Heheardthedepotwagonrattlebyand，peeringfromthewindow，sawthat，exceptforMr。Lumley，itwasempty。Notevenasummerboarderhadcometobrightenourwaysandlawnswithrecklessraimentandthenewestslang。Summerboardingseasonwasalmostovernow。Bayportwouldsoonbeasdullasdishwater。AndthecaptainadmittedtohimselfthatitWASdull。HehadhalfamindtotakeaflyingtriptoBoston，maketheroundofthewharves，andseeifanyoftheoldshipownersandshipcaptainswhomhehadonceknownwerestillaliveandinharness。
“JINGLE！Jingle！JINGLE！Jingle！Jingle！Jing！Jing！Jing！”
CaptainCybouncedinhischair。Thatwasthefront-doorbell。
TheFRONT-doorbell！Whoonearth，or，rather，whoinBayport，wouldcometotheFRONTdoor？
Hehurriedthroughthedimgrandeurofthebestparlorandenteredthelittledarkfronthall。Thebellwasstillswingingattheendofitscoilofwire。Thedustshakenfromitstillhungintheair。Thecaptainunboltedandunlockedthebigfrontdoor。
Agirlwasstandingonthestepsbetweenthelinesofboxhedge——alittlegirlunderabig“grown-up“umbrella。Thewetdrippedfromtheumbrellatopandfromthehemofthelittlegirl\'sdress。
CaptainCystaredhardathisvisitor；heknewmostofthechildreninBayport，buthedidn\'tknowthisone。Obviouslyshewasastranger。Portuguesechildrenfrom“upHarnissway“sometimescalledtopeddlehuckleberries，butthischildwasno“Portugee。“
“Hello！”exclaimedthecaptainwonderingly。
“Didyouringthebell？”
“Yes，sir，“repliedthegirl。
“Humph！Did，hey？Why？”
“Why？Why，Ithought——Isn\'titatrulybell？Didn\'titoughttoring？Isanybodysickordead？Thereisn\'tanycrape。“
“Dead？Crape？”CaptainCygasped。“Whatintheworldputthatinyourhead？”
“Well，Ididn\'tknowbutmaybethatwaswhyyouthoughtIhadn\'toughttohaverungit。Whenmammawassicktheydidn\'tletpeopleringourbell。Andwhenshediedtheytieditupwithcrape。“
“Did，hey？Hum！”Thecaptainscratchedhischinandgazedatthesmallfigurebeforehim。Itwasaself-poised，matter-of-factfigureforsuchalittleone，and，outthereintherainunderthetentroofoftheumbrella，itwasratherpitiful。
“Please，sir，“saidthechild，“areyouCaptainCyrusWhittaker？”
“Yup！That\'sme。You\'veguesseditthefirsttime。“
“Yes，sir。I\'vegotaletterforyou。It\'spinnedinsidemydress。IfyoucouldholdthisumbrellamaybeIcouldgetitout。“
Sheextendedthebigumbrellaatarm\'slength，holdingitwithbothhands。CaptainCywokeup。
“Goodland！”heexclaimed，“whatamIthinkin\'of？You\'resoakin\'
wetthrough，ain\'tyou？”
“IguessI\'mprettywet。It\'salongwaysfromthedepot，andI
triedtocomeacrossthefields，becauseaboysaiditwasnearer，andthebusheswere——“
“AcrosstheFIELDS？Haveyouwalkedallthewayfromthedepot？”
“Yes，sir。Themansaiditwasaquartertoride，andauntiesaidImustbecarefulofmymoneybecause——“
“Bythebigdipper！Comein！Comeinoutofthatthisminute！”
Hesprangdownthesteps，furledtheumbrella，seizedherbythearmandledherintothehouse，throughtheparlorandintothesittingroom，wherethefirecrackledinvitingly。Hecouldfeelthatthedresssleeveunderhishandwaswetthrough，andthewornbootsanddarnedstockingshecouldseeweresoakedlikewise。
“There！”hecried。“Setdowninthatchair。Putyourfeetuponthath\'ath。Sakesalive！Yourfolksoughttoknowbetterthantoletyoustiroutthisweather，letalonewalkin\'amile——andnorubbers！Themshoesoughttocomeoffthisminute，Is\'pose。Take\'emoff。Youcandryyourstockingsbetterthatway。Offwith\'em！”
“Yes，sir，“saidthechild，stoopingtounbuttontheshoes。Herwetfingerswereblue。Itcanbecoldinourvillage，eveninearlySeptember，whenthereisaneasterlystorm。Unbuttoningtheshoeswasslowwork。
“Here，letmehelpyou！”commandedthecaptain，gettingdownononekneeandtakingafootinhislap。“Tut！tut！tut！you\'rewet！
BeensometimesenceIfussedwithbuttonboots；laceorlong-
leggedcowhidescomehandier。Neverworecowhides，didyou？”
“No，sir。“
