CHAPTERIII
UponalateSeptemberdayforty-nineyearsandsomemonthsbefore，thatuponwhichGabeBearsecametoJedWinslow’swindmillshopin，OrhamwiththenewsofLeanderBabbitt’senlistment，MissFloretta，Thompsoncametothatvillagetoteachthe“downstairs“school。
MissThompsonwasanorphan。Herfatherhadkeptasmalldrug，storeinatowninwesternMassachusetts。Hermotherhadbeena，clergyman’sdaughter。Bothhaddiedwhenshewasinher’teens。
Now，attwenty，shecametoCapeCod，pale，slim，withawealthof，lightbrownhairandapairoflarge，dreamybrowneyes。Hertaste，indresswaspeculiar，eveneccentric，andOrhamsoondiscovered，thatshe，herself，wasalsosomewhateccentric。
Asaschoolteachershewasnotanunqualifiedsuccess。The，“downstairs“curriculumwasnotextensivenorveryexacting，butit，wassupposedtoimparttotheboysandgirlsoffromsevento，twelvearudimentaryknowledgeofthethreeR’sandofgeography。
InthefirsttwoR’s，“readin’and’ritin’，“MissThompsonwas，proficient。ShewroteaflowerySpencerian，whichwasbeautifully，“shaded“andlookedwellontheblackboard，andreadingwasthe，dissipationofhersparemoments。Thethird“R，“’rithmetic，she，loathed。
Youth，evenattheagesoffromseventotwelve，isonlytoo，proficientinlearningtoevadehardwork。ThefactthatTeacher，tooknodelightintravelingtheprosaichighwaysofaddition，multiplicationanddivision，butcouldbeeasilyluredtowander，theflowerylanesofromanticfiction，wassoongraspedbythe，downstairspupils。Thehoursetforrecitationbythefirstclass，inarithmeticwasoftenandoftenmonopolizedbyahold-overofthe，firstclassinreading，whileMissFloretta，artfullyspurredby，questionsaskedbytheolderscholars，rhapsodizedonthebeauties，ofJamesFenimoreCooper’s“Uncas，“orDickens’“LittleNell，“or，Scott’s“Ellen。”，Someofusantiques，thentow-headedlittle，shaversinthefrontseats，canstillrememberMissFloretta’s，renditionofthelines：
“AndSaxon——IamRoderickDhu！”
Theextremelygenteel，nottosayladylike，elocutionofthe，Highlandchiefandtheindescribablerisinginflectionandemphasis，onthe“I。”
Theseliteraryrambleshadtheirinevitableeffect，aneffect，noted，afteratime，andcalledtotheattentionoftheschool，committeebyoldCaptainLycurgusBatcheldor，whosetwo，grandchildrenwereamongtheramblers。
“Say，“demandedCaptainLycurgus，“howolddoesayoung-onehaveto，beaforeit’ssupposedtoknowhowmuchfourtimeseightis？，My，Sarah’sNathanisprettynightenandHEdon’tknowit。Gaveme，threeanswershedid;firstthat’twasforty-eight，thenthat’twas，eighty-fourandthenthathe’dforgotwhat’twas。ButInoticedhe，couldtellmeawholestringaboutsomefellercalledLockintaror，Lochinvarorsomesuchoutlandishname，andnotonlyhisnamebut，wherehecamefrom，whichwasoutwestsomewheres。Apoetrypiece，’twas;Natesaidtheteacher’dbeenspeakin’itto’em。Iain’t，gotnoobjectiontospeakin’pieces，butIdoobjecttobein’told，thatfourtimeseightiseighty-four，’speciallywhenI’mbuyin’
codfishateightcentsapound。Iain’tontheschoolcommittee，butifIwas——“
SothecommitteeinvestigatedandwhenMissThompson’syearwasup，andthequestionaroseastoherre-engagement，therewas，considerablehesitancy。Butthesituationwasrelievedinamost，unexpectedfashion。ThaddeusWinslow，firstmateontheclipper，ship，“Owner’sFavorite，“athomefromavoyagetotheDutchEast，Indies，fellinlovewithMissFloretta，proposed，wasacceptedand，marriedher。
Itwasanoddmatch：Floretta，pale，polite，impracticaland，intenselyromantic;Thad，florid，roughandtothepoint。Yetthe，marriedpairseemedtobehappytogether。Winslowwenttoseaon，severalvoyagesand，fouryearsafterthemarriage，remainedat，homeforwhat，forhim，wasalongtime。Duringthattimeachild，aboy，wasborn。
ThestoryofthechristeningofthatchildisoneofOrham’spet，yarnseventothisday。Itseemsthattherewasamarked，disagreementconcerningthenametobegivenhim。CaptainThadhad，hadanUncleEdgar，whohadbeenverykindtohimwhenaboy。The，captainwishedtonamehisownyoungsterafterthisuncle。But，Floretta’sheartwassetupon“Wilfred，“herfavoriteheroof，romancebeingWilfredofIvanhoe。Thestoryisthattheparents，beingnoneareranagreementonthegreatquestion，Florettamadea，proposalofcompromise。Sheproposedthatherhusbandtakeuphis，standbythebedroomwindowandthefirstmalepersonhesaw，passingonthesidewalkbelow，thenameofthatpersonshouldbe，giventotheiroffspring;asportingpropositioncertainly。But，thestorygoesontodetractabitfromthesportingelementby，explainingthatMrs。Winslowwasexpectingacallatthathourfrom，theBaptistminister，andtheBaptistminister’sChristiannamewas，“Clarence，“which，ifnotquiteasromanticasWilfred，isbyno，meanscommonandprosaic。CaptainThad，whohadnotbeeninformed，oftheexpectedministerialcallandwassomethingofasport，himself，assentedtothearrangement。Itwassolemnlyagreedthat，thenameofthefirstmalepasser-byshouldbethenameofthenew，Winslow。Thecaptaintookuphispostofobservationatthewindow，andwaited。
Hedidnothavetowaitlong。Unfortunatelyforromance，the，ReverendClarencewasdetainedatthehomeofanotherparishionera，triflelongerthanhehadplannedandthefirstmasculinetopass，theWinslowhomewasoldJedidahWingate，thefishpeddler。Mrs。
DiadamaBusteed，whowasactingasnurseinthefamilyandhadbeen，sworninaswitnesstotheagreementbetweenhusbandandwife，declaredtothedayofherdeaththatthatdeathwashastenedby，theshocktohernervousandmoralsystemcausedbyCaptainThad’s，languagewhenoldJedidahhoveinsight。Hevowedoverandover，againthathewouldbeeverlastinglycondemnedifhewouldlabela，young-oneofhiswithsuchacrashety-blank-blankedoutrageofa，nameas“Jedidah。”，“Jedidiah“wasbadenough，butthereWEREafew，JedidiahsinOstableCounty，whereastherewasbutoneJedidah。
Mrs。Winslow，whodidnotfancyJedidahanymorethanherhusband，did，wept;CaptainThad’sprofanityimpregnatedtheairwith，brimstone。ButtheyhadsolemnlysworntotheagreementandMrs。
Busteedhadwitnessedit，andanoathisanoath。Besides，Mrs。
WinslowwasinclinedtothinkthewholematterguidedbyFate，and，beingsuperstitiousaswellasromantic，feareddirecalamityif，Fatewasinterferedwith。Itendedinacompromiseand，a，fortnightlater，theReverendClarence，keepinghiscountenance，withdifficulty，christenedared-facedandprotestinginfant，“JedidahEdgarWilfredWinslow。”
