis！”heshouted。“Iseeher。Comeon，Emmie！Yourdad"scomeforyou。Letgoofher，youwoman！Whatdoyoumeanbyholdin"ontoher？”
Thesituationwhichwas“nothumorous“immediatelybecamemuchlessso。Thenextminutewasalivelyone。ItendedasMr。ThomaswaspickedupbyTadfromthefloor，wherehehadfallen，havingbeenpushedviolentlyoverachairbyCaptainCy。Bos"n，frightenedandsobbing，wasclingingwildlytoMissDawes，whohadclungjustasfirmlytoher。Thecaptain"svoicerangthroughtheroom。
“That"senough，“hesaid。“That"senoughandsomeover。Atkins，takethatfelleroutofthishouseandoffmypremises。Asforthegirl，that"sforustofightoutinthecourts。I"mherguardian，lawfullyappointed，andyounornobodyelsecantouchherwhilethatappointment"sgood。Hereitis——righthere。Nowlookatitandclearout。“
Heheld，forthecongressman"sinspection，thedocumentwhich，inclosedinthelongenvelope，hadbeenreceivedthatmorning。HisvisittoOstable，madesomeweeksbefore，hadbeenforthepurposeofapplyingtotheprobatecourtfortheappointmentasEmily"sguardian。Hehadappliedbeforethenewsofherfather"scomingtolifereachedhim。Theappointmentitselfhadarrivedjustintime。
Mr。Atkinsstudiedthedocumentwithcare。Whenhespokeitwaswithconsiderableagitationandwithouthisusualdiplomacy。
“Humph！”hegrunted。“Humph！Isee。Well，sir，IhavesomeinfluenceinthissectionandIshallseehowlongyour——yourTRICK
willpreventthechild"sgoingwhereshebelongs。IwishyoutounderstandthatIshallcontinuethisfighttotheverylast。I——I
amnotonetobeeasilybeaten。Simpson，youandThomascomewithme。Thisnight"sdespicablechicaneryisonlythebeginning。Thisisbadbusinessforyou，CyWhittaker，“hesnarled，hisself-controlvanishing，“and“——withavindictiveglanceattheschoolmistress——
“forthosewhoarewithyouinit。ThatappointmentwasobtainedunderfalsepretensesandIcanproveit。Yourtricksdon"tscareme。I"vehadexperiencewithTRICKSbefore。“
“Yup。SoI"veheard。Well，Heman，Iain"taswellupintricksasyouclaimtobe，normystockin"isn"taswellpaddedasyours，maybe。Butwhilethere"saten-centpieceleftinthetoeofitI"llfightyouandtheskunkwhose"rights"youseemtohavetakensuchashineto。And，afterthat，whilethere"salawyerthat"lltrustme。And，meantime，thatlittlegirlstaysrighthere，andyoutouchherifyoudare，anyofyou！Anythingmoretosay？”
ButtheHonorable"sdignityhadreturned。Possiblyhethoughthehadsaidtoomuchalready。Amomentlaterthedoorbangedbehindthediscomfortedboardingparty。
CaptainCypulledhisbeardandlaughed。
“Well，werepelled"em，didn"twe？”heobserved。“But，asfriendHemansays，thebeginnin"sonlybegun。Iwishhehadn"tseenyouhere，teacher。“
MissDaweslookedupfromthetaskofstrokingpoorBos"n"shair。
“Idon"t，“shesaid，“I"mgladofit。“Thensheadded，laughingnervously：“Cap"nWhittaker，howcouldyoubesocool？Itwaslikeaplay。Ideclare，youwerejustsplendid！”
CHAPTERXIV
ACLEW
JosiahDimickhasauniquefacultyofgraspingasituationandsummingitupinanout-of-the-ordinaryway。
“Ithink，“observedJosiahtotheexcitedgroupatSimmons"s，“thatthistownowesCyWhittakeravoteofthanks。“
“Thanks！”gaspedAlpheusSmalley，soshockedandhorrifiedthatheputtheone-poundweightonthescalesinsteadofthehalfpound。
“THANKS！Afterwhatwe"vefoundout？Well，Imustsay！”
“Ya-as，“drawledCaptainJosiah，“thankswaswhatIsaid。Ifitwan"tforhimthisgangandthesewin"circlewouldn"thavenothin"
totalkaboutbuttheirneighbors。Ourreputationswouldbeasfullofholesasaskimmerbythistime。Nowallhandsaresobusyjumpin"onWhit，thattherestofuscanfeelfairlysafe。Ain"tthatso，Gabe？”
Mr。Lumley，whohadstoppedinforahalfpoundoftea，grinnedfeebly，butsaidnothing。Ifhenoticedtheclerk"smistakeinweightshedidn"tmentionit，buttookhispackageandhurriedout。
AfterhisdepartureMr。SmalleyhimselfdiscoveredtheerrorandchargedtheLumleyaccountwith“11/4lbs。MixedGreenandBlack。“
MeanwhiletheassemblageaboutthestovehadputCaptainCyontheanvilandwashammeringhimvigorously。
Bayportwasboilingoverwithrumorandsurmise。HemanhadappealedtothecourtsaskingthatCaptainCy"sappointmentasBos"n"sguardianberescinded。CyhadhiredLawyerPeabody，ofOstable，tolookoutforhisinterests。Mr。Atkinsandthecaptainhadallbutcometoblowsoverthechild。Thomas，thepoorfather，hadbrokendownandwept，andhadthreatenedtocommitsuicide。
