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Mr。Atkinssmiledabland，congressionalsmile。Heapproachedthegroupbythefenceandextendedhishand。
“Ah，Asaph！”hesaid；“itisyouthen？Ithoughtso。AndBailey，too。Itiscertainlydelightfultoseeyoubothagain。Yes，mydaughteriswell，Ithankyou。She，likeherfather，isgladtobebackintheoldhomenestaftertheroundofhotellifeandgayetywhichwehave——er——recentlyundergone。Yes。“
“Mr。Atkins，“saidBailey，glancingnervouslyatCaptainCy，whohadstoppedwhistlingandwasregardingtheAtkinshatandwhiskerswithaninterestedair，“Iwanttomakeyouacquaintedwithyournewneighbor。Youusedtoknowhimwhenyouwasaboy，but——but——
er——Mr。Atkins，thisisCaptainCyrusWhittaker。Cy，thisisCongressmanAtkins。You\'veheardusspeakofhim。“
Thegreatmanstarted。
“Isitpossible！”heexclaimed。“IsitpossiblethatthisisreallymyoldplaymateCyrusWhittaker？”
“Yup，“repliedthecaptaincalmly。“Howareyou，Heman？Fatter\'nyouusedtobe，ain\'tyou？Washin\'tonmustagreewithyou。“
BaileyandAsaphwerescandalized。Mr。Atkinshimselfseemedatrifletakenaback。CommentsonhispersonalappearancewerenotusualinBayport。Butheralliedbravely。
“Well，well！”hecried。“Cyrus，Iamdelightedtowelcomeyoubackamongus。Ishouldscarcelyhaveknownyou。Youareolder——yes，mucholder。“
“Well，fortyyearmoreorless，addedtowhatyoustartedwith，isapttomakeafellersomeolder。Don\'tneedanyNormalSchoolgraduatetodothatsumforus。I\'mwithinsevenoreightyearofbein\'asoldasyouare，Heman，andthat\'stooantiquetobesoldforveal。“
Mr。Atkinschangedthesubject。
“Ihadheardofyourreturn，Cyrus，“hesaid。“Itgavememuchpleasuretolearnthatyouwererebuildingand——er——renovatingthe——er——theancestral——er——“
“Theoldhomenest？Yup，I\'mputtin\'backafewfeathers。Oldbirdsliketoroostcomf\'table。You\'vegotafairlyroomycoopyourself。“
“Hum！Isn\'tit——er——Ishouldsupposeyouwouldfinditratherexpensive。Canyou——doyou——“
“Yes，Icanaffordit，thankyou。Maybethere\'llbeenoughleftinthestockin\'tobuyafewknickknacksfortheyard。Youcan\'ttell。“
ThecaptainglancedattheirondogsguardingtheAtkinsgate。Histonewasrathersharp。
“Yes，yes，certainly；certainly；ofcourse。Itgivesmemuchpleasuretohaveyouasaneighbor。Ihavealwaysfeltafondnessfortheoldplace，evenwhenyouallowedit——evenwhenitwasmost——
er——rundown，ifyou\'llexcusetheterm。Ialwaysfeltalikingforitand——“
“Yes，“wasthesignificantinterruption。“Ijudgedyoumusthave，fromwhatIheard。“
Thiswassteeringdangerouslyclosetotheselectmenandthecontemplated“salefortaxes。“Thetownclerkbrokeinnervously。
“Mr。Atkins，“hesaid，“there\'sbeenconsider\'bletalkintownaboutwho\'stobeteacherdownstairsthiscomin\'year。We\'vesortofchaweditoveramongus，butnaturallywewantedyouropinion。
Whatdoyouthink？I\'mkindofleanin\'towardtheDaweswoman，myself。“
TheCongressmanclearedhisthroat。
“Farbeitfromme，“hesaid，“tospeakexceptasamerememberofourlittlecommunity，anordinarymember，but，ASsuchamember，withthewelfareofmybirthplaceverynearanddeartome，I
confessthatIaminclinedtofavoramodernteacher，oneeducatedandtrainedintheinstitutionprovidedforthepurposebyourgreatcommonwealth。TheDawes——er——personisundoubtedlyworthyandcapableinherway，but——well——er——weknowthatWellmouthisnotBayport。“
Thereferenceto“ourgreatcommonwealth“hadbeengiveninthevoiceandthemannerwonttothrillusatourFourth-of-JulycelebrationsandOctober“rallies。“Twoofhishearers，atleast，werevisiblyimpressed。Asaphlookedsomewhatcrestfallen，buthesurrenderedgracefullytosuperiorwisdom。
“That\'sso，“hesaid。“That\'sso，ain\'tit，Cy？Ihadn\'tthoughtofthat。“
“What\'sso？”askedthecaptain。
“Why——why，thatWellmouthain\'tBayport。“
“Nodoubtofit。They\'retwentymilesapart。“
“Yes。Well，I\'mgladtohearyouputitsoconclusive，Mr。Atkins。
IcanseenowthatPhoebewouldn\'tdo。Hum！Yes。“
Mr。Atkinsbuttonedthefrockcoatandturnedtogo。
“Goodday，gentlemen，“hesaid。“Cyrus，permitmeoncemoretowelcomeyouheartilytoourvillage。We——mydaughterandmyself——
willprobablyremainathomeuntilthefall。Itrustyouwillbeafrequentcaller。Runinonusatanytime。Praydonotstanduponceremony。“
“No，“saidCaptainCyshortly，“Iwon\'t。“
“That\'sright。That\'sright。Goodmorning。“
Hewalkedbrisklydownthehill。Thetriogazedafterhim。
“Well，“sighedMr。Tidditt。“That\'ssettled。Andit\'sacomforttoknow\'tissettled。StillIdidkindofwantPhoebeDawes；butofcourseHemanknowsbest。“
“Courseheknowsbest！”snappedBailey。“Ain\'thethebiggestguninthiscounty，prettynigh？I\'dliketoknowwhoisifheain\'t。
Thecommittee\'llcalltheNormalSchoolgirlnow，andagoodthing，too。“
CaptainCywasstillgazingatthedignifiedformofthe“biggestguninthecounty。“
“Let\'ssee，“heasked。“Who\'sontheschoolcommittee？EbenSalters，ofcourse，and——“
“Yes。Eben\'schairmanandhe\'llvotePhoebe，anyhow；he\'sthatpig-headedthatnobody——notevenaUnitedStatesRepresentative——
couldchangehim。ButDariusEllis\'llbeforHeman\'swayandso\'llLemuelMyrick。
“LemuelMyrick？LemMyrick，thepainter？”
“Sartin。Thereain\'tbutoneMyrickintown。“
“Hum！”murmuredthecaptainandwassilentforsomeminutes。
TheschoolcommitteemetonthefollowingWednesdayevening。OnThursdaymorningastartlingrumorspreadthroughoutBayport。
PhoebeDaweshadbeencalled，byavoteoftwotoone，toteachthedownstairsschool。Asaph，aghast，rushedoutofSimmons\'sstoreanduptothehilltotheCyWhittakerplace。HefoundCaptainCyinthefrontyard。Mr。Myrick，schoolcommitteemanandhousepainter，waswithhim。
“Hello，Ase！”hailedthecaptain。“What\'sthematter？Hasn\'tthetidecomeinthismornin\'？”
Asaph，somewhatembarrassedbythepresenceofMr。Myrick，hesitatedoverhisnews。Lemuelcametohisrescue。
“AsehasjustheardthatwecalledPhoebe，“hesaid。“Whatofit？
Ivotedforher，andIain\'tashamedofit。“
“But——butMr。Atkins，he——“
“Well，Hemanain\'tonthecommittee，ishe？IvotethewayIthinkright，andnooneinthistowncanchangeme。Anyway，“headded，“I\'mgoingtoresignnextspring。Yes，Cap\'nWhittaker，Ithinkthreecoatsofwhite\'lldoonthesideshere。“
“Lem\'sgoin\'todomypaintin\'jobs，“explainedCaptainCy。“Hispricewasalittlehigherthansomeoftheotherfellers，butI
likehiswork。“
