第3章

Heheardthedepotwagonrattlebyand，peeringfromthewindow，sawthat，exceptforMr。Lumley，itwasempty。Notevenasummerboarderhadcometobrightenourwaysandlawnswithrecklessraimentandthenewestslang。Summerboardingseasonwasalmostovernow。Bayportwouldsoonbeasdullasdishwater。AndthecaptainadmittedtohimselfthatitWASdull。HehadhalfamindtotakeaflyingtriptoBoston，maketheroundofthewharves，andseeifanyoftheoldshipownersandshipcaptainswhomhehadonceknownwerestillaliveandinharness。 “JINGLE！Jingle！JINGLE！Jingle！Jingle！Jing！Jing！Jing！” CaptainCybouncedinhischair。Thatwasthefront-doorbell。 TheFRONT-doorbell！Whoonearth，or，rather，whoinBayport，wouldcometotheFRONTdoor？ Hehurriedthroughthedimgrandeurofthebestparlorandenteredthelittledarkfronthall。Thebellwasstillswingingattheendofitscoilofwire。Thedustshakenfromitstillhungintheair。Thecaptainunboltedandunlockedthebigfrontdoor。 Agirlwasstandingonthestepsbetweenthelinesofboxhedge——alittlegirlunderabig“grown-up“umbrella。Thewetdrippedfromtheumbrellatopandfromthehemofthelittlegirl\'sdress。 CaptainCystaredhardathisvisitor；heknewmostofthechildreninBayport，buthedidn\'tknowthisone。Obviouslyshewasastranger。Portuguesechildrenfrom“upHarnissway“sometimescalledtopeddlehuckleberries，butthischildwasno“Portugee。“ “Hello！”exclaimedthecaptainwonderingly。 “Didyouringthebell？” “Yes，sir，“repliedthegirl。 “Humph！Did，hey？Why？” “Why？Why，Ithought——Isn\'titatrulybell？Didn\'titoughttoring？Isanybodysickordead？Thereisn\'tanycrape。“ “Dead？Crape？”CaptainCygasped。“Whatintheworldputthatinyourhead？” “Well，Ididn\'tknowbutmaybethatwaswhyyouthoughtIhadn\'toughttohaverungit。Whenmammawassicktheydidn\'tletpeopleringourbell。Andwhenshediedtheytieditupwithcrape。“ “Did，hey？Hum！”Thecaptainscratchedhischinandgazedatthesmallfigurebeforehim。Itwasaself-poised，matter-of-factfigureforsuchalittleone，and，outthereintherainunderthetentroofoftheumbrella，itwasratherpitiful。 “Please，sir，“saidthechild，“areyouCaptainCyrusWhittaker？” “Yup！That\'sme。You\'veguesseditthefirsttime。“ “Yes，sir。I\'vegotaletterforyou。It\'spinnedinsidemydress。IfyoucouldholdthisumbrellamaybeIcouldgetitout。“ Sheextendedthebigumbrellaatarm\'slength，holdingitwithbothhands。CaptainCywokeup。 “Goodland！”heexclaimed，“whatamIthinkin\'of？You\'resoakin\' wetthrough，ain\'tyou？” “IguessI\'mprettywet。It\'salongwaysfromthedepot，andI triedtocomeacrossthefields，becauseaboysaiditwasnearer，andthebusheswere——“ “AcrosstheFIELDS？Haveyouwalkedallthewayfromthedepot？” “Yes，sir。Themansaiditwasaquartertoride，andauntiesaidImustbecarefulofmymoneybecause——“ “Bythebigdipper！Comein！Comeinoutofthatthisminute！” Hesprangdownthesteps，furledtheumbrella，seizedherbythearmandledherintothehouse，throughtheparlorandintothesittingroom，wherethefirecrackledinvitingly。Hecouldfeelthatthedresssleeveunderhishandwaswetthrough，andthewornbootsanddarnedstockingshecouldseeweresoakedlikewise。 “There！”hecried。“Setdowninthatchair。Putyourfeetuponthath\'ath。Sakesalive！Yourfolksoughttoknowbetterthantoletyoustiroutthisweather，letalonewalkin\'amile——andnorubbers！Themshoesoughttocomeoffthisminute，Is\'pose。Take\'emoff。Youcandryyourstockingsbetterthatway。Offwith\'em！” “Yes，sir，“saidthechild，stoopingtounbuttontheshoes。Herwetfingerswereblue。Itcanbecoldinourvillage，eveninearlySeptember，whenthereisaneasterlystorm。Unbuttoningtheshoeswasslowwork。 “Here，letmehelpyou！”commandedthecaptain，gettingdownononekneeandtakingafootinhislap。“Tut！tut！tut！you\'rewet！ BeensometimesenceIfussedwithbuttonboots；laceorlong- leggedcowhidescomehandier。Neverworecowhides，didyou？” “No，sir。“ “Is\'posenot。IusedtowhenIwaslittle。RememberthefirstpairIhad。Coppertoeson\'em——whew！Thecopperwasblackedoverwhentheycomeoutofthestoreandthatwouldn\'tdo，soweusedtokickastonewalltilltheybrightenedup。There！thereshecomes。 Humph！stockin\'ssoaked，too。WishIhadsomedryonestolendyou。Mightgiveyouapairofmine，butthey\'dbetooscantforeandaftandtoobroadinthebeam，Ical\'late。Humph！andyourtop-riggin\'saswetasyourhull。Beenonyourbeamends，haveyou？” “Idon\'tknow，sir。Ifelldowninthebushescomingacross。 Therewerevinesandtheytrippedmeup。Andtheumbrellawassoheavythat——“ “Yes，Icouldseerightoffyouwascarryin\'toomuchcanvas。NowtakeoffyourbunnitandI\'llgetacoatofminetowrapyouupin。“ Hewentintohisbedroomandreturnedwithaheavy“reefer“jacket。 Orderinghiscallertostandupheslippedherarmsintothesleevesandturnedthecollarupaboutherneck。Herbraided“pigtail“ofyellowhairstuckoutoverthecollarandhungdownherbackinafunnyway。Thecoatsleevesreachedalmosttoherkneesandthecoatitselfenvelopedherlikeabedquilt。 “There！”saidCaptainCyapprovingly。“Nowyoulookmoreasifyouwasunderastormrig。Setdownandtoastyourtoes。Where\'sthatletteryousaidyouhad？” “It\'sinsidehere。Idon\'tknow\'sIcangetatit；thesesleevesaresolong。“ “Reef\'em。Turn\'emup。Letmeshowyou。That\'sbetter！Hum！ Soyoucomefromthedepot，hey？Liveupthatway？” “No，sir！IusedtoliveinConcord，but——“ “Concord？CONCORD？Concordwhere？” “Concord，NewHampshire。Icameonthecars。AuntieknewamanwhowasgoingtoBoston，andhesaidhe\'dtakecareofmeasfarasthatandthenputmeonthetraintocomedownhere。Istoppedathisfolks\'houseinCharlestownlastnight，andthismorningwegotupearlyandheboughtmeaticketandstartedmeforhere。Ihadaboxwithmythingsinit，butitwassoheavyIcouldn\'tcarryit，soIleftitupatthedepot。Themantheresaiditwouldbeallrightandyoucouldsendforitwhen——“ “IcouldSENDforit？_I_could？Whatintheworld——Say，child，you\'vemadeamistakeinyourbearin\'s。\'Taintmeyouwanttosee，it\'ssomeofyourfolks，relations，mostlikely。Tellmewhotheyare；maybeIknow\'em。“ Thegirlsatuprightinthebigchair。Herdarkeyesopenedwideandherchinquivered。 “Ain\'tyouCaptainCyrusWhittaker？”shedemanded。“Yousaidyouwas。“ “Yes，yes，Iam。I\'mCyWhittaker，butwhat——“ “Well，auntietoldme——“ “Auntie！Auntiewho？” “AuntieOliver。Sheisn\'treallymyauntie，butmammaandmelivedinherhouseforeversolongandso——“ “Wait！wait！wait！I\'mhulldowninthefog。Thisisgettin\'toothickforME。Yourauntie\'sname\'sOliverandyoulivedinConcord，NewHampshire。For——forthundersakes，what\'sYOURname？” “EmilyRichardsThomas。“ “Em——Emily——Richards——Thomas“ “Yes，sir。“ “EmilyRichardsThomas！Whatwasyourma\'sname？” “MammawasMrs。Thomas。HerfrontnamewasMary。She\'sdead。 Don\'tyouwanttoseeyourletter？I\'vegotitnow。