“Is\'posenot。IusedtowhenIwaslittle。RememberthefirstpairIhad。Coppertoeson\'em——whew！Thecopperwasblackedoverwhentheycomeoutofthestoreandthatwouldn\'tdo，soweusedtokickastonewalltilltheybrightenedup。There！thereshecomes。
Humph！stockin\'ssoaked，too。WishIhadsomedryonestolendyou。Mightgiveyouapairofmine，butthey\'dbetooscantforeandaftandtoobroadinthebeam，Ical\'late。Humph！andyourtop-riggin\'saswetasyourhull。Beenonyourbeamends，haveyou？”
“Idon\'tknow，sir。Ifelldowninthebushescomingacross。
Therewerevinesandtheytrippedmeup。Andtheumbrellawassoheavythat——“
“Yes，Icouldseerightoffyouwascarryin\'toomuchcanvas。NowtakeoffyourbunnitandI\'llgetacoatofminetowrapyouupin。“
Hewentintohisbedroomandreturnedwithaheavy“reefer“jacket。
Orderinghiscallertostandupheslippedherarmsintothesleevesandturnedthecollarupaboutherneck。Herbraided“pigtail“ofyellowhairstuckoutoverthecollarandhungdownherbackinafunnyway。Thecoatsleevesreachedalmosttoherkneesandthecoatitselfenvelopedherlikeabedquilt。
“There！”saidCaptainCyapprovingly。“Nowyoulookmoreasifyouwasunderastormrig。Setdownandtoastyourtoes。Where\'sthatletteryousaidyouhad？”
“It\'sinsidehere。Idon\'tknow\'sIcangetatit；thesesleevesaresolong。“
“Reef\'em。Turn\'emup。Letmeshowyou。That\'sbetter！Hum！
Soyoucomefromthedepot，hey？Liveupthatway？”
“No，sir！IusedtoliveinConcord，but——“
“Concord？CONCORD？Concordwhere？”
“Concord，NewHampshire。Icameonthecars。AuntieknewamanwhowasgoingtoBoston，andhesaidhe\'dtakecareofmeasfarasthatandthenputmeonthetraintocomedownhere。Istoppedathisfolks\'houseinCharlestownlastnight，andthismorningwegotupearlyandheboughtmeaticketandstartedmeforhere。Ihadaboxwithmythingsinit，butitwassoheavyIcouldn\'tcarryit，soIleftitupatthedepot。Themantheresaiditwouldbeallrightandyoucouldsendforitwhen——“
“IcouldSENDforit？_I_could？Whatintheworld——Say，child，you\'vemadeamistakeinyourbearin\'s。\'Taintmeyouwanttosee，it\'ssomeofyourfolks，relations，mostlikely。Tellmewhotheyare；maybeIknow\'em。“
Thegirlsatuprightinthebigchair。Herdarkeyesopenedwideandherchinquivered。
“Ain\'tyouCaptainCyrusWhittaker？”shedemanded。“Yousaidyouwas。“
“Yes，yes，Iam。I\'mCyWhittaker，butwhat——“
“Well，auntietoldme——“
“Auntie！Auntiewho？”
“AuntieOliver。Sheisn\'treallymyauntie，butmammaandmelivedinherhouseforeversolongandso——“
“Wait！wait！wait！I\'mhulldowninthefog。Thisisgettin\'toothickforME。Yourauntie\'sname\'sOliverandyoulivedinConcord，NewHampshire。For——forthundersakes，what\'sYOURname？”
“EmilyRichardsThomas。“
“Em——Emily——Richards——Thomas“
“Yes，sir。“
“EmilyRichardsThomas！Whatwasyourma\'sname？”
“MammawasMrs。Thomas。HerfrontnamewasMary。She\'sdead。
Don\'tyouwanttoseeyourletter？I\'vegotitnow。“
Sheliftedoneoftheflappingcoatsleevesandextendedacrumpled，dampenvelope。CaptainCytookitinadazedfashionanddrewalongbreath。Thenhetoreopentheenvelopeandreadthefollowing：
DEARCAPTAINWHITTAKER：
ThebearerofthisisEmilyRichardsThomas。Sheisseven，goingoneight，butoldforheryears。HermotherwasMaryThomasthatusedtobeMaryThayer。Itwasheryouwrotetoaboutkeepinghouseforyou，butshehadbeendeadafortnightbeforeyourlettercome。Shehadbronchialpneumoniaanditcarriedheroff，havingalwaysbeendelicateandwithmoretroublestobearthanshecouldstand，poorthing。Sinceherhusband，whoIsaywasascampevenifheisdead，leftherandthebaby，shehastookroomswithmeanddonesewingandsuch。WhenshepassedawayIwrotetoSethHowes，arelationofhersoutWest，and，sofarasIknow，theonlyoneshehad。ItoldtheHowesmanthatMaryhadgoneandEmmiewasleft。Wouldtheytakeher？Iwrote。AndSeth\'swifewrotetheycouldn\'t，beingpoorerthanpovertythemselves。IwasafraidshewouldhavetogotoaHome，butwhenyourlettercameIwrotetheHowesesagain。AndMrs。Howeswrotebackthatyouwasrich，andasortoffar-offrelationofMary\'s，andprobablyyouwouldbegladtotakethechildtobringup。SaidthatshehadsomecorrespondencewithyouaboutMarybefore。SoIsendEmmietoyou。Somebody\'sgottotakecareofherandIcan\'taffordit，thoughIwouldifI