JedidahEdgarWilfredgrewup。Atfirsthewascalled“Edgar“by，hisfatherand“Wilfred“byhismother。Histeachers，dayschool，andSundayschool，calledhimoneortheotherassuitedtheir，individualfancies。Buthisschoolmatesandplayfellows，knowing，thathehatedthenameaboveallelseonearth，gleefullyhailed，himas“Jedidah。”，Bythetimehewastenhewas“Jed“Winslow，beyondhopeofrecovery。Alsoitwassettledlocallythathewas，“queer“——not“cracked“or“lacking，“whichwouldhaveimpliedthat，hisbrainwasaffected——butjust“queer，“whichmeantthathisways，ofthinkingandactingweredifferentfromthoseofOrhamin，general。
Hisfather，CaptainThaddeus，diedwhenJedwasfifteen，just，throughthegrammarschoolandreadytoenterthehigh。Hedidnot，enter;instead，theneedofmoneybeingpressing，hewenttowork，inoneofthelocalstores，sellingbehindthecounter。Ifhis，fatherhadlivedhewould，probably，havegoneawayafterfinishing，highschoolandperhaps，ifbythattimethemechanicalability，whichhepossessedhadshownitself，hemightevenhavegoneto，sometechnicalschoolorcollege。InthatcaseJedWinslow’s，careermighthavebeenvery，verydifferent。Butinsteadhewent，tosellinggroceries，boots，shoes，drygoodsandnotionsforMr。
SethWingate，oldJedidah’syoungerbrother。
AsagroceryclerkJedwasnotasuccess，neitherdidheshineasa，clerkinthepostoffice，norasanassistanttothelocal，expressman。Indesperationhebegantolearnthecarpenter’strade，and，becausehelikedtohandletools，didprettywellatit。But，hecontinuedtobe“queer“andhisabsent-mindeddreaminesswasin，evidenceeventhen。
“IsnumIdon’tknowwhattomakeofhim，“declaredMr。Abijah，Mullett，whowastheyouth’s“boss。”，“Neverknowjustwhathe’s，goin’todoorjustwhathe’sgoin’tosay。Isaystohim，yesterday：’Jed，’saysI，’youdoprettywellwithtoolsandwood，considerin’whatlittleexperienceyou’vehad。DidCap’nThad，teachyousomeordidyoupickitupyourself？’，Heneveranswered，foraminuteorso，seemedtobewayoffdreamin’inthenext，countysomewheres。Thenhelookedatmewiththembigeyesofhis，andhedrawledout：’Comesnaturaltome，Mr。Mullett，Iguess，’he，says。’Thereseemstobeasortoffamilyfeelin’betweenmyhead，andachunkofwood。’，Nowwhatkindofananswerwasthat，Iwant，toknow！”
Jedworkedatcarpenteringforanumberofyears，sometimesgoing，asfarawayasOstabletoobtainemployment。Andthenhismother，wasseizedwiththeillnessfromwhich，soshesaid，shenever，recovered。ItistruethatDoctorParker，theOrhamphysician，declaredthatshehadrecovered，ormightrecoverifshecaredto。
Whichofthepairwasrightdoesnotreallymatter。Atallevents，Mrs。Winslow，whethersherecoveredornot，neverwalkedabroad，again。Shewas“upandabout，“astheysayinOrham，anddidsome，housework，afterafashion，butsheneveragainsetfootacrossthe，granitedoorstepoftheWinslowcottage。Probablythepoorwoman’s，mindwasslightlyaffected;itischaritabletohopethatitwas。
Itseemstheonlyreasonableexcusefortheoddityofherbehavior，duringthelasttwentyyearsofherlife，forhergrowing，querulousnessandselfishnessandfortheexactingslaveryinwhich，shekeptheronlyson。
DuringthosetwentyyearswhateverambitionJedidahEdgarWilfred，mayoncehavehadwasthoroughlycrushed。Hismotherwouldnot，hearofhisleavinghertofindbetterworkortoobtainpromotion。
Sheneededhim，shewailed;hewasherlife，herall;sheshould，dieifhelefther。Somehard-heartedtownspeople，Captain，Hunniwellamongthem，disgustedlyopinedthat，inviewofsucha，result，Jedshouldbeforciblykidnapedforthwithforthegeneral，bettermentofthecommunity。ButJedhimselfneverrebelled。He，cheerfullygaveuphisyouthandearlymiddleagetohismotherand，waiteduponher，ranhererrands，satbesideherpracticallyevery，eveningandreadromanceafterromancealoudforherbenefit。And，his“queerness“developed，asundersuchcircumstancesitwasbound，todo。
Moneyhadtobeearnedand，astheinvalidwouldnotpermithimto，leavehertoearnit，itwasnecessarytofindwaysofearningit，athome。Jeddidoddjobsofcarpenteringandcabinetmaking，went，fishingsometimes，workedingardensbetweentimes，didalmost，anything，infact，tobringintheneededdollars。Andwhenhewas，thirty-eightyearsoldhemadeandsoldhisfirst“CapeCodWinslow，windmill，“theforerunnerofthethousandstofollow。Thatmill，madeinsomeofhisrareidlemomentsandgiventothechildofa，wealthysummervisitor，madeahit。Thechildlikeditandother，childrenwantedmillsjustlikeit。Then“grown-ups“amongthe，summerfolktookupthecraze。”Winslowmills“becamethefad。
Jedbuilthislittleshop，orthefirstinstallmentofit。
Mrs。FlorettaWinslowdiedwhenhersonwasforty。Amerciful，release，CaptainSamandtherestcalledit，buttoJeditwasa，stunningshock。Hehadnoonetotakecareofnowexcepthimself，andhedidnotknowwhattodo。Hemopedaboutlikeadeserted，cat。Finallyhedecidedthathecouldnotliveintheoldhouse，wherehewasbornandhadlivedallhislife。Heexpressedhis，feelingsconcerningthathousetohisnearestfriend，practically，hissoleconfidant，CaptainSam。
“Ican’tsomehowseemtostandit，Sam，“hesaid，solemnly。”I
can’tstayinthathousealoneanylonger，it’s——it’stoo，sociable。”
Thecaptain，whohadexpectedalmostanythingbutthat，staredat，him。
“Sociable！”herepeated。”You’resailin’sternfirst，Jed。
Lonesome’swhatyoumean，ofcourse。”
Jedshookhishead。
“No-o，“hedrawled，“Imeansociable。There’stoomanyboysin，there，foronething。”
“Boys！”CaptainSamwasbeginningtobereallyalarmednow。
“Boys！，Say——say，JedWinslow，youcomealonghometodinnerwith，me。Ibetyou’veforgottoeatanythingforthelastdayorso——
beeninventin’somenewkindofwhirlagigorother——andyourempty，stomach’sgonetoyourheadandmadeitdizzy。Boys！，Gracious，king！，Comeonhomewithme。”
Jedsmiledhisslowsmile。”Idon’tmeanrealboys，Sam，“he，explained。”Imeanme——I’mtheboys。NightsnowwhenI’mwalkin’
aroundinthathousealoneImeetmyselfcomin’roundeverycorner。
MewhenIwasfive，comin’outofthebutterywithacookyineach，fist;andmewhenIwastensittin’studyin’mylessonbookinthe，corner;andmewhenIwasfifteen，justaforeFatherdied，sittin’
