ShallIgoand——“
　　“No！Setstill。“
　　Thepaironthesofasatstill。CaptainCystoodlikeastatueinthemiddleofthefloor。Hesquaredhisshouldersandjammedhisclenchedfistsintohispockets。Stepscrunchedthegravelofthewalk。Therecameaknockatthedoorofthediningroom。
　　Walkingsteadily，butwithafacesetasthefigureheadononeofhisownships，thecaptainwenttoanswertheknock。Theyheardthedooropen，andthenaman'svoiceasked：
　　“IsthisCap'nWhittaker？”
　　“Yes，“wastheshortanswer。
　　“Well，Cap，Iguessyoudon'tknowme，thoughmaybeyouknowsomeofmyfamily。Ha，ha！Don'tunderstandthat，hey？Well，youletmeinandI'llexplainthejoke。“
　　Thecaptain'sreplywascalmanddeliberate。
　　“Ishouldn'twonderifIunderstoodit，“hesaid。“Comein。
　　Don't——“Theremainderofthesentencewaswhisperedandthelistenersonthesofacouldnothearit。AmomentlaterCaptainCyenteredthesittingroom，followedbyhiscaller。
　　Thelatterwasastranger。Hewasabroad-shoulderedmanofmediumheight，withayellowishmustacheandbrownhair。Hewasdressedinrathershabbyclothes，withoutanovercoat，andhehadasoftfelthatinhishand。Themostnoticeablethingabouthimwasaslighthesitancyinhiswalk。Hewasnotlame，hedidnotlimp，yethisleftfootseemedtohaltforaninstantashebroughtitforwardinthestep。Theylearnedafterwardsthatithadbeenhurtinaminecave-in。Hecarriedhimselfwithaswagger，and，afterhisentrance，therewasaperceptiblearomaofalcoholintheroom。
　　HestaredattheBoardofStrategyandthestarewasreturnedinfullmeasure。BaileyandAsaphwerewildlycurious。They，ofcourse，connectedthestranger'sarrivalwiththemysteriousletterandthecaptain'sperturbationoftheday。
　　Buttheircuriositywasnottobesatisfied，atleastnotthen。
　　“Howareyou，gents？”hailedthenewcomercheerfully。“Likethelooksofme，doyou？”
　　CaptainCycutofffurtherconversation。
　　“Ase，“hesaid，“this——er——gentlemanandIhavegotsomebusinesstotalkover。Iknowyou'regoodenoughfriendsofminenottomindifIaskyoutoclearout。You'llunderstand。YouWILL
　　understand，boys，won'tyou？”headded，almostentreatingly。
　　“Sartinsure！”repliedMr。Tidditt，risinghurriedly。“Don'tsayanotherword，Whit。“AndthemystifiedBangsconcurredwitha“Yes，yes！Why，ofcourse！Didn'thavenothin'thatamountstonothin'tostayforanyhow。Seeyouto-morrer，Cy。“
　　Outsideandatthegatetheystoppedandlookedateachother。
　　“Well！”exclaimedAsaph。“Ifthatain'tthestrangestthing！Whowasthatfeller？Where'dhecomefrom？DidyounoticehowCyacted？Seemedtobeholdin'himselfinbymainstrength。“
　　“Didyousmelltherumonhim？”returnedBailey。“Onthatt'otherchap，Imean？Didn'thelooklikeareg'larno-accounttoyou？
　　Andsay，Ase，didn'theremindyouofsomebodyyou'dseensomewheres——kindof，inaway？”
　　Theywalkedhomeinadazedstate，askingunanswerablequestionsandmakingprofitlessguesses。ButAsaph'sfinalremarkseemedtosumupthesituation。
　　“There'stroublecomin'ofthis，Bailey，“hedeclared。“Andit'stroubleforCyWhittaker，I'mafraid。PooroldCy！Well，WE'LL
　　standbyhim，anyhow。Idon'tbelievehe'llsleepmuchto-night。
　　Didn'tlookasthoughhewould，didhe？WhoISthatfeller？”
　　IfhehadseenCaptainCy，attwoo'clockthenextmorning，sittingbyBos'n'sbedsideandgazinghopelesslyatthechild，hewouldhaverealizedthat，ifhisformerpredictionswerewipedofftheslateandhecouldbejudgedbytheoneconcerningthecaptain'ssleeplessnight，hemightthereafterposeasatrueprophet。
　　CHAPTERXI
　　ABARGAINOFF
　　“Mornin'，Georgianna，“saidCaptainCytohishousekeeperasthelatterunlockedthebackdooroftheWhittakerhousenextmorning。
　　“I'malittleaheadofyouthistime。“
　　MissTaylor，beingBayportbornandbred，wasanearlyriser。Shelodgedwithhersister，inBassett'sHollow，agoodhalfmilefromtheCyWhittakerplace，butshewasalwaysonhandatthelatterestablishmentbysixeachmorning，exceptSundays。Nowsheglancedquicklyattheclock。Thetimewastenminutestosix。
　　“Landsakes！”sheexclaimed。“Ishouldsayyouwas！Whatintheworldgotyouupsoearly？Ain'tsick，areyou？”
　　“No，“repliedthecaptainwearily。“Iain'tsick。Ididn'tsleepverywelllastnight，that'sall。“
　　Georgiannalookedsharplyathim。Hisfacewashaggardandhiseyeshaddarkcirclesunderthem。
　　“Humph！”shegrunted。“No，Iguessyoudidn't。Lookstomeasifyou'dbeenupallnight。“Thensheaddedananxiousquery：
　　“'Tain'tBos'n——sheain'tsick，Ihope？”
　　“No。She'sallright。Isay，Georgianna，youputonanextryplatethismornin'。Gotcompanyforbreakfast。“
　　Thehousekeeperwassurprised。
　　“Forbreakfast？”sherepeated。“Landofgoodness！who'scomin'forbreakfast？Ineverheardofcompanydroppin'inforbreakfast。
　　That'sonemealfolksgenerallygettohome。Whoisit？Mr。
　　Tidditt？HasKeturyturnedhimoutdoorbecausehe'stoobadanexampleforherhusband？”
　　“No，'tain'tAse。It'sa——afriendofmine。Well，notexactlyafriend，maybe，butanacquaintancefromoutoftown。Hecamelastevenin'。He'supinthesparebedroom。“
　　“Well，Inever！Comeunexpected，didn'the？IwishI'dknownhewascomin'。Thatspareroombedain'tbeenairedIdon'tknowwhen。“
　　“Iguesshecanstandit。Ical'latehe'ssleptinconsider'bleworse——Hum！Yes，hedidcomekindofsudden。“
　　“What'shisname？”
　　“Whatdifferencedoesthatmake？Idon'tknow'shisnamemakesanyoddsaboutgettin'hisbreakfastforhim。“
　　Georgiannawashurt。Hereasy-goingemployerhadneverusedthistonebeforewhenaddressingher。
　　“Oh！”shesniffed。“IsTHATthewayyoufeel？Allright！Icanmindmyownbusiness，thankyou。Ionlyaskedbecauseit'sconvenientsometimestoknowwhethertocallapersonBillSmithorSolJones。ButIdon'tcareifit'sNebuchadnezzar。Iknowwhentokeepmytonguestill，Iguess。“
　　Sheflouncedovertotherange。CaptainCylookedashamedofhimself。
　　“I'mkindofoutofsortsto-day，“hesaid。“Gotsomeheadache。
　　Why，hisnameis——is——yes，'tisSmith，cometothinkofit——JohnSmith。Funnyyoushouldguessright，wan'tit？”
　　“Humph！”wastheungraciousanswer。“Namesdon'tinterestme，I
　　tellyou。“
　　ThecaptainwasinthediningroomwhenBos'nappeared。
　　“Goodmorning，UncleCyrus，“shesaid。“You'vebeenwaiting，haven'tyou？AmIlate？Ididn'tmeantobe。“
　　“No，no！youain'tlate。Early，ifanything。Breakfastain'tquitereadyyet。Comehereandsetinmylap。Iwanttotalktoyou。“
　　Hetookheronhisknee。Shelookedupintohisface。
　　“What'sthematter，UncleCy？”sheasked。“Whatmakesyousosober？”
　　“Sober？Ifyouain'ttheoldestyoungoneforeightyearsIeversaw！Why，Iain'tsober。No，no！Say，Bos'n，doyoulikeyourschoolaswellasever？”
　　“Yes，sir。Ilikeitbetterallthetime。“
　　“Do，hey？Andthatteacherwoman——goonlikin'her？”
　　Thechildnoddedemphatically。“Yes，sir，“shesaid。“AndI
　　haven'tbeenkeptaftersincethatonce。“
　　“Sho！sho！Courseyouain't'！SoyouthinkBayport'sasniceasConcord，doyou？”
　　“Oh！lotsnicer！IfmammawasonlyhereI'dneverwanttobeanywhereelse。Andnotthen，maybe，unlessyouwasthere，too。“
　　“Hum！Wanttoknow！Say，Bos'n，howwouldyoufeelifyouhadtogosomewhereselse？”
　　“Tolive？Havewegotto？I'dfeeldreadful，ofcourse。Butifyou'vegottogo，UncleCyrus，why——“
　　“Me？No；Iain'tgottogoanywheres。But'twasyouIwasthinkin'
　　of。Wouldn'twanttoleavetheoldman，hey？”
　　“ToleaveYOU！Oh，UncleCyrus！”
　　Shewasstaringathimnowandherchinwastrembling。
　　“Uncle，“shedemanded，“youain'tgoingtosendmeaway？Haven'tI