could，forshe\'sarealnicechildandsomelikehermother。Idohopeshecanstaywithyou。Itseemsashametosendhertotheorphanasylum。Isendalongwhatclothesshe\'sgot，whichain\'tmany。
Respectfullyyours，SARAHOLIVER。
CaptainCyreadtheletterthrough。Thenhewipedhisforehead。
“Well！”hemuttered。“WELL！Ineverinmylife！I——Ineverdid！
Ofall——“
EmilyRichardsThomaslookedupfromthedepthsofthecoatcollar。
“Don\'tyouthink，“shesaid，“thatyouhadbettersendtothedepotformybox？IcangetdrySOMEthisway，butmammaalwaysmademechangemyclothesassoonasIcould。SheusedtobeafraidI\'dgetcold。“
CHAPTERVI
ICICLESANDDUST
CaptainCydidnotreplytotherequestforthebox。Itisdoubtfulifheevenheardit。Mrs。Oliver\'sastonishingletterhad，asheafterwardssaid，lefthim“highanddrywithnotuginsight。“MaryThomaswasdead，andherdaughter，herDAUGHTER！ofwhoseveryexistencehehadbeenignorant，hadsuddenlyappearedfromnowhereandbeendroppedathisdoor，likeanout-of-seasonMaybasket，accompaniedbythemodestsuggestionthatheassumeresponsibilityforherthereafter。Nowonderthecaptainwipedhisforeheadinutterbewilderment。
“Don\'tyouthinkyou\'dbettersendforthebox？”repeatedthechild，shiveringalittleunderthebigcoat。
“Hey？Whatsay？Nevermind，though。Justkeepquietforaspell，won\'tyou。Iwanttoletthissoakin。Bythebigdipper！OfallthesolidbrasscheekthateverIrunacross，thisbeatsthewholecargo！AndBetsyHowesneverhinted！\'Probablyyouwouldbegladtotake——\'BeGLAD！Why，blasttheirmiserable，stingy——Whatdotheytakemefor？I\'LLshow\'em！Indianaain\'tsofurthatI
can\'t——Hey？Didyousayanything，sis？”
Thegirlhadshiveredagain。“No，sir，“shereplied。“Itwasmyteeth，Iguess。Theykindofrattled。“
“What？Youain\'tcold，areyou？Withallthatroundyouandinfrontofthatfire？”
“No，sir，Iguessnot。Onlymybackfeelssortoffunny，asifsomebodykeptdroppingiciclesdownit。ThosebushesandvinesweresowetthatwhenItumbleddown\'twasmostlikebeinginapond。“
“Sho！sho！Thatwon\'tdo。Can\'thaveyoulaiduponmyhands。
Thatwouldbeworsethan——Humph！Tut，tut！Somethin\'oughttobedone，andI\'mblessedifIknowwhat。Andnotawomanroundtheplace——noteventhatDebby。Say，lookhere，what\'syourname——er——
Emmie，hadn\'tIbettergetthedoctor？”
Thechildlookedfrightened。
“Why？”shecried，herbigeyesopening。“I\'mnotsick，amI？”
“Sick？No，no！Coursenot，coursenot。Whatwouldyouwanttobesickfor？Butyououghttogetwarmanddryrightoff，Is\'pose，andyourdudsarealluptothedepot。Say，whatdoes——whatdidyourmausedtodowhenyoufelt——er——themiciclesandthings？”
“Shechangedmyclothesandrubbedme。And，ifIwasVERYwetsheputmetobedsometimes。“
“Bed？Sure！why，yes，indeed。Bed\'sagoodplacetokeepofficicles。There\'smybedroomrightinthere。Youcouldturninjustaswellasnot。Bunkain\'tmadeyet，butIcanshakeitupinnotime。Say——er——er——youcanundressyourself，can\'tyou？”
“Oh，yes，sir！CourseIcan！I\'mmosteight。“
“Sureyouare！Don\'tactamitebabyish。Allright，yousetstilltillIshakeupthatbunk。“
Heenteredthechamber，hisown，openingfromthesittingroom，andproceeded，literally，to“shakeup“thebed。Itwasnotalengthyprocessand，whenitwascompleted，hereturnedtofindhisvisitoralreadydivestedofthecoatandstandingbeforethestove。
“Iguessperhapsyou\'llhavetohelpundomebehind，“observedtheyounglady。“ThisismybestdressandIcan\'treachthebuttonsinthemiddleoftheback。“
CaptainCyscratchedhishead。Thenheclumsilyunbuttonedthewetwaist，glancingrathersheepishlyatthewindowtoseeifanyonewascoming。
“Sothisisyourbestdress，hey？”heasked，tocoverhisconfusion。
Itwasobviouslynotverynew，foritwasneatlymendedinoneortwoplaces。
“Yes，sir。“
“So。Where\'dyoubuyit——uptoConcord？”
“No，sir。Mammamadeit，ayearago。“
Therewasalittlechokeinthechild\'svoice。Thecaptainwasmightilytakenback。
