第6章

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