　　beenagoodgirl？”
　　Thecaptain'slipsshuttight。Hewaitedamomentbeforereplying。
　　“'Deedyou'vebeenagoodgirl！”hesaidbrusquely。“Ineversawabetterone。No，Iain'tgoin'toSENDyouaway。Don'tyouworryaboutthat。“
　　“ButAliciaAtkinssaidonetimeyoutoldsomebodyyouwasgoingtosendmeoutWest，afterawhile。Ididn'tbelieveit，then，she'ssomean，butshesaidyousaid——“
　　“SAID！”CaptainCygroaned。“TheLordknowswhatIain'tsaid！
　　I'vebeenafool，dearie，andit'sajudgmentonme，Iguess。“
　　“Butain'tyougoin'tokeepme？I——I——“
　　Shesobbed。Thecaptainstrokedherhair。
　　“Keepyou？”hemuttered。“Yes，bythebigdipper！I'mgoin'tokeepyou，ifIcan——ifIcan。“
　　“Hello！”saidavoice。Thepairlookedup。Themanwhohadarrivedonthepreviousnightstoodinthesitting-roomdoorway。
　　Howlonghehadbeenstandingtherethecaptaindidnotknow。WhathedidknowwasthatMr。JohnSmithbydaylightwasnotmoreprepossessingthanthesameindividualviewedbytheaidofalamp。
　　EmilysawthestrangerandslidfromCaptainCy'sknees。Thecaptainrose。
　　“Bos'n，“hesaid，“thisisMr——er——Smith，who'sgoin'tomakeusalittlevisit。Iwantyoutoshakehandswithhim。“
　　ThegirldutifullyapproachedMr。Smithandextendedherhand。Hetookitandhelditinhisown。
　　“Isthisthe——“hebegan。
　　CaptainCybowedassent。
　　“Yes，“hesaid，hiseyesfixedonthevisitor'sface。“Yes。Don'tforgetwhatyousaidlastnight。“
　　Smithshookhishead。
　　“No，“hereplied。“Iain'tthekindthatforgets，unlessitpaysprettywell。There'ssomethingsI'verememberedforquiteafewyears。“
　　Helookedthechildoverfromheadtofootandhisbrowsdrewtogetherinanuglyfrown。
　　“Sothisisher，hey？”hemutteredmusingly。“Humph！Well，I
　　don'tknowasI'dhaveguessedit。Favorstheothersideofthehousemore——therespectableside，Ishouldsay。Still，there'salittlebrandofthelostsheep，hey？Enoughtoproveproperty，huh？Markofthebeast，Is'posethepsalm-singin'relationswouldcallit。D——nem！I——“
　　“Steady！”brokeinthecaptain。Mr。Smithstarted，seemedtorememberwherehewas，andhismannerchanged。
　　“Comeandseeme，honey，“hecoaxed，drawingthegirltowardhimbythehandhewasholding。“Ain'tyougotanicekissformethisfinemornin'？Don'tbescared。Iwon'tbite。“
　　Bos'nlookedshrinkinglyatMr。Smith'sunshavencheeksandthenatCaptainCy。Thelatter'sfacewasabsolutelydevoidofexpression。
　　Hemerelynodded。
　　SoEmilykissedoneofthebristlingcheeks。Thekisswasreturnedfulluponthemouth。Shewipedherlipsanddartedawaytoherchairbythetable。
　　“What'syourhurry？”inquiredthevisitor。“Don'tIdoitright？
　　BeensometimesinceIkissedagirl——alittleone，anyhow，“headded，winkingathishost。“Nevermind，we'llknoweachotherbetterbyandby。“
　　HelookedoninwonderingdisgustasBos'nsaidher“grace。“
　　“Whatinblazes！”heburstoutwhenthelittleblessingwasfinished。“Whoputheruptothat？Aleft-overfromthepsalm-
　　singers，isit？”
　　“Idon'tknow，“answeredthecaptain，speakingwithdeliberation。
　　“IdoknowthatIliketohaveherdoitandthatsheshalldoitaslong'sshe'satthistable。“
　　“Oh！sheshall，hey？Well，Ireckon——“
　　“Sheshall——ASLONGASSHE'SATTHISTABLE。Isthatrealplainandunderstandable，orshallIwriteitdown？”
　　Therewasanicyclearnessinthecaptain'stonewhichseemedtofreezefurtherconversationonthepartofMr。Smith。Hemerelygruntedandatehisbreakfastinsilence。Heateagreatdealandateitrapidly。
　　Bos'ndepartedforschoolwhenthemealwasover。CaptainCyhelpedheronwithhercoatandhood。Then，ashealwaysdidoflate，hekissedhergood-by。
　　“Hi！”calledMr。Smithfromthesittingroom。“Ain'tIinonthat？
　　Ifthere'sanykissesgoin'Iwanttotakeahandbeforethedeal'sover。“
　　“MustI？”whisperedBos'npleadingly。“MustI，UncleCy？Idon'twantto。Idon'tlikehim。“
　　“Comeon！”calledMr。Smith。“I'mgettin'overmybashfulnessfast。Hurryup！”
　　“MustIkisshim，UncleCyrus？”whisperedBos'n。“MUSTI？”
　　“No！”snappedthecaptainsharply。“Trotrightalongnow，dearie。
　　Beagoodgirl。Good-by。“
　　Heenteredthesittingroom。HisguesthadfoundtheSundayboxandwaslightingoneofhishost'scigars。
　　“Well，“heinquiredeasily，“what'snextonthebill？Anythinggoin'oninthisforsakenhole？”
　　“There'sabarbershopdowntheroad。Youmightgotherefirst，I
　　shouldsay。Notthatyouneedit，butjustasanoveltylike。“
　　“Humph！Idon'tknow。What'sthematterwithyourrazor？”
　　“Nothin'。AtleastIain'tfoundanythingwrongwithityet。“
　　“Oh！Say，lookhere！you'reaqueerguy，youare。Iain'tgotyourightinmymindyet。Oneminutebutterwouldn'tmeltinyourmouth，andthenextyou'refreshasanewegg。WhatISyourlittlegame，anyway？You'vegotone，sodon'ttellmeyouain't。“
　　CaptainCywasplainlyembarrassed。Hegazedatthe“ShoretoShore“pictureonthewallasheanswered。
　　“Nogameaboutit，“hesaid。“LastnightyouandIagreedthatnothin'wastobesaidforafewdays。YouwastostayhereandI'dtrytomakeyoucomfort'ble，that'sall。Thenwe'dseeaboutthatothermatter，settleonafairprice，and——“
　　“Yes，Iknow。That'sallright。Butyou'retoowillin'。There'ssomethingelse。Say！”Theuglyscowlwasinevidenceagain。
　　“Say，lookhere，you！youain'tgotsomethin'upyoursleeve，haveyou？Thereain'tsomethin'morethatIdon'tknowabout，isthere？
　　Nomoresecretsthanthat——“
　　“No！Youhearme？No！You'llgetyourrights，andmaybealittlemorethanyourrights，ifyou'redecent。Andit'llpayyoutobedecent。“
　　“Humph！”Mr。Smithseemedtobethinking。Thenheadded，lookingupkeenlyunderhisbrows：“Howaboutthe——theincumbranceontheproperty？Ofcourse，whenIgoI'llhavetotakethatwithme，and——“
　　CaptainCyinterrupted。
　　“There！there！”heexclaimed，andtherewasashakeinhisvoice，“there！there！Don'tlet'stalkaboutsuchthingsnow。I——I——
　　Let'swaitaspell。We'llhavesomemoreplanstomake，maybe。Ifyouwanttousemyrazorit'srightinthatdrawer。Justhelpyourself。“
　　Thevisitorlaughedaloud。Henoddedasifsatisfied。“Ho！ho！”
　　hechuckled。“Isee！Humph！yes——Isee。Thefoolsain'talldead，andthere'snonetobeatanoldone。Well！well！Allright，pard！Iguessyouandme'llgetalongfine。I'vechangedmymind；
　　IWILLgotothebarbershop，afterall。OnlyI'malittleshyofdustjustatpresent。So，toobligeafriend，maybeyou'llhandover，huh？”
　　Thecaptainreachedintohispocket，extractedatwo-dollarbill，andpassedittothespeaker。Mr。Smithsmiledandshookhishead。
　　“Youcan'tcomeinonthat，pard，“hesaid。“Thelimit'sfive。“
　　CaptainCytookbackthebillandexchangeditforonewithaVineachcorner。Thevisitortookitandturnedtowardthedoor。
　　“Ta！ta！”hesaid，takinghishatfromthepeginthediningroom。
　　“I'mofffortheclippers。WhenIcomebackI'llbethesweetestlittleWillieinthediggin's。Solong。“
　　Bos'nandthecaptainsatdowntothedinneratnoonalone。Mr。
　　Smithhadnotreturnedfromhistriptothebarber's。Hecamein，however，justbeforethemealwasover，stillinanunshorncondition，somewhatflushedandveryloquacious。
　　“Say！”heexclaimedgenially。“ThatSimpson'stherightsort，ain'the？Himandmetookashinetoeachotherfromthego-off。
　　He'sbeenWesthimselfandhe'sgotsomewidthtohim。He'snopsalmsinger。“
　　“Humph！”commentedthecaptain，withdelicatesarcasm。“Hedon'tseemtobemuchofabarber，either。What'sthematter？Goneoutofbusiness，hashe？Orwasyousowildorwoollyhegotdiscouragedbeforehebegun？”