“ Sheliftedoneoftheflappingcoatsleevesandextendedacrumpled，dampenvelope。CaptainCytookitinadazedfashionanddrewalongbreath。Thenhetoreopentheenvelopeandreadthefollowing： DEARCAPTAINWHITTAKER： ThebearerofthisisEmilyRichardsThomas。Sheisseven，goingoneight，butoldforheryears。HermotherwasMaryThomasthatusedtobeMaryThayer。Itwasheryouwrotetoaboutkeepinghouseforyou，butshehadbeendeadafortnightbeforeyourlettercome。Shehadbronchialpneumoniaanditcarriedheroff，havingalwaysbeendelicateandwithmoretroublestobearthanshecouldstand，poorthing。Sinceherhusband，whoIsaywasascampevenifheisdead，leftherandthebaby，shehastookroomswithmeanddonesewingandsuch。WhenshepassedawayIwrotetoSethHowes，arelationofhersoutWest，and，sofarasIknow，theonlyoneshehad。ItoldtheHowesmanthatMaryhadgoneandEmmiewasleft。Wouldtheytakeher？Iwrote。AndSeth\'swifewrotetheycouldn\'t，beingpoorerthanpovertythemselves。IwasafraidshewouldhavetogotoaHome，butwhenyourlettercameIwrotetheHowesesagain。AndMrs。Howeswrotebackthatyouwasrich，andasortoffar-offrelationofMary\'s，andprobablyyouwouldbegladtotakethechildtobringup。SaidthatshehadsomecorrespondencewithyouaboutMarybefore。SoIsendEmmietoyou。Somebody\'sgottotakecareofherandIcan\'taffordit，thoughIwouldifI could，forshe\'sarealnicechildandsomelikehermother。Idohopeshecanstaywithyou。Itseemsashametosendhertotheorphanasylum。Isendalongwhatclothesshe\'sgot，whichain\'tmany。 Respectfullyyours，SARAHOLIVER。 CaptainCyreadtheletterthrough。Thenhewipedhisforehead。 “Well！”hemuttered。“WELL！Ineverinmylife！I——Ineverdid！ Ofall——“ EmilyRichardsThomaslookedupfromthedepthsofthecoatcollar。 “Don\'tyouthink，“shesaid，“thatyouhadbettersendtothedepotformybox？IcangetdrySOMEthisway，butmammaalwaysmademechangemyclothesassoonasIcould。SheusedtobeafraidI\'dgetcold。“ CHAPTERVI ICICLESANDDUST CaptainCydidnotreplytotherequestforthebox。Itisdoubtfulifheevenheardit。Mrs。Oliver\'sastonishingletterhad，asheafterwardssaid，lefthim“highanddrywithnotuginsight。“MaryThomaswasdead，andherdaughter，herDAUGHTER！ofwhoseveryexistencehehadbeenignorant，hadsuddenlyappearedfromnowhereandbeendroppedathisdoor，likeanout-of-seasonMaybasket，accompaniedbythemodestsuggestionthatheassumeresponsibilityforherthereafter。Nowonderthecaptainwipedhisforeheadinutterbewilderment。 “Don\'tyouthinkyou\'dbettersendforthebox？”repeatedthechild，shiveringalittleunderthebigcoat。 “Hey？Whatsay？Nevermind，though。Justkeepquietforaspell，won\'tyou。Iwanttoletthissoakin。Bythebigdipper！OfallthesolidbrasscheekthateverIrunacross，thisbeatsthewholecargo！AndBetsyHowesneverhinted！\'Probablyyouwouldbegladtotake——\'BeGLAD！Why，blasttheirmiserable，stingy——Whatdotheytakemefor？I\'LLshow\'em！Indianaain\'tsofurthatI can\'t——Hey？Didyousayanything，sis？” Thegirlhadshiveredagain。“No，sir，“shereplied。“Itwasmyteeth，Iguess。Theykindofrattled。“ “What？Youain\'tcold，areyou？Withallthatroundyouandinfrontofthatfire？” “No，sir，Iguessnot。Onlymybackfeelssortoffunny，asifsomebodykeptdroppingiciclesdownit。ThosebushesandvinesweresowetthatwhenItumbleddown\'twasmostlikebeinginapond。“ “Sho！sho！Thatwon\'tdo。Can\'thaveyoulaiduponmyhands。 Thatwouldbeworsethan——Humph！Tut，tut！Somethin\'oughttobedone，andI\'mblessedifIknowwhat。Andnotawomanroundtheplace——noteventhatDebby。Say，lookhere，what\'syourname——er—— Emmie，hadn\'tIbettergetthedoctor？” Thechildlookedfrightened。 “Why？”shecried，herbigeyesopening。“I\'mnotsick，amI？” “Sick？No，no！Coursenot，coursenot。Whatwouldyouwanttobesickfor？Butyououghttogetwarmanddryrightoff，Is\'pose，andyourdudsarealluptothedepot。Say，whatdoes——whatdidyourmausedtodowhenyoufelt——er——themiciclesandthings？” “Shechangedmyclothesandrubbedme。And，ifIwasVERYwetsheputmetobedsometimes。“ “Bed？Sure！why，yes，indeed。Bed\'sagoodplacetokeepofficicles。There\'smybedroomrightinthere。Youcouldturninjustaswellasnot。Bunkain\'tmadeyet，butIcanshakeitupinnotime。Say——er——er——youcanundressyourself，can\'tyou？” “Oh，yes，sir！CourseIcan！I\'mmosteight。“ “Sureyouare！Don\'tactamitebabyish。Allright，yousetstilltillIshakeupthatbunk。“ Heenteredthechamber，hisown，openingfromthesittingroom，andproceeded，literally，to“shakeup“thebed。Itwasnotalengthyprocessand，whenitwascompleted，hereturnedtofindhisvisitoralreadydivestedofthecoatandstandingbeforethestove。 “Iguessperhapsyou\'llhavetohelpundomebehind，“observedtheyounglady。“ThisismybestdressandIcan\'treachthebuttonsinthemiddleoftheback。“ CaptainCyscratchedhishead。Thenheclumsilyunbuttonedthewetwaist，glancingrathersheepishlyatthewindowtoseeifanyonewascoming。 “Sothisisyourbestdress，hey？”heasked，tocoverhisconfusion。 Itwasobviouslynotverynew，foritwasneatlymendedinoneortwoplaces。 “Yes，sir。“ “So。Where\'dyoubuyit——uptoConcord？” “No，sir。Mammamadeit，ayearago。“ Therewasalittlechokeinthechild\'svoice。Thecaptainwasmightilytakenback。 “Hum！Yes，yes，“hemutteredhurriedly。“Well，thereyouare。 Nowyoucangetalong，can\'tyou？” “Yes，sir。ShallIgointhatroom？” “Trotrightin。Youmight——er——maybeyoumightsingoutwhenyou\'retuckedup。I——I\'llwanttoknowifyou\'regotbedclothesenough。“ Emilydisappearedinthebedroom。Thedoorclosed。CaptainCy，hishandsinhispockets，walkedupanddownthelengthofthesittingroom。Theexpressiononhisfacewasaqueerone。 “Ihaven\'tgotanynightgown，“calledavoicefromtheotherroom。 Thecaptaingasped。 “Goodland！soyouain\'t，“heexclaimed。“Whatintheworld—— Humph！Iwonder——“ Hewenttothelowerdrawerofatall“highboy“and，fromthetumbledmassofapparelthereintookoneofhisownnightgarments。 “Here\'sone，“hesaid，comingbackwithitinhishand。“Iguessyou\'llhavetomakethisdofornow。It\'llfityouenoughforthreetimestoonce，butit\'sallI\'vegot。“ Asmallhandreached\'roundtheedgeofthedoorandthenightshirtdisappeared。CaptainCychuckledandresumedhispacing。 “I\'mtuckedup，“calledMissThomas。Thecaptainenteredandfoundherinbed，thepatchworkpointsanddiamondsofthe“RisingSun“ quiltcoveringhertothechinandherheaddentingtheuppermostofthetwobigpillows。CaptainCylikedto“sleephigh。“ “Gotenoughoveryou？”heasked。 “Yes，sir，thankyou。“ “That\'sgood。I\'lltakeyourtogsoutanddry\'eminthekitchen。 Don\'tbescared；I\'llberightback。“ Inthekitchenhesortedthewetgarmentsandhungthemaboutthecookstove。Itwasastrangeoccupationforhimandheshookhisheadwhimsicallyashecompletedit。Thenhetookaflatiron，oneofMrs。Beasley\'spurchases，fromtheshelfintheclosetandputitintheoventoheat。