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Itis——Why！I\'mostforgot。Youjustwait。“
Thecaptainlaughinglybeggedhertodivulgethebigsecret，butsheshookhersmallheadandrefused。Thehorsestrottedonatalivelypace，andthemilesseparatingOstableandBayportweresubtractedonebyone。Itwasmagnificentwinterweather。Thesnowhaddisappearedfromtheroad，exceptinwidelyseparatedspots，butthebigdriftsstillheapedthefieldsandshoneandsparkledinthesunshine。Againsttheirwhitenessthepitchpinesandcedarsstooddarklygreenandtheskeletonscruboaksandbushescastdelicateblue-penciledshadows。Thebay，seenovertheflooded，frozensaltmeadowsanddistantdunes，wasinitswinterdressofthedeepestsapphire，trimmedwithwhitecapsandfringedwithstrandedicecakes。Therewasasnapandtanginthebreezewhichbracedonelikeatonic。Thepartyinthecarriagewasagayone。
“Gettingtired，captain？”askedPeabody。
“Who？Me？Well，Iguessnot。\'Mosthome，Bos\'n。There\'sthesaltworksaheadthere。“
Theypassedtheabandonedsaltworks，thecrumblingruinsofadeadindustry，andtheboundarystone，nowhalfhiddeninadrift，markingthebeginningofBayporttownship。Then，fromthepinegroveatthecurvefartheron，appearedtwocappedandcoatedfigures，performingacrazyfandango。
“Who\'sthemtwolunatics，“inquiredCaptainCy，“whoopin\'andcarryin\'oninthemiddleoftheroad？Hasanybodyupthiswayhadajugcomebyexpressor——Hey！WHAT？Why，youoldidiotsyou！
COMEhereandletmegetaholdofyou！”
TheBoardofStrategyswoopeddownuponthecarriagelikeTrumetmosquitoesonasummerboarder。Theyswarmedintothevehicle，BaileyonthefrontseatandAsaphintherear，where，somehoworother，theymaderoomforhim。Therewerehandshakingsandthumpsontheback。
“Whatyoudoin\'\'wayuphereinthewestendofnowhere？”demandedCaptainCy。“Bythebigdipper，I\'mgladtoseeyou！How\'dyougethere？”
“Walked，“cackledBailey。“Froggeditalltheway。Soon\'sMrs。
Peabodywiredyouwasgoin\'toride，meandAsestartedtomeetyou。Wan\'tyousurprised？”
“Wewantedtobethefusttosayhowdy，oldman，“explainedAsaph。
“Wantedtowelcomeyouback，youknow。“
Thecaptainwasimmenselypleased。
“Well，I\'mgladI\'vegotsomuchpopularity，anyhow，“hesaid。
“Guess\'twillbedifferentwhenIgetdownstreet，hey？Don\'tcal\'lateTadandAngie\'llshedthejoyoustearoverme。Nevermind；long\'smyfriendsaregladIdon\'tcareabouttherest。“
TheBoardlookedateachother。
“Tad？”repeatedBailey。“AndAngie？Whatyoutalkin\'about？Why，they——Ugh！”
ThelastexclamationwastheresultofatremendousdigintheribsfromtheTiddittfist。Asaph，whohadleanedforwardtoadministerit，wasfrowningandshakinghishead。Mr。Bangsrelapsedintoagrinningsilence。
WestBayportseemedtobedeserted。Atoneortwohouses，however，feminineheadsappearedatthewindows。Oneoldladyshookacalicoapronatthecarriage。Achildbesidehercried：“Hurrah！”
“AuntHepsyh\'istin\'colorsbymistake，“laughedthecaptain。“Sheain\'tgotherspecs，Iguess，andthinksI\'mHeman。Thatcomesofridin\'asternofaspan，Peabody。“
ButastheydrewneartheCenterflagswereflyingfromfront-yardpoles。Someofthehousesweredecorated。
“Whatintheworld——“beganCaptainCy。“Landsakes！lookattheschoolhouse。AndSimmons\'s！And——andSimpson\'s！”
Theschoolhouseflagwasflappinginthewind。Thescarredwoodenpillarsofitsporticowerehiddenwithbunting。Simmons\'sfrontdisplayedarowoflittlebanners，eachbearingaletter——thelettersspelled“WelcomeHome。“Tad\'sbarbershopwasmoreorlessartisticallywreathedincoloredtissuepaper。There，too，aflagwasdrapedoverthefrontdoor。Yetnotasinglepersonwasinsight。
“Forgoodness\'sake！”criedthebewilderedcaptain。“What\'sallthismean？Andwhereiseverybody。Haveallhands——“