allalonethinkin’whatI’ddowhenIwenttoBostonTechsameas，hesaidhewascal’latin’tosendme。Then——“
Hepausedandlapsedintooneofhisfitsofmusing。Hisfriend，drewabreathofrelief。
“Oh！”heexclaimed。”Well，Idon’tmindyourmeetin’yourself。I
thoughtfirstyou’dgoneoffyourhead，blessedifIdidn’t。
You’reaqueercritter，Jed。Getthosefunnynotionsfromreadin’
somanybooks，Iguesslikely。Meetin’yourself！，Whatanidea，thatis！，Isupposeyoumeanthat，bein’aloneinthathousewhere，you’velivedsinceyouwasborn，younaturallygettothinkin’
aboutwhatusedtobe。”
Jedstaredwistfullyatthebackofachair。
“Um-hm，“hemurmured，“andwhatmighthavebeen——and——andain’t。”
Thecaptainnodded。OfallthepeopleinOrhamhe，heprided，himself，wastheonlyonewhothoroughlyunderstoodJedWinslow。
Andsometimeshedidpartiallyunderstandhim;thiswasoneofthe，times。
“Now——now——now，“hesaid，hastily，“don’tyougettofrettin’
yourselfaboutyournotamountin’toanythingandallthat。You’ve，gotanicelittletradeofyourownbuildin’uphere。Whatmoredo，youwant？，Wecan’tallbe——er——Know-it-allslikeShakespeare，or——
orrichasStandardOilCompanies，canwe？，Lookhere，whatdoyou，wasteyourtimegoin’backtwenty-fiveyearsandmeetin’yourself，for？，Whydon’tyoulookaheadtenorfifteenandtrytomeet，yourselfthen？，Youmaybeamillionaire，a——er——windmilltrustor，somethin’ofthatkind，bythattime。Eh？，Ha，ha！”
Jedrubbedhischin。
“WhenImeetmyselflookin’likeamillionaire，“heobserved，gravely，“I’llhavetodothewayyoudoatyourbank，Sam——callin，somebodytoidentifyme。”
CaptainSamlaughed。”Well，anyhow，“hesaid，“don’ttalkanymore，foolishnessaboutnotlivin’inyourownhouse。IfIwasyou——“
Mr。Winslowinterrupted。”Sam，“hesaid，“thewaytofindoutwhat，youwoulddoifyouwasmeistomakesureWHATyou’ddo——andthen，dot’otherthing，orsomethin’worse。”
“Oh，Jed，bereasonable。”
Jedlookedoverhisspectacles。”Sam，“hedrawled，“ifIwas，reasonableIwouldn’tbeme。”
Andhelivednolongerintheoldhouse。Havingmadeuphismind，hebuiltasmalltwo-roomadditiontohisworkshopandlivedin，that。Laterheaddedasleepingroom——asortofloft——andalittle，coveredporchonthesidetowardthesea。Here，inpleasantsummer，twilightsoronmoonlightnights，hesatandsmoked。Hehadagood，manycallersandbutfewrealfriends。Mostofthetownspeople，likedhim，butalmostallconsideredhimajoke，anoddity，a，specimentobepointedouttothoseofthesummerpeoplewhowere，lookingfor“types。”，Afew，likeMr。GabrielBearse，who，distinctlydidNOTunderstandhimandwhofoundhissolemn，suggestionsandpointedreparteeirritatingattimes，wereinclined，torefertohiminthesemomentsofirritationas“towncrank。”
Buttheydidnotreallymeanitwhentheysaidit。Andsome，others，likeLeanderBabbittorCaptainHunniwell，cametoaskhis，adviceonpersonalmatters，althougheventheypatronizedhimjust，alittle。Hehadvariousnicknames，“Shavings“beingthemost，popular。
Hispeculiarbusiness，themakingofwoodenmills，toysandweather，vanes，hadgrownsteadily。Nowheshippedmanyboxesoftheseto，otherseashoreandmountainresorts。Hemighthavedoubledhis，outputhadhechosentoemployhelportoenlargehisplant，buthe，wouldnotdoso。HehadrentedtheoldWinslowhousefurnished，oncetoasummertenant，butheneverdidsoagain，althoughhehad，manyopportunities。Helivedaloneintheadditiontothelittle，workshop，cookinghisownmeals，makinghisownbed，andsewingon，hisownbuttons。
AndonthedayfollowingthatuponwhichLeanderBabbittenrolled，tofightforUncleSam，JedidahEdgarWilfredWinslowwasforty-
fiveyearsold。
Hewasconsciousofthatfactwhenhearose。Itwasapleasant，morning，thesunwasrisingoverthenotchedhorizonofthe，tumblingocean，thebreezewasblowing，thesurfonthebarwas，frothingandroaringcheerily——anditwashisbirthday。The，morning，thesunrise，thesurfandalltherestwerepleasantto，contemplate——hisagewasnot。Sohedecidednottocontemplateit。
Insteadhewentoutandhoistedatthetopoftheshortpoleonthe，edgeoftheblufftheflaghehadsetthereonthedaywhenthe，UnitedStatesdeclaredwaragainsttheHun。Hehoisteditevery，finemorningandhetookitineverynight。
Hestoodforamoment，watchingthered，whiteandblueflapping，bravelyinthemorningsunshine，thenhewentbackintohislittle，kitchenattherearoftheworkshopandsetaboutcookinghis，breakfast。Thekitchenwasaboutasbigasagood-sizedpacking，boxandJed，standingovertheoilstove，couldreachanyshelfin，sightwithoutmoving。Hecookedhisoatmealporridge，boiledhis，eggandthensatdownatthetableinthenextroom——hiscombined，livinganddining-roomandnotverymuchbiggerthanthekitchen——
toeat。Whenhehadfinished，hewashedthedishes，walkedupto，thepostofficeforthemailandthen，enteringtheworkshop，took，upthepaintbrushandthetopsailor-manofthepilebesidehim，andbeganwork。This，exceptonSundays，washisusualmorning，routine。Itvariedlittle，exceptthatheoccasionallysawedor，whittledinsteadofpainted，or，lessoccasionallystill，boxed，someofhiswaresforshipment。
Duringtheforenoonhehadsomevisitors。Agroupofsummerpeople，fromthehotelcameinand，afterpawingoveranddisplacingabout，halfofthemovablestock，boughttenorfifteendollars’worthand，departed。Mr。Winslowhadthesatisfactionofhearingthemburst，intoashoutoflaughterastheyemergedintotheyardandthe，shrillvoiceofoneofthefemalesinthepartyroseabovethe，hilaritywith：“Isn’thetheWEIRDESTthing！”Andanaccompanying，malevoiceappraisedhimas“Someguy，believeme！，S-o-o-meguy！”
Jedwincedalittle，buthewentonwithhispainting。Onone’s，forty-fifthbirthdayonehasacquiredorshouldhaveacquireda，certainmeasureofphilosophicalresignation。
Othercustomersorlookerscameandwent。MaudHunniwell，Captain，Sam’sdaughter，droppedinonherwaytothepostoffice。The，captainwasawidowerandMaudwashisonlychild。Shewas，therefore，morethantheappleofhiseye，shewasawholeorchard，ofapples。Shewaseighteen，prettyandvivacious，andherfather，madeathoroughjobofspoilingher。Notthatthespoilinghad，injuredhertoanygreatextent，ithadnotasyet，butthatwas，CaptainSam’sgoodluck。Maudwaswearinganewdress——shehada，newoneeveryweekorso——andshecameintothewindmillshopto，showit。Ofcourseshewouldhavedeniedthatthatwasthereason，forhercoming，butthestatementstands，nevertheless。Sheand，Jedweregreatchumsandhadbeensinceshecouldwalk。Sheliked，him，tookhispartwhensheheardhimcriticizedormadefunof，andwasalwaysprettilyconfidentialandfriendlywhentheywere，alonetogether。Ofcoursetherewasatouchofsuperiorityand，patronageinherfriendship。Sheshouldnotbeblamedforthis;