“Hum！Yes，yes，“hemutteredhurriedly。“Well，thereyouare。
Nowyoucangetalong，can\'tyou？”
“Yes，sir。ShallIgointhatroom？”
“Trotrightin。Youmight——er——maybeyoumightsingoutwhenyou\'retuckedup。I——I\'llwanttoknowifyou\'regotbedclothesenough。“
Emilydisappearedinthebedroom。Thedoorclosed。CaptainCy，hishandsinhispockets，walkedupanddownthelengthofthesittingroom。Theexpressiononhisfacewasaqueerone。
“Ihaven\'tgotanynightgown，“calledavoicefromtheotherroom。
Thecaptaingasped。
“Goodland！soyouain\'t，“heexclaimed。“Whatintheworld——
Humph！Iwonder——“
Hewenttothelowerdrawerofatall“highboy“and，fromthetumbledmassofapparelthereintookoneofhisownnightgarments。
“Here\'sone，“hesaid，comingbackwithitinhishand。“Iguessyou\'llhavetomakethisdofornow。It\'llfityouenoughforthreetimestoonce，butit\'sallI\'vegot。“
Asmallhandreached\'roundtheedgeofthedoorandthenightshirtdisappeared。CaptainCychuckledandresumedhispacing。
“I\'mtuckedup，“calledMissThomas。Thecaptainenteredandfoundherinbed，thepatchworkpointsanddiamondsofthe“RisingSun“
quiltcoveringhertothechinandherheaddentingtheuppermostofthetwobigpillows。CaptainCylikedto“sleephigh。“
“Gotenoughoveryou？”heasked。
“Yes，sir，thankyou。“
“That\'sgood。I\'lltakeyourtogsoutanddry\'eminthekitchen。
Don\'tbescared；I\'llberightback。“
Inthekitchenhesortedthewetgarmentsandhungthemaboutthecookstove。Itwasastrangeoccupationforhimandheshookhisheadwhimsicallyashecompletedit。Thenhetookaflatiron，oneofMrs。Beasley\'spurchases，fromtheshelfintheclosetandputitintheoventoheat。Soonafterwardshereturnedtothebedroom，bearingtheironwrappedinadishtowel。
“MymaalwaysusedtoputahotflattomyfeetwhenIwasayoungoneandgotchilled，“heexplained。“Iain\'tusedoneforsometime，butIguessit\'sagoodreceipt。Howdoyoufeelnow？Anymoreicicles？”
“No，sir。I\'meversowarm。Isn\'tthisanicebed？”
“Thinkso，doyou？Gladofit。Well，now，I\'mgoin\'toleaveyouinitwhileIstepdownstreetandseeabouthavin\'yourboxsentfor。I\'llbebackinashake。IfanybodycomestothedoorwhileI\'mgonedon\'tyouworry；let\'emgoawayagain。“
Heputonhishatandleftthehouse，walkingrapidly，hisheaddownandhishandsinhispockets。Attimeshewouldpauseinhiswalk，whistle，shakehishead，andgoononcemore。JosiahDimickmethim，andhisanswerstoJosiah\'squestionsweresovagueandirrelevantthatCaptainDimickwaspuzzled，andlaterexpressedtheopinionthat“Whit\'scookin\'mustbeprettybad；actedtomeasifhehaddyspepsyofthebrain。“
CaptainCystoppedatMr。Lumley\'sresidencetoleaveanorderforthedeliveryofthebox。ThenhedriftedintoSimmons\'sandaccostedAlpheusSmalley。
“Al，“hesaid，“what\'sgoodforacold？”
“Why？”askedMr。Smalley，intrueYankeefashion。“Yougotone？”
“Hey？Oh，yes！Yes，I\'vegotone。“Bywayofproofhecougheduntilthelampchimneysrattledontheshelf。
“Judas！Ishouldthinkyouhad！Well，there\'s\'PineBarkOil\'and\'SassafrasElixir\'andtwokindsofsass\'p\'rilla——that\'sgoodformosteverything——and——Isyourthroatsore？”
“Hey？Yes，Iguessso。“
“Don\'tyouKNOW？Ifyou\'vegotsorethroatthereain\'tnothin\'
better\'n\'ArabianBalsam。\'Butwhatintimeareyoudoin\'outinthisdrizzlewithacoldandnoumbrella？Doyouwantto——“
“Nevermindmyumbrella。Ileftitinthechurchentryt\'otherSundayandsomebodygotoutaforeIdid。This\'ArabianBalsam\'——
seemstomeIremembermyma\'susin\'thatonme。Wetaragwithit，don\'tyou，andtieitroundyourneck？”
“Yup。Besureanduseaflannelrag，andredflannelifyou\'vegotit；thatactsquicker\'ntheotherkinds。Fifteencentbottle？”
“Iguessso。Might\'swellgivemesomesass\'p\'rilla，whileyou\'reaboutit；alwayshandytohaveinthehouse。And——er——say，isthatcannedsoupyou\'vegotuponthatshelf？”
Theastonishedclerkadmittedthatitwas。
“Well，givemeacanofthechickenkind。“
Mr。Smalley，standingonachairtoreachtheshelfwherethesoupwaskept，shookhishead。