　　“Greatsnakes！”exclaimedthevisitor。“Iforgotallabouttheclippers！Well，that'soneonme，pard！I'llmakeanewtrysoon'sgrub'sover。Don'tbesotight-fistedwiththesteak；thisisaplateI'mpassin'，notacontributionbox。“
　　HewinkedatBos'nandwouldhavechuckedherunderthechinifshehadnotdodged。SheseemedtohavetakenagreataversiontoMr。
　　Smithandwasplainlyafraidofhim。
　　“Ishegoingtostayverylong，UncleCyrus？”shewhispered，whenitwasschooltimeoncemore。“Doyouthinkhe'snice？”
　　CaptainCydidnotanswer。Whenshehadgoneandtheguesthadrisenfromthetableandputonhishat，thecaptainsaidwarningly：
　　“There'sonelittlebitofadviceIwanttogiveyou，MisterMan：
　　Abargain'sabargain，butittakestwotokeepit。Don'tletyourloveforTadSimpsonleadyouintotalkin'toomuch。Talk'scheap，theysay，buttoomuchofitmightbemightydearforyou。
　　Understand？”
　　Smithpattedhimontheback。“Lordloveyou，pard！”hechuckled，“I'mnospringchicken。I'mashardtoopenasasafe，Iam。Ittakesacanopenertogetanythingoutofme。“
　　“Yes；well，youcangetinsidesomefolkseasierwithacorkscrew。
　　I'vebeentoldthatTad'sakindofamediumsometimes。Ifheraisesanyspiritsinthatbackroomofhis，I'dleave'emalone，ifIwasyou。Solongasyou'redecent，I'llputupwith——“
　　ButMr。Smithwasonhiswaytothegate，whistlingasifhehadn'tacareintheworld。CaptainCywatchedhimgodowntheroad，andthen，withthedrawn，wearylookonhisfacewhichhadbeentheresincethedaybefore，heenteredthesittingroomandthrewhimselfintoachair。
　　MissPhoebeDawes，theschoolteacher，workedlatethatevening。
　　Therewereexaminationpaperstobegoneover，andexperiencehaddemonstratedthattheonlyplacewhereshecouldbefreefrominterruptionswastheschoolroomitself。AttheperfectboardinghousetheshrilltonesofKeturah'svoiceandthoseofMissPhinneyandMrs。Tripppenetratedthroughshutdoors。ItishardtofigurepercentageswhenthemostintimatedetailsofBayport'sfamilylifearebeingrecitedandgloatedoverontheothersideofathinpartition。AndwhenMatildaundertooktodefendtheCome-Outerfaithagainsttheassaultsofthemajority，theverbalriotwas，asMr。Tiddittdescribedit，“likefeedin'timeinaparrotshop。“
　　SoMissPhoebecametotheboardinghouseforsupperandthenreturnedtotheschoolroom，where，withalightedbracketlampbesideheronthedesk，shelaboreduntilnineo'clock。Thensheputonhercoatandhat，extinguishedthelight，lockedthedoor，andstartedonherlonelywalkhome。
　　“Themainroad“inourvillageisdarkafternineoclock。Thereisastreetlight——akerosenelamp——onapostinfrontoftheMethodistmeetinghouse，butthesextonforgetsit，generallyspeaking，or，atanyrate，neglectstofillitexceptatrareintervals。Simmons'sfrontwindowsareablaze，ofcourse，andsoarethedingypanesofSimpson'sbarbershop。Butthesetwocentersofsociabilityarebothatthedepotroadcorner，andwhentheyarepassedtheonlysourcesofilluminationarethescatteredgleamsfromthebackwindowsofdwellings。Asmostofusretirebyhalf-pasteight，theglowalongthemainroadisnotdazzling，tosaytheveryleast。
　　MissDaweswasnotafraidofthedark。Shehadbeenherownescortforagoodmanyyears。Shewalkedbrisklyon，heardthelaughterandloudvoicesinthebarbershopdieawaybehindher，passedtheschoolhousepond，nowbleakandchillwiththerawNovemberwindblowingacrossit，andbegantoclimbtheslopeofWhittaker'sHill。Andherethewind，rushinginunimpededoverthefloodedsaltmeadowsfromthetumbledbayoutside，woundherskirtsaboutherandmadeclimbingdifficultandbreath-taking。
　　Shewas，perhaps，halfwayupthelongslope，whensheheard，intheintervalsbetweenthegusts，footstepsbehindher。Sheknewmostofthevillagepeoplebythistimeandthethoughtofcompanywasnotunpleasant。Soshepausedandpantinglywaitedforwhoeverwascoming。Shecouldnotseemorethanafewyards，butthefootstepssoundednearerandnearer，and，amomentlater，aman'svoicebegansinging“AnnieRooney，“amelodythenpastitsprimeinthecities，butpopularizedinBayportbysomedepartedbatchofsummerboarders。
　　Shedidnotrecognizethevoiceandshedidnotparticularlyapproveofsinginginthestreets，especiallysuchloudsinging。
　　Soshedecidednottowaitlonger，andwasturningtocontinueherclimb，whenthepersonbehindstoppedhisvocalizingandcalled。
　　“Hi！”heshouted。“Hello，aheadthere！Whoisit？Holdonaminute，pard！I'mcomin'。“
　　Shedisobeyedtheorderto“holdon，“andbegantohurry。Thehurrywasofnoavail，however，forthefollowerbrokeintoarunandsoonwasbyherside。Hewasastrangertoher。
　　“Whee！Wow！”hepanted。“Thisisnoracetrack，pard。Pullup，andlet'stakeiteasy。Myoffleg'sgotakinkinit，andIdon'trunsoeasyasIusedto。Greatsnakes；what'syourrush？Ain'tyoufondofcompany？Hello！Ibelieveit'sawoman！”
　　Shedidnotanswer。Hismannerandthesmellofliquorabouthimweredecidedlyunpleasant。Theideathathemightbeatrampoccurredtoher。TrampsareourbugabooshereinBayport。
　　“Awoman！”exclaimedthemanhilariously。“Well，say！Ididn'tbelievetherewasonelooseinthistail-endofnowhere。Girlie，I'mgladtoseeyou。NotthatIcanseeyoumuch，butnevermind。
　　Allcatsaregrayinthedark，hey？Youcan'tseeme，neither，sowe'lltakeeachotherontrust。'She'smysweetheart，I'mherbeau。'Say，Maud，mayIseeyouhome？”
　　Shewasfrightenednow。TheWhittakerplaceonthehilltopwasthenearesthouse，andthatwassomedistanceoff。
　　“What'sthematter，Carrie？”inquiredtheman。“Don'tbescared。
　　Iwouldn'thurtyou。I'mjustlonesome，that'sall，andIneedsociety。Don'trush，you'llruinyourcomplexion。Here！comeundermywingandlet'stoddlealongtogether。How'smamma？”
　　Heseizedherarmandpulledherbackbesidehim。Shetriedtofreeherself，butcouldnot。Herunwelcomeescortheldherfastandshewasobligedtomoveasslowlyashedid。Itwasverydark。
　　“Say，whatISyourname？”coaxedtheman。“IsisMaud，hey？OrJulia？IalwayslikedJulia。Don'tbepeevish。Tellus，that'sagoodgirl。“
　　Shegaveaquickjerkandmanagedtopullherarmfromhisgrasp，givinghimaviolentpushasshedidso。He，beingunsteadyonhisfeet，tumbleddownthelowbankwhichedgedthesidewalk。Thensheranonupthehillasfastasshecould。Sheheardhimswearashefell。
　　ShehadnearlyreachedtheendoftheWhittakerfencewhenhecaughther。Hewaslaughing，andthatalarmedheralmostasmuchasifhehadbeenangry。
　　“Naughty！naughty！”hechuckled，holdingherfast。“Tryin'tosneak，wasyou？Notmuch！Notthistime！Didyoueverplayforfeitswhenyouwaslittle？Well，thisisaforfeitgameandyou'reIt。Youmustbowtotheprettiest，kneeltothewittiest，andkisstheoneyoulovebest。AndI'llletyouoffonthefirsttwo。Comenow！Payup！”
　　Thenshescreamed。Andherscreamwasansweredatonce。Agateswungbackwithabangandsheheardsomeonerunningalongthewalktowardher。
　　“OCap'nWhittaker！”shecalled。“Come！Comequick，please！”
　　HowsheknewthatthepersonrunningtowardherwasCaptainCyhasnotbeensatisfactorilyexplainedevenyet。Shecannotexplainitandneithercanthecaptain。Andequallyastonishingwasthelatter'sanswer。Hecertainlyhadnotheardhervoiceoftenenoughtorecognizeitundersuchcircumstances。
　　“Allright，teacher！”heshouted。“I'mcomin'！Letgoofthatwoman，you——Oh，it'syou，isit？”
　　HehadseizedMr。Smithbythecoatcollarandjerkedhimawayfromhisvictim。MissDawestookrefugebehindthecaptain'sbulkyform。Thetwomenlookedateachother。Smithwasrecoveringhisbreath。