allOrham，consciouslyorunconsciously，patronizedJedWinslow。
Shecameintotheinnershopandsatdownuponthesameupturned，boxuponwhichherfatherhadsattheafternoonbefore。Herfirst，remark，after“goodmornings“hadbeenexchanged，wasconcerning，the“Private“signontheinnersideofthedoor。
“Whatintheworldhaveyouputthatsigninsideherefor？”she，demanded。
Mr。Winslowexplained，takinghisowndeliberatetimeinmakingthe，explanation。MissHunniwellwrinkledherdaintyupturnednoseand，burstintoatrilloflaughter。
“Oh，that’slovely，“shedeclared，“andjustlikeyou，besides。
AnddoyouthinkGabeBearsewillgobackintotheotherroomwhen，heseesit？”
Jedlookeddreamilyoverhisspectaclesatthesign。”Idon’t，know，“hedrawled。”IfIthoughthe’dgowhereverthatsignwasI
ain’tsurebutI’dtackitonthecoverofthewelloutintheyard，yonder。”
Hisfairvisitorlaughedagain。”Why，Jed，“sheexclaimed。”You，wouldn’twanttodrownhim，wouldyou？”
Jedseemedtoreflect。”No-o，“heanswered，slowly，“don’tknow’s，Iwould——notinmywell，anyhow。”
MissHunniwelldeclaredthatthatwasallnonsense。”Youwouldn’t，drownakitten，“shesaid。”IknowthatbecausewhenMrs。
NathanielRogers’oldwhitecatbroughtallherkittensoverhere，thefirstofthissummeryouwouldn’tevenputthemoutintheyard，atnight，tosaynothingofdrowningthem。Allsixandthemother，catstayedhereandfairlyswarmedoveryouandateyououtof，houseandhome。Fathersaidhebelievedtheyfedatthefirst，tableandyouweretakingwhatwasleft。Itwasamercytheold，catdecidedtoleadthembacktotheRogers’againorIdon’tknow，WHATmighthavebecomeofyoubythistime。”
Jedseemedtobethinking;therewasareminiscenttwinkleinhis，eye。
“Theoldcatdidn’tlead’emback，“hesaid。”Nathanieltook’em，back。Didn’tIevertellyouaboutthat？”
“No，youdidn’t。YouKNOWyoudidn’t。Mr。Rogerstookthemback？
Ican’tbelieveit。Hetoldeverywhereabouttownthathewasglad，togetridofthewholefamilyand，asyouandthecatsseemedto，bemutuallyhappytogether，hewasn’tgoingtodisturbyou。He，thoughtitwasagreatjokeonyou。Andhetookthembackhimself？
Why？”
Mr。Winslowrubbedhischin。”Idon’tknow’sI’doughttosay，anythingaboutit，“hesaid。”Ihaven’tafore。Iwouldn’t，interferewithNate’ssalesforanything。”
“Sales？，Salesofwhat？，Oh，youmeanthing！，Don’tbeso，provoking！，Tellmethewholestorythisminute。”
Jedpaintedamomentortwo。Thenhesaid：“We-ell，Maud，yousee，thosekittensgottobekindofanuisance。Theywascunnin’and，cuteandallthat，buttheywassoeverlastin’livelyandhungry，thattheydidn’tgivememuchofachance。Iwasonlyone，you，see，andtheyhadamajorityvoteeverytimeonwhoshouldhavethe，bedandthechairsandthetableandonethingor’nother。IfI
satdownIsatonacat。IfIwenttobedIlaiddownoncats，and，whenIturnedthemoutandturnedinmyselftheycameandlaiddown，onME。IsleptunderfurblanketsmostofJune。Andasfor，eatin’——，Well，everytimeIcookedmeatorfishtheysatdownina，circleandwhoopedforsome。WhenItookitoffthefireandput，itinaplateonthetable，Ihadtoputanotherplateanda——a，planeorsomethin’heavyontopofitorthey’dhavehaditsartin，sure。ThenwhenIsatdowntoeatittheyformedacircleagain，likeareg’larbandandtunedupandhollered。Lorda-mercy，HOW
theydidholler！，Andifoneofthekittensstopped，runoutof，windorgotasorethroatoranything，theoldcatwouldbiteitto，setitgoin’again。Shewan’tgoin’tohaveanyshirkin’inHER
orchestra。Iatetomusic，asyoumightsay，sameasI’veread，theydouptoBostonrestaurants。AndabouteverythingIdideat，wasstuffedwithcats’hairs。Seemedsometimesasifthosekittens，wassolidfurallthewaythrough;theynevercouldhaveshedall，thathairfromtheoutside。Somebodytoldmethatkittensnever，shedhair，’twasonlyfullgrowncatsdidthat。Idon’tbelieve，it。NateRogers’oldmalteenevershedallthatalone;allowin’
herahalfbarrel，therewasallofanotherbarrelspreadaround，thepremises。No-o，thosecatswasagooddealofanuisance。
Um-hm……Yes，theywas……”
Hepausedand，apparentlyhavingforgottenthathewasinthe，middleofastory，begantowhistlelugubriouslyandtobendall，hisotherenergiestopainting。MissHunniwell，whohadlaughed，untilhereyesweremisty，wipedthemwithherhandkerchiefand，commandedhimtogoon。
“Tellmetherestofit，“sheinsisted。”Howdidyougetridof，them？，HowdidMr。Rogerscometotakethemback？”
“Eh？……Oh，why，yousee，IwentovertoNate’sthreeorfour，timesandtoldhimhiscatandkittenswerehereandIdidn’tfeel，righttodeprivehimof’emanylonger。Hesaidnevermind，I
couldkeep’emlongasIwantedto。Isaidthatwasaboutaslong，asIhadkept’em。Thenhesaidhedidn’tknow’shecaredabout，everhavin’’emagain;saidheandhiswifehadkindoflosttheir，tasteforcats，seemedso。I——well，Ihintedthat，longasthe，tribewasatmyhouseIwan’tlikelytohaveachancetotastemuch，ofanything，butitdidn’tseemtohavemucheffect。Then——“
“Yes，yes;goon！goon！”
“Oh……ThenonedayNatehehappenedtobeinhere——cometo，borrowsomethin’，sometoolseemstome’twas——andthecatswas，climbin’roundpromiscuoussameasusual。Andoneofthesummer，womencameinwhilehewashere，wantedamillforherlittleniece，orsomethin’。Andshesawoneoftheanimalsandshedropped，everythingelseandsangout：’Oh，whatabeautifulkitten！，What，unusualcoloring！，MayIseeit？’，Courseshewasseein’it，already，butIjudgedshemeantcouldshehandleit，soItriedto，haulthecritterloosefrommyleg——therewasgenerallyoneormore，of’emshinnin’overmesomewhere。ItsqualledwhenItookholdof，itandshesays：’Oh，itdoesn’twanttocome，doesit！，Itmust，haveaveryaffectionatedispositiontobesoattachedtoyou。’
Seemedtome’twasattachedbyitsclawsmore’nitsdisposition，butIprieditlooseandhandedittoher。Thenshesaysagain，’Whatunusualcolorin’！，Willyousellthisonetome？，I’llgive，youfivedollarsforit。’“
Hestoppedagain。AnotherreminderfromMissHunniwellwas，necessarytomakehimcontinue。
“Andyousoldoneofthosekittensforfivedollars？”shecried。