Mr。Tiddittpondereddeeplyuntildinnertime。ThenhecorneredthecaptainbehindtheBangsbarnandspokewithconviction。
“Whit，“hesaid，“you\'retheoneresponsibleforthecommittee\'shirin\'PhoebeDawes。YouofferedLemthepaintin\'jobifhe\'dvoteforher。Whatdidyoudoitfor？Youdon\'tknowher，doyou？”
“Neverseteyesonherinmylife。“
“Then——then——YouheardHemansayhewantedtheotherone。Whatmadeyoudoit？”
CaptainCygrinned。
“Ase，“hesaid，“I\'vealwaysbeenagreathandfortryin\'
experiments。Hadoneofmycooksaboardputraisinsintheflapjacksonce，justtoseewhattheytastedlike。IjudgedHemanhadhadhisownwayinthistownforthirtyoddyear。Ikindofwantedtoseewhatwouldhappenifhedidn\'thaveit。“
CHAPTERIV
BAILEYBANGS\'SEXPERIMENT
LemuelMyrick\'spaintingjobshavethequalitysoprizedbyourvillagesmallboysinthespeciesofcandycalled“jawbreakers，“
namely，thatof“lastinglong。“ButevenLemmustfinishsometimeorotherand，lateinJuly，theCyWhittakerplacewasreadyforoccupancy。Thepictureswereintheirplacesonthewalls，theold-fashionedfurniturefilledtherooms，therewasevenapileofoldmagazines，backnumbersofGodey\'sLady\'sBook，ontheshelfinthesittingroomcloset。
Then，whenCaptainCyhadnotifiedMrs。Bangsthattheperfectboardinghousewouldshelterhimnolongerthanthecomingweek，anewproblemarose。
“Whit，“saidAsaphearnestly，“you\'vesartinmadetheplaceriseupoutofitstomb；youhaveso。It\'samiracle，prettynigh，andI
cal\'lateitmusthavecostaheap，butyou\'vedoneit——allbuttheoldfolksthemselves。Youcan\'traisethemup，Cy；moneywon\'tdothat。Andyoucan\'tliveinthisgreathouseallalone。Who\'sgoin\'tocookforyou，andsweepanddust，andswabdecks，andonethinga\'nother？You\'llhavetohaveahousekeeper，asItoldyouaspellago。Haveyoudoneanythinkin\'aboutthat？”
Andthecaptain，takinghispipefromhislips，staredblanklyathisfriend，andanswered：
“Bythebigdipper，Ase，Iain\'t！Irememberwedidmentionit，butI\'vebeensobusygettin\'thiscraftoffthewaysthatIforgotallaboutit。“
ThediscussionwhichfollowedMr。Tidditt\'sreminderwaslongandserious。AsaphandBaileyBangsrackedtheirbrainsandofferednumeroussuggestions，butthemajorityofthesewerenotfavorablyreceived。
“There\'sMatildyTripp，“saidBailey。“She\'dlikethejob，I\'msartin。She\'sawidow，too，andshe\'shadexperiencekeepin\'housealongofTobias，himthatwasherhusband。But，ifyoudohireher，don\'tletKeturyknowIhintedatit，\'causewe\'regoin\'toloseoneboarderwhenyouquit，andthat\'stoomany，\'cordin\'totheoldlady\'swayofthinkin\'。“
“YoucankeepMatildy，forallme，“repliedthecaptaindecidedly。
“Come-Outerreligion\'sallright，forthosethathavethatkindofappetite，buthavin\'itpassedtomethreetimesaday，sameasI\'vehaditatyourhouse，isenough；Idon\'thankertohaveitwarmedoverbetweenmeals。IfIshippedMatildyaboardheresheandtheReverendDanielswouldstandoverme，watchandwatch，tillIwasconvertedorcrazy，oneortheother。“
“Well，there\'sAngie。She——“
“Angie！”sniffedMr。Tidditt。“Stopyourjokin\'，Bailey。Thisisaseriousmatter。“
“Iwan\'tjokin\'。What——“
“There！there！boys，“interruptedthecaptain；“don\'tfight。
Baileydidn\'tmeantojoke，Ase；he\'sfullofwhatthepaperscall\'unconscioushumor。\'I\'llgiveinthatAngieisaboutasseriousamatterasIcanthinkofwithoutsettin\'downtorest。Humph！sofurwehaven\'tgainedanyknotstospeakof。Anymorecandidatesonyourmind？”
Morepossibilitieswerementioned，butnoneofthemseemedtofillthebill。Theconferencebrokeupwithoutarrivingatadecision。
Mr。Bangsandthetownclerkwalkeddownthehilltogether。
“Doyouknow，Bailey，“saidAsaph，“thewayIlookatit，thispickin\'outahousekeeperforWhitain\'tanycommonjob。It\'ssomethin\'tothinkover。Cy\'sarestlesscritter；beencruisin\'
hitherandyonallhislife。I\'msortofscaredthathe\'llgettiredofBayportandquitifthingsheredon\'tgotosuithim。Nowifarealgoodnicewoman——aniceLOOKIN\'woman，say——wastokeephouseforhimit——it——“
“Well？”
“Well，Imean——thatis，don\'tyous\'poseifsomesuchwomanasthatwastobefoundforthejobhemightintimecometolikeherand——
and——er——“
“AseTidditt，whatareyoudrivin\'at？”
“Why，Imeanhemightcometomarryher；there！Thenhe\'dbecontentedtosettledowntohomeandstayput。Whatdoyouthinkoftheidea？”
“Thinkofit？Ithinkit\'sthedumdestfoolishnesseverIheard。
Ideclareiftheverymentionofawomantosomeofyouoldbachesdon\'tmakeyourheadssoftenuplikeajellyfishinthesun！Ain\'tCyWhittakergotmoney？Ain\'thegotanicehome？Ain\'thehappy？”
“Yes，heisnow，Is\'pose，but——“
“WELL，then！Andyouwanthimtogetmarried！Whatdoyouknowaboutmarryin\'？Nevertriedit，haveyou？”
“CourseIain\'t！YouknowIain\'t。“
“Allright。ThenI\'dkeepquietaboutsuchthings，ifIwasyou。“
“Youneedn\'tflyuplikeasettin\'hen。Everybody\'swifeain\'t——“
Hestoppedinthemiddleofthesentence。
“What\'sthat？”demandedhiscompanion，sharply。
“Nothin\'；nothin\'。_I_don\'tcare；Iwasonlytryin\'tofixthingscomf\'tableforWhit。HasHemansaidanythingabouttheharborappropriationsencehe\'sbeenhome？Ihaven\'theardofitifhehas。“
Mr。Bangs\'sanswerwasagrunt，signifyinganegative。CongressmanAtkinshadbeen，sincehisreturntoBayport，exceedinglynoncommittalconcerningtheappropriation。ToTadSimpsonandaveryfewchosenlieutenantsandintimateshehadsaidthathehopedtogetit；thatwasall。Thiswasadisquietingchangeofattitude，for，atthebeginningofthetermjustpassed，hehadaffirmedthathewasGOINGtogetit。However，asMr。Simpsonreassuringlysaid：“Thejob\'sinasgoodhandsascanbe，sowhat\'stheuseofOURworryin\'？”
BaileyBangscertainlywasnottroubledonthatscore；butthetownclerk\'sproposalthatCaptainCybeprovidedwithasuitablewifedidworryhim。Baileywassoverymuchmarriedhimselfandhadsuchdecided，thoughunspoken，viewsconcerningmatrimonythatsuchaproposalseemedtohimlunacy，pureandsimple。Hehadlikedandadmiredhisfriend“Whit“intheolddays，whenthelatterledthemintoallsortsofboyishscrapes；nowheregardedhimwithalikingthatwasclosetoworship。Thecaptainwassojollyandoutspoken；
sobraveandindependent——witnesshiscrossingofthegreatAtkinsinthematterofthedownstairsteacher。Thatwasarecklesspieceoffollywhichwould，doubtless，berewardedafteritskind，butBailey，thoughheprofessedtocondemnit，secretlywishedhehadtheplucktodaresuchthings。Asitwas，hedidn\'tdarecontradictKeturah。