“Now，that\'stoobad，Cap\'n，“hesaid，“butwe\'realloutofchickenjustnow。Factis，weain\'tgotnothin\'buttermatterandbeefbroth。Yes，andIdeclareifthetermatterain\'tallgone。“
“Humph！thenIguessI\'lltakethebeef。Needn\'tmindwrappin\'itup。Solong。“
Hedepartedbearinghispurchases。WhenMr。Simmons，proprietorofthestore，returned，Alpheustoldhimthathe“cal\'lated“CaptainCyWhittakerwaspreparingto“gointoadecline，orsomethin\'。“
“Anyhow，“saidAlpheus，“heboughtsass\'p\'rillaand\'ArabianBalsam，\'andIsoldhimacanofthatbeefsoupyouboughtthreeyearagolastsummer，whenAliciaAtkinshadthechickenpox。“
Thecaptainenteredthehousequietlyandtiptoedtothedoorofthebedroom。Emilywasasleep，andthesightofthechildishheaduponthepillowgavehimastartashepeepedinatit。Itlookedsonatural，almostasifitbelongedthere。Ithadbeeninabedlikethatandinthatveryroomthathehadsleptwhenaboy。
Gabe，brimfulofcuriosity，broughttheboxalittlelater。Hiscuriositywasungratified，CaptainCyrusexplainingthatitwasapackagehehadbeenexpecting。Thecaptaintooktheboxtothebedroom，and，findingthechildstillasleep，depositeditonthefloorandtiptoedoutagain。Hewenttothekitchen，pokedupthefire，andsetaboutgettingdinner。
HewaswarmingthebeefbrothinasaucepanonthestovewhenEmilyappeared。Shewasdressedindryclothesfromtheboxandseemedtobefeelingasgoodasnew。
“Hello！”exclaimedCaptainCy。“You\'reondeckagain，hey？How\'sicicles？”
“Allgone，“wasthereply。“Doyoudoyourownwork？Can\'tI
help？Icansetthetable。IusedtoforMrs。Oliver。“
Thecaptainprotestedthathecoulddoithimselfjustaswell，butthegirlpersisting，heshowedherwherethedisheswerekept。
Fromthecornerofhiseyehewatchedherassheunfoldedthetablecloth。
“Isthistheonlyoneyou\'vegot？”sheinquired。“It\'sawfuldirty。“
“Hum！Yes，Iain\'ttendeduptomywashin\'andironin\'thewayI\'doughtto。I\'lllosemyjobifIdon\'tlookout，hey？”
BeforetheysatdowntothemealCaptainCyinsistedthathisguesttakeatablespoonfulofthesarsaparillaanddecorateherthroatwithasectionofredflannelsoakedinthe\'ArabianBalsam。\'TheperfumeofthelatterwaspenetratingandmighthaveinterferedwithalesshealthyappetitethanthatofMissThomas。
“Havesomesoup？SomeIboughtpurposeforyou。Bestthinggoin\'
forfolkswithicicles，“remarkedthecaptain，wavingtheironspoonhehadusedtostirthecontentsofthesaucepan。
“Yes，sir，thankyou。Butdon\'tyouaskablessing？”
“Hey？”
“Ablessing，youknow。Sayingthatyou\'rethankfulforthefoodnowsetbeforeus。“
“Hum！Why，totellyouthetruthI\'vekindofneglectedthat，I\'mafraid。Bein\'thankfulforthegrubI\'vehadlatelywasmosttoomuchofastrain，Ishouldn\'twonder。“
“Iknowtheonemammausedtosay。ShallIaskitforyou？”
“Sho！Iguessso，ifyouwantto。“
Thegirlbentherheadandrepeatedashortgrace。CaptainCywatchedhercuriously。
“Now，I\'llhavesomesoup，please，“observedEmily。“I\'mawfulhungry。Ihadbreakfastatfiveo\'clockthismorningandwedidn\'thaveachancetoeatmuch。“
Agoodmanytimesthatdaythecaptaincaughthimselfwonderingifhewasn\'tdreaming。Thewholeaffairseemedtooridiculoustobeanactualexperience。Dinnerover，heandEmmieattendedtothedishes，hewashingandshewiping。Andevenatthisearlystageoftheiracquaintanceherdispositiontotakechargeofthingswasapparent。Shefoundfaultwiththedishtowels；theywerealmostasbadasthetablecloth，shesaid。ConsideringthatthesamesethadbeeninusesinceMrs。Beasley\'sdeparture，thecriticismwasnotaltogetherbaseless。Buttheyoungladydidnotstopthere——
hercompanion\'sskillasawasherwasquestioned。
“Excuseme，“shesaid，“butdon\'tyouthinkthatplatehadbetterbedoneover？Iguessyoudidn\'tseethatplaceinthecorner。
Perhapsyou\'veforgotyourspecs。AuntieOlivercouldn\'tseewellwithoutherspecs。“
CaptainCygrinnedandadmittedthatasecondwashingwouldn\'thurttheplate。
“Iguessyourauntiewasoneoftheparticularkind，“hesaid。