Hestoppedinthemiddleofthesentence。TheywereatthefootofWhittaker\'sHill。Itstop，betweentheAtkins\'sgateandtheWhittakerfence，wasblackwithpeople。Childrenprancedabouttheoutskirtsofthecrowd。Ashoutcamedownthewind。Thehorses，notintheleastfatiguedbytheirlongcanter，trotteduptheslope。Theshoutinggrewlouder。Awaveofyoungsterscameracingtomeettheequipage。
“What——whatintime？”gaspedCaptainCy。“What\'sup？I——“
Andthenthetownclerkseizedhimbythearm。Peabodyshookhisotherhand。Bos\'nthrewherarmsabouthisneck。Baileystoodupandwavedhishat。
“It\'syou，youoldcritter！”whoopedAsaph。“It\'sYOU，d\'youunderstand？”
“Theappropriationhasgonethrough，“explainedthelawyer，“andthisisthecelebrationinconsequence。Andyouarethestarattractionbecause，yousee，everyoneknowsyouareresponsibleforit。“
“That\'swhat！”howledtheexcitedBangs。“Andwe\'regoin\'toshowyouwhatwethinkofyoufordoin\'it。We\'vebeenplannin\'thisforoverafortni\'t。“
“AndIknewitallthetime，“squealedBos\'n，“andIdidn\'ttellaword，didI？”
“ThreecheersforCaptainWhittaker！”bellowedapersoninthecrowd。Thisperson——wonderofwonders！——wasTadSimpson。
Thecheeringwas，consideringthesizeofthecrowd，tremendous。
Bewilderedandamazed，CaptainCywasassistedfromthecarriageandescortedtohisfrontdoor。Amidstthehandkerchief-waving，applaudingpeoplehesawKeturahBangsandAlpheusSmalleyandAngelinePhinneyandCaptainSalters——evenAlonzoSnow，hisrecentopponentintownmeeting。JosiahDimickwasthere，too，apparentlyhavingafit。
OnthedoorstepstoodGeorgiannaand——and——yes，itwastrue——besideher，grandlyextendingawelcominghand，themajesticformoftheHonorableHemanAtkins。Someoneelsewastherealso，someonewhohurriedlyslippedbackintothecrowdastheowneroftheCyWhittakerplacecameupthepathbetweenthehedges。
Mr。Atkinsshookthecaptain\'shandandthen，turningtowardthepeople，helduphisownforsilence。Toalloutwardappearance，hewasstillthegreatHeman，ourdistrictidol，philanthropist，andleader。Hissilkhatglistenedasofold，hischestswelledintheoldmanner，hiswhiskerswerejustasdignifiedandawe-inspiring。
Foraninstant，ashemetthecaptain\'seye，hisownfalteredandfell，andtherewasapleadingexpressioninhisface，thelinesofwhichhaddeepenedjustalittle。Butonlyforaninstant；thenhebegantospeak。
“Cyrus，“hesaid，“itismypleasantduty，onbehalfofyourneighborsandfriendshereassembled，towelcomeyoutoyour——
er——ancestralhomeafteryourtryingillness。Idoitheartily，sincerely，gladly。Anditisthemorepleasingtometoperformthisduty，because，asIhaveexplainedpubliclytomyfellow-
townspeople，alldisagreementbetweenusisended。Iwaswrong——
againIpubliclyadmitit。Aschemingblackleg，posingintheguiseofalovingfather，imposeduponme。IamsorryforthetroubleIhavecausedyou。OfyouandofthelittlegirlwithyouIaskpardon——Ientreatforgiveness。“
Hepaused。CaptainCy，theshadowofasmileatthecornerofhismouth，nodded，andsaidbriefly：
“Allright，Heman。Iforgiveyou。“Fewheardhim：themajoritywereapplaudingthecongressman。SylvanusCahoon，whisperingintheearof“UncleBedny，“expressedashisopinionthat“thatwasaboutasmagnaminiousathingaseverIheardsaid。Yes，sir！
mag-na-min-ious——that\'swhat_I_callit。“
“But，“continuedthegreatAtkins，“Ihavesaidallthistoyoubefore。WhatIhavetosaynow——whatIleftmydutiesinWashingtonexpresslytocomehereandsay——isthatBayportthanksyou，_I_thankyou，foryourtremendousassistanceinobtainingtheappropriationwhichistomakeourharborabusyportwhereourgallantfishingfleetmayrideatanchorandunloaditscatch，insteadoftransferringitindoriesasheretofore。Friends，I