Mrs。SaltershadrefusedtospeaktoCaptainCywhenshemetthelatteraftermeetingonSunday。ThelandinOrhamhadbeensoldandthecaptainwasusingthemoney。PhoebeDaweshadthreatenedtoresignifBos"ncametoschoolanylonger。No，shehadthreatenedtoresignifshedidn"tcometoschool。Shehadn"tthreatenedtoresignatall，butwantedhigherwagesbecauseoftheeffectthescandalmighthaveonherreputationasateacher。
Thesewereafewofthereports，contradictedandaddedtofromdaytoday。
ToquoteJosiahDimickagain：“Sortin"outthetruthfromtheliesisliketryin"tofindaquartofsardinesinaschoonerloadofherrin"。Andtheydumpinmoreherrin"everyhalfhour。“
AngelinePhinneywashavingthetimeofherlife。Theperfectboardinghousehummedlikeaflytrap。KeturahandMrs。Tripphaddesertedtotheenemy，andtheminority，meaningAsaphandBailey，hadlittleopportunitytodefendtheirfriend"scause，eveniftheyhaddared。HemanAtkins，hisChristiancharityandhigh-mindedness，hisdevotiontoduty，regardlessofpoliticalconsequences，andthemagnificentspeechattownmeetingwerelaudedandexalted。TheBayportBreezecontainedafullaccountofthemeeting，anditwasreadaloudbyKeturah，amidsthymnsofpraisefromtheelect。
“"WhomtheLordhathjoined，"“readMrs。Bangs，“"letnomanputasunder。"Ain"tthatsplendid？Ain"tthatFINE？Thepapersays：
"WhenCongressmanAtkinsdeliveredthisnoblesentimentahushfellupontheexcitedthrong。"Ishouldthink"twould。IrememberwhenIwasmarriedtheministersaidprettynighthesamething，andI
COULDN"Tspeak。Icouldn"thaveopenedmymouthtosaveme。Don"tyourememberIcouldn"t，Bailey？”
Mr。Bangsnoddedgloomily。Itispossiblethathewishedtheeffectoftheminister"sdeclarationmighthavebeenmorelasting。
Asaphstirredinhischair。
“Idon"tcare，“hesaid。“Thisputtin"asunderbusinessisallright，butthere"salwaystwosidestoeverything。IseethisThomascritterwhenhefustcome，andhedidn"tlooklikenosaintthen——norsmelllikeone，neither，unless"twasaspecimenpickledinalcohol。“
Herewasirreverencealmostatheistic。Keturah"sfaceshowedhershockeddisapproval。MatildaTrippvoicedthegeneralsentiment。
“Humph！”shesniffed。“Well，allIcansayisthatI"vemetMr。
Thomastwoorthreetimes，and_I_didn"tnoticeanythingbutpolitenessandgoodmanners。Maybemynoseain"tsofineforsmellin"liquorassomefolks"s——p"rapsitain"thadtheexperience——butall_I_sawwasapoorlamemanwithablackeye。
Ipitiedhim，andIdon"tcarewhohearsmesayit。“
“Yes，“concurredMissPhinney，“andifhewasadrinkin"man，doyousupposeMr。Atkinswouldhaveanythingtodowithhim？CyrusWhittakermadeawholelotoftalkabouthisinsultin"somewomanorother，butnobodyknowswhothewomanwas。"Bouttimeforhertospeakup，Ishouldthink。Teacher，“turningtoMissDawes，“youwasattheWhittakerplacewhenMr。AtkinsandEmily"sfathercomeforher，Iunderstand。IwishI"dhavebeenthere。Itmusthavebeenwuthseein"。“
“Itwas，“repliedMissDawes。Shehadkeptsilentthroughoutthevariousdiscussionsoftheweekfollowingthetownmeeting，butnow，thusappealedto，sheansweredpromptly。
Angeline"snewscreatedasensation。Theschoolmistressimmediatelybecamethecenterofinterest。
“Isthatso？Wasyouthere，teacher？Well，Ideclare！”Thequestionsandexclamationsflewroundthetable。
“Tellus，teacher，“pleadedKeturah。“Wasn"tHemangrand？I
shouldsoliketohaveheardhim。Didn"tCap"nWhittakerlookashamedofhimself？”
“No，hedidnot。IfanyonelookedashameditwasMr。Atkinsandhisfriends。PerhapsIoughttotellyouthatmysympathiesareentirelywithCaptainWhittakerinthisaffair。Togivethatlittlegirluptoadrunkenscoundrellikeherfatherwould，inmyopinion，beacrime。“
Theboardersandthelandladygasped。AsaphgrinnedandnudgedBaileyunderthetable。Keturahwasthefirsttorecover。
“Well！”sheexclaimed。“Everybody"sgotarighttotheiropinion，ofcourse。ButIcan"tseethecrime，myself。Andasforthedrunkenness，I"dliketoknowwho"sseenMr。Thomasdrunk。CyrusWhittakerSAYShehas，but——“
Shewavedherhandscornfully。Phoeberosefromherchair。
“Ihaveseenhiminthatcondition，“shesaid。“Infact，Iamthepersonheinsulted。IsawCaptainWhittakerknockhimdown，andI
honoredthecaptainforit。IonlywishedIwereamanandcouldhavedoneitmyself。“
Shelefttheroom，and，afewmomentslater，thehouse。Mr。
Tiddittchuckledaloud。EvenBaileydaredtolookpleased。
“There！”sneeredthewidowTripp。“Ain"tthat——PerhapsyourememberthatCap"nWhittakergothertheteacher"splace？”
“Yes，“putinMissPhinney，“andnobodyknowsWHYhegotitforher。Thatis，nobodyhasknownuptonow。Maybewecanbegintoguessalittleafterthis。“
“Shewasathishouse，wasshe？”observedKeturah。“Humph！I
wonderwhy？Seemstomeif_I_wasayoung——thatis，asinglewomanlikeher，I"dbekindofcarefulaboutcallin"onbachelors。