Soonafterwardshereturnedtothebedroom，bearingtheironwrappedinadishtowel。 “MymaalwaysusedtoputahotflattomyfeetwhenIwasayoungoneandgotchilled，“heexplained。“Iain\'tusedoneforsometime，butIguessit\'sagoodreceipt。Howdoyoufeelnow？Anymoreicicles？” “No，sir。I\'meversowarm。Isn\'tthisanicebed？” “Thinkso，doyou？Gladofit。Well，now，I\'mgoin\'toleaveyouinitwhileIstepdownstreetandseeabouthavin\'yourboxsentfor。I\'llbebackinashake。IfanybodycomestothedoorwhileI\'mgonedon\'tyouworry；let\'emgoawayagain。“ Heputonhishatandleftthehouse，walkingrapidly，hisheaddownandhishandsinhispockets。Attimeshewouldpauseinhiswalk，whistle，shakehishead，andgoononcemore。JosiahDimickmethim，andhisanswerstoJosiah\'squestionsweresovagueandirrelevantthatCaptainDimickwaspuzzled，andlaterexpressedtheopinionthat“Whit\'scookin\'mustbeprettybad；actedtomeasifhehaddyspepsyofthebrain。“ CaptainCystoppedatMr。Lumley\'sresidencetoleaveanorderforthedeliveryofthebox。ThenhedriftedintoSimmons\'sandaccostedAlpheusSmalley。 “Al，“hesaid，“what\'sgoodforacold？” “Why？”askedMr。Smalley，intrueYankeefashion。“Yougotone？” “Hey？Oh，yes！Yes，I\'vegotone。“Bywayofproofhecougheduntilthelampchimneysrattledontheshelf。 “Judas！Ishouldthinkyouhad！Well，there\'s\'PineBarkOil\'and\'SassafrasElixir\'andtwokindsofsass\'p\'rilla——that\'sgoodformosteverything——and——Isyourthroatsore？” “Hey？Yes，Iguessso。“ “Don\'tyouKNOW？Ifyou\'vegotsorethroatthereain\'tnothin\' better\'n\'ArabianBalsam。\'Butwhatintimeareyoudoin\'outinthisdrizzlewithacoldandnoumbrella？Doyouwantto——“ “Nevermindmyumbrella。Ileftitinthechurchentryt\'otherSundayandsomebodygotoutaforeIdid。This\'ArabianBalsam\'—— seemstomeIremembermyma\'susin\'thatonme。Wetaragwithit，don\'tyou，andtieitroundyourneck？” “Yup。Besureanduseaflannelrag，andredflannelifyou\'vegotit；thatactsquicker\'ntheotherkinds。Fifteencentbottle？” “Iguessso。Might\'swellgivemesomesass\'p\'rilla，whileyou\'reaboutit；alwayshandytohaveinthehouse。And——er——say，isthatcannedsoupyou\'vegotuponthatshelf？” Theastonishedclerkadmittedthatitwas。 “Well，givemeacanofthechickenkind。“ Mr。Smalley，standingonachairtoreachtheshelfwherethesoupwaskept，shookhishead。 “Now，that\'stoobad，Cap\'n，“hesaid，“butwe\'realloutofchickenjustnow。Factis，weain\'tgotnothin\'buttermatterandbeefbroth。Yes，andIdeclareifthetermatterain\'tallgone。“ “Humph！thenIguessI\'lltakethebeef。Needn\'tmindwrappin\'itup。Solong。“ Hedepartedbearinghispurchases。WhenMr。Simmons，proprietorofthestore，returned，Alpheustoldhimthathe“cal\'lated“CaptainCyWhittakerwaspreparingto“gointoadecline，orsomethin\'。“ “Anyhow，“saidAlpheus，“heboughtsass\'p\'rillaand\'ArabianBalsam，\'andIsoldhimacanofthatbeefsoupyouboughtthreeyearagolastsummer，whenAliciaAtkinshadthechickenpox。“ Thecaptainenteredthehousequietlyandtiptoedtothedoorofthebedroom。Emilywasasleep，andthesightofthechildishheaduponthepillowgavehimastartashepeepedinatit。Itlookedsonatural，almostasifitbelongedthere。Ithadbeeninabedlikethatandinthatveryroomthathehadsleptwhenaboy。 Gabe，brimfulofcuriosity，broughttheboxalittlelater。Hiscuriositywasungratified，CaptainCyrusexplainingthatitwasapackagehehadbeenexpecting。Thecaptaintooktheboxtothebedroom，and，findingthechildstillasleep，depositeditonthefloorandtiptoedoutagain。Hewenttothekitchen，pokedupthefire，andsetaboutgettingdinner。 HewaswarmingthebeefbrothinasaucepanonthestovewhenEmilyappeared。Shewasdressedindryclothesfromtheboxandseemedtobefeelingasgoodasnew。 “Hello！”exclaimedCaptainCy。“You\'reondeckagain，hey？How\'sicicles？” “Allgone，“wasthereply。“Doyoudoyourownwork？Can\'tI help？Icansetthetable。IusedtoforMrs。Oliver。“ Thecaptainprotestedthathecoulddoithimselfjustaswell，butthegirlpersisting，heshowedherwherethedisheswerekept。 Fromthecornerofhiseyehewatchedherassheunfoldedthetablecloth。 “Isthistheonlyoneyou\'vegot？”sheinquired。“It\'sawfuldirty。“ “Hum！Yes，Iain\'ttendeduptomywashin\'andironin\'thewayI\'doughtto。I\'lllosemyjobifIdon\'tlookout，hey？” BeforetheysatdowntothemealCaptainCyinsistedthathisguesttakeatablespoonfulofthesarsaparillaanddecorateherthroatwithasectionofredflannelsoakedinthe\'ArabianBalsam。\'TheperfumeofthelatterwaspenetratingandmighthaveinterferedwithalesshealthyappetitethanthatofMissThomas。 “Havesomesoup？SomeIboughtpurposeforyou。Bestthinggoin\' forfolkswithicicles，“remarkedthecaptain，wavingtheironspoonhehadusedtostirthecontentsofthesaucepan。 “Yes，sir，thankyou。Butdon\'tyouaskablessing？” “Hey？” “Ablessing，youknow。Sayingthatyou\'rethankfulforthefoodnowsetbeforeus。“ “Hum！Why，totellyouthetruthI\'vekindofneglectedthat，I\'mafraid。Bein\'thankfulforthegrubI\'vehadlatelywasmosttoomuchofastrain，Ishouldn\'twonder。“ “Iknowtheonemammausedtosay。ShallIaskitforyou？” “Sho！Iguessso，ifyouwantto。“ Thegirlbentherheadandrepeatedashortgrace。CaptainCywatchedhercuriously。 “Now，I\'llhavesomesoup，please，“observedEmily。“I\'mawfulhungry。Ihadbreakfastatfiveo\'clockthismorningandwedidn\'thaveachancetoeatmuch。“ Agoodmanytimesthatdaythecaptaincaughthimselfwonderingifhewasn\'tdreaming。Thewholeaffairseemedtooridiculoustobeanactualexperience。Dinnerover，heandEmmieattendedtothedishes，hewashingandshewiping。Andevenatthisearlystageoftheiracquaintanceherdispositiontotakechargeofthingswasapparent。Shefoundfaultwiththedishtowels；theywerealmostasbadasthetablecloth，shesaid。ConsideringthatthesamesethadbeeninusesinceMrs。Beasley\'sdeparture，thecriticismwasnotaltogetherbaseless。Buttheyoungladydidnotstopthere—— hercompanion\'sskillasawasherwasquestioned。 “Excuseme，“shesaid，“butdon\'tyouthinkthatplatehadbetterbedoneover？Iguessyoudidn\'tseethatplaceinthecorner。 Perhapsyou\'veforgotyourspecs。AuntieOlivercouldn\'tseewellwithoutherspecs。“ CaptainCygrinnedandadmittedthatasecondwashingwouldn\'thurttheplate。 “Iguessyourauntiewasoneoftheparticularkind，“hesaid。 “No，sir，\'twasmamma。Shecouldn\'tbeardirtythings。Auntieusedtosaythatmammahunteddustwithamagnifyingglass。Shedidn\'t，though；sheonlylikedtobeneat。Iguessdustdoesn\'tworrymensomuchasitdoeswomen。“ “Why？” “Oh，\'causethere\'ssomuchofithere；don\'tyouthinkso？I\'llhelpyoucleanupbyandby，ifyouwantto。“ “YOUwill？” “Yes，sir。Iusedtodustsometimeswhenmammawasoutsewing。 AndonceIswept，butIdiditsohardthatauntiewouldn\'tletmeanymore。Shesaid\'twasliketryingtoblowoutamatchwithatornado。