WiththeexceptionofonevoyageascabinboytoNewOrleans，avoyagewhichconvincedhimthathewasnotmeantforaseaman，Mr。
BangshadneverbeenfartherfromhisnativevillagethanBoston。
CaptainCyhadbeenalmosteverywhereandseenalmosteverything。
HecouldspinyarnsthatbeattheserialstoriesinthepatentinsideoftheBayportBreezeallhollow。Baileyhadfiguredthat，whenthe“fixin\'over“wasended，theCyWhittakerplacewouldbeforhimadelightfulhavenofrefuge，wherehecouldputhisbootsonthefurniture，smokeuntildizzywithoutbeingpouncedupon，beentertainedandthrilledwithtalesofadventureafloatandashore，andevenexpresshisownopinion，whenhehadany，withthevoiceandlungpowerofafree-bornAmericancitizen。
AndnowAsaphTidditt，whoshouldknowbetter，eventhoughhewasabachelor，wantedtobringawifeintothisparadise；notapaiddomesticwhocouldbesilenced，ordischarged，ifshebecameanuisance，butaWIFE！Baileyguessednot；notifhecouldpreventit。
SohelayawakenightsthinkingofpossiblehousekeepersforCaptainCy，andcarefullyrejectingallthosepossessingdangerousattractionsofanykind。Eachmorning，afterbreakfast，heranoverthelistwiththecaptain，takingcarethatAsaphwasnotpresent。CaptainCy，whowasverybusywiththefinishingtouchesatthenewoldhouse，weariedonthethirdmorning。
“There，there，Bailey！”hesaid。“Don\'tbothermenow。I\'vegototherthingsonmymind。HowdoIknowwhoallthesewomenfolksareyou\'restringingofftome？Letmealone，do。“
“Butyoumusthaveahousekeeper，Cy。You\'llmoveinMondayandyouwon\'thavenobodyto——“
“Oh，dryup！IwanttothinkwhoImustseethismorning。There\'sLemandoldladyPenniman，and——“
“Butthehousekeeper，Cy！Don\'tyousee——“
“Hireoneyourself，then。Youknow\'em；Idon\'t。“
“Hey？Hireonemyself？Doyoumeanyou\'llleaveitinmyhands？”
“Yes，yes！Iguessso。Runalong，that\'sagoodfeller。“
Hedepartedhurriedly。Mr。Bangsscratchedhishead。Aweightyresponsibilityhadbeenlaiduponhim。
MondaymorningafterbreakfastCaptainCy\'strunkwasputaboardthedepotwagon，andDan\'lWebsterdrewittoitsowner\'shome。
Thefarewellsattheperfectboardinghousewereaffecting。Mrs。
TrippsaidthatshehadspokentotheReverendMr。Daniels，andhewouldbesuretocalltheveryfirstthing。Keturahaffirmedthatthecaptain\'sstayhadbeenarealpleasure。
“Youneverfindfault，Cap\'nWhittaker，“shesaid。“You\'resuchamanlyman，ifyou\'llexcusemysayin\'so。Ionlywishtherewasmorelikeyou，“withasignificantglanceatherhusband。AsforMissPhinney，shemighthavebeensayinggood-byyetifthecaptainhadnotexcusedhimself。
Asaphaccompaniedhisfriendtothehouseonthehill。Thetrunkwasunloadedfromthewagonandcarriedintothebedroomonthefirstfloor，theroomwhichhadbeenCaptainCy\'ssolongago。
GabeshriekedatDan\'lWebster，andthedepotwagoncrawledawaytowardtheupperroad。
“Gottomeettheuptrain，“grumbledthedriver。“Notthatanybodyevercomesonit，butIcal\'lateI\'ms\'posedtobethere。BemoretalkthanalittleifIwan\'t。Gitdap，Dan\'l！you\'reslower\'nthemorallaw。“
“Soyou\'regoin\'todoyourowncookin\'foraspell，Cy？”observedAsaph，ahalfhourlater，“Well，Iguessthat\'sagoodidea，tillyoucanfindtherighthousekeeper。Iain\'tbeenabletothinkofonethatwouldsuityouyet。“
“NorI，either。Neither\'sBailey，Ijudge，thoughforawhilehewasasfullofsuggestionsasapinegroveisofwoodticks。Hestartedtosaysomethin\'aboutittomelastnight，butKeturyhoveinsightandyankedhimofftoprayermeetin\'。“
“Yes，Iknow。Shecal\'latestogethimintoheavensomehow。“
“Iguess\'twouldn\'tBEheavenforherunlesshewasroundtopickat。Therehecomesnow。How\'dhegetoutofwipin\'dishes？”
Mr。Bangsstrolledintotheyard。
“Hello！”hehailed。“IwasonmywaytoSimmons\'sonanerrandandIthoughtI\'dstopinaminute。Gotsomethin\'totellyou，Whit。“
“Allright。Overboardwithit！Itwon\'tkeeplongthishotweather。“
Baileysmiledknowingly。“Didn\'tIheartheuptrainwhistleasI
wascomin\'along？”heasked。“SeemstomeIdid。Yes；well，ifI
ain\'tmistakensomebody\'scomin\'onthattrain。Somebodyforyou，CyWhittaker。“
“SomebodyforME？”
“Um——hum！Icangen\'rallybedependedon，Ical\'late，andwhenyousaystome：\'Bailey，yougetmeahousekeeper，\'Ididn\'tlosemuchtime。Igother。“
Mr。Tiddittgasped。
“GOTher？”herepeated。“Gotwho？Gotwhat？BaileyBangs，whatintheworldhave——“
“Belay，Ase！”orderedCaptainCy。“Bailey，whatareyougivin\'
us？”
“Givin\'youahousekeeper，andagoodone，too，Ishouldn\'twonder。
Shemaynotbeoneofthemten-thousand-dollarprizemuseumbeauties，“withascornfulwinkatAsaph，“butifwhatIhear\'strueshecankeephouse。Anyhowshe\'skeptoneforfortyoddyear。
Hername\'sDeborahBeasley，she\'sawidowovertoEastTrumet，andifIdon\'tmissmyguess，she\'sinthedepotwagonnowheadedinthisdirection。“
CaptainCywhistled。Mr。Tiddittwastoomuchsurprisedtodoeventhat。
“Iwasspeakin\'tothefellerthatdrivesthecandycart，“continuedBailey，“andIaskedhimifhe\'drunacrostanybody，durin\'histrips\'roundthecountry，who\'dbelikelytohireoutforahousekeeper。Hethoughtaspellandthennamedoversome。Among\'emwasthisBeasleyone。Iaskedsomemorequestionsand，theanswersbein\'satisfactorytoME，thoughtheymightnotbetosomefolks——“
anotherderisivewinkatAsaph——“Isetdownandwroteher，tellin\'
whatyou\'dpay，Cy，whatshe\'dhavetodo，andwhenshe\'dhavetocome。SaturdaynightIgotaletter，sayin\'termswasallright，andshe\'dbeonhandbythismornin\'strain。Courseshe\'sonlyontrialforamonth，butyouhadtohaveSOMEBODY，andthecandy-cartfellersaid——“
Thetownclerkslappedhisknee。
“DebbyBeasley！”hecried。“Iknowwhosheis！I\'vegotacousininTrumet。DebbyBeasley！AuntDebby，theycallher。Why！she\'soldenoughtobeMethusalem\'sgrandmarm，and——“
“IfIrecollectright，“interruptedBailey，withdignity，“CyneversaidhewantedaYOUNGwoman——afrivolous，giddycritter，alwaysriggin\'upandchasin\'thefellers。Hewantedasot，soberhousekeeper。“
“Godfrey！AuntDebbyain\'tfrivolous！Shecouldn\'tchasealameclam——andcatchit。AndDEEF！Godfrey——scissors！she\'sdeefer\'noneofthemcast-ironNewfoundlandsinHeman\'syard！Doyoumeantosay，BaileyBangs，thatyouwentahead，onyourownhook，andhiredthatoldrelicto——“