Humph！itlooksfunnytome。“
Asaphroseandpushedbackhischair。
“Ical"lateshecalledtoseeEmily，“hesaidsharply。“Thechildwasherscholar，andIpresumelikely，knowin"thekindoffatherthathasturnedupforthepooryoungone，shefeltsorryforher。
Ofcourse，nobody"shintin"anythingagainstPhoebeDawes"scharacter。Ifyouwantacertificateofthat，you"veonlygottogotoWellmouth。Folksoverthereareprettykeenonthatsubject。
Iguessthetownwouldgotolawaboutitrather"nhearawordagainsther。Libelsuitsarekindofuncomf"tablethingsforthemthatain"tsureoftheirfacts。I"Dhatetogetmixedupinone，myself。Bailey，I"mgoingupstreet。Comeon，whenyoucan，won"tyou？”
Asiffrightenedathisowndisplayofspirit，hehurriedout。
Therewassilenceforatime；thenMissPhinneyspokeconcerningtheweather。
UpattheCyWhittakerplacethedayswerefullones。There，also，legalquestionswerediscussed，withGeorgianna，theBoardofStrategy，JosiahDimickoccasionally，and，moreinfrequentlystill，MissDawes，asparticipantswithCaptainCyinthediscussions。
RumorsweretrueinsofarastheyrelatedtoMr。Atkins"sappealtothecourts，andthecaptain"sretainingLawyerPeabody，ofOstable。Mr。Peabody"sopinionofthecasewasnotencouraging。
“Yousee，captain，“hesaid，whenhisclientvisitedhimathisoffice，“theoddsareverymuchagainstus。ThecourtappointedyouasguardianwiththeunderstandingthatthismanThomaswasdead。Nowheisaliveandclaimshischild。Morethanthat，hehasthemostinfluentialpoliticianinthiscountybackofhim。
Wewouldn"tstandafightingchanceexceptforonething——Thomashimself。Helefthiswifeandthebaby；desertedthem，soshesaid；wenttogetwork，HEsays。WecanprovehewasadrunkenblackguardBEFOREhewent，andthathehasbeendrunksincehecameback。ButTHEY"LLsay——Atkinsandhislawyer——thatthemanwasdesperateanddespairingbecauseofyourrefusaltogivehimhischild。They"llholdhimupasarepentantsinner，anxioustoreform，andneedingthelittlegirl"sinfluencetohelpkeephimstraight。That"stheirgame，andthey"llplayit，besureofthat，Itsoundsreasonableenough，too，forsinnershaverepentedbeforenow。Andthelong-lostfathercomingbacktohischildistheonesurethingtowinapplausefromthegallery，youknowthat。“
CaptainCynodded。
“Yup，“hesaid，“Iknowit。Theothernight，whenMissPh——whenafriendofminewasatthehouse，shesaidthisbusinesswaslikeaplay。Ididn"tsaysotoher，butallthesameIrealizeitain"tlikeaplayatall。Inaplaydadcomeshome，havin"beensnakedbodilyoutofthejawsofthetombbyhiscoatcollar，andtheyoungonesingsout"Papa！Papa！"andhesobs，"Mechild！Mechild！"andit"salllovely，andyouputonyourhatfeelin"thattheoldmanisgoin"toberichandrighteousfortherestofhisdays。Buthereit"sdifferent；dad"sarascal，andanybodywho"sseenanythingoftheworldknowshe"sboundtostayso；andasforthepoorlittlegirl，why——why——“
Hestopped，rose，and，stridingovertothewindow，stoodlookingout。Afteraninterval，duringwhichthegood-naturedattorneyreadadullbusinessletterthroughforthesecondtime，hespokeagain。
“Ihopeyouunderstand，Peabody，“hesaid。“Itain"tjustselfishnessthatmakesmesteerthecourseI"mrunnin"。Course，Bos"n"sgottobetheworldandalltome，andifshe"stakenawayIdon"tknow"sIcareatinker"sdarnwhathappensafterwards。
But，allthesame，ifherdadwasarealman，sorryforwhathe"sdoneandtryin"tomakeupforit——why，then，Ical"lateI"mdecentenoughtotakeoffmyhat，handherover，andsay："Godblessyouandgoodluck。"Buttothinkofhimcarryin"herofftheLordknowswhere，toneglectherandcruelizeher，andtolethergrowupamongfellerslikehim，I——I——bythebigdipper，Ican"tdoit！
That"sall；Ican"t！”
“Howdoesshefeelaboutit，herself？”askedPeabody。
“Her？Bos"n？Why，that"sthehardestofall。Someofthechildrenatschoolpesterheraboutherfather。Idon"tknow"syoucanblame"em；youngonesaremadethatway，Iguess——butshecomeshometomecryin"，andit"s"OUncleCy，heAIN"Tmytrulyfather，ishe？"and"Youwon"tlethimtakemeawayfromyou，willyou？"
tillitseemsasifIshouldflyoutofthewindow。Thepoorlittlething！Andthatpuffed-uphumbugAtkinsblowin"abouthisChristianityandall！D——nsuchChristianityasthat，Isay！I"veseenheathenInjuns，whoneverheardofChrist，withmoreofHisspiritinside"em。There！I"veshockedyou，Iguess。SometimesIthinkthisplaceistoonarrerandcrampedforme。I"vebeenaround，youknow，andmyNewEnglandbringin"uphasworethininspots。Seem"sifImustgetsomewheresandspreadout，orI"llbust。“