havealreadytoldyouhowthisman“——layingahandonthecaptain\'sshoulder——“cametotheCapitalandusedhisinfluenceamonghisacquaintancesinhighplaces，withtheresultthatthethirtythousanddollars，whichIhaddespairedofgetting，wasaddedtothebill。Ihadthepleasureofvotingforthatbill。Itpassed。
Iamproudofthatvote。“
Tremendousapplause。ThensomeonecalledforthreecheersforMr。
Atkins。Theyweregiven。Buttherecipientmerelybowed。
“No，no，“hesaiddeprecatingly。“No，no！notforme，myfriends，muchasIappreciateyourgratitude。Mydaysofpublicservicearenearlyatanend。AsIhaveintimatedtosomeofyoualready，Iamseriouslyconsideringretiringfrompoliticallifeinthenearfuture。Butthatisirrelevant；itisnotmaterialatpresent。
To-daywemeet，nottosayfarewelltothesetting，buttogreettherisingsun。_I_callforthreecheersforourcommitteeofone——CaptainCyrusWhittaker。“
Whentheuproarhadatlastsubsided，thereweredemandsforaspeechfromCaptainCy。Butthecaptain，facingthem，hisarmsaboutthedelightedBos\'n，positivelydeclinedtoorate。
“I——I\'meversomuchobligedtoyou，folks，“hestammered。“Iamso。Butyou\'llhavetoexcusemefromspeechmaking。They——theydidn\'tteachitaforethemast，whereIwenttocollege。Thankyou，justthesame。Anddocomeandseeme，everybody。Meandthislittlegirl，“drawingEmilynearertohim，“willberealgladtohaveyou。“
Afterthehandshakingandcongratulatingwereover，thecrowddispersed。Itwasagreatoccasion；allagreedtothat，butthemajorityconsidereditadividedtriumph。Thecaptainhaddonealotforthetown，ofcourse，buttheHonorableAtkinshadmadeanothersplendidimpressionbyhisaddressofwelcome。Mostpeoplethoughtitasfineashismemorableeffortattownmeeting。Unlikethatone，however，inthisinstanceitissafetosaythatnone，noteventheadoringandpraise-chantingMissPhinney，derivedquitetheenjoymentfromthecongressman\'sspeechthatCaptainCydid。Ittickledhissenseofhumor。
“Ase，“heobservedirrelevantlywhenthefive——Tidditt，Georgianna，Bailey，Bos\'n，andhimselfwereatlastaloneagaininthesittingroom，“itDON\'Tpaytotipoveramonument，doesit——notoutinpublic，Imean。Youwouldn\'twanttoseemeblowupBunkerHill，wouldyou？”
“BlowupBunkerHill！”repeatedAsaphinalarmedamazement。
“Godfreyscissors！Ibelieveyou\'regoin\'loony。Thisday\'sbeentoomuchforyou。Whatareyoutalkin\'about？”
“Oh，nothin\'，“withaquietchuckle。“Iwasthinkin\'outloud，that\'sall。DidyouevernoticethemimitationstonepillarsonHeman\'shouse？They\'rehollerinside，butyou\'dneverguessit。
And，longasyoudoknowthey\'reholler，youcankeepawatchon\'em。Andthere\'sonethingsure，“headded，“theyAREornamental。“
CHAPTERXXI
CAPTAINCY\'S“PICTURE“
“WonderwherePhoebewentto，“remarkedMr。Tidditt，alittlelater。“IthoughtIsawherwithHemanandGeorgiannaonthefrontstepswhenwedroveup。“
“Shewasthere，“affirmedthehousekeeper。“She\'dbeenhelpin\'metrimuptheroomshere。Whatdoyouthinkof\'em，Cap\'nCyrus？
Ain\'ttheypretty？”
Thesittingroomanddiningroomweregaywithevergreensandold-
fashionedflowers。Ourlivingroomwindowsinthewintertimeareusuallyfilledwithcarefullytendedpottedplants，andtheneighborshadloanedtheirgeraniumsandfuchsiasandheliotropeandbegoniastobrightentheWhittakerhouseforitsowner\'sreturn。CaptainCy，whowassittingintherocker，withBos\'nonhisknee，lookedabouthim。Nowthatthefirstburstofexcitementwasover，heseemedgraveandpreoccupied。
“Theylookmightypretty，Georgianna，“hesaid。“Fineenough。Butwhatwasthatyoujustsaid？Did——“
“Yup，“interruptedMissTaylor，whohadscarcelyceasedtalkingsincebreakfastthatmorning。“Yes，\'twasteacherthathelpedfix\'em。NotthatIwouldn\'thavegotalongwithouther，butIhadmoretodothanalittle，cleanin\'andscrubbin\'up。SoPhoebeshecomein，and——Oh！yes，asIwassayin\'，shewasoutfrontwithme，buttheminuteyourcarriagedroveupwiththatlovelyspan——