　　“It'syou，isit？”repeatedCaptainCy。Then，turningtoMissPhoebe，heasked：“Didhehurtyou？”
　　“No！Notyet。Buthefrightenedmedreadfully。Whoishe？Doyouknowhim？”
　　Herpersecutoransweredthequestion。
　　“Youbetyourlifeheknowsme！”hesnarled。“Heknowsmemightywell！Pard，youkeepyournoseoutofthis，d'yousee！Youmindyourownbusiness。Iwan'tgoin'tohurtherany。“
　　Thecaptainpaidnoattentiontohim。
　　“Yup，Iknowhim，“hesaidgrimly。Thenheadded，pointingtowardthelightedwindowofthehouseahead：“You——Smith，yougointhereandstaythere！Trot！Don'tmakemespeaktwice。“
　　ButMr。Smithwastoofargonewithangerandthe“spirits“raisedbyTadSimpsontoheedthemenaceinthewords。
　　“Smith，hey？”hesneered。“Oh，yes，SMITH！Well，Smithain'tgoin'，d'yousee！He'sgoin'todowhathepleases。IreckonI'montopoftheroosthere！Iknowwhat'swhat！Youcan'ttalktome。I'vegotrights，Ihave，and——“
　　“Blastyourrights！”
　　“What？WHAT？Blastmyrights，hey？Oh，yes！Thinkbecauseyou'vegotmoneyyoucancheatmeoutof'em，doyou？Well，youcan't！Andhowabouttheotherpartofthoserights？S'poseI
　　walkrightintothathouseand——“
　　“Stopit！Shutup！You'dbetternot——“
　　“Andintothatbedroomandjustsay：'Emmie，here'syour——'“
　　Hedidn'tfinishthesentence。CaptainCy'sbigfiststruckhimfairlybetweentheeyes，andthebackofhisheadstruckthewalkwitha“smack！”Then，throughthefireworkswhichwereilluminatinghismuddledbrain，heheardthecaptain'svoice。
　　“Youlow-down，good-for-nothin'scamp！”growledCaptainCy。
　　“AllthisdayI'vebeenhatin'myselfforthewayI'veactedtoyou。I'vehatedmyselfandbeentryin'tospunkupcouragetosay'It'salloff！'ButIwastoomuchofacoward，Iguess。AndnowtheLordA'mightyhasMADEmesayit。Youwantyourrights，doyou？So？Thenget'emifyoucan。It'syouandmeforit，andwe'llseewho'sthebestman。Teacher，ifyou'rereadyI'llwalkhomewithyounow。“
　　Mr。Smithwasnotentirelycowed。
　　“Yougo！”heyelled。“Goahead！AndI'llgotoalawyer'sto-
　　morrow。Butto-night，andinsideoffiveminutes，I'llwalkintothathouseofyoursandgetmy——“
　　ThecaptaindroppedMissDawes'sarmandstrodebacktowherehisantagonistwassittinginthedustofthewalk。Stoopingdown，heshookabigforefingerintheman'sface。
　　“You'vebeenoutWest，theytellme，“hewhisperedsternly。“Yes！
　　Well，outWesttheytakethelawintotheirownhands，sometimes，I
　　hear。I'vebeeninSouthAmerica，andtheydoitthere，too。Justsosureasyougointomyhouseto-nightandtouch——well，youknowwhatImean——justsosureI'llkillyoulikeadog，ifIhavetochaseyoutoJericho。Nowyoucanbelievethatornot。IfIwasyouI'dbelieveit。“
　　Takingthefrightenedschoolmistressbythearmoncemorehewalkedaway。Mr。Smithsaidnothingtilltheyhadgonesomedistance。
　　Thenhecalledafterthem。
　　“Youwaittillto-morrow！”heshouted。“Youjustwaitandseewhat'llhappento-morrow！”
　　CaptainCywassilentallthewaytothegateoftheperfectboardinghouse。MissDaweswassilentlikewise，butshethoughtagreatdeal。Atthegateshesaid：
　　“CaptainWhittaker，I'mEVERsomuchobligedtoyou。Ican'tthankyouenough。“
　　“Don'ttry，then。That'swhatyousaidtomeaboutthecow。“
　　“ButI'malmostsorryyouweretheonetocome。I'mafraidthatmanwillgetyouintotrouble。Hashe——canhe——Whatdidhemeanaboutto-morrow？WhoIShe？”
　　Thecaptainpushedhiscapbackfromhisforehead。
　　“Teacher，“hesaid，“there'saproverb，ain'tthere，aboutlettin'
　　to-morrowtakecareofitself？Asfortrouble——well，IdidthinkI'dhadtroubleenoughinmylifetolastmethrough，butI
　　cal'lateI'vegotanotherguess。Anyhow，don'tyoufret。Ididjusttherightthing，andI'mgladIdidit。IfitwasonlymeI
　　wouldn'tfret，either。Butthere's——“Hestopped，groaned，andpulledthecapforwardagain。“Goodnight，“headded，andturnedtogo。
　　MissDawesleanedforwardanddetainedhim。
　　“Justaminute，Cap'nWhittaker，“shesaid。“IwasalittleprejudicedagainstyouwhenIcamehere。Iwastoldthatyougotmetheteacher'sposition，andtherewasmorethanahintthatyoudiditforselfishreasonsofyourown。WhenyoucalledthatafternoonattheschoolIwas——“
　　“Don'tsayaword！Iwasthebiggestfoolintownthattime，andI'vebeenashamedtolookintheglasseversince。Iain'talwayssuchanidiot。“
　　“ButI'vehadtojudgepeopleformyselfinmylifetime，“continuedtheschoolmistress，“andI'vemadeupmymindthatIwasmistakenaboutyou。Ishouldliketoapologize。Willyoushakehands？”
　　Sheextendedherhand。CaptainCyhesitated。
　　“Hadn'tyoubetterwaitaspell？”heasked。“You'veheardthatswabcallmepartner。Hadn't——“
　　“No；Idon'tknowwhatyourtroubleis，ofcourse，andIcertainlyshan'tmentionittoanyone。ButwhateveritisI'msureyouarerightandit'snotyourfault。Nowwillyoushakehands？”
　　Thecaptaindidnotanswer。Hemerelytooktheprofferedhand，shookitheartily，andstrodeoffintothedark。
　　CHAPTERXII
　　“TOWN-MEETIN'“
　　“Thisisgoin'tobeameMOriabletownmeetin'！”declaredSylvanusCahoon，withunction，risingfromthesetteetogazeabouthimovertheheadsofthevotersinthetownhall。“Ibetyoueveryable-
　　bodiedmaninBayport'llbeherethisforenoon。Yes，sir！that'swhatIcallit，ame-MO-riablemeetin'！”
　　“SeeanythingofCy？”inquiredJosiahDimick，whosatnexttoSylvanus。
　　“No，heain'tcomeyet。AndHemanain'there，neither。Hello！
　　there'sTad。Lookshappy，seemstome。“
　　CaptainDimickstooduptoinspectMr。Simpson。
　　“Humph！”hemuttered。“Well，unlessmycount'swrong，heain'tgotmuchtobehappyabout。'LonzoSnow'swithhim。Taddoeslooksortofjoyful，don'the？Themthatlaughslastlaughsbest。Whenthevoteforschoolcommittee'sallinwe'llseewhodoesthegrinnin'。ButIcan'tunderstand——Hello！there'sTidditt。
　　Asaph！Ase！S-s-t-t！Comehereaminute。“
　　Mr。Tidditt，tremblingwithexcitement，andshakinghandseffusivelywitheveryonehemet，pushedhiswayuptheaisleandbentoverhisfriend。
　　“Say，Ase，“whisperedJosiah，“where'sWhit？Whyain'theonhand？
　　Nothin'shappened，hasit？”
　　“No，“repliedthetownclerk。“Everythingseemstobeallright。
　　IstoppedinonthewayalongandCysaidnottowait；he'dbehereontime。He'sbeenkindofoffhisfeedforthelastdayorso，andIcal'latehedidn'tfeellikehurryin'。Say，Joe，nowhonest，whatdoyouthinkofmychances？”
　　SuchaconfirmedjokerasDimickcouldn'tloseanopportunitylikethis。Withtheaidofonetryingtobecheerfulunderdiscouragementheansweredthat，sofar，Asaph'schanceslookedfair，prettyfair，butofcourseyoucouldn'talwayssometimestell。Mr。Tiddittrushedawaytobeginthehandshakingalloveragain。
　　Fromthisroundofcordialityhewasreluctantlytornandconductedtotheplatform。Afterthumpingthedeskwithhisfistheannouncedthatthegatheringwould“cometoorderrightoff，astherewasconsider'blebusinesstobedoneanditoughttobegoin'ahead。“
　　Hethenproceededtoreadthecallforthemeeting。ThisceremonywasnosooneroverthanAbednegoSmall，“UncleBedny，“wasonhisfeetloudlydemandingtobeinformedwhythetown“hadn'tdonenothin'“towardfixinguptheBassett'sHollowroad。UncleBedny'sspeechhadproceedednofurtherthan“Fellercitizens，inthenameofanoutrageous——IshouldsayoutragedportionofourcommunityI——“whenhewaschokedoffbyaself-appointedcommitteewhoknewMr。Smallofoldandhadseatedthemselvesnearhimtobereadyforjustsuchemergencies。Thenextstep，judgedbymeetingsofotheryears，shouldhavebeentounanimouslyelectEbenSaltersmoderator；