“ Lateronhefoundherstandinginthesittingroom，criticallyinspectingthemats，thefurniture，andthepicturesonthewalls。 Hestoodwatchingherforamomentandthenasked： “Well，whatareyoulookin\'for——moredust？\'Twon\'tbehardtofindit。\'Dustthouartanduntodustthoushaltreturn。\'EverytimeIgooutdoorandcomeinagainIrealizehowtruethatis。“ Emilyshookherhead。 “No，sir，“shesaid；“Iwasonlylookingatthingsandthinking。“ “Thinkin\'，hey？Whatabout？oristhatasecret？” “No，sir。IwasthinkingthatthisroomwasdifferentfromanyI\'veeverseen。“ “Humph！Yes，Ipresumelikely\'tis。Don\'tlikeitverymuch，doyou？” “Yes，sir，IthinkIdo。It\'sgotagoodmanythingsinitthatI neversawbefore，butIguessthey\'repretty——afteryougetusedto\'em。“ CaptainCylaughedaloud。“Afteryougetusedto\'em，hey？”herepeated。 “Yes，sir。That\'swhatmammasaidaboutAuntieOliver\'snewbonnetthatshemadeherself。I——Iwasthinkingthatyoumustbepeculiar。“ “Peculiar？” “Yes，sir。Ilikepeculiarpeople。I\'mpeculiarmyself。AuntieusedtosayIwasthemostpeculiarchildsheeversaw。P\'rapsthat\'swhyIcametoyou。P\'rapsGodmeantforpeculiaronestolivetogether。Don\'tyouthinkmaybethatwasit？” Andthecaptain，havingnoanswerready，saidnothing。 ThateveningwhenAsaphandBailey，comingfortheirusualcall，peepedinatthewindow，theywereastoundedbythetableauintheWhittakersittingroom。CaptainCywasseatedintherockingchairwhichhadbeenhisgrandfather\'s。Athisfeet，onthewalnutcricketwithahairclothtop，satalittlegirlturningovertheleavesofatatteredmagazine，aGodey\'sLady\'sBook。Apileofthesemagazineswasbesideheronthefloor。Thecaptainwassmilingandlookingoverhershoulder。Thecatwascurledupinanotherchair。Theroomlookedmorehomelikethanithadsinceitsownerreturnedtoit。 Thefriendsenteredwithoutknocking。CaptainCylookedup，sawthem，andappearedembarrassed。 “Hello，boys！”hesaid。“Gladtoseeyou。Comerightin。Clearin\' offfine，ain\'tit？” Mr。Tiddittrepliedabsentlythathewouldn\'tbesurprisedifitwas。Bailey，hiseyesfixedupontheoccupantofthecricket，saidnothing。 “We——wedidn\'tknowyouhadcompany，Whit，“saidAsaph。“WebeenuptoSimmons\'sandAlpheussaidyouwasthinandpeakedandlookedsick。Saidyouboughtsass\'p\'rillaandallkindoftruck。Hewasafraidyouhadfeverandwasoutofyourhead，cruisinroundintherainwithnoumbrella。Thegangweren\'ttalkin\'ofnothin\'else，someandBaileythoughtwe\'dcomerightdown。“ “That\'skindofyou，I\'msure。Takeyourthingsoffandsetdown。 No，I\'msorrytodisappointSmalleyandtherest，butI\'mabletobeupand——er——makemyownbed，thankyou。SoAlpheusthoughtI lookedthin，hey？Well，ifIhadtoliveonthatsouphesoldme，I\'dbethinner\'nIamnow。Youtellhimthatcannedhotwaterisallrightifyoulikeit，butitseemsashametoputmudinit。 Itonlychangesthecoloranddon\'thelpthetaste。“ Mr。Bangs，whowasstillstaringatEmily，nowventuredaremark。 “Isthatarelationofyours，Cy？”heasked。 “That？Oh！Well，no，notexactly。AndyetIdon\'tknowbutsheis。Fellers，thisisEmmieThomas。Can\'tyoushakehands，Emmie？” Thechildrose，laiddownthemagazine，whichwasopenatthecoloredpictureofagroupofladiesincrinolineandchignons，and，goingacrosstheroom，extendedahandtoMr。Tidditt。 “Howdoyoudo，sir？”shesaid。 “Why——er——howd\'yedo？I\'mprettysmart，thankyou。How\'syourself？” “I\'mbetternow。Iguessthesass\'parillawasgoodforme。“ “\'Twan\'tthesass\'p\'rilla，“observedthecaptain，withconviction。 “\'Twasthe\'ArabianBalsam。\'Maalwayscuredmewithitandthere\'snothin\'finer。“ “Butwhatintime——“beganBailey。CaptainCyglancedatthechildandthenattheclock。 “Don\'tyouthinkyou\'dbetterturninnow，Emmie？”hesaidhastily，cuttingofftheremainderoftheBangsquery。“It\'saftereight，andwhenIwaslittleIwasabedaforethat。“ Emilyobedientlyturned，gathereduptheLady\'sBooksandreplacedtheminthecloset。Thenshewenttothediningroomandcamebackwithahandlamp。 “Goodnight，“shesaid，addressingthevisitors。Then，comingclosetothecaptain，sheputherfaceupforakiss。 “Goodnight，“shesaidtohim，adding，“Ilikeithereeversomuch。I\'mawfulgladyouletmestay。“ AsBaileytoldAsaphafterwards，CaptainCyblusheduntiltheendsoftheredlappedoveratthenapeofhisneck。However，hebentandkissedtherosylipsandthenquicklybrushedhisownwithhishand。 “Yes，yes，“hestammered。“Well——er——goodnight。Pleasantdreamstoyou。Seeyouinthemornin\'。“ Thegirlpausedatthechamberdoor。“Youwon\'thavetounbuttonmywaistnow，“shesaid。“Thisismyotheroneanditain\'tthatkind。“ Thedoorclosed。Thecaptain，withoutlookingathisfriends，ledthewaytothediningroom。 “Comeonouthere，“hewhispered。“Wecantalkbetterhere。“ Naturally，theywantedtoknowallaboutthegirl，whoshewasandwhereshecamefrom。CaptainCytoldasmuchofthehistoryoftheaffairashethoughtnecessary。 “Pooryoungone，“heconcluded，“shelandedontomeintherain，soppin\'wet，andha\'fsick。ICOULDN\'Tturnheroutthen——nobodycould。Courseit\'saneverlastin\'outrageonmeandthecheekiestthingeverIheardof，butwhatcouldIdo？IwasfixedagooddeallikeanEnglishfellerbythenameofGatenbythatIusedtoknowinSouthAmerica。Hewokeupinthemiddleofthenightandfoundaboaconstrictorcurledonthefootofhisbed。Nextday，whenacrowdofushappenedin，therewasGatenby，whiteasasheet，starin\'downatthesnake，anditsoundasleep。\'Ididn\'tinvitehim，\'hesays，\'buthelookedsobloomin\'comf\'tableI \'adn\'tthe\'earttodisturb\'im。\'Samewaywithme；thechildseemedsocomf\'tablehereIain\'thadthehearttodisturbher—— yet。“ “Butshesaidshewasgoin\'tostay，“putinBailey。“Youain\'tgoin\'toKEEPher，areyou？” Thecaptain\'sindignationwasintense。 “Who——me？”hesnorted。“WhatdoyouthinkIam？Iain\'trunnin\' anorphanasylum。No，sir！I\'llkeeptheyoungoneadayorso—— ormaybeaweek——andthenI\'llpackherofftoBetsyHowes。I ain\'tsosoftastheythinkIam。I\'LLshow\'em！” Mr。Tiddittlookedthoughtful。 “She\'sakindofcutelittlegirl，ain\'tshe？”heobserved。 CaptainCy\'sfrownvanishedandasmiletookitsplace。 “That\'sso，“hechuckled。“Sheis，nowthat\'safact！Idon\'tknow\'sIeversawacuter。“ CHAPTERVII CAPTAINCYPROVESDELINQUENT Aweekisn\'taverylongtimeeveninBayport。True，therewasonceadrummerforaBoston“notion“housewhosprainedhisankleontheicysidewalkinfrontofSimmons\'s，andwasthereforeobligedtoremaininthefrontbedroomoftheperfectboardinghouseforsevenwholedays。Heisquotedassayingthatnexttimehehopedhemightbreakhisneck。 “Brother，“askedtheshockedRev。Mr。Daniels，whowascallinguponthestranger，“areyoupreparedtofaceeternity？” “What？”wastheenergeticreply。“Afteraweekinthistown，andinthisbedroom？Lookhere，Mister，ifyouwanttoscaremeaboutthefutureyoujusthintthatthey\'llputmeonastrawtickinanicechest。