AIN\'Tthatafinespan！Ical\'latethey\'re——“
“Whatbecomeofteacher？”brokeinBailey。
“Why，sherunoffsomewheres。Ididn\'tseewhereshewentto；I
wastoobusyhollerin\'atCap\'nWhittakerandnoticin\'thatspan。
IbetyoutheymadeAngiePhinney\'seyesstickout。Iguesssherealizesthatweinthishousearesomepunkinsnow。IfIdon\'tlorditoverherwhenIrunacrostherthesedays，thenImissmyguess。I——“
“Belay！”orderedCaptainCy，hisgravitymorepronouncedthanever。
“Howdoesithappenthatyou——Seehere，Georgianna，didyoutellPh——er——MissDaweswhatItoldyoutotellherwhenIwentaway？”
“Why，yes，Itoldher。Ihatedto，dreadful，butIdoneit。Shewasawfulsetbackatfust，butIguesssheaskedMr。Tidditt——
Whereyougoin\'，Mr。Tidditt？”
Thetownclerk，hisfacered，wasonhiswaytothedoor。
“AskedAse？”repeatedthecaptain。“Ase，comehere！Didyoutellheranything？”
Asaphwasverymuchembarrassed。
“Well，“hestammered，“Ididn\'tmeanto，Cy，butshegottoaskin\'
mequestions，andsomehowornotherIdidtellheraboutourconfab，yoursandmine。ItoldherthatIknewfolkswastalkin\'，andIfelt\'twasmydutytotellyouso。That\'swhyIdoneit，andItoldheryousaid——well，youknowwhatyousaidyourself，Cy。“
CaptainCywasevidentlymuchdisturbed。HeputBos\'ndown，androsetohisfeet。
“Well，“heaskedsharply，“whatdidshesay？”
“Oh！shewaswhiteandstillforaminuteortwo。Thenshekindofstampedherfootandwentoffandleftme。Butnexttimeshemetmeshewasniceaspie。She\'sbeenprettyfrostytoAngieandtherestof\'em，butshe\'sbeenalwaysnicetoBaileyandme。Why，whenIaskedherpardon，shesaidnotatall，shewasverygladtoknowthetruth；ithelpedhertounderstandthings。Andyoucouldseeshemeantit，too。She——“
“Soshehasbeencomin\'hereeversince。Andthegossiphasbeengoin\'on，Is\'pose。Well，bythebigdipper，it\'llstopnow！I\'llseetothat。“
TheBoardofStrategyandthehousekeeperwereamazed。
“Gossip！”repeatedBailey。“Well，Iguessthereain\'tnothin\'saidagainsthernow——notinTHIStown，thereain\'t！Why，allhandscan\'tpraiseherenoughforhersmartnessinfindin\'outaboutthatThomas。Ifitwan\'tforher，he\'dbebotherin\'youyet，Cy。Youknowit。Whatareyoutalkin\'about？”
CaptainCypassedhishandoverhisforehead。
“Bos\'n，“hesaidslowly，“yourunandhelpGeorgiannainthekitchenaspell。She\'sgotherdinnertolookoutfor，Iguesslikely。Georgianna，“tothehousekeeper，wholookedanythingbuteager，“youbetterseetoyourdinnerrightoff，andtakeEmmiewithyou。“
MissTaylorreluctantlydeparted，leadingBos\'nbythehand。Thechildwasloathtoleaveheruncle，buthetoldherhewouldn\'tgiveacentforhisfirstdinnerathomeifshedidn\'thelpinpreparingit。Soshewentouthappy。
“Now，then，“demandedthecaptain，“what\'sthisaboutPhoebeandThomas？Iwanttoknow。Stop！Don\'taskanotherquestion。
Answermefirst。“
SotheBoardofStrategy，byturnsandinconcert，toldofthedrivetoTrumetandthecallonDebbyBeasley。Asaphwouldhavenarratedthestoryoftheupsetsulky，butBaileyshuthimupinshortorder。
“Nevermindthatfoolishness，“hesnapped。“Yousee，Cy，DebbyhadjustbeenouttoArizonavisitin\'oldBeasley\'sniece。Andshe\'dfellinwithawomanouttherewhosehusbandhadrunoffandlefther。AndDebby，shereadtheadvertisementabouthimintheArizonapaper，anditsaidhehadthespringhaltinhisoffhindleg，orsomethin\'similar。Now，Thomas，hehadthat，too，andtherewasotherthingsthatremindedPhoebeofhim。Soshedon\'tsaynothin\'tonobody，butshewritestothiswomanaskin\'formorepartic\'larsandaphotographofthemissin\'one。Thepartic\'larscome，butthephotographdidn\'t；thewifedidn\'thavenone，I
b\'lieve。ButtherewasenoughtosendPhoebehotfoottoMr。