　　butasCaptainEbenrefusedtoserve，owingtohisinterestintheWhittakercampaign，AlvinKnowleswas，byasmallmajority，chosenforthatoffice。Mr。KnowleswasadevoutadmirerofthegreatAtkins，andhiselectionwouldhavebeenconsideredapreliminaryvictoryfortheoppositionhaditnotbeenthatmanyofCaptainCy'sadherentsvotedforAlvinfromaloveofmischief，knowingfromexperiencehisignoranceofparliamentarylawandhiseasy-goingrule。“Nowthere'llbefun！”declaredonedelightedindividual。
　　“Anything'sinorderwhenAlvin'schairman。“
　　Theproceedingsofthefirsthalfhourweredisappointinglytame。
　　MostofushadcometheretowitnessapoliticalwrestlingmatchbetweenTadSimpsonandCyrusWhittaker。SomeevendaredhopethatCongressmanAtkinsmightdirecthisfightinperson。ButneithertheHonorablenorCaptainCywasinthehallasyet。SolonEldridgewasre-electedselectmanandsoalsowasAsaphTidditt。
　　NobodybutAsaphseemedsurprisedatthisresult。HisspeechofacceptancewouldundoubtedlyhavebeenatriumphoforatoryhaditnotbeeninterruptedbyUncleBedny，whorosetoemphaticallyprotestagainst“settin'roundandwastin'time“whentheBassett'sHollowroad“hadrutsdeepenoughtodrownacatinwhenevertherewasamore'naverageheavydew。“
　　TheBassett'sHollowdelegatebeingagaintemporarilysquelched，ModeratorKnowlesannouncedthatnominationsforthevacantplaceontheschoolcommitteewereinorder。Therewasaperceptiblestironthesettees。Thiswaswhatthemeetinghadbeenwaitingfor。
　　“NosignofCyorHemanyet，“observedMr。Cahoon，craninghisneckinthedirectionofthedoor。“It'sthequeerestthingeverI
　　see。“
　　“QueerenoughaboutCy，that'safact，“concurredCaptainDimick。
　　“Iain'tsosurprisedaboutHeman'snotcomin'。LooksasifWhitwasright；healwayssaidAtkinsdodgedarowwherefolkscouldwatchit。Doesmostofhisfightin'fromroundthecorner。Hello！
　　there'sTad。Nowyou'llseethecrownofgloryseton'LonzoSnow'shead。Hopethecrown'spaddedniceandsoft。Anythingwithsharpedgeswouldsinkin。“
　　ButMr。Simpson，itseemed，wasnotyetreadytoproceedwiththecoronation。Hehadrisentoaskpermissionofthemeetingtodefertheschoolcommitteematterforashorttime。Persons，importantpersons，whoshouldbepresentwhilethenominatingwasgoingon，hadnotyetarrived。Hewassurethatthegatheringwouldwishtohearfromthesepersons。Heaskedforonlyaslightdelay。
　　Matterssuchasthis，affectingthewelfareofourposterity，oughtnottobehurried，etc。，etc。
　　Mr。Simpson'srequestwasunexpected。Themeeting，apparently，didn'tknowhowtotakeit。UncleBednywasfirmlyheldinhisseatbythoseabouthim。LemuelMyricktookthefloortoprotest。
　　“Imustsay，“hedeclared，“thatIdon'tseeanyreasonforwaitin'。
　　Iffolksain'there，that'stheirownfault。Mr。Moderator，I
　　demandthatthenominatin'goahead。“
　　Tadwasonhisfeetinstantly。
　　“I'mgoin'toappeal，“hecried，“tothedecencyandgratitudeofthecitizensofthetownofBayport。OneofthepersonsI'm——thatis，we'rewaitin'forhasdonemoreforourbeautifulvillagethanalltherestofusputtogether。Thereain'tnoneedformetonamehim。Arightup-to-datetownpump，alovelymemorialwindow，a——“
　　“Howaboutthatharborappropriation？”criedavoicefromthesettees。
　　Mr。Simpsonwastakenaback。Hisfaceflushedandheangrilyturnedtowardtheinterrupter。
　　“That'syou，JoeDimick！”heshouted，pointinganagitatedforefinger。“Youneedn'tscoochdown。Iknowyourtongue。Theideaofyoufindin'faultbecauseabigmanlikeCongressmanAtkinsdon'tjumpwhenyouholler'Gitup！'WhatdoYOUknowaboutdoin'satWashington？Thatharborappropriation'llgothroughifanybodyonearthcangetitthrough。There'sotherplacesbesidesBayporttobeprovidedforand——“
　　“Andtheircongressmenprovidefor'em，“calledanothervoice。Tadwhirledtofacehisnewtormentor。
　　“Huh！”hegruntedwithsarcasm。“That'sLemMyrick，_I_know。
　　Lem，thegreatpainter，whovoteswherehepaintsandgetspaidaccordin'。“
　　“Order！”criedseveral。
　　“Oh，allright，Mr。Moderator！I'llkeeporderallright。ButI
　　saytoyou，Lem，andyou，JoeDimick，thatIknowwhoputthesesmartnotionsintoyourheads。Weallknow，unlesswe'rebornfools。Whoisitthat'sbeensayin'theHonorableHemanAtkinswasshirkin'thatappropriation？WhowasitsaidifHEwasrepresentativethethingwouldhavegonethroughaforethis？Who'sbeenmakin'hisbragsthathecouldgetitthroughifhehadthechance？Youknowwho！SodoI！Iwishhewashere。Ionlywishhewashere！I'dsayittohisface。“
　　“Well，heis。Heaveaheadandsayit。“
　　Everyoneturnedtowardthedoor。CaptainCyhadenteredthehall。
　　Hewasstandingintheaisle，andwithhimwasBaileyBangs。Thecaptainlookedverytired，almostwornout，buthenoddedcoollytoMr。Simpson，whohadretiredtohisseatwithsurprisingquicknessandapparentdiscomfiture。
　　“HereIam，Tad，“continuedthecaptain。“Sayyourpiece。“
　　ButTad，itappeared，wasnotanxiousto“sayhispiece。“Hewaswhisperingearnestlywithagroupofhisfollowers。CaptainCyhelduphishand。
　　“Mr。Moderator，“heasked，“canIhavetheflooraminute？AllI
　　wanttosayisthatIcal'lateI'mthefellerthelastspeakerhadreferenceto。IHAVEsaidthatIdidn'tseewhythatappropriationwassohardtoget。Isayitagain。Otherappropriationsaregot，andwhynotours？IDIDsayifIwasacongressmanI'dgetit。
　　Yes，andI'llsaymore，“headded，raisinghisvoice，“I'llsaythatifIwassenttoWashin'tonbythistown，congressmanornot，I'dmoveheavenandearth，andallcreationfromthePresidentdowntillIdidgetit。That'sall。Sowouldanyliveman，Ishouldthink。“
　　Hesatdown。Therewassomeapplause。BeforeithadsubsidedAbelLeonard，oneofthequickest-wittedofMr。Simpson'sworkers，wasonhisfeet，gesticulatingforattention。
　　“Mr。Moderator，“heshouted，“Iwanttomakeamotion。We'veallheardthebigtalkthat'sbeenmade。Allright，then！Imoveyou，sir，thatCaptainCyrusWhittakerbeappointedacommitteeofonetoGOtoWashin'ton，ifhewantsto，oranywhereselse，andseethatwegettheappropriation。Andifwedon'tgetittheblame'shis！There，now！”
　　Therewasaroaroflaughter。Thiswasexactlythesortof“tit-
　　for-tat“humorthatappealstoaYankeecrowd。Themotionwassecondedhalfadozentimes。ModeratorKnowlesgrinnedandshookhishead。
　　“Ajoke'sajoke，“hesaid，“andwealllikeagoodone。However，thismeetin'issupposedtobeforbusiness，notfun，so——“
　　“Question！Question！It'sbeenseconded！We'vegottovoteonit！”shoutedachorus。
　　“Don'tyouthink——seemstomethatain'tinorder，“beganthemoderator，butCaptainCyrosetohisfeet。Thegrimsmilehadreturnedtohisfaceandhelookedatthejoyousassemblagewithalmosthisoldexpressionofappreciativealertness。
　　“Nevermindthevote，“hesaid。“IrealizethatBrotherLeonardhasrathergotoneonme，sotospeak。Allright，Iwon'tdodge。
　　I'llBEacommitteeofoneontheharborgrab，andifnothin'comesofitI'lltakemyshareofkicks。Gentlemen，Iappreciateyourtrustfulnessinmyability。“
　　Thisbriefspeechwasahugesuccess。If，foramoment，thependulumofpublicfavorhadswungtowardSimpson，thistrumpingofthelatter'sleadingcardpusheditbackagain。Themoderatorhadsomedifficultyinrestoringordertothehilariousmeeting。