Anythinghotandlively\'llonlybetemptingafterthis。“ Buttous，wholiveherethroughouttheyear，aweeksoonpasses。 AndtheendoftheweekfollowingEmilyThomas\'sarrivalattheCyWhittakerplacefoundthelittlegirlstillthereandapparentlynonearerbeingshippedtoIndianathanwhenshecame。Notsonear，ifMr。Tidditt\'sopinioncountsforanything。 “Gone？”herepeatedscoffinglyinreplytoBaileyBangs\'squestion。 “Coursesheain\'tgone！And，what\'smore，sheain\'tgoin\'togo。 Whit\'sgotsoalreadythathewouldn\'tpartwithhernomore\'nhe\'dcutoffhishand。“ “ButhekeepsSAYIN\'she\'sgottogo。Onlyyesterdayhewastellin\'howBetsy\'dfeelwhenthegirllandedonherwithhisletterinherpocket。“ “Sayin\'don\'tcountfornothin\'。ZoethCahoonkeepsSAYIN\'he\'sgoin\'tostopdrinkin\'，butheonlystopslongenoughtocatchhisbreath。Cy\'stellin\'himselffairyyarnsandhehopeshebelieves\'em。Manalive！can\'tyouSEE？Ain\'thegettin\'morefoolishovertheyoungoneeveryday？Don\'tshebosshimroundliketheoverseeronacranberryswamp？Don\'thelookmorecontentedthanhehassencehegotoffthecars？Itellyou，Bailey，thatchildfillsaplaceinWhit\'slifethat\'sbeenrunnin\'toseedandneededweedin\'。Nothin\'couldfillitbetter——unless\'twasanicewife。“ “WIFE！Oh，DObestill！Ibelieveyou\'rewoman-struckandatanagewhenithadn\'toughttobecatchin\'nomore\'nwhoopin\'cough。“ Mr。Bangsandthetownclerkweretheonlyones，exceptCaptainCy，whoknewthewholetruthconcerningthelittlegirl。Notthatthechild\'sarrivalwasn\'tnotedandvigorouslydiscussedbyalargeportionofthetownspeople。EmilyhadnotbeenintheWhittakerhousetwodaysbeforeAngelinePhinneycalled，hotonthetrailofgossipandsensation。But，persistentasAngelinewas，shedepartedknowingnotquiteasmuchaswhenshecame。TheinterviewbetweenMissPhinneyandthecaptainmusthavebeeninteresting，judgingbythelady\'saccountofit。 “Ineverseesuchamaninmyborndays，“declaredAngiedisgustedly。 “Youcouldn\'tgetnothin\'outofhim。Notthathewan\'tpleasantandsociable；landsakes！heactedasgladtoseemeasifIwashisrichauntcomeonavisit。Andhewaswillin\'totalk，too。That\'sthetrouble；hedoneALLthetalkin\'。Ihappenedtomention，justasasortofstarter，youknow，somethin\'aboutthecranb\'rycropthisfall；andafterthatallhecouldsaywas\'cranb\'ries，cranb\'ries，cranb\'ries！\'\'Hearyou\'vegotcomp\'ny，\'saysI。\'Didyou？\'sayshe。\'Nowain\'titstrangehowthings\'llgetspreadaround？OnlyyesterdayIheardthatJoeDimick\'sswampwasjustloadeddownwith“earlyblacks。“AndyetwhenIwentovertolookatittheredidn\'tseemtobesomany。Thereain\'tmuchbettercranb\'riesanywherethanourearlyblacks，\'hesays。\'Youtake\'em——\'Andsoon，andsoon，andsoon。_I_didn\'tcarenothin\' aboutthedrattedearlyblacks，buthedidn\'tseemtocarefornothin\'else。Hetalkedcranb\'riessteadyforanhourandahalfandIleftthathousewithmymouthallpuckeredup；it\'stastedsoureversence。Ineverseesuchaman！” WhenCaptainCywasquestionedbyAsaphconcerningtheacidconversation，hegrinned。 “Ididn\'tknowyouwassointerestedincranb\'ries，“observedTidditt。 “Iain\'t，“wasthereply；“butI\'mmoreinterestedin\'emthanIaminAngie。Iseeshewassufferin\'fromarushofcuriositytotheheadandIcuredherbyhomeopathdoses。EverytimesheopenedhermouthIdroppedan\'earlyblack\'intoit。It\'sagoodreceipt；youtellBaileytotryitonKeturysometime。“ Tohischumsthecaptainwasemphaticinhisordersthatsecrecybepreserved。Noonewastobetoldwhothechildwasorwhereshecamefrom。“Whattheydon\'tknowwon\'thurt\'emany，“declaredCaptainCy。AndEmily\'sanswertoinquiringsoulswhowouldfainhavedelvedintoherpastwastotheeffectthat“UncleCyrus“ didn\'tliketohavehertalkaboutherself。 “Idon\'tknow\'sI\'mashamedofanythingI\'vedonesofar，“saidthecaptain；“butIain\'tbraggin\'，either。TimeenoughtotalkwhenI sendherbacktoBetsy。“ Thattime，apparently，wasnotinthenearfuture。ThegirlstayedonattheWhittakerplaceandgrewtobemoreandmoreapartofit。AttheendofthesecondweekCaptainCybegancallingher“Bos\'n。“ “Abos\'n\'samightyhandymanaboardship，“heexplained，“andyou\'resohandyherethatitfitsinfirstrate。And，besides，itsoundssonatural。Mydadcalledme\'Bos\'n\'whenIwaslittle。“ Emilyacceptedthetitlecomplacently。Shewasquitecontentedtobecalledalmostanything，solongasshewaspermittedtostaywithhernewfriend。Alreadythebos\'nhadtakenchargeofthedeckandtherestoftheship\'scompany；CaptainCyand“Lonesome，“ thecat，obeyedherorders。 OnthesecondSundaymorningafterherarrival“Bos\'n“suggestedthatsheandCaptainCygotochurch。 “MotherandIalwayswentathome，“shesaid。“AndAuntieOliverusedtosaymeetingwasagoodthingforthosethatneededit。“ “ThinkIneedit，doyou？”askedthecaptain，who，inshirtsleevesandslippers，hadpreparedforaquietforenoonwithhispipeandtheBostonTranscript。 “Idon\'tknow，sir。IheardwhatyousaidwhenLonesomeateupthesteak，andIthoughtmaybeyouhadn\'tbeenforalongtime。I guesschurchesaredifferentinSouthAmerica。“ SotheywenttochurchandsatintheoldWhittakerpew。ThecaptainhadbeenthereoncebeforewhenhefirstreturnedtoBayport，butthesermonwasmoresomnolentthanedifying，andhehadn\'trepeatedtheexperiment。Thepairattractedmuchattention。 Fragmentsofaconversation，heardbyCaptainCyastheyemergedintothevestibule，hadmomentousconsequences。 “Kindofaprettychild，ain\'tshe？”commentedMrs。EbenSalters，pattingherfalsefrontintoplaceundertheeavesofherSundaybonnet。 “Prettyenoughintheface，“sniffedMrs。“Tad“Simpson，whowaswearingherblacksilkforthefirsttimesinceitsthirdmaking- over。“Prettyenoughthatway，Is\'pose。But，myland！lookatthewayshe\'srigged。Olddress，darnedandpatchedupandalloutgrown！IfIhadCyWhittaker\'smoneyI\'dbeashamedtohavearelationofminecometomeetin\'thatway。Evenifherfolkswaspoorer\'nJob\'soffoxI\'dspendalittleonmyownaccountandtrusttogettingitbacksometime。I\'dhavemorecareformyownself-respect。LookatAliciaAtkins。Seehowniceshelooks。 Themfeathersonherhatmusthavecostsomethin\'，Ibetyou。 Howdydo，\'Licia，dear？When\'syourpacomin\'home？” TheHonorableHemanhadlefttownonabusinesstriptotheSouth。 AliciawasaccompaniedbytheAtkinshousekeeperand，asusual，wasgarbedregardlessofexpense。 Mrs。SalterssmiledsweetlyupontheAtkinsheirandthenadded，inachurchwhisper：“Don\'tshelooksweet？Iagreewithyou，Sarah； itisstrangehowCaptainWhittakerletshislittleniecego。Andhimrich！” “Niece？”repeatedMrs。Simpsoneagerly。“Whosaid\'twashisniece？ Iheard\'twasachildhe\'dadoptedoutofahome。There\'sallsortsofqueeryarnsabout。I——Oh，goodmornin\'，Cap\'nCyrus！ HowDOyoudo？” Thecaptaingruntedananswertotheeffectthathewasbearingupprettywell，considering。Therewasascowlonhisface，andhespokelittleas，holdingEmilybythehand，heledthewayhome。 ThateveninghedroppedinattheperfectboardinghouseandbeggedtoknowifMrs。Bangshadany“fashionbooks“aroundthatshedidn\'twant。 “Imean——er——er——magazineswithpicturesofwomen\'sdudsin\'em，“ hestammered，inexplanation。“Bos\'nlikestolookat\'em。She\'sgreatonfashionbooks，Bos\'nis。“ KeturahgottogetherahalfdozennumbersoftheHomeDressmakerandotherperiodicalsofasimilarnature。Thecaptaintookthemunderhisarmanddeparted，whisperingtoMr。Tidditt，ashepassedthelatterinthehall： “Comeupbyandby，Ase。Iwanttotalktoyou。BringBaileyalong，ifyoucandoitwithoutstartin\'divorceproceedings。“ Later，whenthetriogatheredintheWhittakersittingroom，CaptainCyproducedthe“fashionbooks“andspokeconcerningthem。 “Yousee，“hesaid，“I——I\'vebeenthinkin\'thatBos\'n——Emily，thatis——wan\'triggedexactlythewaysheoughttobe。Haveyoufellersnoticedit？” Hisfriendsseemedsurprised。Neitherwasreadywithanimmediateanswer，sothecaptainwenton。 “CourseIdon\'tmeansheain\'tgotcanvasenoughtocoverherspars，“heexplained；“butwhatshehasgothasseenconsider\'bleweather，anditseemedtome\'twasprettynightimetohaulherintodrydockandrefit。That\'swhyIborrowedthesemagazinesofKetury。I\'vebeenlookin\'themoverandthereseemstobeplentyofriggin\'forsmallcraft；theonlythingisIdon\'tknowwhat\'stherightcutforherbuild。Bailey，you\'reamarriedman；yououghttoknowsomethin\'aboutwomen\'sclothes。Whatdoyouthinkofthis，now？” Heopenedoneofthemagazinesandpointedtothepictureofayounggirl，withawaspywaistandLilliputianfeet，who，arrayedinflouncesandfurbelows，wastoddlinggingerlydownaflightofmarblesteps。Shecarriedaparasolinonehand，andtheotherheldtheendofachaintowhichalong-haireddogwasattached。 Thetownclerkandhiscompanioninspectedtheyoungladywithdeliberationandinterest。 “Well，whatdoyousay？”demandedCaptainCy。 “Idon\'tcaremuchforthemkindofdogs，“observedAsaphthoughtfully。 “Goodland！youdon\'ts\'posetheyheavethedoginwiththeclothes，forgoodmeasure，doyou？Bailey，what\'syouropinion？” Mr。Bangslookedwise。 “Ishouldsay——“hesaid，“yes，sir，Ishouldsaythatwasarealstylishrig-out。Onlythingis，thatgirlisconsider\'blelessfleshythanEmily。Thisonelookstomeasifshewasbreakin\'intwoamidships。Still，Is\'poselikelythedudsdon\'tcomereadymade，sotheycouldbeletoutsome，tofit。What\'sthepriceofasuitlikethat，Whit？” Thecaptainlookedattheprintednumberbeneaththefashionplateandthenturnedtothedescriptioninthetext。 “\'Afternoongownformissofsixteen，\'“heread。“Humph！thatsettlesthat，firstcrack。Bos\'nain\'tbuthalfofsixteen。“ “Anyway，“putinAsaph，“youneedsomethin\'shecouldwearforenoons，ifshewantedto。What\'sthisone？Shelooksyoungenough。“ The“one“referredtoturnedouttobea“coatforchildoffour。“ Itwasthereforescornfullyrejected。Oneafteranotherthedifferentmagazineswereexaminedandthepicturesdiscussed。Atlengtha“costumeformissofeightyears“waspronouncedtobeprettynearlythething。 “Godfreyscissors！”exclaimedtheadmiringMr。Tidditt。“That\'smightyswell，ain\'tit？What\'sthestuffgoesintothat，Cy？” “\'Material，batiste，trimmedwithembroideredbatiste。\'Whatintimeisbatiste？” “Idon\'tknow。Doyou，Bailey？” “No；neverheardofit。Keturyneverhadnothin\'likethat，I\'msure。French，Ishouldn\'twonder。Well，Ketury\'sdownontheFrencheversenceshereadaboutNapoleonleavin\'hisfustwifetotakeupwithanotherwoman。Doesitsayanymore？” “Let\'ssee。\'Makesabeautifulgownforeveningorsummerwear。\' Summer！Why，bythebigdipper，we\'reagroundagain！Bos\'ndon\'twantsummerclothes。It\'scomin\'onwinter。“ Hethrewthemagazineonthefloor，rubbedhisforehead，andthenburstintoalaugh。 “Forgoodnesssake，don\'ttellanybodyaboutthisbusiness，boys！” hesaid。“IguessImustbehavin\'anearlyspringofsecondchildhood。ButwhenIheardthosewomenatthemeetin\'housegoin\' onabouthowpretty\'LiciaAtkinswasgotupandhowmeanandshabbyBos\'nlooked，itmademebile。And，bythebigdipper，I WILLshow\'emsomethin\'aforeIgetthrough，too！Only，dressin\' littlegirlsissomeoffmyusualcourse。Bailey，doesKeturymakeherownduds？” “Why，no！Courseshehelpsandstandsbyfororders，butEffieTaylorcomesandtakesthewheelwhiletheriggin\'sgoin\'on。 Effie\'sadressmakerand——“ “There！See，Ase？ItISsomegoodtohaveamarriedmanaboard，afterall。Adressmaker\'swhatwewant。I\'llhuntupEffieto-morrow。“ Andhuntheruphedid，withtheresultthatMissTaylorcametotheWhittakerplaceeachdayduringthefollowingweekandEmilywas，asthecaptainsaid，“riggedoutfreshfrommaintrucktokeelson。“Inthis“rigging“CaptainCyandhistwopartners—— JosiahDimickhadalreadychristenedthepair“TheBoardofStrategy“——tookamarkedinterest。Theywereonhandwheneachnewgarmentwastriedon，andtheyapprovedorcriticisedasseemedtothembest。 “Ain\'tthatkindofsoberlookin\'forayoungonelikeBos\'n？” askedthecaptain，referringtooneofthenewgowns。“Idon\'twanthertolookasifshewasdressedcheap。“ “Landsakes！”mumbledMissTaylor，hermouthfullofpins。“Thereain\'tanythingcheapaboutit，andyou\'llfinditoutwhenyougetthebill。That\'sanice，rich，sensiblesuit。“ “Iknow，butit\'ssoeverlastin\'quiet！Don\'tyouthinkalittleyellowandblackorsomeredstrungalongtheyardswouldsortoflivenitup？Why！yououghttoseethemGreasergirlsdowninSouthAmericaofaSundayafternoon。Color！andgo！Jerushy！ they\'dprettynighknockyoureyeout。“ Thedressmakersniffeddisdain。 “Cap\'nWhittaker，“sheretorted，“ifyouwantthischildtolooklikeanIndiansquaworabarber\'spoleyou\'llhavetogetsomebodyelsetodoit。I\'musedtodressingChristians，notyellerandblackheathenwomen。Redstrungalongaskirtlikethat！Ineverdid！” “There，there，Effie！Don\'tgetthebarometerfallin\'。Iwasonlysuggestin\'，youknow。Whatdoyouthink，Bos\'n？” “Why，UncleCyrus，Idon\'tbelieveIshouldlikeredverymuch；northeothercolors，either。Ilikethisjustasitis。“ “So？Well，you\'rethedoctor。Maybeyou\'reright。Iwouldn\'twantyoutolooklikeabarber\'spole。Don\'tloveTadSimpsonenoughtowanttoadvertisehisbusiness。“ MissTaylor\'scominghadotherresultsbesidestherefittingof“Bos\'n。“Shefoundmuchfaultwiththecaptain\'shousekeeping。ItdevelopedthathersisterGeorgiana，whohadbeenworkinginaBrocktonshoeshop，wasnowathomeandmightbeengagedtoattendtothehouseholddutiesattheWhittakerestablishment，providedshewasallowedto“gohomenights。“Georgianawasengaged，ontrial，anddidwell。Sothatproblemwassolved。 SchoolinBayportopensthefirstweekinOctober。