“No，sir，\'twasmamma。Shecouldn\'tbeardirtythings。Auntieusedtosaythatmammahunteddustwithamagnifyingglass。Shedidn\'t，though；sheonlylikedtobeneat。Iguessdustdoesn\'tworrymensomuchasitdoeswomen。“
“Why？”
“Oh，\'causethere\'ssomuchofithere；don\'tyouthinkso？I\'llhelpyoucleanupbyandby，ifyouwantto。“
“YOUwill？”
“Yes，sir。Iusedtodustsometimeswhenmammawasoutsewing。
AndonceIswept，butIdiditsohardthatauntiewouldn\'tletmeanymore。Shesaid\'twasliketryingtoblowoutamatchwithatornado。“
Lateronhefoundherstandinginthesittingroom，criticallyinspectingthemats，thefurniture，andthepicturesonthewalls。
Hestoodwatchingherforamomentandthenasked：
“Well，whatareyoulookin\'for——moredust？\'Twon\'tbehardtofindit。\'Dustthouartanduntodustthoushaltreturn。\'EverytimeIgooutdoorandcomeinagainIrealizehowtruethatis。“
Emilyshookherhead。
“No，sir，“shesaid；“Iwasonlylookingatthingsandthinking。“
“Thinkin\'，hey？Whatabout？oristhatasecret？”
“No，sir。IwasthinkingthatthisroomwasdifferentfromanyI\'veeverseen。“
“Humph！Yes，Ipresumelikely\'tis。Don\'tlikeitverymuch，doyou？”
“Yes，sir，IthinkIdo。It\'sgotagoodmanythingsinitthatI
neversawbefore，butIguessthey\'repretty——afteryougetusedto\'em。“
CaptainCylaughedaloud。“Afteryougetusedto\'em，hey？”herepeated。
“Yes，sir。That\'swhatmammasaidaboutAuntieOliver\'snewbonnetthatshemadeherself。I——Iwasthinkingthatyoumustbepeculiar。“
“Peculiar？”
“Yes，sir。Ilikepeculiarpeople。I\'mpeculiarmyself。AuntieusedtosayIwasthemostpeculiarchildsheeversaw。P\'rapsthat\'swhyIcametoyou。P\'rapsGodmeantforpeculiaronestolivetogether。Don\'tyouthinkmaybethatwasit？”
Andthecaptain，havingnoanswerready，saidnothing。
ThateveningwhenAsaphandBailey，comingfortheirusualcall，peepedinatthewindow，theywereastoundedbythetableauintheWhittakersittingroom。CaptainCywasseatedintherockingchairwhichhadbeenhisgrandfather\'s。Athisfeet，onthewalnutcricketwithahairclothtop，satalittlegirlturningovertheleavesofatatteredmagazine，aGodey\'sLady\'sBook。Apileofthesemagazineswasbesideheronthefloor。Thecaptainwassmilingandlookingoverhershoulder。Thecatwascurledupinanotherchair。Theroomlookedmorehomelikethanithadsinceitsownerreturnedtoit。
Thefriendsenteredwithoutknocking。CaptainCylookedup，sawthem，andappearedembarrassed。
“Hello，boys！”hesaid。“Gladtoseeyou。Comerightin。Clearin\'
offfine，ain\'tit？”
Mr。Tiddittrepliedabsentlythathewouldn\'tbesurprisedifitwas。Bailey，hiseyesfixedupontheoccupantofthecricket，saidnothing。
“We——wedidn\'tknowyouhadcompany，Whit，“saidAsaph。“WebeenuptoSimmons\'sandAlpheussaidyouwasthinandpeakedandlookedsick。Saidyouboughtsass\'p\'rillaandallkindoftruck。Hewasafraidyouhadfeverandwasoutofyourhead，cruisinroundintherainwithnoumbrella。Thegangweren\'ttalkin\'ofnothin\'else，someandBaileythoughtwe\'dcomerightdown。“
“That\'skindofyou，I\'msure。Takeyourthingsoffandsetdown。
No，I\'msorrytodisappointSmalleyandtherest，butI\'mabletobeupand——er——makemyownbed，thankyou。SoAlpheusthoughtI
lookedthin，hey？Well，ifIhadtoliveonthatsouphesoldme，I\'dbethinner\'nIamnow。Youtellhimthatcannedhotwaterisallrightifyoulikeit，butitseemsashametoputmudinit。
Itonlychangesthecoloranddon\'thelpthetaste。“
Mr。Bangs，whowasstillstaringatEmily，nowventuredaremark。
“Isthatarelationofyours，Cy？”heasked。
“That？Oh！Well，no，notexactly。AndyetIdon\'tknowbutsheis。Fellers，thisisEmmieThomas。Can\'tyoushakehands，Emmie？”
Thechildrose，laiddownthemagazine，whichwasopenatthecoloredpictureofagroupofladiesincrinolineandchignons，and，goingacrosstheroom，extendedahandtoMr。Tidditt。
“Howdoyoudo，sir？”shesaid。
“Why——er——howd\'yedo？I\'mprettysmart，thankyou。How\'syourself？”
“I\'mbetternow。Iguessthesass\'parillawasgoodforme。“
“\'Twan\'tthesass\'p\'rilla，“observedthecaptain，withconviction。