“No-o。”
“Youdidn’t？，Why，youfoolishman！，Whynot？”
“Ineverhadachance。AforeIcouldsayawordNateRogersspoke，upandsaidthekittensbelongedtohim。Thenshesawanotherone，thatshehadn’tseenaforeandshesays：’Oh，thatonehasmore，unusualcolorin’seventhanthis。Ineversawsuchcolorina，cat。’，CourseshemeantONacatbutweunderstoodwhatshemeant。
’Aretheyaveryrarebreed？’sheasked。Natesaidtheywasand——“
MissHunniwellinterrupted。”Buttheyweren’t，werethey？”she，cried。”Ineverknewtheywereanythingmorethanplaintabby。”
Jedshookhishead。”Natesaidtheywas，“hewentonsolemnly。
“Hesaidtheywereawfulrare。Thenshewantedtoknowwouldhe，selloneforfivedollars。Hesaidno，hecouldn’tthinkofit。”
“Why，thegreedyoldthing！”
“Andsoheandshehaditbackandforthandfinallytheystrucka，bargainatsevendollarsfortheonethatlookedmostlikeacrazy，quilt。”
“SevendollarsforaCAT？，Whatcolorwasit，forgoodness’sake？”
“Oh，allkinds，seemedso。Blackandwhiteandmalteeandblueand，redandgreen——“
“Green！，WhatAREyoutalkingabout？，Whoeversawagreencat？”
“Thiswomansawonethatwaspartgreenandsheboughtit。Then，shesaidshe’dtakeitrightalonginhercar。Saidshehada，friendthatwasasloonyaboutcatsasshewasandshewasgoin’to，fetchherrightdowntheverynextday。Andacoupleofhours，aftershe’dgoneNateandhisboycamebackwithaclothesbasket，withaboardoverthetopandloadedinthebalanceofthefamily，andwentoffwith’em。Iain’tseenahairof’emsince——no，I
won’tsaythatquite，butIain’tseenTHEM。”
“Anddidn’thegiveyouanyofthesevendollars？”
“No-o。”
“Butyouhadbeenfeedingthosekittensandtheirmotherforweeks。”
“Ye-es。”
“Butdidn’tyouASKforanything？”
“We-ll，ItoldNatehemightmaybeleaveoneofthekittens，so’sI
couldhavea——er——souvenirofthevisit，buthewouldn’tdoit。
Saidthosekittenswasrareand——er——precious，orwordstothat，effect。Hedidn’tintendtoletanothergoascheapashehadthat，one。”
“Oh……Isee。Iremembernow;Iheardsomeonesaying，something，earlyinJuly，aboutthesignontheRogers’front，fence。’RareCatsforSale’theysaiditwas。Ithink。Of，course，IneverthoughtofTHOSEkittens。Hemusthavesoldthem，all，forthesignisn’ttherenow。”
Jedwhistledafewbars。”Idon’thardlythinkhe’ssold’em，“he，said。”Ipresumelikelyhe’sjustgoneoutofthebusiness。”
“Idon’tseewhyheshouldn’tsellthem。Greencatsoughttosell，quicklyenough，Ishouldthink。Weretheygreen，honestandtruly，Jed？”
Mr。Winslownodded。
“Theywerethatmornin’，“hedrawled，solemnly。
“Thatmorning？，Whatdoyoumean？”
“We-ll，yousee，Maud，thosekittenswereintoeverythingandover，everythingmostofthetime。Fourof’emhadgotinhereearly，aforeIcamedownstairsthatdayandhadbeenplayin’hideandhoot，amongstmypaintpots。Theywasgreeninspots，sureenough，butI
hadmydoubtsastoitsbein’fastcolor。”
Maudlaughedjoyfullyoverthesecretofthegreenpussies。
“IwishImighthaveseenthatwoman’sfaceafterthecolorsbegan，towearoffher’rare’kitten，“shesaid。
Jedsmiledslightly。”Nathansawit，“hesaid。”Iunderstoodhe，hadtotakebackthekittenandgiveupthesevendollars。He，don’thardlyspeaktomenowadays。Seemstothink’twasmyfault。
Idon’thardlythink’twas，doyou？”
MissHunniwell’scalllastedalmostanhour。Besidesageneral，chatconcerningLeanderBabbit’svoluntaryenlistment，thesubject，whichallOrhamhaddiscussedsincethepreviousafternoon，shehad，afreshbitofnews。Thegovernmenthadleasedalargesectionof，landalongthebayatEastHarniss，thenextvillagetoOrhamand，sevenoreightmilesdistant，andtherewastobeamilitary，aviationcampthere。
“Oh，it’strue！”shedeclared，emphatically。”Fatherhasknown，thattheArmypeoplehavebeenthinkingofitforsometime，butit，wasreallydecidedandtheleasessignedonlylastSaturday。They，willbeginbuildingthebarracksandthebuildings——the——oh，what，dotheycallthosebigshedstheykeeptheaeroplanesin？”
“Thehangars，“saidWinslow，promptly。
“Yes，that’sit。Theywillbeginbuildingthoserightaway。”，She，pausedandlookedathimcuriously。”Howdidyouknowtheycalled，themhangars，Jed？”sheasked。
“Eh？……Oh，I’vereadabout’eminthenewspapers，that’s，all……H-u-u-m……Sowe’llhaveaeroplanesflyin’around，hereprettysoon，Isuppose。Well，well！”
“Yes。Andthere’llbelotsandlotsoftheflyingmen——thewhat-
do-you-call-’ems——aviators，andofficersinuniform——andallsorts。
Whatfun！，I’mjustcrazyaboutuniforms！”
Hereyessnapped。Jed，inhisquietway，seemedexcited，too。He，wasgazingabsentlyoutofthewindowasifhesaw，infancy，a，processionofaircraftflyingoverOrhamflats。
“They’llbeflyin’upoutthere，“hesaid，musingly。”AndI’llsee，’em——Iwill。Sho！”
MissHunniwellregardedhimmischievously。”Jed，“sheasked，“wouldyouliketobeanaviator？”
Jed’sanswerwassolemnlygiven。”I’mafraidIshouldn’tbemuch，goodatthejob，“hedrawled。
Hisvisitorburstintoanotherlaugh。Helookedatheroverhis，glasses。
“Whatisit？”heasked。
“Oh，nothing;I——Iwasjustthinkingofyouinauniform，that’s，all。”
Jedsmiledhisslow，fleetingsmile。
“IguesslikelyIwouldbeprettyfunny，“headmitted。”Any，GermansImetwouldprobablydielaughin’andthatmighthelpalong，some。”
ButafterMissHunniwellhadgonehesatforsomeminutesgazing，outofthewindow，thewistful，dreamylookonhislean，homely，face。Thenhesighed，andresumedhispainting。
Thatafternoon，abouthalfpastfive，hewasstillathistask，when，hearingthedoorbellring，heroseandwentintothefront，shop。Tohisastonishmenttheshopwasempty。Helookedaboutfor，theexpectedcustomerorcaller，whoeverheorshemightbe，and，sawnoone。Hesteppedtothewindowandlookedout，buttherewas，nooneonthestepsorintheyard。Hemadeuphismindthathe，musthavedreamedofthebell-ringingandwasturningbacktothe，innerroom，whenavoicesaid：
“Please，areyouthewindmillman？”
Jedstarted，turnedagain，andstaredabouthim。
“Please，sir，hereIam，“saidthevoice。
Jed，lookingdown，insteadofuporonalevel，sawhisvisitor，then。Thatis，hesawatumbledshockofcurlsandapairofbig，roundeyeslookingupathimoverastockofweathervanes。
“Hello！”heexclaimed，insurprise。
Thecurlsandeyescameoutfrombehindthestackofvanes。They，werepartsofalittlegirl，andthelittlegirlmadehimademure，littlecourtesy。
“Howdoyoudo？”shesaid。
