第4章

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