“\'Twasthe\'ArabianBalsam。\'Maalwayscuredmewithitandthere\'snothin\'finer。“
“Butwhatintime——“beganBailey。CaptainCyglancedatthechildandthenattheclock。
“Don\'tyouthinkyou\'dbetterturninnow，Emmie？”hesaidhastily，cuttingofftheremainderoftheBangsquery。“It\'saftereight，andwhenIwaslittleIwasabedaforethat。“
Emilyobedientlyturned，gathereduptheLady\'sBooksandreplacedtheminthecloset。Thenshewenttothediningroomandcamebackwithahandlamp。
“Goodnight，“shesaid，addressingthevisitors。Then，comingclosetothecaptain，sheputherfaceupforakiss。
“Goodnight，“shesaidtohim，adding，“Ilikeithereeversomuch。I\'mawfulgladyouletmestay。“
AsBaileytoldAsaphafterwards，CaptainCyblusheduntiltheendsoftheredlappedoveratthenapeofhisneck。However，hebentandkissedtherosylipsandthenquicklybrushedhisownwithhishand。
“Yes，yes，“hestammered。“Well——er——goodnight。Pleasantdreamstoyou。Seeyouinthemornin\'。“
Thegirlpausedatthechamberdoor。“Youwon\'thavetounbuttonmywaistnow，“shesaid。“Thisismyotheroneanditain\'tthatkind。“
Thedoorclosed。Thecaptain，withoutlookingathisfriends，ledthewaytothediningroom。
“Comeonouthere，“hewhispered。“Wecantalkbetterhere。“
Naturally，theywantedtoknowallaboutthegirl，whoshewasandwhereshecamefrom。CaptainCytoldasmuchofthehistoryoftheaffairashethoughtnecessary。
“Pooryoungone，“heconcluded，“shelandedontomeintherain，soppin\'wet，andha\'fsick。ICOULDN\'Tturnheroutthen——nobodycould。Courseit\'saneverlastin\'outrageonmeandthecheekiestthingeverIheardof，butwhatcouldIdo？IwasfixedagooddeallikeanEnglishfellerbythenameofGatenbythatIusedtoknowinSouthAmerica。Hewokeupinthemiddleofthenightandfoundaboaconstrictorcurledonthefootofhisbed。Nextday，whenacrowdofushappenedin，therewasGatenby，whiteasasheet，starin\'downatthesnake，anditsoundasleep。\'Ididn\'tinvitehim，\'hesays，\'buthelookedsobloomin\'comf\'tableI
\'adn\'tthe\'earttodisturb\'im。\'Samewaywithme；thechildseemedsocomf\'tablehereIain\'thadthehearttodisturbher——
yet。“
“Butshesaidshewasgoin\'tostay，“putinBailey。“Youain\'tgoin\'toKEEPher，areyou？”
Thecaptain\'sindignationwasintense。
“Who——me？”hesnorted。“WhatdoyouthinkIam？Iain\'trunnin\'
anorphanasylum。No，sir！I\'llkeeptheyoungoneadayorso——
ormaybeaweek——andthenI\'llpackherofftoBetsyHowes。I
ain\'tsosoftastheythinkIam。I\'LLshow\'em！”
Mr。Tiddittlookedthoughtful。
“She\'sakindofcutelittlegirl，ain\'tshe？”heobserved。
CaptainCy\'sfrownvanishedandasmiletookitsplace。
“That\'sso，“hechuckled。“Sheis，nowthat\'safact！Idon\'tknow\'sIeversawacuter。“
CHAPTERVII
CAPTAINCYPROVESDELINQUENT
Aweekisn\'taverylongtimeeveninBayport。True，therewasonceadrummerforaBoston“notion“housewhosprainedhisankleontheicysidewalkinfrontofSimmons\'s，andwasthereforeobligedtoremaininthefrontbedroomoftheperfectboardinghouseforsevenwholedays。Heisquotedassayingthatnexttimehehopedhemightbreakhisneck。
“Brother，“askedtheshockedRev。Mr。Daniels，whowascallinguponthestranger，“areyoupreparedtofaceeternity？”
“What？”wastheenergeticreply。“Afteraweekinthistown，andinthisbedroom？Lookhere，Mister，ifyouwanttoscaremeaboutthefutureyoujusthintthatthey\'llputmeonastrawtickinanicechest。Anythinghotandlively\'llonlybetemptingafterthis。“
Buttous，wholiveherethroughouttheyear，aweeksoonpasses。
AndtheendoftheweekfollowingEmilyThomas\'sarrivalattheCyWhittakerplacefoundthelittlegirlstillthereandapparentlynonearerbeingshippedtoIndianathanwhenshecame。Notsonear，ifMr。Tidditt\'sopinioncountsforanything。
“Gone？”herepeatedscoffinglyinreplytoBaileyBangs\'squestion。
“Coursesheain\'tgone！And，what\'smore，sheain\'tgoin\'togo。
Whit\'sgotsoalreadythathewouldn\'tpartwithhernomore\'nhe\'dcutoffhishand。“