Jedregardedherinsilenceforamoment。Then，“Why，I’mfairto，middlin’smartjustatpresent，“hedrawled。”HowdoYOUfind，yourselfto-day？”
Theyounglady’sanswerwaspromptandtothepoint。”I’mnicely，thankyou，“shereplied，andadded：“Iwassickatmystomach，yesterday，though。”
Thisbitofpersonalinformationbeingquiteunexpected，Mr。
Winslowscarcelyknewwhatcommenttomakeinreplytoit。
“Sho！”heexclaimed。”Wasyou，though？”
“Yes。Mammasayssheis’clinedtothinkitwasthetwowhole，bananasandthechoc’latecreams，butIthinkitwasthefried，potatoes。Iwassicktwice——no，threetimes。Please，Iaskedyou，something。Areyouthewindmillman？”
Jed，bythistimeverymuchamused，lookedheroveroncemore。She，wasaprettylittlething，althoughjustatthistimeitis，doubtfulifanyofherfamilyorthosecloselyassociatedwithher，wouldhaveadmittedit。Herfacewasnottooclean，herfrockwas，soiledandmussed，hercurlshadbeenblownintoatangleandthere，weresmooches，Jedguessedthemtobeblackberrystains，onher，hands，aroundhermouthandevenacrosshersmallnose。Shehada，doll，itsraimentinaboutthesameconditionasherown，tucked，underonearm。Hatshehadnone。
Mr。Winslowinspectedherinhisaccustomeddeliberatefashion。
“Guessyou’vebeenhavin’aprettygoodtime，haven’tyou？”he，inquired。
Thesmallvisitor’sanswerwasgivenwithdignity。
“Yes，“shesaid。”Willyoupleasetellmeifyouarethewindmill，man？”
Jedacceptedthesnubwithoutwardhumilityandinwardappreciation。
“Why，yes，“headmitted;“IpresumelikelyI’mthewindmillman。
IsthereanythingIcandoforyouthisevenin’？”
Apparentlytherewas，forthechild，untuckingthedollfrom，beneathherrightarmandtuckingitundertheleft，pointedher，righthandatawoodenweather-vaneintheshapeofaspermwhale，andasked：
“Please，doesthatfishgo’round？”
“Go’round？，Go’roundwhere？”
“Imeandoesitgo’roundand’roundonastick？”
“Cal’lateitdoeswhenithasachance。”
“Anddoesitmakethewindblowno’theastbyno’thand——andlike，that？”
“Eh？，Makethewindblow——how？”
“Imeandoesitmakethewindblowdifferentways，no’theastby，no’thandcantin’’roundtothesou-eastand——andthoseways？
CaptainHedgehasgotafishuponhisbarnthatusedtodothat，butnowitwon’t’causehecal’latesit’srustedfast。Hesaidhe，guessedhewouldhavetobegettinganewone。WhenIsawthe，fishesoutinyouryardIthoughtaboutitandIthoughtIwould，comeinandseeifyouhadtherightkind。Isthisonea——a，gunfish？”
“AWHICHfish？”
“Agunfish。No，thatisn’tit。A——aswordfish，that’sit。
CaptainHedge’sisaswordfish。”
“We-ll，thatparticularonegotawrongstartandendedupbybein’
awhale，butIshouldn’twonderifwecouldfindaswordfishifwe，looked。Yes，here’sone。Thinkthatwoulddo？”
Thechildlookeditoververycarefully。
“Yes，“shesaid，“Ithinkitwould。Ifyou’resureitwouldmake，thewindgoright。”
“We-ll，IguesslikelyIcouldguaranteethatfishwouldgo’most，anywaythewinddid，unlessitshouldtakeanotiontoblow，straightupanddown，whichdon’thappenoften。SoyouknowCap’n，Hedge，doyou？，Relationofhis，areyou？，Visitin’there？”
“No。MammaandIareboardingatMrs。Smalley’s，butIgooverto，callonCaptainHedge’mosteveryday。”
“Sho！，Wanttoknow！，Well，that’sniceandsociable。Soyou’re，boardin’atLurettaSmalley’s。My！you’reconsider’blewaysfrom，home，ain’tyou？，Isyourmammawithyou？”
Forthefirsttimetheyouthfulcaller’spoiseseemedatrifle，shaken。
“No-o……no，“shestammered，andadded，hastily：“Howmuchis，thisfish，please？”
“Igenerallysellthatsortoffishforabouttwodollars。”，He，lookedoutofthewindow，hummedatune，andthenadded：“Let’s，see，whatdidyousayyournamewas？”
“Ididn’t，butit’sBarbaraArmstrong。HOWmuchdidyousaythe，fishwas？”
“Eh？……Oh，twodollars。”
MissArmstronglookedverymuchdisappointed。
“Oh，dear，“shesighed。”Ididn’tknowitwouldbeasmuchas，that。I——I’m’fraidIcan’tgetit。”
“So？，That’stoobad。Whatwasyoucal’latin’todowithit，if，youdidgetit？”
“IwasgoingtogiveittoCaptainHedge。Hemisseshis，nowthat，it’srustedsofastthatitwon’tgo。ButIcan’tgetit。I
haven’tgotbutfourteencents，tenthatMammagavemethismorning，forbeingagoodgirlandtakingmymedicineniceyesterday，and，fourthatMrs。Smalleygavemeforgettingtheeggslastweek。And，twodollarsisEVERsomuchmorethanfourteencents，isn’tit？”
“Hum……’Tisalittlemore，that’sright。It’sconsidered，morebythe——um——er——bestauthorities。Hum……er……h-u-u-m。
Sometimes，though，Idotakeoffalittlesomethin’forspotcash。
You’dpayspotcash，Ipresumelikely，wouldn’tyou？”
“I——Idon’tknowwhatspotcashis。I’dpayfourteencents。”
Jedrubbedhischin。”We-e-ll，“hedrawled，gravely，“I’mafraidI
couldn’thardlyknockoffallthatthatcomesto。But，“taking，anotherandmuchsmallervanefromashelf，“there’sanarticle，notquitesobig，thatIusuallygetfiftycentsfor。Whatdoyou，thinkofthat？”
Thechildtooktheminiatureswordfishandinspecteditcarefully。
“It’sababyone，isn’tit，“sheobserved。”Willittellwindjust，asgoodasthebigone？”
“Tellwind？，Hum！……Don’tknow’sIeverhearditputjustthat，wayafore。Butaclocktellstime，soIsupposethere’snoreason，whyavaneshouldn’ttellwind。Yes，Iguess’twilltellwindall，right。”
“ThenIthinkitmightdo。”，Sheseemedalittledoubtful。”Only，“
sheadded，“fiftycentsislotsmorethanfourteen，isn’tit？”
Mr。Winslowadmittedthatitwas。”ButItellyou，“hesaid，after，anotherperiodofreflection，“seein’asit’syouI’llmakea，proposaltoyou。Cap’nEriHedgeisaprettygoodfriendofmine，sameasheisofyours。SupposeyouandIgoinpartners。Youput，inyourfourteencentsandI’llputintherestoftheswordfish。
ThenyoucantakeittoCap’nEriandtellhimthatwe’regivin’it，tohimtogether。Youjustconsiderthatplanforaminutenow，willyou？”
MissArmstronglookeddoubtful。
“I——Idon’tknowasIknowwhatyoumean，“shesaid。”Whatdidyou，wantmetodo？”
“Why，considertheplan。Youknowwhat’consider’means，don’t，you？”
“IknowaMotherGoosewithitin。Thatoneaboutthepiperand，thecow：
’Hetookuphispipesandheplayedheratune，Consider，oldcow，consider。’
ButIdon’tknowasISURELYknowwhathewantedthecowtodo？
Does’consider’meanseeifyoulikeit？”
“That’stheidea。Thinkitoverandseeifyou’dliketogohalves，withmegivin’thefishtoCap’nHedge。”
Thecurlsmovedvigorouslyupanddown。
“IthinkIshould，“shedecided。
“Good！，NowyouwaitandI’lldoitup。”