Hethrewhimselfintoachair。Thelawyerclappedhimontheshoulder。
“There，there，captain，“hesaid。“Don"t"bust"yetawhile。Don"tgiveuptheship。Ifweloseinonecourt，wecanappealtoanother，andsoonuptheline。Andmeantimewe"lldoalittleinvestigatingoffriendThomas"scareersinceheleftConcord。
I"vewrittentoalegalacquaintanceofmineinButte，givinghimthefactsasweknowthem，andadescriptionofThomas。HewilltrytofindoutwhatthefellowdidinhisyearsoutWest。It"sourbestchance，asItoldyou。Keepyourpluckupandwaitandsee。“
ThecaptainrepeatedthisconversationtotheBoardofStrategywhenhereturnedtoBayport。MissDaweshadwalkedhomefromschoolwithBos"n，andhadstoppedatthehousetohearthereport。
Shelistened，butitwasevidentthatsomethingelsewasonhermind。
“CaptainWhittaker，“sheasked，“hasiteverstruckyouasqueerthatMr。Atkinsshouldtakesuchaninterestinthismatter？HeisgivingtimeandcounselandmoneytohelpthismanThomas，whoisaperfectstrangertohim。Whydoeshedoit？”
CaptainCysmiled。
“Why？”herepeated。“Why，todownme，ofcourse。Iwasgettin"
tooeverlastin"prominentinpoliticstosuithim。I"dgotyouinasteacher，andIhad"LonzoSnowasgoodaslickedforschoolcommittee。GoodnessknowswhatImighthaverunfornext，"cordin"
toHeman"sreasonin"，andIsimplyhadtobesmashed。Itworkedallright。I"msounhealthynowinthesightofmostfolksinthistown，thatIcal"latetheygohomeandsulphur-smoketheirclothesaftertheymeetme，so"snottocatchmywickedness。“
Buttheteachershookherhead。
“Thatdoesn"tseemreasonenoughtome，“shedeclared。“JustseewhatMr。Atkinshasdone。Heneveropenlyadvocatedanythingintownmeetingbefore；yousaidsoyourself。Evenwhenhemusthaverealizedthatyouhadthevotesforcommitteemanhekeptstill。
HemighthavetakenmanyofthemfromyoubysimplycomingoutanddeclaringforMr。Snow；buthedidn"t。Andthen，allatonce，hetakesthisastonishingstand。CaptainWhittaker，Mr。Tiddittsaysthat，thenightofEmily"sbirthdayparty，youandhetoldwhoshewas，byaccident，andthatMr。Atkinsseemedverymuchsurprisedandupset。Isthatso？”
CaptainCylaughed。
“Hislemonadewasupset；that"sallInoticedspecial。Oh！yes，andhelosthishatoff，goin"home。Butwhatofit？Whatareyoudrivin"at？”
“Iwaswonderingif——ifitcouldbethat，forsomereason，Mr。
AtkinshadaspiteagainstEmilyorherpeople。Orifhehadanyreasontofearher。“
“Fear？FearBos"n？Oh，my，that"sfunny！You"vebeenreadin"
novels，I"m"fraid，teacher，"thoughIdidn"tsuspectitofyou。“
Helaughedheartily。MissDawessmiled，too，butshestillpersisted。
“Well，“shesaid，“Idon"tknow。PerhapsitisbecauseI"mawoman，andpoliticsdon"tmeanasmuchtomeastoyoumen，buttomepoliticalreasonsdon"tseemstrongenoughtoaccountforsuchactionsasthoseofMr。Atkins。Emily"smotherwasaThayer，wasn"tshe？andtheThayersoncelivedinOrham。Iwishwecouldfindoutmoreaboutthemwhiletheylivedthere。“
AsaphTiddittpulledhisbeardthoughtfully。
“Well，“heobserved，“maybewecan，ifwewantto，thoughIdon"tthinkwhatwefindout"llamounttonothin"。Iwaskindofcal"latin"togotoOrhamnextweekonalittlevisit。SethWingateoverthere——BarzillaWingate"scousin，Whit——isasortofrelationofmine，andwevisitbackandfortheverynineortenyearorso。Thetenyear"smostup，andhe"sbeenpesterin"metocomeover。Seth"sbeenOrhamtownclerkaboutaslongasI"vebeentheBayportone，andhe"slivedthereallhislife。Whathedon"tknowaboutOrhamfolksain"twuthknowin"。Ifyousayso，I"llpumphimabouttheThayersandtheRichards。"Twon"tdonoharm，andtheoldfoollikestotalk，anyhow。Idon"tknow"sIoughttospeakthatwayaboutmyrelations，“headdeddoubtfully，“butSethISsortofstubbornandunlikelyatoddtimes。Wedon"talwaysagreeastowhichisthebesttowntolivein，youunderstand。“
SoitwassettledthatMr。Wingateshouldbesubjectedtothe“pumping“processwhenAsaphvisitedhim。Hedepartedforthisvisitthefollowingweek，andremainedawayfortendays。
MeanwhileseveralthingshappenedinBayport。
OneofthesethingswasthefarewelloftheHonorableHemanAtkins。
CongresswastoopenatWashington，andtheHonorableheededthecallofduty。Aliciaandthehousekeeperwentwithhim，andthebighousewasclosedforthewinter。Atthegatebetweenthestoneurns，andbackedbytheirondogs，thegreatmanbadeagroupofadmiringconstituentsgood-by。Hethankedthemfortheirtrustinhim，andpromisedthatitshouldnotbebetrayed。
“Ileaveyou，myfellowtownsmen，er——ladiesandfriends，“hesaid，“withregret，temperedbypride——anotinexcusablepride，I