　　ThenMr。Myrickwasaccordedtheprivilegeofthefloor，inspiteofTad'sprotests，andproceededtonominateCyrusWhittakerfortheschoolcommittee。Lemhaddevotedhoursoftoilandwearisomementalstruggletothepreparationofhisaddress，anditwaslengthyandflorid。CaptainCywasdescribedaspossessingallthevirtues。Bailey，listeningwithahandbehindhisear，wasmovedtoapplauseatfrequentintervals，andevenAsaphforgotthedignityofhisexaltedpositionontheplatformandpoundedtheofficialdeskinecstasy。Theonlypersontoappearuninterestedwasthenomineehimself。Hesatlistlesslyinhisseat，hiseyescastdown，andhisthoughtsapparentlyfaraway。
　　JosiahDimicksecondedthecaptain'snomination。ThenMr。Simpsonsteppedtothefrontand，afterawistfulglanceatthedoor，begantospeak。
　　“Fellercitizens，“hesaid，“itismyprivilegetoputinnominationforschoolcommitteeamanwhosenamestandsforallthat'sgoodandcleanandprogressiveinthistownship。ButaforeIdoitI'mgoin'
　　toaskyoutoletmesayawordortwoconcernin'somethin'thatbearsrightonthismatter，andwhich，Ibelieve，everyoneofyououghttoknow。It'ssomethin'thatmostofyoudon'tknow，andit'llbeasurprise，abigsurprise。I'llbeasquickasIcan，andIcal'lateyou'llthankmewhenI'mdone。“
　　Hepaused。Themeetinglookedateachotherinastonishment。
　　Therewaswhisperingalongthesettees。ModeratorKnowleswasplainlypuzzled。Helookedinquiringlyatthetownclerk，butAsaphwasevidentlyquiteasmuchinthedarkasheconcerningthethreateneddisclosure。
　　“FellerBayporters，“wentonTad，“there'sonethingwe'veallagreedon，nomatterwhowe'vemeanttovotefor。Thatis，thatamemberofourschoolcommitteeshouldbeanupright，honestman，onefitmorallytolookoutforourdearchildren。Ain'tthatso？
　　Well，then，Iaskyouthis：Wouldyouconsideramanfitforthatjobwhodeliberatelycamebetweenafatherandhischild，whopizenedthemindofthatchildagainsthisownparent，andwhenthatparentcometoclaimthatchild，firsttriedtobuyhimoffandthenturnedhimoutofthehouse？Yes，andofferedviolencetohim。Anddoneit——markwhatIsay——forreasonswhich——which——well，wecanonlyguess'em，buttheguessmaynotbesoawfulbad。IsTHATthekindofmanwewanttohonorortolookoutforourownchildren'sschoolin'？”
　　Mr。Simpsonundoubtedlymeanttocauseasensationbyhisopeningremarks。Hecertainlydidso。Thestirandwhisperingredoubled。
　　Asaph，hismouthopen，staredwildlydownatCaptainCy。Thecaptainrosetohisfeet，thensankbackagain。Hislistlessnesswasgoneand，payingnoattentiontothoseabouthim，hegazedfixedlyatTad。
　　“Gentlemen，“continuedthespeaker，“lastnightIhadanexperiencethatIshan'tforgetaslongasIlive。Imetapoorman，apoor，lamemanwho'dbeenawayoutWestandgothurtbad。Folksthoughthewasdead。Hiswifethoughtsoanddiedgrievin'forhim。Sheleftalittlebabygirl，onlysevenoreightyearold。Whenthismancomeback，wellagainbutpoor，tolookuphisfamily，hefoundhiswifehadpassedawayandthechildhadbeensentoff，justtogetridofher，toastrangerinanothertown。Thatstrangerfullymeanttosendheroff，too；hesaidsodozensoftimes。Agoodmanyofyoufolksrighthereheardhimsayit。Butheneversenther——hekepther。Why？Well，that'sthequestion。_I_shan'tanswerit。_I_ain'taccusin'nobody。AllIsayis，what'seasyenoughforanyofyoutoprove，andthatisthatitcometolightthechildhadpropertybelongin'toher。Property！land，wuthmoney！”
　　Hepausedoncemoreanddrewhissleeveacrosshisforehead。Mostofhishearersweresilentnow，ontiptoeofexpectation。DimicklookedsearchinglyatCaptainCy。Thenhesprangtohisfeet。
　　“Order！”heshouted。“What'sallthisgottodowithnominatin'
　　forschoolcommittee？Ain'theoutoforder，Alvin？”
　　Themoderatorhesitated。Hishabitualindecisionwasnowcomplicatedbythefactthathewasascuriousasthemajorityofthosebeforehim。Therewereshoutsof，“Goahead，Tad！”“Tellustherest！”
　　“Lethimgoon，Mr。Moderator！”
　　CyWhittakerslowlyrose。
　　“Alvin，“hesaidearnestly，“don'tstophimyet。Asafavortome，lethimspinhisyarn。“
　　Simpsonwasreadyandevidentlyeagertospinit。
　　“Thisman，“heproclaimed，“thisfather，mournin'forhisdeadwifeandlongin'forhischild，comestothetownwherehewastofindandtakeher。Andwhenhemeetsthemanthat'sgother，whenhecomes，pooranddownonhisluck，whatdoesthisman——thisrichman——do？Why；fustofall，he'ssweeter'nsiruptohim，takeshimin，keepshimovernight，andthenextdayhesaystohim：'Youjustbequietandsaynothin'tonobodythatshe'syourlittlegirl。I'llmakeitwuthyourwhile。KeepquiettillI'mreadyforyoutosayit。'Andhegivesthefathermoney——notmuch，butsome。
　　Allrightsofur，maybe；butwait！Thenitturnsoutthatthefatherknowsaboutthisland——thisproperty。AndTHENthekind，charitableman——thisrichmanwithlotsofmoneyofhisown——turnsthepoorfatherout，tellin'himtogetthegirlandthelandifhecan，knowin'——KNOWIN'，mindyou——thatthefatherain'tgotacenttohirelawyersnoreventopayforhisnextmeal。Andwhenthefathersayshewon'tgo，butwantshisdearonethatbelongstohim，therichfellerabuseshim，knockshimdownwithhisfist！
　　Knocksdownapoor，weak，lameinvalid，justoffasickbed！IsTHATthekindofamanwewantonourschoolcommittee？”
　　Heaskedthequestionwithbothhandsoutspreadandtheperspirationrunningdownhischeeks。Themeetingwasinanuproar。
　　“NoneedformetotellyouwhoImean，“shoutedTad，wavinghisarms。“Youknowwho，aswellasIdo。You'vejustheardhimpraisedasbein'allthat'sgoodandgreat。But_I_say——“
　　“You'vesaidenough！Nowletmesayaword！”
　　ItwasCaptainCywhointerrupted。Hehadpushedhiswaythroughthecrowd，downtheaisle，andnowstoodbeforethegesticulatingMr。Simpson，whoshrankbackasifhefearedthatthetreatmentaccordedthe“poorweakinvalid“mightbecontinuedwithhim。
　　“Knowles，“saidCaptainCy，turningtothemoderator，“letmespeak，willyou？Iwon'tbebutaminute。Friends，“hecontinued，facingtheexcitedgathering——“forsomeofyouaremyfriends，orI'vecometothinkyouare——apartofwhatthismansaysisso。
　　ThegirlatmyhouseisEmilyThomas；hermotherwasMaryThomas，whosomeofyouknow，andherfather'snameisHenryThomas。Shecametomeunexpected，bein'sentbyaMrs。OliveruptoConcord，because'twaseithermeoranorphanasylum。Itookherinmeanin'
　　tokeepheralittlewhile，andthensendheraway。ButastimewentonIkeptputtin'offandputtin'off，andatlastIrealizedIcouldn'tdoit；I'dcometothinktoomuchofher。
　　“Fellers，“hewenton，slowly，“I——Ihardlyknowhowtotellyouwhatthatlittlegirl'scometobetome。WhenIfirststruckBayport，afterfortyyearsawayfromit，allIthoughtofwasmakin'overtheoldplaceandlivin'init。Ical'lateditwouldbeasortofParadise，andHOWIwasgoin'toliveorwhetherornotI'dbelonesomewitheveryoneofmyfolksdeadandgone，nevercrossedmymind。ButthelongerIlivedtherealonethelesslikeParadiseitgottobe；Irealizedmoreandmorethatitain'tfurnitureandfixin'sthatmakeahome；it'sthemyoulovethat'sinit。AndjustasI'daboutreachedtheconclusionthat'twasafailure，thewholebusiness，why，then，Bos'n——Emily，thatis——
　　droppedin，andinsideofaweekIknewI'dgotwhatwasmissin'inmylife。
　　“InevermarriedandchildrennevermeantmuchtometillIgother。She'sthebestlittle——little……There！Imustn'ttalkthisway。Ibluffedalotaboutnotkeepin'herpermanent，bein'
　　kindofashamed，Iguess，butdowninsidemeI'dmadeupmymindtobringheruplikeadaughter。SheandmewastolivetogethertillshegrewupandgotmarriedandI……Well，what'stheuse？A