Peabody。AndPeabodyhewritestohislawyerfriendinButte，Montana。AndtheButtemanhe——“
“Well，thelongandshortofitis，“cutinTidditt，“thatitlookedsafeandsartinthatThomasHADmarriedtheArizonawomanwhilehisrealwife，Bos\'n\'sma，waslivin\'，andhadrunoffandlefthersameashedidMary。Andthefunnypartofitis——“
“Thefunnypartofitis，“declaredBangs，drowninghisfriend\'svoicebyraisinghisown，“thatsomebodyoutthere，somescalawagfriendofthisThomas，musthavegotwindofwhatwasup，andsentwordtohim。\'Cause，whentheywenttohuntforhiminBoston，he\'dgone，skipped，cutstick。Andtheyain\'tseenhimsince。Hewasafraidofbein\'tookupforbigamist，yousee——forbein\'abigamy，Imean。Well，youknowwhatI\'mtryin\'tosay。Anyhow，ifithadn\'tbeenformeandPhoebe——“
“YOUandPhoebe！”snortedAsaph。“Youhadawholelottodowithit，didn\'tyou？YouandAuntDebby\'lldotogotogether。I
understandshe\'scruisin\'roundmakin\'proclamationsthatSHEwasresponsibleforthewholething。No，sir-ree！it\'sPhoebeDawesthatthecreditbelongsto，andthistownain\'tdonenothin\'butpraisehersinceitcomeout。Youneverseesuchaquickcome-
aboutinyourlife——unless\'twasHeman\'s。Butyouknewallthisafore，Whit。Peabodymusthavetoldyou。“
CaptainCyhadlistenedtohisfriends\'storywithafaceexpressiveofthemostblankastonishment。AshelearnedofthetriptoTrumetanditsresults，hiseyesandmouthopened，andherepeatedlyrubbedhisforeheadandmutteredexclamations。Now，atthementionofhislawyer\'sname，heseemedtoawaken。
“Holdon！”heinterrupted，wavinghishand。“Holdon！Bythebigdipper！thisis——is——WhereISPeabody？Iwanttoseehim。“
“HereIam，captain，“saidtheattorney。Hehadbeenouttothebarntosuperintendthestablingofthespan，butforthepastfiveminuteshadbeenstanding，unnoticedbyhisclient，onthethresholdofthediningroom。
“Seehere，“demandedCaptainCy，“seehere，Peabody；isthisyarntrue？ISit，now？thisabout——aboutPhoebeandall？”
“Certainlyit\'strue。Isupposedyouknewit。Youdidn\'tseemsurprisedwhenItoldyouthecasewassettled。“
“Surprised？Why，no！IthoughtHemanhad——Nevermindthat。
Landoflove！SHEdidit。She！”
Hesatweaklydown。Thelawyerlookedanxious。
“Mr。Tidditt，“hewhispered，“Ithinkperhapshehadbetterbeleftaloneforthepresent。He\'sjustupfromasickbed，andthishasbeenatryingforenoon。Comeinagainthisafternoon。Ishalltrytopersuadehimtotakeanap。“
TheBoardofStrategy，itscuriosityunsatisfied，departedreluctantly。WhenMr。Peabodyreturnedtothesittingroomhefoundthatnapswerefar，indeed，fromthecaptain\'sthoughts。Thelatterwaspacingthesitting-roomfloor。
“Whereisshe？”hedemanded。“Shewasstandin\'onthestepswithHeman。Haveyouseenhersince？”
Hisfriendwastroubled。
“Why，yes，I\'veseenher，“hesaid。“Ihavebeentalkingwithher。
Shehasgoneaway。“
“GoneAWAY！Where？Whatdoyoumean？Sheain\'t——ain\'tleftBayport？”
“No，no。WhatintheworldshouldsheleaveBayportfor？Shehasgonetoherboardinghouse，Iguess；atallevents，shewasheadedinthatdirection。“
“Whydidn\'tsheshakehandswithme？Whatmadehergooffandnotsayaword？Oh，well，IguesslikelyIknowthewhy！”Hesigheddespondently。“Itoldhernevertocomehereagain。“
“Youdid？Whatintheworld——“
“Well，forwhatIthoughtwasgoodreasons；allonheraccounttheywas。Andyetshedidcomeback，andkeptcomin\'，evenafterAseblabbedthewholething。However，Is\'posethatwasjusttohelpGeorgianna。Oh，hum！IAManoldfool。“
Thelawyerinspectedhimseriously。
“Well，captain，“hesaidslowly，“ifitisanycomfortforyoutoknowthatyourreasonisn\'tthecorrectoneforMissDawes\'sgoingaway，Icanassureyouonthatpoint。Ithinkshewentbecauseshewasgreatlydisappointed，anddidn\'twishtoseeyoujustnow。“
“Disappointed？Whatdoyoumean？”