Oflatetherehasbeenamovement，headedbysomeofthetownspeoplewhothinkcitywaysarebest，tohavethetermbegininSeptember。Butthisideahaslittlechanceofsuccessaslongascranberrypickingcontinuestobeourleadingindustry。Somanyofthechildrenhelpoutthefamilymeansbypickingcranberriesinthefallthatschool，untilthepickingseasonwasover，wouldbeslimlyattended。 ThelastweekinSeptemberfoundusalldiscussingthecomingofthenewdownstairsteacher，MissPhoebeDawes。Sinceitwasdefinitelysettledthatshewastocome，theoppositionhaddieddownandwaslessopenlyexpressed；butitwasthere，allthesame，beneaththesurface。CongressmanAtkinshadacceptedthesurprisingdefianceofhiswishwithcalmdignityandthephilosophyofthetrulygreatwhoarenottroubledbytrifles。Hislieutenant，TadSimpson，quotedhimassayingthat，ofcourse，thewilloftheschoolcommitteewasparamount，andhe，asallgoodcitizensshould，bowedtotheirverdict。“Farbeitfromme，“sothegreatmanproclaimed，“todesirethatmyopinionshouldcarrymoreweightthanthatofthehumblestofmyfriendsandneighbors。Speakingasonewhoseknowledgeoftheworldwas，perhaps——er——moreextensivethan——er——others，IfavoredtheNormalSchoolcandidate。Butthepersonschosentoselectthought——orappearedtothink——otherwise。 Ithereforesaynothingandawaitdevelopments。“ ThisattitudewasconsideredbymostofustoreflectcredituponMr。Atkins。Therewereafewscoffers，however。WhentheproclamationwasrepeatedtoCaptainCyhesmiled。 “Alpheus，“hesaidtoMr。Smalley，hisinformant，“youdidn\'tusetoknowDeaconZebClark，wholivedupbythesaltworksinmygranddad\'stime，hey？No，courseyoudidn\'t！Well，thedeaconwasagreatbelieverinhisownjudgment。Onetime，itbein\'Saturday，hiswifewantedhimtopumpthewashtubfullandtakeabath。Hesaid，no；saidthecisternwasawfullowand\'twoulduseupallthewater。Shesaidnosuchthing；therewaswatera-plenty。Toproveshewaswronghewentandpriedthecisterncoverofftolook，andfellin。Mrs。Clarkpeekeddownandsawhimthere，standin\'uptohisneck。 “\'Tabby，\'sayshe，\'youwouldhaveyourwayandI\'mtakin\'thebath。Butyoucanseeforyourselfthatwe\'llhavetocartwaterfromnowon。However，_I_ain\'tresponsible；throwmedownthesoapandtowel。\'“ “Humph！”gruntedSmalley，“Idon\'tseewhatthat\'sgottodowithit。Hemanain\'ttakin\'nobath。“ “Idon\'tknow\'sit\'sgotanythingtodowithit。ButhekindofmademethinkofZeb，allthesame。“ Thefirstdayofschoolwas，ofcourse，aMonday。OnSundayafternoonCaptainCyandBos\'nwentforawalk。ThesewalkshadbecomearegularpartoftheSabbathprogramme，theweather，ofcourse，permitting。Afterchurchthepaircamehomefordinner。 Themealbeingeaten，thecaptainwouldlightacigar——apipewasnowhardly“dressed-up“enoughforSunday——and，takinghissmallpartnerbythehand，wouldleadthewayacrossthefields，throughthepinesanddownbythemeadow“shortcut“tothecemetery。ThecemeteryisafavoriteSabbathresortforthenativesofBayport，whousuallyspeakofitasthegraveyard。Itisapleasant，shadyspot，andtovisititisconsideredquiterespectableandinkeepingwiththedayandadueregardfordecorum。Theungodly，meaningthesummerboardersandthevillageno-accounts，seemtopreferthebeachandthefishhouses，butthecemeteryattractsthechurchgoers。Onemaygossipconcerningtheprobablecostofanewtombstoneandstillremainfaithfultothemostrigidcreed。 CaptainCywasnot，strictlyspeaking，areligiousman，accordingtoBayportstandards。BetweenhisattendancetochurchlydutiesandthatoftheHonorableHemanAtkinstherewasagreatgulffixed。ButheratherlikedtovisitthegraveyardonSundayafternoons。Hismotherhadbeenusedtostrolltherewithhim，inhisboyhood，anditpleasedhimtofollowinherfootsteps。 SoheandBos\'nwalkedalongthegrass-coveredpaths，betweentheiron-fenced“lots“ofthewell-to-doandthehumblemoundsandsimpleslabswherethepoorweresleeping；pastthesumptuousgraniteshaftoftheAtkinslotandthetiltedmossystonewhichtoldhow“EdwinSimpson，ouronlyson，“hadbeen“accidentallyshotintheWestIndies“；outthroughthebackgateandupthehilltothepinegroveoverlookingthebay。Here，onascentedcarpetofpineneedles，theysatthemdowntorestandchat。 Emily，hersmallkneesdrawnupandencircledbyherarms，lookedoutacrosstheflats，nowhalfcoveredwiththerisingtide。Itwasamildday，morelikeAugustthanOctober，andtherewasalmostnowind。Thesunwasshiningontheshallowwater，andthesandbeneathitshowedyellow，checkeredandmarbledwithdarkgreenstreaksandpatcheswheretheweed-borderedchannelswoundtortuously。OnthehorizonthesandhillsofWellmouthnotchedthebluesky。Thegirldrewalongbreath。 “Oh！”sheexclaimed。“Isn\'tthisjustlovely！Idoliketheseaanawfullot。“ “That\'snaturalenough，“repliedhercompanion。“There\'sabigstreakofsaltwaterinyourbloodonyourma\'sside。Itpulls，thatkindofastreakdoes。There\'sdayswhenIfeeluneasyeveryminuteandhankerforadeckunderneathme。Thesettin\'roomfloorstaysaltogethertooquietonadaylikethat；I\'dliketofeelitheavin\'overagroundswell。“ “Say，Bos\'n，“hesaidafewminuteslater；“I\'vebeenthinkin\' aboutyou。You\'vebeentoschool，haven\'tyou？” “CourseIhave，“wastheratherindignantanswer。“IwenttwoyearsinConcord。Mammausedtohelpmenights，too。Icanreadalmostallthelittlewords。Don\'tIhelpyoureadyourpaper\'mosteverynight？” “Sartinyoudo！Yes，yes！Well，ourschoolopensto-morrerandI\'vebeenthinkin\'thatmaybeyou\'dbettergo。There\'sanewteachercomin\'，andIhearshe\'sprettygood。“ “Don\'tyouKNOW？Why，Mr。Tiddittsaidyouwastheonethatgothertocomehere！” “Yes；well，Asaphsays\'mosteverythingbuthisprayers。Still，heain\'tfuroffthistime；Ical\'lateIwassomeresponsibleforherbein\'votedin。YetIdon\'treallyknowanythingabouther。Yousee，I——well，nevermind。Whatdoyouthink？Wanttogo？” Bos\'nlookedtroubled。 “I\'dliketo，“shesaid。“CourseIwanttolearnhowtoreadthebigwords，too。ButIliketostayathomewithyoumore。“ “Youdo，hey？Sho，sho！Well，IguessIcangetalongbetweentimes。Georgiana\'stheretokeepmestraightandshe\'llseetothedustandthedishes。Iguessyou\'dbettergoto-morrermornin\'andseehowyoulikeit，anyhow。“ Thechildthoughtforamoment。 “Ithinkyou\'reawfulgood，“shesaid。“Ilikeyounexttomamma； evenbetterthanAuntieOliver。Iprintedalettertohertheotherday。ItoldheryouwerebetterthanweexpectedandIhaddecidedtolivewithyoualways。“ CaptainCywasstartled。Consideringthat，onlythedaybefore，hehadrepeatedtoBaileythedeclarationthatthearrangementwasbuttemporary，andthatBetsyHoweswasescapingresponsibilityonlyforamonthorso，hescarcelyknewwhattosay。 “Humph！”hegrunted。“You\'vedecidedit，haveyou？Well，we\'llsee。Nowyoutrotaroundandhaveagoodtime。I\'mgoin\'tohaveanothersmoke。