believe。Inthetryingexperiencewhichmyself-respectandsympathyhassorecentlyforceduponme，youhavestoodfirmandcheeredmeon。ThetaskIhaveundertaken，thetaskofrestoringtoaworthymanhisown，shallbecarriedontothebitterestextremity。Ihaveputmyhandtotheplow，anditshallnotbewithdrawn。And，furthermore，IgotomyworkatWashingtondeterminedtosecureformynativetowntheappropriationwhichitsosorelyneeds。IshallsecureitifIcan，eventhough——“andthesarcasmwashugelyenjoyedbyhislisteners——“Iam，asIseemlikelytobe，deprivedofthehelpofthe"committee，"self-
appointedatourrecenttownmeeting。IfIfail——andIdonotconcealthefactthatImayfail——Iamcertainyouwillnotblameme。NowIshouldliketoshakeeachoneofyoubythehand。“
Thehandswereshaken，andthetrainboretheAtkinsdelegationaway。And，onthedayfollowing，Mr。Thomas，theprodigalfather，alsolefttown。ApositioninBostonhadbeenofferedhim，hesaid，andhefeltthathemustacceptit。Hewouldcomebacksomeofthesedays，withthewarrantfromthecourt，andgethislittlegirl。
“Positionofferedhim！Um——ya-as！”quothDimickthecynical，inconversationwithCaptainCy。“Inspectorofsidewalks，Ishouldn"twonder。Well，pleasedon"taskmeifIthinkHemansenthimtoBostonso"stohavehimoutoftheway，and"causehe"dfeelconsider"blesaferthanifhewasloosedownhere。Don"taskmethat，for，withmystrictscruplesagainstthetruthImightsay，No。Asitis，Isaynothin"——andwinkmyporteye。“
Theten-dayvisitended，Mr。TiddittreturnedtoBayport。OntheafternoonofhisreturnheandBaileycalledattheWhittakerplace，andtheretheywerejoinedbyMissDawes，whohadbeensummonedtotheconclavebyanoteintrustedtoBos"n。
“Now，Ase，“orderedCaptainCy，asthequartetgatheredinthesittingroom，“hereweare，hangin"onyourwords，asthefellersaid。Don"tkeepusstrunguptoolong。Whatdidyoufindout？”
Thetownclerkclearedhisthroat。Whenhespoke，therewasatraceofdisappointmentinhistone。TohavebeenabletoelectrifyhisaudiencewiththenewsofsomestartlingdiscoverywouldhavebeenpurejoyforAsaph。
“Well，“hebegan，“Idon"tknow"sIfoundoutanythingmuch。YetI
didfindoutsomethin"，too；butitdon"treallyamounttonothin"。
Ihoped"twouldbesomethin"more"n"twas，butwhennothin"comeofitexceptthelittlesomethin"itbegunwith，I——“
“Forthelandsakes！”snappedBaileyBangs，whowasatrifleenviousofhisfriend"spositioninthecenterofthestage，“stopthem"nothin"s"and"somethin"s，"won"tyou？Youkeepwhirlin""emroundandoverandovertillmyhead"sFULLof"nothin"，"and——“
“That"swhatit"sfullofmostofthetime，“interruptedAsaphtartly。CaptainCyhastenedtoactaspeacemaker。
“Nevermind，Bailey，“hesaid；“youletAsealone。Telluswhatyoudidfindout，Ase，andcutoutthetrimmin"s。“
“Well，“continuedMr。Tidditt，withaglareatBangs，“IaskedSethabouttheThayersandtheRichardsfolkstheveryfustnightI
struckOrham。Heremembered"em，ofcourse；hecanrememberAdam，ifyoulethimtellit。HetoldmeawholemessaboutoldmanThayerandoldmanRichardsandtheirgranddadsandgrandmarms，andwhathousestheylivedin，andhowmanyhenstheykept，andwhattheirdog"snamewas，andhowtheycometonamehimthat，andenoughmoretofillahogshead。"Twasteno"clockaforehegotoutofGenesis，anddownsofurasJohnandEmily。Herememberedtheirbein"married，andtheirbaby——MaryThayer，Bos"n"sma——bein"born。
“FolksusedtocallJohnThayerasmartyoungfeller，soSethsaid。
Theyusedtocal"latethathe"drisehighintheseafarin"andship-ownin"line。Maybehewould，onlyhediedsomewheresinCaliforny"longin"54orthereabouts。"Twasthetimeofthegoldcrazinessoutthere，andhelefthisshipandwentgoldhuntin"。
Andthenextthingtheyknewhewasdeadandburied。“
“Whenwasthat？”inquiredtheschoolmistress。
“In"54，Itellyou。SoSethsays。“
“Whatshipwasheon？”askedBailey。
“Wan"tonanyship。Whydon"tyoulisten，insteadofsettin"theremoonin"？Hewasgolddiggin"，Itellyou。“
“He"dBEENonaship，hadn"the？Whatwasthenameofher？”
“Ididn"task。Whatdiff"rencedoesthatmake？”
“Wasn"tMr。Atkinsatseainthosedays？”putintheteacher。Thecaptainansweredher。
“Yes，hewas，“hesaid。“Thatis，Ithinkhewas。HewasawayfromherewhenIskippedout，andhedidn"tgetbacktill"61orthereabouts。“
“Well，anyhow，“wentonAsaph，“that"sallIcouldfindout。Sethandmewentrummagin"throughtownrecordsfromwaybacktoglory，himgassin"awayandstringin"alongaboutthisoldsettlerandthat，tillI"mostwishedhe"dchokehimselfwiththedusthewasraisin"。WefoundJohn"sgrandad"swill，andEmily"sdad"swill，andJohn"sownwill，andthat"sall。Johnlefteverythinghehadandallhemightbecomepossessedoftohiswifeandbabyandtheirheirsforever。Hediedpoorer"npoverty。What"stheuseofawillwhenyouain"tgotnothin"toleave？”