“Idid。AndIhadmyauthority，didn\'tI，Whit？Youtoldmeyou\'dleaveitinmyhands，nowdidn\'tyou？”
Thecaptainsmiledsomewhatruefully，andscratchedhishead。
“Why，tobehonest，Bailey，IbelieveIdid，“headmitted。“Still，Ihardlyexpected——Humph！isshedeef，asAsesays？”
“Iunderstandshe\'salittlemitehardofhearin\'，“repliedMr。
Bangs，withdignity；“butthatain\'tanydrawback，thewayIlookatit。Factis，I\'dcallitanadvantage，butyoufolksseemtobehardtoplease。Irutherimaginedyou\'dthankmeforgettin\'her，butIs\'posethatwastoomuchtoexpect。Allright，pitchherout！Don\'tmindMYfeelin\'s！Poorhomelesscrittercomin\'to——“
“Homeless！”repeatedAsaph。“What\'sthatgottodowithit？Cyain\'trunnin\'theOldWoman\'sHome。“
“Well，well！”observedthecaptainresignedly。“There\'snouseinrowin\'aboutwhatcan\'tbehelped。Baileysaysheshippedherforamonth\'strial，andherecomesthedepotwagonnow。That\'sherontheaftthwart，Ijudge。SheAIN\'Twhatyou\'dcallaspringpullet，isshe！”
Shecertainlywasnot。Theoccupantofthedepotwagon\'srearseatwasathin，nottosayscraggy，female，wearingablack，befloweredbonnetandablackgown。Ablackknitshawlwasdrapedabouthershouldersandsheworespectacles。
“Whoa！”commandedMr。Lumley，pilotingthedepotwagontothesidedooroftheWhittakerhouse。Dan\'lWebstercametoanchorimmediately。Gabeturnedandaddressedhispassenger。
“Herewebe！”heshouted。
“Hey？”observedtheladyinblack。
“Here——we——be！”repeatedGabe，raisinghisvoice。
“See？Seewhat？”
“Oh，heavenstoBetsey！I\'mgettin\'thecroupfromhowlin\'。I——
say——HERE——WE——BE！GETOUT！”
Heaccompaniedthefinalbellowwithanexpressivepantomimeindicatingthatthepassengerwasexpectedtoalight。Sheseemedtounderstand，forsheopenedthedoorofthecarriageandslowlydescended。Mr。Bangsadvancedtomeether。
“Howd\'yedo，Mrs。Beasley！”hesaid。“Gladtoseeyouallsafeandsound。“
Mrs。Beasleyshookhishand；herswerecovered，asfarastheknuckles，byblackmitts。
“Howd\'yedo，Cap\'nWhittaker？”shesaid，inashrillvoice。“Youprettysmart？”
Baileyhastenedtoexplain。
“Iain\'tCap\'nWhittaker，“heroared。“I\'mBaileyBangs，theonethatwrotetoyou。“
“Hey？”
Mr。LumleyandAsaphchuckled。Baileycoloredandtriedagain。
“Iain\'tthecap\'n，“hewhooped。“Hereheis——here！”
Heledherovertoherprospectiveemployerandtappedthelatteronthechest。
“Howd\'yedo，sir？”saidthehousekeeper。“Idon\'tknow\'sIjustcaughtyourname。“
Infiveminutesorsothesituationwasmadereasonablyclear。
Mrs。Beasleythendemandedhertrunkandcarpetbag。ThegrinningLumleyborethemintothehouse。Thenhedroveaway，stillgrinning。BaileylookedfearfullyatCaptainCy。
“SheISkindofhardofhearin\'，ain\'tshe？”hesaidreluctantly。
“YourememberIsaidshewas。“
Thecaptainnodded。
“Yes，“heanswered，“you\'reatruth-tellin\'chap，Bailey，I\'llsaythatforyou。Youdon\'texaggerateyourstatements。“
“Hardofhearin\'！”snappedMr。Tidditt。“Ifthelasttrumpain\'tasteamwhistleshe\'llmissJudgmentDay。I\'llstopintoSimmons\'sonmywayalongandbuyyouabottleofthroatbalsam，Cy；you\'regoin\'toneedit。“
Thecaptainneededmorethanthroatbalsamduringthefortnightwhichfollowed。ThewidowBeasley\'sdeafnesswasnotheronlyfailing。Infactshewasaltogetherafailure，sofarasherhousekeepingwasconcerned。Shecouldcook，afterafashion，butthefashionwassolimitedthateventhebilloffareattheperfectboardinghouselookedtemptinginretrospect。
“Bakedbeansagain，Cy！”exclaimedAsaph，droppinginoneeveningaftersupper。“\'Tain\'tSaturdaynightsosoon，isit？”
“No，“wasthedismalrejoinder。“It\'sTuesday，ifmyalmanacain\'toutofjoint。ButwehadbeansSaturdayandtheyain\'tallgoneyet，soIpresumewe\'llhave\'emtillthelastone\'sswallowed。
AuntDebby\'sgotwhatthepieceintheReaderusedtocalla\'frugalmind。\'Shedon\'tintendtowasteanything。LastThursdayIspunkedupcourageenoughtoyellforsaltfishandpotatoes——
fixedupwithporkscraps，youknow，same\'sweusedtohavewhenI
wasaboy。Wehad\'emallright，andifbeansofaSaturdayhadn\'tbeenpartofherreligionwe\'dbewarmin\'\'emupyet。Itookinacatforcompany\'totherday，butthecritter\'srunaway。Toseeitlookatthebeansinitssaucerandthenatmewaspitiful；Ifeltlikehandin\'myselfovertotheCrueltytoAnimals\'folks。“
“Issheneat？”inquiredMr。Tidditt。
“Idon\'tknow。Iguessso——ontheinstallmentplan。Ittakesheraweektoscrubupthekitchen，andthenoneendofitissodirtyshehastobeginagain。ConsequentlythedustissothickintherestofthehousethatIcanseemytracks。If\'twan\'tsolateintheseasonI\'dplantgardenstuffintheparlor——nicesoilandlotsofshade，withthecurtainsdown。“
Fromtheroomsintherearcamethewordsofagospelhymnsunginatremuloussopranoandatconcertpitch。
“Musicwithmymeals，justlikeahigh-tonedrestaurant，“commentedCaptainCy。
“Butwhatmakeshersingsoeverlastin\'LOUD？”
“Can\'thearherselfifshedon\'t。Icouldstandherdeefness，becausethat\'sanafflictionandwemayallcometoit；but——“
Thehousekeeper，stillsinging，enteredtheroomandplantedherselfinachair。
“Goodevenin\'，Mr。Tidditt，“shesaid，smilinggenially。“Niceweatherwe\'vebeenhavin\'。“
Asaphnodded。
“Sociablecritter，ain\'tshe！”observedthecaptain。“Alwayswillin\'tohelpentertain。Comesandsetsupwithmetillbedtime。
Tellsaboutherfamilytroubles。PreachesabouthernieceoutWest，andhowsetthenieceandtherestoftheWesternrelationsaretohavehermake\'emavisit。Itoldhershebettergo——I
thought\'twoulddohergood。Iknow\'twouldhelpMEconsider\'bletoseeherstart。
“She\'sgotsonowshefindsfaultwithmyneckties，“headded，“saysImustbecarefulandnotgetmyfeetwet。PicksoutwhatI
oughttowearso\'sIwon\'tgetcold。She\'lladoptmeprettysoon。
Oh，it\'sallright！Shecan\'thearwhatyousay。Areyourdishesdone？”heshrieked，turningtotheoldlady。
“One？Onewhat？”inquiredMrs。Beasley。
“Theywon\'tBEdonetillyougo，Ase，“continuedthemasterofthehouse。“She\'llstaywithustillthelastgunfires。T\'otherdayAngiePhinneycalledandIturnedDebbylooseonher。Ididn\'tbelieveanythingcouldwearoutAngie\'stalkin\'machinery，butshedidit。Angelinestayedtwentyminutesandthenquit，hoarseasacrow。“
Herethewidowjoinedintheconversation，evidentlyundertheimpressionthatnothinghadbeensaidsinceshelastspoke。