“Humph！Ididn\'tmeantotellyouyet，butIjudgethatI\'dbetter。NooneknowsitherebutMissDawesandI，andprobablynoonebutusthreeneedeverknowit。Yousee，thefactisthattheArizonawoman，DesireHiggins，isn\'tMrs。Thomasatall。Heisn\'thermissinghusband。“
“What？”
“Yes，it\'sso。Really，itwastoomuchofacoincidencetobepossible，andyetitcertainlydidseemthatitwouldprovetrue。
ThisHigginswomanwas，apparently，soanxioustofindhermissingmanthatshewasreadytorecognizealmostanydescription；andtheslightlamenessandthefactofhishavingbeeninMontanahelpedalong。Ifwecouldhavegottenaphotographsooner，thequestionwouldhavebeensettled。Onlylastweek，whileIwasinBoston，I
gotwordfromthedetectiveagencythataphotohadbeenreceived。
Iwenttoseeitimmediately。Therewassomeresemblance，butnotenough。HenryThomaswasneverMr。Higgins。“
“But——but——theysayThomashasskippedout。“
“Yes，hehas。That\'sthequeerpartofit。AttheplacewhereheboardedwelearnedthathegotaletterfromArizona——trusttheaveragelandladytolookatpostmarks——thatheseemedgreatlyagitatedallthatday，andleftthatnight。Noonehasseenhimsince。Whyhewentisapuzzle。Where，wedon\'tcare。Solongashekeepsoutofourway，that\'senough。“
CaptainCydidnotcare，either。HesurmisedthatMr。Atkinsmightprobablyexplainthedisappearance。Andyet，oddlyenough，thisexplanationwasnotthetrueone。TheHonorableHemansolemnlyassuredthecaptainthathehadnotcommunicatedwithEmily\'sfather。Heintendedtodoso，asapartofthecompactagreeduponatthehotel，butthemanhadfled。Andthemysteryisstillunsolved。ThesuppositionisthattherereallywasawifesomewhereintheWest。WhoorwhereshewasnoBayporterknows。HenryThomashasnevercomebacktoexplain。
“ItoldMissDawesofthephotographandwhatitproved，“wentonPeabody。“Shewasdreadfullydisappointed。Shecouldhardlyspeakwhensheleftme。Iurgedhertocomeinandseeyou，butshewouldn\'t。Evidentlyshehadsetherheartonhelpingyouandthechild。Itistoobad，because，practicallyspeaking，weoweeverythingtoher。ThereislittledoubtthattheinquirysetonfootbyherscaredtheThomasfellowintoflight。Andshehasworkednightanddaytoaidus。Sheisaverycleverwoman，CaptainWhittaker，andagoodone。Youcan\'tthankherenough。
Here！whatareyouabout？”
CaptainCystrodepasthimintothediningroom。Thehatrackhungonthewallbythesidedoor。Hesnatchedhiscapfromthepeg，andwasstrugglingintohisovercoat。
“Whereareyougoing？”demandedthelawyer。“Youmustn\'tattempttowalknow。Youneedrest。“
“Rest！I\'llrestbyandby。JustnowI\'vegotbusinesstoattendto。Letgoofthatpea-jacket。“
“But——“
“Nobutsaboutit。I\'llseeyoulater。Solong。“
Hethrewopenthedoorandhurrieddownthewalk。Thelawyerwatchedhiminamazement。Thenaslowsmileoverspreadhisface。
“Captain，“hecalled。“CaptainWhittaker。“
CaptainCylookedbackoverhisshoulder。“Whatdoyouwant？”heasked。
Mr。Peabody\'sfacewasnowintenselysolemn，buttherewasatwinkleinhiseye。
“Ithinkshe\'sattheboardinghouse，“hesaiddemurely。“I\'mprettycertainyou\'llfindherthere。“
Alltheregularsattheperfectboardinghousehad，ofcourse，attendedthereceptionattheCyWhittakerplace。Noneofthem，withtheexceptionoftheschoolmistress，hadasyetreturned。
Dinnerhadbeenforgottenintheexcitementofthegreatday，andKeturahandAngelineandMrs。Tripphadstoppedinatvariousdwellingsalongthemainroad，tocomparenotesonthecaptain\'sappearanceandtheAtkinsaddress。AsaphandBaileyandAlpheusSmalleywereatSimmons\'s。
CaptainCyknewbetterthantoattempthishurriedtripbywayoftheroad。Hehadnodesiretobeheldupandcongratulated。Hewentacrosslots，intherearofbarnsandorchards，wadingthroughdriftsandclimbingfencesasnosaneconvalescentshould。Butthecaptainatthatmomentwassufferingfromtheformofinsanityknownasthefixedidea。Shehaddoneallthisforhim——forHIM。