“Why！”exclaimedCaptainCy。“Theanswertothat"seasy。Johnwasgoin"tosea，and，more"nlikely，intendedtohaveashyatthediggin"saforehegotback。So，ifhedidmakeanymoney，hewantedhiswifeandbabytohaveit。“
“Well，whattheygotwan"twuthhavin"。Emilyhadtoscrimpalonganddodressmakin"tillshedied。Shedonefairlywellatthat，though，andsavedsomethin"andpasseditovertoMary。AndMarymarriedHenryThomas，aftershewentwiththeHowestribetoConcord，andhegotridofitforherindoublequicktime——allbuttheOrhamland。“
“Sothatwasallyoucouldfindout，hey，Ase？”askedthecaptain。
“Well，it"satleastasmuchasIexpected。Yousee，teacher，thesestory-booknotionsdon"tworkoutwhenitcomestoreallife。“
MissDaweswasplainlydisappointed。
“Iwishweknewmore，“shesaid。“WhowasonthisshipwithMr。
Thayer？Andwhosentthenewsofhisdeathhome？”
“Oh，Icantellyouthat，“saidAsaph。“"Twassomeone-hossdoctoroutthere，goldminin"himself，hewas。Johndiedofaquickfever。Gotcoldandwentoffinnotime。Sethrememberedthatmuch，thoughhecouldn"trememberthedoctor"sname。Hesaid，ifI
wantedtolearnmoreabouttheThayers，Imightgosee——Humph，well，nevermindthat。"Twasjustfoolishness，anyhow。“
ButPhoebepersisted。
“Toseewhom？”sheasked。“Someoneyouknew？Afriendofyours？”
Asaphturnedred。
“Friendofmine！”hesnarled。“No，SIR！sheain"tnofriendofmine，I"mthankfultosay。MoreafriendofBailey"s，here，ifshe"sanybody"s。Oneofhispets，shewas，foraspell。Apatientofhis，youmightsay；anyhow，heprescribedforher。"Twasthatdeefidiot，DebbyBeasley，Cy；that"swho"twas。HernamewasBriggsaforeshemarriedBeasley，andshewashiredhelpforEmilyThayer，whenMarywasborn，anduntilJohndied。“
CaptainCyburstintoaroaroflaughter。Baileysprangoutofhischair。
“De——DebbyBeasley！”hestammered。“DebbyBeasley！”
“ShewasthatdeefhousekeeperBaileyhiredforme，teacher，“
explainedthecaptain。“I"vetoldyouabouther。Ho！ho！sothat"stheendofthemysteryhuntin"。Wegogunnin"forHemanAtkins，andwebringdownDebby！Well，Ase，goin"toseetheoldlady？”
Mr。Tidditt"sretortwasemphatic。
“Goin"toSEEher？”herepeated。“Iguessnot！Godfreyscissors！
ItoldSeth，saysI，"I"vehadalltheDebbyBeasley_I_want，andIcal"lateCyWhittakerfeelsthesameway。"Gotoseeher！I
wouldn"tgotoseeherifshewasupinParadisea-hollerin"forme。“
“Nobodyupthere"sgoin"tohollerforYOU，AseTidditt，“remarkedBailey，withsarcasm；“sodon"tletthatworryyounone。“
“AreYOUgoingtoseeher，CaptainWhittaker？”askedPhoebe。
Thecaptainshookhishead。
“Why，no，Iguessnot，“hesaid。“Idon"ttakemuchstockinwhatshe"dbelikelytoknow；besides，I"magooddeallikeAse——I"vehadaboutalltheDebbyBeasleyIwant。“
CHAPTERXV
DEBBYBEASLEYTOTHERESCUE
“Mrs。Bangs，“saidtheschoolmistress，asifitwasthemostcasualthingintheworld，“Iwanttoborrowyourhusbandto-morrow。“
ItwasFridayevening，andsupperattheperfectboardinghousehadadvancedasfarasthestewedprunesandfruit-cakestage。
Keturah，whowascarefullydealingouttheprunes，exactlyfourtoeachsaucer，stoppedshort，spooninair，andgazedatMissDawes。
“You——youwanttoWHAT？”sheasked。
“Iwanttoborrowyourhusband。Iwanthimallday，too，becauseI"mthinkingofdrivingovertoTrumet，andIneedacoachman。
You"llgo，won"tyou，Mr。Bangs？”
Bailey，whohadbeenconsideringtheadvisabilityofaskingforasecondcupoftea，brightenedupandlookedpleased。
“Why，yes，“heanswered，“I"llgo。Icangojustaswellasnot。
Factis，I"dliketo。Ain"tbeentoTrumetIdon"tknowwhen。“
MissPhinneyandthewidowTripplookedateachother。ThentheybothlookedatKeturah。Thatlady"smouthclosedtightly，andsheresumedherprunedistribution。
“I"msorry，“shesaidcrisply，“butI"m"fraidhecan"tgo。It"sSaturday，andI"llneedhimroundthehouse。Doyoucareforcaketo-night，Elviry？I"m"fraidit"sprettydry；Iain"thadtimetodomuchbakin"thisweek。“
“Ofcourse，“continuedthesmilingPhoebe，“Ishouldn"tthinkofaskinghimtogofornothing。Ididn"tmeanborrowhiminjustthatway。Iwasthinkingofhiringyourhorseandbuggy，and，asI"mnotusedtodriving，IthoughtperhapsImightengageMr。Bangstodriveforme。Iexpectedtopayfortheprivilege。But，asyouneedhim，IsupposeImustgetmyriganddriversomewhereelse。
I"msosorry。“
Thelandlady"sexpressionchanged。Thiswasthedullseason，andopportunitiesto“let“thefamilysteedandbuggy——“horseandteam，“wecallitinBayport——werefew。
“Well，“sheobserved，“Idon"twanttobeunlikelyanddisobligin"。