Continuingherfavorablecommentsontheweathersheobservedthatshewasgladtherewassolittlefog，becausefogwashardforfolkswith“neuralgypains。“Herbrother\'swife\'scousinhad“neuralgy“foryears，andshedescribedhissufferingswithenthusiasmandinfinitedetail。Mr。Tiddittansweredherquestionsverballyatfirst；laterbynodsandshakesofthehead。CaptainCyfidgetedinhischair。
“Comeonoutdoor，Ase，“hesaidatlast。“Nousetowaittillsherunsdown，\'causeshe\'saself-winder，guaranteedtokeepgoin\'forayear。Good-night！”heshouted，addressingMrs。Beasley，andheadingforthedoor。
“Whereyougoin\'？”askedtheoldlady。
“No。Yes。Whosaidso？Hooray！ThreecheersforGen\'ralScott！
Comeon，Ase！”Andthecaptain，seizinghisfriendbythearm，draggedhimintotheopenair，andslammedthedoor。
“Areyoucrazy？”demandedtheastonishedtownclerk。“Whatmakesyoutalklikethat？”
“Mightaswell。Shewouldn\'tunderstanditanybetterif\'twasScripture，anditsavesbrainwork。TheonlysatisfactionIgetisbein\'abletogivemyopinionofherandthegrubwithouthurtin\'
herfeelin\'s。IfIcalledherawooden-headedjumpin\'jackshe\'donlysmileandsayNo，shedidn\'tthink\'twasgoin\'torain，orsomethin\'justasbrilliant。“
“Well，whydon\'tyougiveherherwalkin\'papers？”
“Ishall，whenhermonth\'sup。“
“Iwouldn\'twaitnomonth。I\'dheaveheroverboardto-night。YouhearME！”
CaptainCyshookhishead。
“Ican\'t，verywell，“hereplied。“IhatetomakeherfeelTOO
bad。Whenthemonth\'soverI\'llhavesomeexcuseready，maybe。
Thejokeofitisthatshedon\'treallyneedtoworkout。She\'sgotsomemoneyofherown，ownscranberryswampsandIdon\'tknowwhatall。SaysshetookupBailey\'soffer\'causeshecal\'latedI\'dbecompanyforher。Ihadtolaugh，eveninthefaceofthosebeans，whenshesaidthat。“
“Humph！ifIdon\'ttellBaileywhatIthinkofhim，then——“
“No，no！Don\'tyousayawordtoBailey。It\'sprincipallyonhisaccountthatI\'mtryin\'tostickitoutforthemonth。Baileydidhisbest；hethoughthewashelpin\'。Andhefeelsdreadfullybecauseshe\'ssodeef。OnlyyesterdayheaskedmeifIbelievedtherewasanythingmadethatwouldfixherupandmakeitmorecomfortableforme。Icouldhaveprescribedashotgun，butI
didn\'t。Yousee，hethinksherdeefnessistheonlytrouble；I
haven\'ttoldhimtherest，anddon\'tyoudoit，either。Bailey\'sagood-heartedchap。“
“Humph！hisheartmaybegood，buthishead\'sgoin\'toseed。I\'llkeepquietif\'twillpleaseyou，though。“
“Yes。And，seehere，Ase！Idon\'tcaretobethelaughin\'stockofBayport。IfanyofthefolksaskyouhowIlikemynewhousekeeper，youtell\'emthere\'snothin\'likeheranywhere。
That\'snolie。“
SoMrs。BeasleystayedonattheWhittakerplaceand，thankstoMr。
Tidditt，thegeneralopinionofinquisitiveBayportwasthatthenewhousekeeperwasagrandsuccess。OnlyCaptainCyandAsaphknewthewholetruth，andMr。Bangsapart。Thatpart，Deborah\'sdeafness，troubledhimnotalittleandhethoughtmuchconcerningit。AsaresultofthisthinkinghewrotealettertoarelativeinBoston。Theanswertothisletterpleasedhimandhewroteagain。
Oneafternoon，duringthethirdweekofMrs。Beasley\'sstay，AsaphcalledandfoundCaptainCyinthesittingroom，readingtheBreeze。Thecaptainurgedhisfriendtoremainandhavesupper。
“We\'verunoutofbeans，Ase，“heexplained，“andarejuststartin\'
inonacourseofboiledcod。Dostayandeatalot；thentherewon\'tbesomuchtowarmover。“
Mr。Tiddittacceptedtheinvitation，alsoasectionoftheBreeze。
Whiletheywerereadingtheyheardthebackdoorslam。
“It\'sthegravenimage，“explainedthecaptain。“She\'sbeenonacruisedowntownsomewheres。Bealotofsorethroatsinthatdirectionto-morrowmornin\'。“
Thetownclerklookedup。
“Therenow！”heexclaimed。“Ibelieve\'twasherIsawwalkin\'withBaileyaspellago。Ithoughtso，butIdidn\'thavemyspecsandI
wan\'tsure。“
“WithBailey，hey？Humph！thisisserious。HopeKeturydidn\'tsee\'em。Wemustn\'thaveanyscandal。“
Thehousekeeperenteredthediningroom。Shewassinging“BeulahLand，“buthertonewasmoresubduedthanusual。Theyheardhersettingthetable。
“How\'sshegettin\'along？”askedAsaph。
“Progressin\'backwards，sameasever。She\'snobetter，thankyou，andthedoctor\'sgivenuphopes。“
“Whenyougoin\'totellhershecanclearout？”
“What？”CaptainCyhadreturnedtohispaperanddidnothearthequestion。
“Isaywhenisshegoin\'tobebounced？Deefnessain\'tcatchin\'，isit？”
“Iwouldn\'twonderifitmightbe。If\'tis，mineoughttobedevelopin\'fast。Whatmakeshersostillallatonce？”
“Gonetothekitchen，Iguess。Wondershehasn\'tsailedinandsetdownwithus。Oldchromo！Youmustbegladhermonth\'smostup？”
Asaphproceededtogivehisopinionofthehousekeeper，raisinghisvoicealmosttoahowl，ashisindignationgrew。IfMrs。Beasley\'searshadbeenordinaryonesshemighthaveheardtheunflatteringdescriptioninthekitchen；asitwasMr。Tiddittfeltnofear。
“Comin\'hereso\'syoucouldbecompanyforher！Theidea！Goodtoherself，ain\'tshe！Godfreyscissors！AndBaileywasfoolenoughto——“
“There，there！Don\'tletitworryyou，Ase。I\'veaboutdecidedwhattosaywhenIlethergo。I\'lltellhersheisgettin\'toooldtobeslavin\'herselftodeath。Yousee，Idon\'twanttomaketheoldcrittercry，norIdon\'twanthertogetmad。Judgin\'bythewaysheusedtocoaxthecatoutdoorswiththebroomhandleshe\'sgotsomethin\'ofatemperwhenshegetsstarted。I\'llgiveheranextrymonth\'swages，and——“
“Youwill，hey？YouWILL？”
Theinterruptioncamefrombehindthepartiallycloseddining-roomdoor。Mr。Tiddittsankbackinhischair。CaptainCysprangfromhisandthrewthedoorwideopen。BehinditcrouchedMrs。DeborahBeasley。Hereyessnappedbehindherspectacles，herleanformwastremblingallover，andinherrighthandsheheldamammothtrumpet，thesmallerendofwhichwasconnectedwithherear。
“Youwill，hey？“shescreamed，brandishingherleftfist，butstillkeepingtheeartrumpetinplacewithherright。“YouWILL？
Well，Idon\'twantnoneofyourmiser\'blemoney！Landknowshowyoumadeit，anyhow，andIwouldn\'tsoilmyhandswithit。AfterallI\'veputupwith，andthewayI\'vedonemywork，andthethingsI\'vehadtoeat，and——and——“
Shepausedforbreath。CaptainCyscratchedhischin。Asaph，gazingopen-mouthedatthetrumpet，stirredinhischair。Mrs。
Beasleyswoopeddownuponhimlikeagullonaminnow。
“Andyou！”sheshrieked。“You！amiserablelittle，good-for-