Andhislastmessagetoherhadbeenaninsult。
HeapproachedtheBangspropertybythestablelane。Noonelocksdoorsinourvillage，andthoseoftheperfectboardinghousewereunfastened。Heenteredbywayofthesideporch，justashehaddonewhenGabeLumley\'sdepotwagonfirstdepositedhiminthatyard。Butnowheenteredontiptoe。Thediningroomwasempty。
Hepeepedintothesittingroom。There，bythecentertable，satPhoebeDawes，herelbowonthearmofherchair，andherheadrestingonherhand。
“Ahem！Phoebe！”saidCaptainCy。
Shestarted，turned，andsawhimstandingthere。Hereyeswerewet，andtherewasahandkerchiefinherlap。
“Phoebe，“saidthecaptainanxiously，“haveyoubeencryin\'？”
Sheroseontheinstant。Agreatwaveofredsweptoverherface。
Thehandkerchieffelltothefloor，andshestoopedandpickeditup。
“Crying？”sherepeatedconfusedly。“Why，no，ofcourse——ofcoursenot！I——Howdoyoudo，CaptainWhittaker？I\'m——we\'reallverygladtoseeyouhomeagain——andwell。“
Sheextendedherhand。CaptainCyreachedforwardtotakeit；thenhehesitated。
“Idon\'tthinkI\'doughttoletyoushakehandswithme，Phoebe，“
hesaid。“NotuntilIbegyourpardon。“
“Begmypardon？Why？”
Heabsentlytookthehandandheldit。
“ForthewordIsenttoyouwhenIwentaway。\'Twasanawfulthingtosay，butImeantitforyoursake，youknow。Honest，Idid。“
Shelaughednervously。
“Oh！that，“shesaid。“Well，Ididthinkyouwereratherparticularastoyourvisitors。ButMr。Tiddittexplained，andthen——Youneedn\'tbegmypardon。Iappreciateyourthoughtfulness。Iknewyoumeanttobekindtome。“
“That\'swhatIdid。Butyoudidn\'tobeyorders。Youkeptcomin\'。
Now，why——“
“Why？Didyousupposethat_I_caredforthemaliciousgossipof——
suchpeople？Icamebecauseyouwereintrouble，andIhopedtohelpyou。And——andIthoughtIhadhelped，untilafewminutesago。“
Herlipquivered。Thatquiverwenttothecaptain\'sheart。
“Helped？”hefaltered。“Helped？Why，you\'vedonesomuchthatI
can\'teverthankyou。You\'vebeentheonlyrealhelperI\'vehadinallthismiserablebusiness。You\'vestoodbymeallthrough。“
“Butitwasallwrong。Heisn\'tthemanatall。Didn\'tMr。
Peabodytellyou？”
“Yes，yes，hetoldme。Whatdifferencedoesthatmake？Peabodybehanged！Heain\'tinthis。It\'syouandme——don\'tyousee？Whatmadeyoudoallthisforme？”
Shelookedatthefloorandnotathimassheanswered。
“Why，becauseIwantedtohelpyou，“shesaid。“I\'vebeenaloneintheworldeversincemotherdied，yearsago。I\'vehadfewrealfriends。Yourfriendshiphadcometomeanagreatdealtome。Thesplendidfightyouweremakingforthatlittlegirlprovedwhatamanyouwere。Andyoufoughtsobravelywhenalmosteveryonewasagainstyou，Icouldn\'thelpwantingtodosomethingforyou。HowcouldI？Andnowithascometonothing——mypartofit。I\'msosorry。“
“Itain\'t，neither。It\'scometoeverything。Phoebe，Ididn\'tmeantosayverymuchmorethantobegyourpardonwhenIheadedforhere。ButI\'vegotto——I\'vesimplygotto。Thiscan\'tgoon。
Ican\'thaveyoukeepcomin\'toseeme——andBos\'n。Ican\'tkeepmeetin\'youeveryday。ICAN\'T。“
Shelookedup，asiftospeak，butsomething，possiblytheexpressioninhisface，causedhertolookquicklydownagain。
Shedidnotanswer。
“Ican\'tdoit，“continuedthecaptaindesperately。“\'Tain\'tforwhatfolksmightsay。Theywouldn\'tsaymuchwhenIwasaround，I
tellyou。Itain\'tthat。It\'sbecauseIcan\'tbeartohaveyoujustafriend。Eitheryoumustbemore\'nthat，or——orI\'llhavetogosomewhereselse。IrealizedthatwhenIwasinWashin\'tonandcruisin\'toCaliforniaandback。I\'veeithergottotakeBos\'nandgoawayforgood，or——or——“
Shewouldnothelphim。Shewouldnotspeak。
“Yousee？”hegroaned。“Yousee，Phoebe，whatanoldfoolIam。