　　fewdaysagocomealetterfromtheOliverwomaninConcordsayin'
　　thatthisHenryThomas，Bos'n'sfather，wan'tdeadatall，buthadturnedupthere，havin'learnedsomehowor'notherthathiswifewasgoneandthathischildhadbeenwilledalittlebitoflandwhichbelongedtohermother。HehadfoundoutthatEmmiewaswithme，andthelettersaidhewouldlikelycomeafterher——andtheland。
　　“Thatletterwaslikeaflashoflightnin'tome。Iwasdismastedandonmybeamends。Ididn'tknowwhattodo。I'dlearnedenoughaboutthisHenryThomastoknowthathewasnouse，adrunken，good-for-nothin'scampwhohadcruelizedhiswifeandthenrunoffandleftherandthebaby。Butwhenhecome，theverynightIgottheletter，Igavehimachance。Itookhimin；Iwaswillin'togivehimajobontheplace；Iwaswillin'topayforhiskeep，andmore。IDIDaskhimtokeephismouthshutandeventouseanothername。'Twasweakofme，maybe，butyouwanttorememberthishadcomeonmesudden。Andlastnight——theverysecondnight，mindyou——hewentoutsomewhere，perhapswecanguesswhere，boughtliquorwiththemoneyIgavehim，gotdrunk，andtheninsultedoneofthebestwomeninthistown。Yes，sir！Isayitrighthere，oneofthebest，pluckiestlittlewomenanywhere，althoughsheandIain'talwaysagreedoncertainmatters。IDIDtellhimtoclearout，andIDIDknockhimdown。Yes，andbythebigdipper，I'ddoitagainunderthesamecircumstances！
　　“Asfortheproperty，“headdedfiercely，“why，darntheproperty，Isay！Itain'twuthmuch，anyhow，and，if'twasanybody'selse，heshouldhaveitandwelcome。Butit'sBos'n's，and，bein'whatheis，heSHAN'Thaveit。Andheshan'thaveHERtocruelize，neither！BytheAlmighty！heshan't，solongasI'vegotadollartofighthimwith。Isaythattoyou，TadSimpson，andtotheman——
　　towhoeverputyouuptothis。There！I'vesaidmysay。Now，gentlemen，youcanchooseyourside。“
　　Hestrodebacktohisseat。Therewassilenceforamoment。ThenJosiahDimicksprangupandwavedhishat。
　　“That'sthewaytotalk！”heshouted。“That'saMAN！ThreecheersforCap'nWhittaker！Comeon，everybody！”
　　Buteverybodydidnot“comeon。“Thecheerswerefeeble。Itwasevidentthatthemajorityofthosepresentdidnotknowhowtomeetthisunexpectedcontingency。Ithadtakenthembysurpriseandtheywereundecided。Theuproarofargumentandquestionbeganagain，louderthanever。Thebewilderedmoderatorthumpedhisdeskandshoutedfeeblyfororder。TadSimpsontookthefloorand，inafewwordsandatthetopofhislungs，nominatedAlonzoSnow。AbelLeonardsecondedthenomination。Therewereyellsof“Question！
　　Question！”and“Vote！Vote！”
　　EbenSalterswasrecognizedbythechair。CaptainSaltersmadefewspeeches，andwhenhedidmakeoneitwasbecausehehadsomethingtosay。
　　“Mr。Moderator，“hesaid，“I，forone，hatetovotejustnow。Itisn'tthattheschoolcommitteeissoimportantofitself。ButI
　　dothinkthattherightsofafatherwithhischildISprettyimportant，andourvoteforCap'nWhittaker——andmostofyouknowI
　　intendedvotin'forhimandhavebeenworkin'forhim——mightseemlikeanindorsementofhisposition。Thiswholethingisabigsurprisetome。Idon'tfeelyetthatweknowenoughoftheinsidefactstogivesuchanindorsement。I'dliketoseethisThomasmanbeforeIdecidetogiveit——ornottogiveit，either。It'saqueerthingtocomeupattownmeetin'，butit'sup。Hadn'twebetteradjournuntilnextweek？”
　　Hesatdown。Themeetingwasdemoralized。Somewereshoutingforadjournment，othersto“Voteitout。“Astrawwouldturnthescaleandthestrawwasforthcoming。WhileCaptainCywasspeakingthedoorhadsilentlyopenedandtwomenenteredthehallandsoughtseclusioninacorner。Nowoneofthesemencameforward——theHonorableHemanAtkins。
　　Mr。Atkinswalkedsolemnlytothefront，amidstaburstofrecognition。Manyofthevotersrosetoreceivehim。Itwascustomary，whenthegreatmancondescendedtoattendsuchgatherings，toofferhimaseatontheplatform。ThistheobsequiousKnowlesproceededtodo。Asaphwastooovercomebythedisclosureof“JohnSmith's“identityandbyMr。Simpson'sattackonhisfriendtorememberevenhismanners。Hedidnotrise，butsatstonilystaring。
　　Themoderator'sgaveldescended“Order！”heroared。“Order，Isay！
　　CongressmanAtkinsisgoin'totalktous。“
　　TheHonorableHemanfacedtheexcitedcrowd。Onehandwasinthebreastofhisfrockcoat；theotherwasclencheduponhiship。Hestoodcalm，benignant，dignified——theincarnationofwisdomandrighteousworth。Theattitudehaditseffect；theapplausebeganandgrewtoanovation。Menwhohadintendedvotingagainsthisfavoredcandidateforgottheirintention，inthemagnetismofhispresence，andcheered。Hebowedandbowedagain。
　　“Fellowtownsmen，“hebegan，“farbeitfrommetoinfluenceyourchoiceinthematteroftheschoolcommittee。Stillfurtherbeitfrommetoinfluenceyouagainstanoldboyhoodfriend，aneighbor，onewhomIbelieve——er——hadbelievedtobeallthatwassincereandtrue。But，fellowtownsmen，myesteemedfriend，CaptainSalters，hasexpressedawishtoseeMr。Thomas，thefatherwhosestoryyouhaveheardto-day。Ihappentobeinapositiontogratifythatwish。Mr。Thomas，willyoukindlycomeforward？”
　　ThenfromtherearofthehallMr。Thomascame。Butthedrunkenrowdyofthenightbeforehadbeentransformed。Gonewasthescrubbybeardandtheshabbysuit。Shornwastheunkemptmopofhairandvanishedtheimpudentswagger。Hewasdressedincleanlinenandrespectableblack，andhismannerwasmodestandsubdued。
　　OnlyadiscolorationofoneeyeshowedwhereCaptainCy'sblowhadleftitsmark。
　　Hesteppedupontheplatformbesidethecongressman。Thelatterlaidahanduponhisshoulder。
　　“Gentlemenandfriends，“saidHeman，“mynamehasbeenbroughtintothiscontroversy，byMr。Simpsondirectly，andininsinuationby——
　　er——another。Thereforeitismyrighttomakemypositionclear。
　　Mr。Thomascametomelasteveningindistress，bothofmindandbody。Hetoldmehisstory——substantiallythestorywhichhasjustbeentoldtoyoubyMr。Simpson——and，gentlemen，Ibelieveit。ButifIdidnotbelieveit，ifIbelievedhimtohavebeeninthepastallthathisopponenthassaid；evenifIbelievedthat，onlylastevening，spurned，drivenfromhischild，pennilessandhopeless，hehadyieldedtotheweaknesswhichhasbeenhiscurseallhislife——
　　evenifIbelievedthat，stillIshoulddemandthatHenryThomas，repentantandearnestasyouseehimnow，shouldbegivenhisrightfulopportunitytobecomeamanagain。Heispoor，butheisnot——shallnotbe——friendless。No！athousandtimes，no！Youmaysay，someofyou，thattheaffairisnotmybusiness。IaffirmthatitISmybusiness。ItismybusinessasaChristian，andthatbusinessshouldcomebeforeallothers。Ihavenotallowedsympathytoinfluenceme。Ifthatwerethecase，myregardformyneighborandfriendofformerdayswouldhaveheldmefirm。But，gentlemen，Ihaveachildofmyown。Iknowwhatafather'sloveis，asonlyafathercanknowit。And，afterasleeplessnight，I
　　standherebeforeyouto-daydeterminedthatthismanshallhavehisown，ifmymoney——whichyouwill，I'msure，forgivemymentioning——andmyunflinchingsupportcangiveittohim。Thatismyposition，andIstateitregardlessofconsequences。“Hepaused，andwithraisedrighthand，likethepictureofJoveintheoldacademymythology，launchedhisfinalthunderbolt。“WhomGodhathjoined，“heproclaimed，“letnooneputasunder！”
　　Thatsettledit。Thecheersshookthewalls。AmidstthetumultDimickandBaileyBangsseizedCaptainCybytheshouldersandendeavoredtolifthimfromhisseat。