Far"she"sconcerned，he"dratherbetraipsin"roundthecountrythanstaytohome，anyday；thoughit"sbeensolongsencehetookMEtoridethatIdon"tknow"sI"dknowhowtoact。“
“Why，Ketury！”protestedherhusband。“Howyoutalk！Didn"tI
driveyoudowntothegraveyardonlylastSunday——ortheSundayafore？”
“Graveyard！Yes，Inoticeourridesalwaysfetchupatthegraveyard。You"realwayswillin"totakemeTHERE。Seemssometimesasifyouenjoyeddoin"it。“
“Now，Keturah！youknowyourselfthat"twasyouproposedgoin"
there。Yousaidyouwantedtolookatourlot，"causeyouwasafraid"twan"tbigenough，andyoudidn"tknowbutwe"doughttoaddonanotherpiece。Yousaidthatitkeptyouawakenightsworryin"forfearwhenIpassedawayyouwouldn"thaveroominthatlotforme。Landsakes！don"tIremember？Didn"tyougivemethebluecreepstalkin"aboutit？”
Mrs。Bangsignoredthisoutburst。Turningtotheschoolteacher，shesaidwithasigh：
“Well，Iguesshecango。I"llgetalongsomehow。Ihopehe"llbecarefulofthebuggy；wehaditpaintedonlylastJanuary。“
Mrs。Trippventuredahintedquestionconcerningtheteacher"serrandatTrumet。Thereplybeingnoncommittal，thewidowcheerfullyprophesiedthatsheguessed"twasgoingtorainorsnownextday。“It"sabouttimeforthelinestorm，“sheadded。
Butitdidnotstorm，althoughabrisk，coldgalewasblowingwhen，afterbreakfastnextmorning，the“horseandteam，“withBaileyinhisSundaysuitandovercoat，andMissDawesonthebuggyseatbesidehim，turnedoutoftheboarding-houseyardandstartedonthetwelve-milejourneytoTrumet。
Itwasableakride。Denboro，thevillageadjoiningBayportonthebayside，isaprettyplace，witholdelmsandsilverleafsshadingthemainstreetinsummer，andwithsubstantialhousesseteachinitstrimyard。ButbeyondDenborotheTrumetroadwindsoutoverrolling，barehills，withcranberrybogs，nowfloodedandskimmedwithice，inthehollowsbetweenthem，clumpsofbayberryandbeach-plumbushesscatteredovertheirroundedslopes，andwhitescarsintheirsidesshowingwherethecranberrygrowershavecutawaythethinlayerofcoarsegrassandmosstoreachthesandbeneath，sandwhichtheyuseinpreparingtheirbogsforthenewvines。
Andthewind！ThereisalwaysabreezealongtheTrumetroad，eveninsummer——whenthemosquitoeslieinwaittoleewardlikebuccaneersuntil，sightingthelucklesswayfarerintheoffing，theydrivedownbeforethewindinclouds，literallytoeathimalive。Theyareskillednavigators，thoseTrumetroadmosquitoes，andtheyknowtheadvantageofsnugharborsunderhatbrimsandbehindspreadingears。AndeachindividualsmashedbyafranticpalmleavesathousandbloodrelativestoattendhisfuneralandexactrevengeaftertheCorsicanfashion。
Now，inDecember，therewere，ofcourse，nomosquitoes，butthewindtoreacrossthosebarehilltopsinguststhatrockedthebuggyonitssprings。Thebayberrybusheshuddledandcrouchedbeforeit。Theskywascoveredwithtumbling，flyingclouds，whichchangedshapecontinually，andrippedintolong，fleecyravelings，thatbrokelooseandpeltedonuntilmergedintothenextbillowymass。Thebaywasgrayandwhite，andinthespotswhereanoccasionalsunbeambrokethroughandstruckit，flashedlikeaturnedknifeblade。
Baileydrovewithonehandandheldhishatonhisheadwiththeother。TheroadhadbeendeeplyruttedduringtheNovemberrains，andnowtherutswerefrozen。Thebuggywheelstwistedandscrapedastheyturnedinthefurrows。
“What"sthematter？”askedtheschoolmistress，shoutingsoastobeheardabovetheflappingofthebuggycurtains。“Whydoyouwatchthatwheel？”
“"Fraidoftheaxle，“whoopedMr。Bangsinreply。“Nut"skindofloose，foronething，andthewaythewheelwobblesI"mscartshe"llcomeoff。Callthisaroad！”hesnortedindignantly。“Morelikeaplowedfieldaconsider"blesight。Jerushy，howsheblows！
NowondertheyraisesomanydeefanddumbfolksinTrumet。I"dtalksignlanguagemyselfifIlivedhere。What"stheuseofwastin"strengthpumpin"upwordswhenthey"reblowedbackdownyourthroatfastenoughtochokeyou？Gitdap，Henry！Don"tyouseethemeetin"housesteeple？We"remostthere，thankthegoodness。“
InTrumetCenter，whichisnotmuchofacenter，MissDawesalightedfromthebuggyandenteredabuildingbearingasignwiththewords“MetropolitanVarietyStore，JoshuaAtwood，Prop"r，Groceries，Coal，DryGoods，Insurance，BootsandShoes，GardenSeeds，etc。“Asmallersignbeneaththiswaslettered“JusticeofthePeace，“andonebelowthatread“PostOffice。“
Sheemergedamomentlater，followedbyanelderlypersoninaredcardiganjacketandoveralls。