nothin\'，lazy，ridiculous，dried-up……Oo——oo——OH！Youcallyourselfatownclerk！YOUdo！I——Iwouldn\'thaveyouclerkforahenhouse！I\'manoldchromo，beI？Yes！that\'snicetalk，ain\'tit，toawomanoldenoughtobe——thatis——er——er——\'mostasoldasyoube！Yousneakin\'，story-tellin\'，little，fatTHING，you！You——
oh，Ican\'tlaymytonguetowordstotellyouWHATyouare。“
“You\'redoin\'prettywell，seemstome，“observedCaptainCydryly。
“Iwouldn\'tbediscouragedifIwasyou。“
Theonlyeffectofthisremarkwastoturnthewordytorrentinhisdirection。Thecaptainboreitforawhile；thenherosetohisfeetandcommandedsilence。
“That\'senough！Stopit！”heordered，and，strangetosay，Mrs。
Beasleydidstop。“I\'msorry，Debby，“hewenton，“butyouhadnobusinesstobelistenin\'evenif——“andhesmiledgrimly，“youhavegotanewfoghorntohearwith。Youcangoandpackyourthingsassoonasyouwantto。Imadeupmymindthefirstdayyoucomethatyouandmewouldn\'tcruisetogetherlong，andthisonlyshortensthetripbyaweekorso。I\'llpayyouforthismonthandforthenext，andIguess，whenyoucometothinkitover，you\'llbewillin\'torisksoilin\'yourhandswiththemoney。It\'syourownfaultifanybodyknowsthatyoudidn\'tleaveofyourownaccord。_I_shan\'ttell，andI\'llseethatTiddittdoesn\'t。Nowtrot！AseandI\'llgetsupperourselves。“
Itwasevidentthattheex-housekeeperhadmuchmorewhichshewouldhavelikedtosay。Buttherewasthatinherlateemployer\'smannerwhichcausedhertoforbear。Sheslammedoutoftheroom，andtheyheardherbangingthingsaboutonthefloorabove。
“Butwhere——WHERE，“repeatedMr。Tidditt，overandover，“didshegetthattrumpet？”
Thepuzzlewassolvedsoonafter，whenBaileyBangsenteredthehouseinahighstateofexcitement。
“Well，“hedemanded，expectantly。“Didtheyhelpher？Hasanythinghappened？”
“HAPPENED！”beganAsaph，butCaptainCysilencedhimbyawink。
“Yes，“answeredthecaptain；“something\'shappened。Why？”
“Hurrah！Ithought\'twould。Shecanhearbetter，can\'tshe？”
“Yes，Iguessit\'ssafetosayshecan。“
“Good！Youcanthankmeforit。WhenIseehowdreadfuldeefshewasIwrotemycousinEddieT，who\'sanopticianuptoBoston——youknowhim，Ase——andIsays：\'Ed，youknowwhat\'sgoodforfolkswhocan\'tsee？Ain\'ttherenothin\'，\'saysI，\'that\'llhelpthemwhocan\'thear？Howabouteartrumpets？\'AndEdwrotethataneartrumpetwouldprobablyhelpsome，butwhydidn\'tItryapairofthempatentfixin\'sthataremadetoputinsidedeefpeople\'sears？
He\'dknownofcaseswheretheyhelpedalot。SoIsentforapair，andthebiggesteartrumpetmade，besides。AndwhenImetDebbyto-dayIgive\'emtoherandtoldhertoputthepatentthingsIN
herearsandcoupleonthetrumpetoutside\'em。Andnottosaynothin\'toyou，butjustsurpriseyou。Anditdidsurpriseyou，didn\'tit？”
ThewrathfulMr。Tiddittcouldwaitnolonger。Heburstintoavividdescriptionofthe“surprise。“Baileywasaghast。CaptainCylaugheduntilhisfacewaspurple。
“Ideclare，Cy！”exclaimedthedejectedpurchaserofthe“earfixin\'s“andthetrumpet。“IdodeclareI\'mawfulsorry！ifyou\'donlytoldmeshewasnogoodI\'dhaveletheralone；butIthought\'twasjustthedeefness。I——I——“
“Iknow，Bailey；youmeantwell，likethelayin\'-on-of-handsdoctorwhorubbedtherheumaticman\'swoodenleg。Allright；_I_forgiveyou。\'TwasworthitalltoseeAsaph\'sfacewhenMarmBeasleywascomplimentin\'him。Ha！ha！Oh，dearme！I\'velaughedtillI\'msore。Butthere\'sonethingISHOULDliketodo，ifyoudon\'tmind：Ishouldliketopickoutmynexthousekeepermyself。“
CHAPTERV
AFRONT-DOORCALLER
Mrs。Beasleydepartednextmorning，takingwithhertheextramonth\'swages，inspiteoffervidavowalsthatshewouldn\'ttouchacentofit。OnthewaytothedepotshefavoredMr。Lumleywithsundryhintsconcerningthereasonsforherdeparture。She“couldn\'tstanditnolonger“；iffolksonlyknewwhatshe\'dhadtoputupwithshecal\'latedthey\'dbesomesurprised；shecould“tellafewthings“ifshewantedto，andsoon。Incidentallyshewaskindofgladshedidn\'tliketheplace，becausenowshecal\'latedsheshouldgoWestandvisitherniece；they\'dbeenwantinghertocomeforsolong。
Gabewasmuchinterestedandrepeatedthemonologue，withimaginativeadditions，tothedepotmaster，who，inturn，repeatedittohiswifewhenhewenthometodinner。Thatladyattendedsewingcircleintheafternoon。NextdayalargeshareofBayport\'sconversationdealtwiththehousekeeper\'sleavingandherreasonstherefor。Thereasonsdifferedwidely，accordingtotheportionofthetowninwhichtheywerediscussed，butitwasthegeneralopinionthatthewholeaffairwasnotcreditabletoCaptainWhittaker。
Onlyattheperfectboardinghousewasthecaptainupheld。MissPhinneydeclaredthatsheknewhehadmadeamistakeassoonassheheardtheBeasleywomantalk；nobodyelse，soAngelinedeclared，could“getawordinedgeways。“Mrs。Trippsighedandaffirmedthatgoingoutoftownforawomantodohouseworkwasridiculousonthefaceofit；therewereplentyofBayportladies，womenofcapabilityandsoundintheirreligiousviews，whomightbehirediftheywereapproachedintherightway。Keturahgave，asheropinion，thatifthecaptainknewwhenhewaswelloff，hewould“takehismealsout。“AsaphsnortedandintimatedthatthatDebbyBeasleywasn\'tfitto“keephouseinapigsty，andanybodybutaborngumpwouldhaveknownit。“Bailey，the“borngump，“saidnothing，butlookedappealinglyathischum。
AsforCaptainCy，hedidnottakethetroubletoaffirmordenytherumors。PeaceandquietdominatedtheWhittakerhouseforthefirsttimeinthreeweeksanditsownerwashappier。Hecookedhisownfoodandwashedhisowndishes。Therunawaycatventuredtoreturn，foundotherviandsthanbeansinitssaucer，anddecidedtoremain，purringthankfulcontentment。Thecaptainmadehisownbed，afterafashion，whenhewasreadytooccupyit，buthewasconsciousthatitmightbebettermade。Herefused，however，tospendhistimeinsweepinganddusting，andthedustcontinuedtoaccumulateonthecarpetsandfurniture。Thisconditionofaffairstroubledhim，buthekepthisowncounsel。AsaphandBaileycalledoften，buttheyofferednomoresuggestionsastohiringahousekeeper。Mr。Tiddittmighthavedoneso，butthecaptaingavehimnoencouragement。Mr。Bangs，recenthumiliationfreshinhismind，wouldassoonhavesuggestedsettingthehouseonfire。
OneeveningAsaphhappenedin，onhiswaytoSimmons\'s。Hedesiredthecaptaintoaccompanyhimtothatgatheringplaceofthewiseandtalkative。CaptainCywasinthesittingroom，asheetofnotepaperinhishand。Thetownclerkenteredwithoutceremonyandtossedhishatonthesofa。