Hewrappedthetoyvaneinapieceofpaperandhandedittohis，smallpatron。Shegravelyproducedaminiaturevelvetpursewith，theremnantsofsomebeadfringehangingtoitsloweredgeandlaid，adimeandfourpenniesonthetopofapackingcasebetweenthem。
ItwasgrowingdarkintheshopandJedlightedoneofthebracket，lamps。Returning，hefoundthecoinslaidinarowandMiss，Armstrongregardingthemsomewhatsoberly。
“Thereisn’tanyMOREthanfourteen，isthere？”sheasked。”I
mean——Imeanfourteencentstakesallofit，doesn’tit？”
Jedlookedatherface。Hiseyetwinkled。
“Well，supposeitdidn’t？”heasked。”Whatthen？”
Shehesitated。”Why，“shestammered，“if——iftherewasONEleft，overI——maybeIcouldbuysomethingtomorrowatthecandystore。
Notto-day，’causeItoldMammaIwouldn’tto-day’causeIwassick，atmystomachyesterday——butto-morrowIcould。”
Mr。Winslowcarefullycountedthecoinsandthen，spreadingthem，outonhisbigpalm，showedthemtoher。
“There！”hesaid。”Nowyou’vegivenmethefourteencents。I’ve，got’em，haven’tI？”
MissBarbarasolemnlynodded。
“Yes，“continuedJed。”NowI’llput’embackinyourwalletagain。
Theretheyare，shutupinthewallet。Nowyouputthewalletin，yourpocket。Nowtakeyourfishbundleunderyourarm。There！now，everything’ssettled。You’vegotthefish，haven’tyou？，Sartin’。
Yes，andI’vebeenpaidforit，haven’tI？”
Thechildstaredathim。
“But——but——“shebegan。
“Now——nowdon’tlet’sargueaboutit，“pleadedJed，plaintively。
“Argumalwaysgivesmethe——er——epizooticorsomethin’。Yousawme，havethemoneyrightinmyhand。It’sallsettled;thinkitover，andseeifitain’t。You’vegotthefishandI’veHADthefourteen，cents。Nowrunrightalonghomeanddon’tgetlost。Good-night。”
Heledhergentlytothedoorandcloseditbehindher。Then，smilingandshakinghishead，hereturnedtotheinnershop，where，helitthelampsandsatdownforanotherbitofpaintingbefore，supper。Butthatbitwasdestinednottobedonethatnight。He，hadscarcelypickeduphisbrushbeforethedoorbellrangonce，more。Returningtotheouterroom，hefoundhisrecentvisitor，theswordfishunderonearmandthedollundertheother，standing，intheaislebetweenthestackedmillsandvanesandlooking，soit，seemedtohim，considerablyperturbed。
“Well，well！”heexclaimed。”Backagainsosoon？，What’sthe，matter;forgetsomethin’，didyou？”
MissArmstrongshookherhead。
“No-o，“shesaid。”But——but——“
“Yes？，Butwhat？”
“Don’tyouthink——don’tyouthinkitisprettydarkforlittle，girlstobeout？”
Jedlookedather，steppedtothedoor，openeditandlookedout，andthenturnedbackagain。
“Why，“headmitted，“itisgettin’alittleshadowyinthecorners，maybe。Itwillbedarkerinanhourorso。Butyouthinkit’stoo，darkforlittlegirlsalready，eh？”
Shenodded。”Idon’tthinkMammawouldlikemetobeoutwhenit’s，soawfuldark，“shesaid。
“Hum！……Hum……Doesyourmammaknowwhereyouare？”
Theyounglady’stoemarkedacircleontheshopfloor。
“No-o，“sheconfessed，“I——Iguessshedoesn’t，notjustexactly。”
“Ishouldn’tbesurprised。Andsoyou’vecomebackbecauseyouwas，afraid，eh？”
Sheswallowedhardandedgedalittlenearertohim。
“No-o，“shedeclared，stoutly，“I——Iwasn’tafraid，notvery;but——
butIthoughtthe——theswordfishwasprettyheavytocarryall，aloneand——andso——“
Jedlaughedaloud，somethingthatherarelydid。
“Goodforyou，sis！”heexclaimed。”NowyoujustwaituntilIget，myhatandwe’llcarrythatheavyfishhometogether。”
MissArmstronglookeddecidedlyhappier。
“Thankyouverymuch，“shesaid。”And——and，ifyouplease，myname，isBarbara。”
CHAPTERIV
TheSmalleyresidence，whereMrs。LurettaSmalley，relictofthe，lateZenasT。accommodatedafew“payingguests，“wasnearlya，milefromthewindmillshopandontheOrham“lowerroad。”，Mr。
Winslowandhisnewacquaintancetooktheshortcuts，throughby-
pathsandacrossfields，andtheyoungladyappearedtohave，thoroughlyrecoveredfromhermisgivingsconcerningthedark——in，realityitwasscarcelydusk——andherdoubtsconcerningherability，tocarrythe“heavy“swordfishwithouthelp。Atalleventsshe，insisteduponcarryingitalone，tellinghercompanionthatshe，thoughtperhapshehadbetternottouchitasitwassovery，very，brittleandmightgetbroken，andconsolinghimbyofferingto，permithimtocarryPetunia，whichfragrantappellation，it，appeared，wasthenameofthedoll。
“InamedherPetuniaafteraflower，“sheexplained。”Ithinkshe，lookslikeaflower，don’tyou？”
Ifshediditwasawiltedone。However，MissArmstrongdidnot，waitforcommentonthepartofherescort，butchattedstraight，on。Jedlearnedthathermother’snamewasMrs。RuthPhillips，Armstrong。”ItusedtobeMrs。SeymourArmstrong，butitisn’t，now，becausePapa’snamewasDoctorSeymourArmstrongandhedied，youknow。”，AndtheylivedinacentralConnecticutcity，but，perhapstheyweren’tgoingtolivethereanymorebecauseMammahad，soldthehouseanddidn’tknowexactlyWHATtodo。Andtheyhad，beeninOrhameversincebeforetheFourthofJuly，andtheyliked，itEVERsomuch，itwassoquaintand——and“franteek“——
Jedinterruptedhere。”Soquaintandwhat？”hedemanded。
“Franteek。”，MissBarbaraherselfseemedalittledoubtfulofthe，word。AtanyrateMammasaiditwassomethinglikethat，andit，meanttheylikeditanyway。SoMr。Winslowwaslefttoponder，whether“antique“or“unique“wasintendedandtofollowhistrain，ofthoughtwhereveritchancedtoleadhim，whilethechild，prattledon。TheycameinsightoftheSmalleyfrontgateandJed，cameoutofhiswalkingtrancetohearhersay：
“Anyway，welikeitallbutthesal’ratusbiscuitsandthecoffee，andTHEYaredreadful。Mammathinksit’smadeofchickenry——the，coffee，Imean。”
AtthegateJed’s“queerness，“orshyness，cameuponhim。Theidea，ofmeetingMrs。ArmstrongoreventhemembersoftheSmalleyfamily，heshrankfrom。Barbarainvitedhimtocomein，butherefused，eventoaccompanyhertothedoor。
“I’lljustrunalongnow，“hesaid，hurriedly。”Goodnight。”
Thechildputoutherhand。”Goodnight，“shesaid。”Thankyou，verymuchforhelpingmecarrythefishhome。I’mcomingtosee，youagainsomeday。”
Shescamperedupthewalk。Jed，waitingintheshadowofthelilac，bushesbythefence，sawherrattlethelatchofthedoor，sawthe，dooropenandthechildcaughtupinthearmsofawoman，who，cried：“Oh，Babbie，dear，whereHAVEyoubeen？，MammawasSO
frightened！”