Ican\'taskyoutomarryme，mefifty-five，androughfromknockin\'
roundtheworld，andyou，youngandeducated，andalady。Iain\'tfoolenoughtoasksuchathingasthat。Andyet，Icouldn\'tstayhereandmeetyoueveryday，andbyandbyseeyoumarrysomebodyelse。Bythebigdipper，Icouldn\'tdoit！Sothat\'swhyIcan\'tshakehandswithyouto-day——noranymore，exceptwhenIsaygood-
byforkeeps。“
Thenshelookedup。Thecolorwasstillbrightinherface，andhereyesweremoist，butshewassmiling。
“Can\'tshakehandswithme？”shesaid。“Please，whathaveyoubeendoingforthelastfiveminutes？”
CaptainCydroppedherhandasifhisownhadbeenstruckwithparalysis。
“Goodland！”hestammered。“Ididn\'tknowIdidit；honesttruth，Ididn\'t。“
Phoebe\'ssmilewasstillthere，faint，butverysweet。
“Whydidyoustop？”shequeried。“Ididn\'taskyouto。“
“WhydidIstop？Why，becauseI——I——IdeclareI\'mashamed——“
Shetookhishandandclaspeditwithbothherown。
“I\'mnot，“shesaidbravely，hereyesbrighteningasthewonderandincredulousjoygrewinhis。“I\'mveryproud。Andvery，veryhappy。“
TherewastobeabigsupperattheCyWhittakerplacethatnight。
Itwasanimpromptuaffair，arrangedonthespurofthemomentbyCaptainCy，who，inspiteofthelawyer\'sprotestsandanxietyconcerninghishealth，wentserenelyupanddownthemainroad，invitingeverybodyhemetorcouldthinkof。Thecaptain\'sfacewasasradiantasaspringsunrise。Hissmile，asAsaphsaid，“prettynighcuttheupperhalfofhisheadoff。“Peoplewhohadotherengagements，andwould，underordinarycircumstances，haverefusedtheinvitation，couldn\'tsaynotohishearty，“Can\'tcome？
Courseyou\'llcome！Manalive！IWANTyou。“
“Invalid，ishe？”observedJosiahDimick，afterreceivingandacceptinghisowninvitation。“Well，IwishtothunderIcouldbetookdownwiththesamekindofdisease。I\'dbewillin\'tolingeralongwithitquiteaspellifitpumpedmeasfullofjoyasWhitseemstobe。Don\'tgivelaughin\'gastokeepoffpneumonia，dothey？No？Well，I\'dliketoknowthenameofhismedicine，that\'sall。“
Supperwastobereadyatsix。Georgianna，assistedbyKeturahBangs，Mrs。SylvanusCahoon，andothervolunteers，wasgloriouslybusyinthekitchen。Thetableinthediningroomreachedfromoneendofthebigapartmenttotheother。Guestswouldbegintoarriveshortly。WilyMr。Peabody，guessingthatCaptainCymightprefertobealone，hadtakentheBoardofStrategyoutridingbehindthespan。
Inthesittingroom，aroundthebaseburnerstove，werethreepersons——CaptainCy，Bos\'n，andPhoebe。MissDaweshad“comeearly，“atthecaptain\'surgentappeal。Nowshewassittingintherocker，atonesideofthestove，gazingdreamilyattheruddylightbehindtheisinglasspanes。Shelookedquietly，blissfullycontentedandhappy。Atherfeet，onthebraidedmat，satBos\'n，playingwithLonesome，whopurredlazily。Thelittlegirlwashappy，too，forwasnotherbelovedUncleCyrusathomeagain，withalldangeroftheirseparationendedforevermore？
AsforCaptainCyhimself，theradiantexpressionwasstillonhisface，brighterthanever。HelookedacrossatPhoebe，whosmiledbackathim。ThenheglanceddownatBos\'n。Andallatonceherealizedthatthiswasthefulfillmentofhisdream。Herewashis“picture“；thesittingroomwasnowashehadalwayslovedtothinkofit——asitusedtobe。Hewasinhisfather\'schair，Phoebeintheonehismotherusedtooccupy，andbetweenthem——justwherehehadsatsooftenwhenaboy——thechild。TheCyWhittakerplacehadagain，andatlast，comeintoitsown。
Hedrewalongbreath，andlookedabouttheroom；atthestove，thelamp，theold，familiarfurniture，athisgrandfather\'sportraitoverthemantel。Then，inaflashofmemory，hisfather\'swordscamebacktohim，andhesaid，laughingaloudfrompurehappiness：
“Bos\'n，rundowncellarandgetmeapitcherofcider，won\'tyou？——
there\'sagoodfeller。“
End
