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？