“Evenin\'，Ase，“observedthecaptain，foldingthesheetofpaperandputtingitintohispocket。“Gladyoucome。Sitdown。I
wantedtoaskyousomethin\'。“
“Allright！HereIbe。Heaveaheadandask。“
CaptainCypuffedathispipe。Heseemedabouttospeakandthentothinkbetterofit，forhecrossedhislegsandsmokedoninsilence，gazingatthenickelworkofthe“base-burner“stove。Itwasbadlyinneedofpolishing。
“Well？”inquiredAsaph，withimpatientsarcasm。“Thinkin\'ofaskin\'metobuildafireforyou，wasyou？Nobodyelsebutyouwouldhavesetupastoveinsummertime，anyhow。“
“Hey？No，youneedn\'tstartafireyetawhile。Thatnecktieofyours\'llkeepuswarmtillfall，Ishouldn\'twonder。Newone，ain\'tit？Where\'dyougetit？”
Mr。Tiddittwaswearingacrochetedscarfofabrilliantcrimsonhue，particularlybecomingtohiscomplexion。Thecomplexionnowbrighteneduntilitwasalmostamatchforthetie。
“Oh！”hesaid，withelaborateindifference。“That？Yes，it\'snew。
Yesterdaywasmybirthday，andMatildyTrippsheknewIneededanecktie，soshegivemethisone。“
“Oh！Onesheknitpurposeforyou，then？Dearme！Lookout，Ase。
Widowwomenaredangerous，theysay；presentsareoneofthefirstbaitstheyheaveout。“
“Don\'tbefoolish，now！Icouldn\'tchuckitbackather，couldI？
Thatwouldbeprettymanners。Youneedn\'ttalkaboutwidders——notafterDebby！Ho！ho！”
CaptainCychuckled。Thenhesuddenlybecameserious。
“Ase，“hesaid，“yourememberthetimewhentheHowesfolkshadthishouse？Courseyoudo。Yes；well，wasthereanyoftheirrelationsherewith\'em？A——acousin，orsomethin\'？”
“No，notasIrecollect。Yes，therewas，too，cometothink。A
thirdcousin，MaryThayerhernamewas。ITHINKshewasathirdcousinofBetsyHowes，SethHowes\'ssecondwife。Betsy\'snamewasGinnaforeshemarried，andtheGinnswasrelatedontheirma\'ssidetoaRichards——EmilyRichards，Ithink\'twas——andEmilymarriedaThayer。WouldthatmakethisMaryathirdcousin？Nowlet\'ssee；SarahJaneGinn，shehadanauntwhokeptaboardin\'
houseinHarniss。Irememberthat，\'countofhersellin\'myUncleBijeapig。Seemstome\'twasapig，butIain\'tsurethatitmightn\'thavebeenasettin\'ofPlymouthRockhens\'eggs。Anyhow，UncleBijeKEPThens，becauseIrememberonetime——“
“There！there！we\'llbeoutofsightoflandinaminute。ThisMaryThayer——old，wasshe？”
“No，no！Justayounggirl，eighteenortwentyorso。PrettyandniceandquietaseverIsee。ByGodfrey，sheWASpretty！Iwan\'tasoldasIbenow，and——“
“Ase，don\'ttellyourheartsecrets，eventome。Imightgetabsent-mindedandmention\'emtoMatildy。Andthen——whew！”
“Ifyoudon\'tstoptryin\'toplaysmartyI\'llgohome。What\'sMatildyTripptome，I\'dliketoknow？AndevenwhenMaryThayerwashereIwasoldenoughtobeherdad。ButIrememberwhatanicegirlshewasandhowtheboarderslikedher。TheyusedtosayshedonemorethanalltheHowestribeputtogethertomaketheSeaSightHouseagoodhotel。Youngasshewasshedonemostofthehousekeepin\'anddoneitwell。Iftherestof\'emhadbeenlikeheryoumightn\'thavehadtheplaceyet，Whit。Butwhatsetyoutothinkin\'abouther？”
“Oh，Idon\'tknow！Nothin\'much；thatis——well，I\'lltellyousomeothertime。Whatbecameofher？”
“ShewentuptoNewHampshirealongwiththeHowesfolksandI
ain\'tseenhersince。SeemstomeIdidhearshewasmarried。Seehere，Whit，whatisitabouther？Tellafeller；come！”
ButCaptainCyrefusedtogratifyhischum\'slivelycuriosity。
AlsoherefusedtogotoSimmons\'sthatevening，sayingthathewastiredandguessedhe\'dstayathomeand“turninearly。“Mr。
Tiddittdepartedgrumbling。Afterhehadgonethecaptaindrewhischairnearerthecentertable，tookfromhispocketasheetofnotepaper，andproceededtoreadwhatwaswrittenonitspages。Itwasaletterwhichhehadreceivednearlyamonthbeforeandhadnotyetanswered。Duringthepastweekhehadreaditmanytimes。
Thewritingwascrampedandblottedandthepapercheapanddingy。
TheenvelopeborethepostmarkofasmalltowninIndiana，andtheinclosurewaswordedasfollows：
CAPTAINCYRUSWHITTAKER。
DEARSIR：Isupposeyouwillbeagooddealsurprisedtohearfromme，especiallyfromwayoutWesthere。WhenyouboughttheoldhouseofSeth，heandIwaslivinginConcord，N。H。Hecouldn\'tmakeagoofhisbusinessthere，sowecameWestandhehasbeensickmostofthetimesince。Weain\'twellofflikeyou，andtimesarehardwithus。WhatIwantedtowriteyouaboutwasthis。MycousinMaryThomas，MaryThayerthatwas，isstilllivinginConcordandsheispoorandneedshelp，thoughIdon\'tsupposeshewouldaskforit，beingtooproud。FalseprideIcallit。MeandSethwouldliketodosomethingforher，butwehaveahardenoughjobtokeepgoingourselves。MarymarriedamanbythenameofHenryThomas，andheturnedouttobeamiserablegood-for-nothing，asIalwayssaidhewould。Shewouldn\'tlistentomethough。HerunoffandlefthersevenyearagolastApril，andIunderstandwaskilledordrownedsomewheresupinMontana。Maryand[severalwordsscratchedouthere]gotalongsomehowsince，butIdon\'tknowhow。WhilewelivedinConcordSethsortofkeptaneyeonher，butnowhecan\'tofcourse。She\'sagoodgirl，orwomanrather，beingmostforty，andwouldmakeagoodhousekeeperifyoushouldneedoneasIsupposelikelyyouwill。IfyoucouldhelpheritwouldbeanactofcharityandyouwillberewardedAbove。Sethsayswhynotwritetoherandtellhertocomeandseeyou？Hefeelsbadabouther，becauseheissosickIsuppose。Andheknowsyouarerichandcoulddogoodifyoufeltlikeit。Herfather\'snamewasJohnThayer。Iwouldn\'twonderifyouusedtoknowhermother。ShewasEmilyRichardsaforeshemarriedandtheyusedtoliveinOrham。
Yourstruly，ELIZABETHHOWES。
P。S——Mary\'saddressisMrs。MaryThomas，careMrs。Oliver，128
BlankStreet，Concord，N。H。
N。B——Sethwon\'tsayso，butIwill：weareveryhardupourselvesandifyoucouldhelphimandmewiththeloanofalittlemoneyitwouldbethankfullyreceived。
CaptainCyreadtheletter，foldedit，andreplaceditinhispocket。HeknewtheHowesfamilybyreputation，andthereputationwasthatofgeneralsharpnessintradeandstinginessinmoneymatters。Betsy\'spersonalappealdidnot，therefore，touchhishearttoanygreatextent。HesurmisedalsothatforSethHowesandhiswifetoaskhelpforsomepersonotherthanthemselvespremisedadarkyinthewoodpilesomewhere。ButforthedaughterofEmilyRichardstobesuggestedasapossiblehousekeeperattheCyWhittakerplace——thatwasinteresting，certainly。