I\'llbeherewhenyougetback。“ Bos\'nwanderedoffinsearchoflategoldenrod。Thecaptainsmokedandmeditated。Byandbythepuffswerelessfrequentandthecigarwentout。Itfellfromhisfingers。WithhisbackagainstapinetreeCaptainCydozedpeacefully。 Heawokewithajump。Somethinghadawakenedhim，buthedidnotknowwhat。Heblinkedandgazedabouthim。Thenheheardafaintscream。 “Uncle！”screamedBos\'n。“O——o——o——h！UncleCyrus，helpme！Comequick！” Thenextmomentthecaptainwasplungingthroughthescrubofhuckleberryandbayberrybushes，bumpingintopinesandsmashingthebranchesasideasheraninthedirectionofthecall。 Backofthepinegrovewasabiginclosedpasturenearlyaquarterofamilelong。Itsrearboundarywastheironfenceofthecemetery。Theotherthreesidesweremarkedbyrailfencesandastonewall。Asthecaptainflounderedfromthegroveandvaultedtherailfencehesworealoud。 “Bythebigdipper，“hegroaned，“it\'sthatcussedheifer！I forgother。Keepdodgin\'，Bos\'ngirl！I\'mcomin\'。“ ThepasturewastenantedbyaredandwhitecowbelongingtoSylvanusCahoon。Whetherornottheanimalhad，duringhercalfhooddays，beeninjuredbyawomanisnotknown；possiblyherbehaviorwasduemerelytoinnatedepravity。Atanyrate，shecherishedamortalhatredtowardhumanbeingsofherownsex。Withmenandboysshewasmeekenough，butnopersonwearingskirts，andalone，mightventureinthatfieldwithoutbeingchasedbythatcow。Whatwouldhappenifthepursuedonewascaughtcouldonlybesurmised，for，sofar，nofemalehadpermittedherselftobecaught。Fewwouldcomeevensonearastheothersideofthepasturewalls。 Bos\'nhadforgottenthecow。Shehadgonefromonegolden-rodclumptoanotheruntilshehadtraversednearlythelengthofthefield。Thentheviciouscreaturehadappearedfrombehindaknollinthepastureand，headdownandbellowingwickedly，hadrusheduponher。Whenthecaptainreachedthefar-offfence，thelittlegirlwasdodgingfromonedwarfpinetothenext，withthecowinpursuit。ThepineswerefewandBos\'nwasnearlyattheendofherdefenses。 “Help！”shescreamed。“Oh，uncle，whereareyou？WhatshallI do？” CaptainCyroaredinanswer。 “Keepitup！”heyelled。“I\'ma-comin\'！Shootyoueverlastin\' critter！I\'llbreakyourbackforyou！” Thecowdidn\'tunderstandEnglishitseemed，evensuchvigorousEnglishasthecaptainwasusing。Emilydodgedtothelastpine。 Theanimalwascloseuponher。Herrescuerwasstillfaraway。 Andthenthecemeterygateopenedandanotherpersonenteredthepasture。Asmallperson——awoman。Shesaidnothing，butpickingupherskirts，ranstraighttowardthecow，heedlessofthelatter\'sreputationandviciousappearance。Onehandclutchedthegatheredskirts。Intheothersheheldabook。 Don\'tbescared，dear，“shecalledreassuringly。Thentothecow： “Stopit！Goaway，youwickedthing！” Theanimalheardthevoiceandturned。Seeingthatthenewcomerwasonlyawoman，sheloweredherheadandpawedtheground。 “Runforthegate，littlegirl，“commandedtherescuer。“Runquick！”Bos\'nobeyed。Shemadeadesperatedashfromherpineacrosstheopenspace，andinanothermomentwassafeinsidethecemeteryfence。 “Scat！Gohome！”orderedthelady，advancingtowardthecowandshakingthebookather，asifthevolumewassomesortofdeadlyweapon。“Aren\'tyouashamedofyourself！Goaway！Youneedn\'tgrowlatme！I\'mnotabitafraidofyou。“ The“growling“wasthemutteredbellowwithwhichthecowwaswonttoterrorizeherfemininevictims。Butthisvictimrefusedtobeterrorized。Insteadofscreamingandrunningshecontinuedtoadvance，brandishingthebookandrepeatingherordersthatthecreature“gohome“atonce。Thecowdidnotknowwhattomakeofit。Beforeshecoulddecidewhethertochargeorretreat，agood- sizedstickdescendeduponherbackwitha“whack“thatsettledthequestion。CaptainCyhadreachedthesceneofbattle。 Thentherescuer\'scourageseemedtodeserther，forsheranbacktothecemeteryevenfasterthanshehadrunfromit。Whentheindignantcaptain，havingpursuedandchastisedthecowuntilthestickwasbutasplinteredremnant，reachedthehavenbehindtheironfence，hefoundhersoothingthefrightenedBos\'nwhowassobbingandhysterical。 Emilysawher“UncleCyrus“comingandrushedintohisarms。Hepickedherupand，holdingherwithagripwhichtestifiedtothenervestrainhehadbeenunder，steppedforwardtomeetthestranger，whosecominghadbeensoopportune。 AndsheWASastranger。ThecaptainknewmostofBayport\'sinhabitantsbythistime，orthoughthedid，buthedidnotknowher。Shewasasmallwoman，quietlydressed，andherhair，underaneatblackandwhitehat，wasbrown。Thehatwasnowatrifletoonesideandthehairwastheleastbitdisarranged，aneffectnotatallunbecoming。Shewastuckinginthestraywispsasthecaptain，withBos\'ninhisarms，cameup。 “Well，ma\'am！”puffedCaptainCy。“WELL，ma\'am！Imustsaythatwastheslickest，pluckiestthingeverIsawanywheres。Idon\'tknowwhatwould——I——IdeclareIdon\'tknowhowtothankyou。“ Theladylookedathimamomentbeforereplying。Thenshebegantolaugh，ajollylaughthatwaspleasanttohear。 “Don\'ttry，please，“shesaidchokingly。“Itwasn\'tanything。Oh，mercyme！I\'malloutofbreath。Yousee，IhadbeenwarnedaboutthatcowwhenIstartedtowalkthisafternoon。SowhenIsawherchasingyourpoorlittlegirlhereIknewrightawaywhatwasthematter。Itmusthavebeenfoolishenoughtolookat。I\'musedtodogsandcats，butIhaven\'thadmanypetcows。Itoldherto\'gohome\'andto\'scat\'andallsortsofthings。WonderIdidn\'ttellhertoliedown！AndthewayIshookthatridiculousbookatherwas——“ ShelaughedagainandthecaptainandBos\'njoinedinthelaugh，inspiteofthefrighttheybothhadexperienced。 “Thatbookwasdryenoughtofrightenalmostanything，“continuedthelady。“ItwasoneItookfromthetablebeforeIlefttheplacewhereI\'mstaying，andadullercollectionofsermonsIneversaw。Oh，dear！……there！Ismyhatanymorerespectablenow？” “Yes\'m。It\'saboutonanevenkeel，Ishouldsay。ButImusttellyou，ma\'am，youdonesimplygreatand——“ “Seemstomethepeoplewhoownthatcowmustbeapoorsettolethermakesuchanuisanceofherself。Didyourdaughterrunawayfromyou？” “Well，yousee，ma\'am，sheain\'treallymydaughter。Bos\'nhere—— that\'smynicknameforher，ma\'am——sheandIwasoutwalkin\'。I setdowninthepinesandIguessImusthavedozedoff。Anyhow，whenIwokeupshewasgone，andthefirstthingIknewofthisscrapewashearin\'herhail。“ Thelittlewoman\'smannerchanged。Hergrayeyesflashedindignantly。 “Youdozedoff？”sherepeated。“Withalittlegirlinyourcharge，andintheverynextlottothatcow？Didn\'tyouknowthecreaturechasedwomenandgirls？” “Why，yes；I\'dheardofit，but——“ “Itwasn\'tUncleCyrus\'sfault，“putinBos\'neagerly。“Itwasmine。Iwentawaybymyself。“ Beyondshiftinghergazetothechildtheladypaidnoattentiontothisremark。 “Whatdoyouthinkhermother\'llsaywhensheseesthatdress？” sheasked。