Hesmiledoverthememoryofthelittlegirl’svisitmorethanonce，thatevening。Hewasveryfondofchildrenandtheirsocietydid，notembarrassorannoyhimasdidthecompanyofmostgrown-ups——
strangers，thatis。HerememberedportionsofMissBarbara’s，conversationanddeterminedtorepeatthemtoCaptainSam，Hunniwell，thenexttimethelattercalled。
Andthatnexttimewasthefollowingforenoon。CaptainSam，onthe，waytohisofficeatthebank，stoppedhiscarattheedgeofthe，sidewalkandcameintotheshop。Jed，havingfinishedpainting，woodensailorsforthepresent，wasboxinganassortedcollection，ofmillsandvanestobesentSouth，foracertaindemandfor，“Winslowmills“wasdevelopingatthewinteraswellasthesummer，resorts。Itwasfarfromwinteryet，butthispurchaserwas，forehanded。
“Hello，Jed，“hailedthecaptain，“busyasusual。You’vegotthe，busybeeamileasternsofarasrealhustlin’isconcerned。”
Jedtookanailfromthehalfdozenheldbetweenhislipsand，applieditspointtotheboxtop。Hissentencesforthenextfew，minutesweremumbledbetweennailsandpunctuatedwithblowsofthe，hammer。
“Thebusybee，“hemumbled，“canstingotherfolks。Hedon’tget，stungmuchhimself。Collectin’honey’seasier，Ical’late，than，collectin’money。”
CaptainSamgrunted。”Areyoustungagain？”hedemanded。”Whodid，itthistime？”
Jedpointedwiththehammertoanenvelopelyingonapileof，woodencrows。Thecaptaintookuptheenvelopeandinspectedits，contents。
“’Weregrettoinformyou，’hereadaloud，’thattheFunnyNovelty，Companyofthistownwentintobankruptcyamonthago。
“’JOHNHOLWAY。’“
“Humph！”hesniffed。”That’sshortandsweet。Owedyousomethin’，Ipresumelikely？”
Jednodded。”Seventeendollarsandthreecents，“headmitted，betweentheremainingnails。
“Sho！，Well，ifyoucouldgettheseventeendollarsyou’dthrowoff，thethreecents，wouldn’tyou？”
“No-o。”
“Youwouldn’t？，Whynot？”
Jedpriedacrookedlydrivennailoutagainandsubstitutedafresh，one。
“Can’taffordto，“hedrawled。”That’sthepartI’llprobably，get。”
“Guessyou’reright。Who’sthisJohnHolway？”
“Eh……Why，whenheorderedthemillsofmelastsummerhewas，presidentoftheFunnyNoveltyCompanyuptheretoManchester。”
“GoodLord！，Well，Iadmirehisnerve。Howdidyoucometosell，these——er——Funnyfolks，inthefirstplace？”
Mr。Winslowlookedsurprised。
“Why，theywroteandsentanorder，“hereplied。
“Did，eh？，Andyoudidn’tthinkoflookin’’emuptoseewhether，theywasgoodforanythingorgoodfornothin’？，Justsailedinand，hurriedoffthestuff，Ipresumelikely？”
Jednodded。”Why——why，yes，ofcourse，“hesaid。”Yousee，they，saidtheywanteditrightaway。”
Hisfriendgroaned。”Graciousking！”heexclaimed。”Howmany，timeshaveItoldyoutoletmelookupcreditsforyouwhenyou，getanorderfromastranger？，Well，there’snousetalkin’toyou。
Givemethisletter。I’llseewhatIcansqueezeoutofyourFunny，friend……But，say，“headded，“Ican’tstopbutaminute，and，Iranintoaskyouifyou’dchangedyourmindaboutrentin’the，oldhousehere。Ifyouhave，IbelieveI’vegotagoodtenantfor，you。”
Jedlookedtroubled。Helaiddownthehammerandtookthelast，nailfromhismouth。
“Now——now，Sam，“hebegan，“youknow——“
“Oh，Iknowyou’vesetyourthickheaddeadagainstrentin’itat，all，butthat’ssilly，asI’vetoldyouathousandtimes。The，houseisemptyanditdoesn’tdoanyhousegoodtostayempty。
Courseif’twasanybodybutyou，JedWinslow，you’dliveinit，yourselfinsteadofcampin’outinthisshackhere。”
Jedsatdownontheboxhehadjustnailedand，takingonelongleg，betweenhisbighands，pulleditskneeupuntilhecouldhave，restedhischinuponitwithoutmuchinconvenience。
“Iknow，Sam，“hedrawledgravely，“butthat’sthetrouble——Iain’t，beenanybodybutmeforforty-fiveyears。”
Thecaptainsmiled，inspiteofhisimpatience。”Andyouwon’tbe，anybodyelseforthenextforty-five，“hesaid，“Iknowthat。But，allthesame，bein’apractical，moreorlesssanemanmyself，it，makesmenervoustoseeanice，attractive，comfortablelittle，housestandin’idlewhilethefellerthatownsiteatsandsleeps，inatwo-by-foursawmill，sotospeak。And，notonlythat，but，won’tletanybodyelseliveinthehouse，either。Icallthata，doginthemangerbusiness，andcrazybesides。”
Thebigfootattheendofthelonglegswungslowlybackand，forth。Mr。Winslowlookedabsentlyattheroof。
“DON’Tlooklikethat！”snappedCaptainSam。”Comeoutofit！
Wakeup！，Italwaysgivesmethefidgetstoseeyousettin’gapin’
atnothin’。Whatareyoudaydreamin’aboutnow，eh？”
Jedturnedandgazedoverhisspectacles。
“Iwasthinkin’，“heobserved，“thatmostlikelythatdoghimself，wascrazy。Ifhewasn’thewouldn’thavegotintothemanger。I
neversawadogthatwantedtoclimbintoamanger，didyou，Sam？”
“Oh，confoundthemangerandthedog，too！，Lookhere，Jed;ifI
foundyouagoodtenantwouldyourent’emthathouseofyours？”
Jedlookedmoretroubledthanever。
“Sam，“hebegan，“youknowI’ddo’mostanythingtoobligeyou，but——“
“Obligeme！，Thisain’ttoobligeme。It’stoobligeyou。”
“Oh，thenIwon’tdoit。”
“Well，then，’tistoobligeme。It’llobligemetohaveyoushow，somesense。Comeon，Jed。ThesepeopleI’vegotinmindarenice，people。Theywanttofindalittlehouseandthey’vecometomeat，thebankforadviceaboutfindin’it。It’sachanceforyou，a，realchance。”
Jedrockedbackandforth。Helookedgenuinelyworried。
“Whoarethey？”heasked，afteramoment，“Can’tnameanynamesyet。”
Anotherperiodofreflection。Then：“CityfolksorOrhamfolks？”
inquiredMr。Winslow。
“Cityfolks。”
Someoftheworriedlookdisappeared。Jedwasplainlyrelievedand，morehopeful。
“Oh，thentheywon’twantit，“hedeclared。”Cityfolkswantto，hirehousesinthespring，notalongaslateinthesummeras，this。”
“Thesepeopledo。They’rethinkin’oflivin’hereinOrhamallthe，yearround。It’safirst-ratechanceforyou，Jed。Course，Iknow，youdon’treallyneedthemoney，perhaps，but——well，tobereal，honest，IwantthesefolkstostayinOrham——they’rethekindof，folksthetownneeds——andIwant’emcontented。Ithinktheywould，becontentedinyourhouse。YouletthoseDavidsonsfromChicago，havetheplacethatsummer，butyou’veneverletanybodysomuchas，consideritsince。What’stherealreason？，You’vetoldmeasmuch，asadozen，butI’llbetanythingyou’venevertoldmethereal，one。’Twassomethin’theDavidsonsdidyoudidn’tlike——butwhat？”
Jed’srockingbackandforthontheboxbecamealmostenergeticand，histroubledexpressionmorethaneverapparent。