“Takethefustturnin"totheleft，marm，“hesaidpointing。“It"sprettynightoEastTrumettownhall。Fusthousethissideoftheblacksmithshop。Abouttwomile，I"dsay。Windydayfordrivin"，ain"tit？ThathorseofyoursbelongsinBayport，Ical"late。
Lookstomelike——Hello，Bailey！”
“Hello，Josh！”gruntedMr。Bangs，addinganexplanatoryasidetotheeffectthatheknewJoshAtwood，thelatterhavingoncelivedinBayport。
“Butsay，“heaskedastheymovedononcemore，“havewegottogotoEASTTrumet？Jerushy！that"stheplacewherethewindCOMES
from。Theyraiseitoverthere；anyhow，theydon"traisemuchelse。Whosehouseyougoin"to？”
Hehadaskedthesamequestionatleasttentimessinceleavinghome，andeachtimeMissDaweshadevadedit。Shedidsonow，sayingthatshewassuresheshouldknowthehousewhentheygottoit。
ThetwomilestoEastTrumetwereworsethanthetwelvewhichtheyhadcome。Thewindfairlyshriekedhere，fortheroadparalleledtheedgeofhighsandbluffsclosebytheshore，andtherutsand“thank-you-marms“weretryingtothetemper。Bailey"swascompletelywrecked。
“Teacher，“hesnappedastheyreachedthecrestofalonghill，andaquickgrabathishatalonepreventeditsstartingonaballoonascension，“getoutaspell，willyou？I"vegottoswearorbust，and"long"syou"reaboardIcan"tswear。Whatyoustandin"stillfor，you？”hebellowedatpoorHenry，thehorse，whohadstoppedtorest。“Ical"latethecritterthinksthatlastcyclonemusthaveblowedmeskyhigh，andhe"swaitin"toseewhereIlight。Gitdap！”
“IguessIshallgetoutverysoonnow，“pantedPhoebe。“There"stheblacksmithshopovertherenearthenexthill，andthishouseinthehollowmustbetheoneI"mlookingfor。“
Theypulledupbesidethehouseinthehollow。Alittle，story-
and-a-halfhouseitwas，and，judgingbytheneglectedappearanceoftheweedsandbushesintheyard，ithadbeenunoccupiedforsometime。However，theblindswerenowopen，andafewfowlsaboutthebackdoorseemedtopromisethatsomeonewaslivingthere。Thewoodenletterboxbythegatehadanamestencileduponit。MissDawessprangfromthebuggyandlookedatthebox。
“Yes，“shesaid。“Thisistheplace。Willyoucomein，Mr。Bangs？
Youcanputyourhorseinthatbarn，I"msure，ifyouwantto。“
ButBaileydeclinedtocomein。Hedeclaredhewasgoingontotheblacksmith"sshoptohavethatwheelfixed。Hewouldnotfeelsafetostartforhomewithitasitwas。Hedroveoff，andMissDawes，knowingfromlifelongexperiencethatfrontdoorsaremerelyforshow，passedaroundthemainbodyofthehouseandrappedonthedoorintheell。Therapwasnotanswered，thoughshecouldhearsomeonemovingaboutwithin，andashrillvoicesinging“TheSweetByandBy。“Sosherappedagainandagain，butstillnoonecametothedoor。Atlastsheventuredtoopenit。
Athinwoman，withherheadtiedupinacoloredcottonhandkerchief，wasintheroom，vigorouslywieldingabroom。Shewassinginginahighcrackedvoice。Theopeningofthedoorletinagustofcoldwindwhichstruckthesingerinthebackoftheneck，andcausedhertoturnaroundhastily。
“Hey？”sheexclaimed。“Landsakes！youscareabodytodeath！
Shutthatdoorquick！Iain"thankeringforinfluenzy。Whoareyou？Whatdoyouwant？Whydidn"tyouknock？Where"smyspecs？”
Shetookapairofspectaclesfromthemantelshelf，rubbedthemwithherapron，andsetthemonthebridgeofherthinnose。Thensheinspectedtheschoolmistressfromheadtofoot。
“Ibegpardonforcomingin，“shoutedPhoebe。“Iknocked，butyoudidn"thear。YouareMrs。Beasley，aren"tyou？”
“Idon"twantnone，“repliedDebby，withemphasis。“Sothere"snouseyourwastin"yourbreath。“
“Don"twant——“repeatedtheastonishedteacher。“Don"twantwhat？”
“Hey？IsayIdon"twantnone。“
“Don"twantWHAT？”
“Whatever"tisyou"repeddlin"。Booksorsoaportea，orwhatever"tis。Idon"twantnothin"。“
Aftersomestrenuousminutes，thevisitormanagedtomakeitcleartoMrs。Beasley"smindthatshewasnotapeddler。Shetriedtoaddawordoffurtherexplanation，butitwaseffortwasted。
“"Tain"tnouse，“snappedDebby，“Ican"thearyou，youspeaksofaint。WaittillIgetmyhorn；it"sinthesettin"room。“
Phoebe"swonderastowhatthe“horn“mightbewasrelievedbythewidow"sappearance，amomentlater，withthebiggesteartrumpethercallerhadeverseen。
“There，now！”shesaid，adjustingtheinstrumentandthrustingthebell-shapedendundertheteacher"snose。“Talkintothat。Ifyouain"tapeddler，whatbeyou——sewin"machineagent？”
PhoebeexplainedthatshehadcomesomedistanceonpurposetoseeMrs。Beasley。ShewasinterestedintheThayers，whousedtoliveinOrham，particularlyinMr。JohnThayer，whodiedin1854。ShehadbeentoldthatDebbyformerlylivedwiththeThayers，andcould，nodoubt，rememberagreatdealaboutthem。Wouldshemindansweringafewquestions，andsoon？