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