Whenthecaptainwasnotacaptain——whenhewasmerely“youngCy，“
aboy，livingwithhisparents，adancingschoolwasorganizedinBayport。Itwasaninnovationforourvillage，andfrowneduponbymanyoftheolderandstricterinhabitants。However，mostofthecaptain\'sboyfriendswerepermittedtoattend；youngCywasnot。
Hisfatherconsidereddancingawasteoftimeand，ifnotwicked，certainlyfrivolousandnonsensical。Sotheboyremainedathome，but，inspiteoftheparentalorder，hepracticedsomeofthefiguresofthequadrillesandthecontradancesinhiscomrades\'
barns，learningthematsecondhand，sotospeak。
OnewintertherewastobeapartyinOrham，givenbytheNickersons，wealthypeoplewithafifteen-year-olddaughter。Itwastobeagrandaffair，andmostoftheboysandgirlsintheneighboringtownswereinvited。Cyreceivedaninvitation，and，forawonder，waspermittedtoattend。TheBayportcontingentwentoverinabighayrickonrunnersandthemoonlightridewasjollyenough。TheNickersonmansionwascrowdedandthereweremusicanddancing。
YoungCywasmiserableduringthedancing。Hedidn\'tdareattemptit，inspiteofhislessonsinthebarn。So，whiletherestofhisboyfriendssoughtpartnersforthe“PortlandFancy“and“Hull\'sVictory“hesatforlorninacorner。
Ashesattherehewasapproachedbyayounglady，radiantinmuslinandribbons。Shewasthreeorfouryearsolderthanhewas，andhehadworshippedherfromafarasshewhirledupanddownthelineintheVirginiaReel。Sheneverlackedpartnersandseemedtobeagreatfavoritewiththeyoungmen，especiallyonegood-lookingchapwithasunburnedface，wholookedlikeasailor。
Theywereformingsetsfor“MoneyMusk“；itwas“ladies\'choice，“
andtherewasademandformorecouples。TheyoungladycameevertoCy\'scornerandlaughinglydroppedhimacourtesy。
“Ifyouplease，“shesaid，“Iwantapartner。Willyoudomethehonor？”
Cyblushinglyavowedthathecouldn\'tdanceanytospeakof。
“Oh，yes，youcan！I\'msureyoucan。You\'retheWhittakerboy，aren\'tyou？I\'veheardaboutyourbarnlessons。AndIwantyoutotrythiswithme。Pleasedo。No，John，“sheadded，turningtothesunburnedyoungfellowwhohadfollowedheracrosstheroom；“thisismychoiceandhereismypartner。SusieTaylorisafteryouandyoumustn\'trunaway。Come，Mr。Whittaker。“
SoCytookherarmandtheydanced“MoneyMusk“together。Hemadebutafewmistakes，andtheseshehelpedhimtocorrectsoeasilythatnonenoticed。Hissuccessgavehimcourageandheessayedotherdances；infact，hehadaverygoodtimeatthepartyafterall。
Onthewayhomehethoughtagreatdealabouttheprettyyounglady，whosenamehediscoveredwasEmilyRichards。Hedecidedthatifshewouldonlywaitforhim，hemightliketomarryherwhenhegrewup。Buthewasthirteenandshewasseventeen，andtheverynextyearshemarriedJohnThayer，thesailorinthebluesuit。
AndtwoyearsafterthatyoungCyranawaytobeasailorhimself。
Inspiteofhisageandhislifetimeofbatteringabouttheworld，CaptainCyhadasentimentalstreakinhismakeup；hisrejuvenationoftheoldhomeprovedthat。Betsy\'sletterinterestedhim。HehadmadeguardedinquiriesconcerningMaryThayer，nowMaryThomas，ofothersbesidesAsaph，andtheanswershadbeensatisfactorysofarastheywent；thosewhorememberedherhadlikedherverymuch。
ThecaptainhadevenbegunalettertoMrs。Thomas，butlaiditasideunfinished，having，sinceBailey\'sunfortunateexperiencewiththewidowBeasley，aprejudiceagainstexperiments。
Butthisevening，beforeMr。Tiddittcalled，hehadbeenthinkingthatsomethingwouldhavetobedoneanddonesoon。Thegenerallyshiftlessconditionofhisdomesticsurroundingswasgettingtobeunbearable。Dustanddirtdidnotfitintohismentalpictureoftheoldhomeasitusedtobeandashehadtriedtorestoreit。
Therehadbeenneitherdustnordirtinhismother\'sday。
Hemeditatedandsmokedforanotherhour。Then，hismindbeingmadeup，hepulleddownthedesklidoftheold-fashionedsecretary，resurrectedfromapileofpapersthenotehehadbeguntoMrs。Thomas，dippedasputteringpenintotheinkbottleandproceededtowrite。
Hisletterwasashortoneandrathernoncommittal。AsMrs。Thomasnodoubtknewhehadcomebacktoliveinhisfather\'shouseatBayport。Hemightpossiblyneedsomeonetokeephouseforhim。
Heunderstoodthatshe，MaryThayerthatwas，wasagoodhousekeeperandthatshewasopentoanengagementifeverythingwasmutuallysatisfactory。HehadknownhermotherslightlywhenthelatterlivedinOrham。Hethoughtaninterviewmightbepleasant，fortheycouldtalkoveroldtimesifnothingmore。Perhaps，onthewhole，shemightcaretoriskatriptoBayport，thereforeheinclosedmoneyforherrailroadfare。“Youunderstand，ofcourse，“sohewroteinconclusion，“thatnothingmaycomeofourmeetingatall。
Sopleasedon\'tsayawordtoanybodywhenyoustriketown。You\'velivedhereyourself，andyouknowthatthreewordshoveoverboardinBayportwilldredgeupgabenoughtosinkadictionary。Sojustkeepmumtillthebusinessissettledonewayortheother。“
Heputonhishatandwentdowntothepostoffice，wherehedroppedhisletterintheslotoftheboxfastenedtothefrontdoor。Thenhereturnedhomeandretiredatexactlyeleveno\'clock。
InspiteofhisremarkstoAsaph，hehadnot“turnedin“soearlyafterall。
Ifthecaptainexpectedapromptreplytohisnotehewasdisappointed。Aweekpassedandheheardnothing。ThenthreemoredaysandstillnowordfromtheNewHampshirewidow。MeanwhilefreshlayersofdustspreadthemselvesovertheWhittakerfurniture，andthegaudypatternsofthecarpetsblusheddimlybeneathagrimyfog。Thesituationwasdesperate；evenMatildaTripp，Come-Outersermonsandall，begantobethinkableasapossibility。
Theeleventhdaybeganwithapouringrainthatchanged，lateron，toadismaldrizzle。Thesilver-leaftreeinthefrontyarddripped，andtheoverflowingguttersgurgledandsplashed。Thebaywasgrayandlonely，andthefishweirsalongtheouterbarwerelostinthemist。TheflowersintheAtkinsurnsweredraggledandbeatendown。Onlytheirondogsglistenedundauntedasthewetranofftheirnewlypaintedbacks。Theairwasheavy，andthesaltyflavoroftheflatsmightalmostbetastedinit。
CaptainCywasinthesittingroom，asusual。Hisspiritswereasgrayastheweather。Hewasactuallylonesomeforthefirsttimesincehisreturnhome。Hehadkindledawoodfireinthestove，justforthesociabilityofit，andthecrackleandglowbehindtheisinglasspanesonlyservedtoremindhimofotherdaysandotherfires。Thesittingroomhadnotbeenlonesomethen。