　　“Fortheloveofgoodness，Whit！”groanedJosiah，desperately，“standupandanswerhim。Ifyoudon't，we'llfoundersure。“
　　Thecaptainsmiledgrimlyandshookhishead。HehadnottakenhiseyesfromthefaceofthegreatAtkinssincethelatterbeganspeaking。
　　“What？”hereplied。“Afterthat'putasunder'sockdolager？Manalive！doyouwantmetoaddSabbathbreakin'tomyothercrimes？”
　　Thevote，byballot，followedalmostimmediately。ItwaspitifultoseetheerstwhileWhittakermajoritymeltaway。AlonzoSnowwastriumphantlyelected。Butahandfulvotedagainsthim。
　　CaptainCy，stillgrimlysmiling，roseandleftthehall。Asheclosedthedoor，heheardtheshrillvoiceofUncleBednydemandingjusticefortheBassett'sHollowroad。
　　Ithad，indeed，beena“memoriable“townmeeting。
　　CHAPTERXIII
　　THEREPULSE
　　WhenDeaconZebClark——thesameDeaconZebwhofellintothecistern，asnarratedbyCaptainCy——madehisfirstvisittothecity，yearsandyearsago，hestayedbuttwodays。Ashehadproudlyboastedthatheshouldremaininthemetropolisatleastaweek，ourpeopleweremuchsurprisedathisprematurereturn。Tothedriverofthebutchercartwhofoundhimsittingcontentedlybeforehisdwelling，amidsthisdesolateacres，thenearestneighborahalfmileaway，didDeaconZebdisclosehisreasonforleavingthecrowdedthoroughfares。“Therewassomanyfolksthere，“hesaid，“thatIfeltlonesome。“
　　AndCaptainCy，returningfromthetownmeetingtotheWhittakerplace，feltlonesomelikewise。NotfortheDeacon'sreason——hemetnooneonthemainroad，saveagroupofschoolchildrenandMissPhinney，and，sightingthelatterintheoffing，hedodgedbehindthetreesbytheschoolhousepondandwaiteduntilshepassed。Butthecaptain，histroublenowheavyuponhim，didfeeltheneedofsympathyandcongenialcompanionship。HeknewhemightcountuponDimickandAsaph，and，wheneverKeturah'ssupervisioncouldbeevaded，uponMr。Bangs。Buttheywerenottheadvisersandcomfortersforthishourofneed。AlltherestofBayport，hefeltsure，wouldbeagainsthim。HadnotKingHemantheGreatfromthestepsofthethrone，bannedhimwiththeroyaldispleasure！“IfHemaneverSHOULDcomerightoutandsay——“beganAsaph'swarning。
　　Well，strangeasitmightseem，Hemanhad“comerightout。“
　　Astowhyhehadcomeouttherewasnoquestioninthemindofthecaptain。ThelatterhadleftMr。Thomas，theprodigalfather，prostrateandblasphemousintheroadthepreviousevening。Hisnextviewofhimwaswhen，transformedandsanctified，hehadbeensummonedtotheplatformbyMr。Atkins。Nodoubthehadreturnedtothebarbershopand，inhisrageandunderMr。Simpson'scrossexamination，hadrevealedsomethingofthetruth。Tad，thepolitician，recognizingopportunitywhenitknockedathisdoor，hadhurriedhimtothecongressman'sresidence。Therestwasplainenough，soCaptainCythought。
　　However，warwasalreadydeclared，andthereasonsforitmatteredlittle。Thefirstskirmishmightoccuratanymoment。Thesituationwasdesperate。Thecaptainsquaredhisshoulders，thrustforwardhischin，andwalkedbrisklyupthepathtothedoorofthediningroom。Itwasnearlyoneo'clock，butBos'nhadnotyetgone。Shewaswaiting，totheverylastminute，forher“UncleCyrus。“
　　“Hello，shipmate，“hehailed。“Notheadedforschoolyet？Good！
　　Ical'lateyouneedn'tgothisafternoon。I'mthinkin'ofhirin'ateamanddrivin'toOstable，andIdidn'tknowbutyou'dliketogowithme。Thinkyoucould，withoutthatteacherwomanhavin'youbroughtupaftformutiny？”
　　Bos'nthoughtitover。
　　“Yes，sir，“shesaid；“Iguessso，ifyouwrotemeanexcuse。I
　　don'tliketobeabsent，'causeIhaven'tbeenbefore，butthere'sonlymyreadinglessonthisafternoonandIknowthateversowell。
　　I'dlovetogo，UncleCy。“
　　Thecaptainremovedhiscoatandhatandpulledachairforwardtothetable。
　　“Hello！”heexclaimed。“What'sthis——themail？”
　　Bos'nsmileddelightedly。
　　“Yes，sir，“shereplied。“IknewyouwasatthemeetingandsoI
　　broughtitfromtheoffice。Ain'tyouglad？”
　　“Sure！Yes，indeed！Muchobliged。Tryin'tokeephousewithoutyouwouldbelikesteerin'withoutarudder。“
　　Evenashesaidittherecametohimtherealizationthathemighthavetosteerwithoutthatrudderinthenearfuture。Hissmilevanished。Hesmotheredagroanandpickedupthemail。
　　“Hum！”hemused，“theBreeze，acircular，andoneletter。Hello！
　　itisn'tpossiblethat——Well！well！”
　　Theletterwasinalongenvelope。Hehastilytoreitopen。Attheinclosureheglancedinevidentexcitement。Thenhissmilereturned。
　　“Bos'n，“hesaid，afteramoment'sreflection，“Iguessyouandmewon'thavetogotoOstableafterall。“Noticingthechild'slookofdisappointment，headded：“Butyouneedn'tgotoschool。Maybeyou'dbetternot。Youandme'lltakeatrampalongshore。Whatdoyousay？”
　　“Oh，yes，UncleCy！Let's——shallwe？”
　　“Why，Idon'tseewhynot。We'llcruiseincompanyaslongaswecan，hey，littlegirl？Thesquall'slikelytostrikeaforenight，“
　　hemutteredhalfaloud。“We'llenjoythefineweathertillit'stimetoshortensail。“
　　Theywalkedallthatafternoon。CaptainCywasevenmorekindandgentlewithhissmallcompanionthanusual。Hetoldherstorieswhichmadeherlaugh，pointedoutspotsinthepineswherehehadplayedIndianwhenaboy，carriedher“pigback“whenshegrewtired，andkissedhertenderlywhen，atthebackdooroftheWhittakerplace，hesetheronherfeetagain。
　　“Hadagoodtime，dearie？”heasked。
　　“Oh，splendid！Ithinkit'sthebestwalkweeverhad，don'tyou，UncleCy？”
　　“Ishouldn'twonder。Youwon'tforgetourcruisestogetherwhenyouareabiggirlandoffsomewhereselse，willyou？”
　　“I'llNEVERforget'em。AndI'mnevergoinganywherewithoutyou。“
　　Itwasafterfiveastheyenteredthekitchen。
　　“AnybodybeenherewhileIwasout？”askedthecaptainofGeorgianna。
　　Thehousekeeper'seyeswereredandswollen，andshehuggedBos'nasshehelpedheroffwithherjacketandhood。
　　“Yes，therehas，“wasthedecidedanswer。“FirstAseTidditt，andthenBaileyBangs，andthenthat——thatAngiePhinney。“
　　“Humph！”musedCaptainCyslowly。“SoAngiewashere，wasshe？
　　Wherethecarcassisthevulturesareondeck，orwordssimilar。
　　Humph！DidourAngelicfriendhavemuchtosay？”
　　“DIDshe？And_I_hadsomethin'tosay，too！Ineverinmylife！”
　　“Humph！”Heremployereyedhersharply。“So？Andsosoon？Talkaboutthetelegraphspreadin'news！I'dbackmostanyhalfdozentonguesinBayporttospreadmorenews，andaddmoretrimmin'toit，inadaythanthetelegraphcoulddoinaweek。Especiallyifallthetelegraphoperatorswasliketheoneupatthedepot。
　　Well，Georgianna，whenyougoin'toleave？”
　　“Leave？Leavewhere？Whatareyoutalkin'about？”
　　“Leavehere。Ofcourseyourealizethatthisshipofours，“
　　indicatingthehousebyacomprehensivewaveofhishandaroundtheroom，“isgoin'tobeamightyunpopularcraftfromnowon。Wemaybeonaleeshoreanyminute。You'vegotyourownwell-bein'tothinkof。“
　　“Myownwell-bein'！Whatdoyous'poseIcareformywell-bein'
　　whenthere's——Cap'nWhittaker，youtellmenow！Isitso？”
　　“Someofitis——yes。He'scomebackandhe'swhohesaysheis。
　　You'veseenhim。Hewasherealldayyesterday。“
　　“SoAngiesaid，butIcouldn'tscarcelybelieveit。Thattoughy！
　　Cap'nWhittaker，doyouintendtohandoverthatpoorlittleinnocentthingto——tosuchamanasTHAT？”
　　“No。There'llbenohandin'overaboutit。Buttheoddsareagainstus，andthere'snoreasonwhyyoushouldbeintherumpus，Georgianna。Youmaynotunderstandwhatwe'refacin'。“