“ButhekeepsSAYIN\'she\'sgottogo。Onlyyesterdayhewastellin\'howBetsy\'dfeelwhenthegirllandedonherwithhisletterinherpocket。“
“Sayin\'don\'tcountfornothin\'。ZoethCahoonkeepsSAYIN\'he\'sgoin\'tostopdrinkin\'，butheonlystopslongenoughtocatchhisbreath。Cy\'stellin\'himselffairyyarnsandhehopeshebelieves\'em。Manalive！can\'tyouSEE？Ain\'thegettin\'morefoolishovertheyoungoneeveryday？Don\'tshebosshimroundliketheoverseeronacranberryswamp？Don\'thelookmorecontentedthanhehassencehegotoffthecars？Itellyou，Bailey，thatchildfillsaplaceinWhit\'slifethat\'sbeenrunnin\'toseedandneededweedin\'。Nothin\'couldfillitbetter——unless\'twasanicewife。“
“WIFE！Oh，DObestill！Ibelieveyou\'rewoman-struckandatanagewhenithadn\'toughttobecatchin\'nomore\'nwhoopin\'cough。“
Mr。Bangsandthetownclerkweretheonlyones，exceptCaptainCy，whoknewthewholetruthconcerningthelittlegirl。Notthatthechild\'sarrivalwasn\'tnotedandvigorouslydiscussedbyalargeportionofthetownspeople。EmilyhadnotbeenintheWhittakerhousetwodaysbeforeAngelinePhinneycalled，hotonthetrailofgossipandsensation。But，persistentasAngelinewas，shedepartedknowingnotquiteasmuchaswhenshecame。TheinterviewbetweenMissPhinneyandthecaptainmusthavebeeninteresting，judgingbythelady\'saccountofit。
“Ineverseesuchamaninmyborndays，“declaredAngiedisgustedly。
“Youcouldn\'tgetnothin\'outofhim。Notthathewan\'tpleasantandsociable；landsakes！heactedasgladtoseemeasifIwashisrichauntcomeonavisit。Andhewaswillin\'totalk，too。That\'sthetrouble；hedoneALLthetalkin\'。Ihappenedtomention，justasasortofstarter，youknow，somethin\'aboutthecranb\'rycropthisfall；andafterthatallhecouldsaywas\'cranb\'ries，cranb\'ries，cranb\'ries！\'\'Hearyou\'vegotcomp\'ny，\'saysI。\'Didyou？\'sayshe。\'Nowain\'titstrangehowthings\'llgetspreadaround？OnlyyesterdayIheardthatJoeDimick\'sswampwasjustloadeddownwith“earlyblacks。“AndyetwhenIwentovertolookatittheredidn\'tseemtobesomany。Thereain\'tmuchbettercranb\'riesanywherethanourearlyblacks，\'hesays。\'Youtake\'em——\'Andsoon，andsoon，andsoon。_I_didn\'tcarenothin\'
aboutthedrattedearlyblacks，buthedidn\'tseemtocarefornothin\'else。Hetalkedcranb\'riessteadyforanhourandahalfandIleftthathousewithmymouthallpuckeredup；it\'stastedsoureversence。Ineverseesuchaman！”
WhenCaptainCywasquestionedbyAsaphconcerningtheacidconversation，hegrinned。
“Ididn\'tknowyouwassointerestedincranb\'ries，“observedTidditt。
“Iain\'t，“wasthereply；“butI\'mmoreinterestedin\'emthanIaminAngie。Iseeshewassufferin\'fromarushofcuriositytotheheadandIcuredherbyhomeopathdoses。EverytimesheopenedhermouthIdroppedan\'earlyblack\'intoit。It\'sagoodreceipt；youtellBaileytotryitonKeturysometime。“
Tohischumsthecaptainwasemphaticinhisordersthatsecrecybepreserved。Noonewastobetoldwhothechildwasorwhereshecamefrom。“Whattheydon\'tknowwon\'thurt\'emany，“declaredCaptainCy。AndEmily\'sanswertoinquiringsoulswhowouldfainhavedelvedintoherpastwastotheeffectthat“UncleCyrus“
didn\'tliketohavehertalkaboutherself。
“Idon\'tknow\'sI\'mashamedofanythingI\'vedonesofar，“saidthecaptain；“butIain\'tbraggin\'，either。TimeenoughtotalkwhenI
sendherbacktoBetsy。“
Thattime，apparently，wasnotinthenearfuture。ThegirlstayedonattheWhittakerplaceandgrewtobemoreandmoreapartofit。AttheendofthesecondweekCaptainCybegancallingher“Bos\'n。“
“Abos\'n\'samightyhandymanaboardship，“heexplained，“andyou\'resohandyherethatitfitsinfirstrate。And，besides，itsoundssonatural。Mydadcalledme\'Bos\'n\'whenIwaslittle。“
Emilyacceptedthetitlecomplacently。Shewasquitecontentedtobecalledalmostanything，solongasshewaspermittedtostaywithhernewfriend。Alreadythebos\'nhadtakenchargeofthedeckandtherestoftheship\'scompany；CaptainCyand“Lonesome，“
thecat，obeyedherorders。
OnthesecondSundaymorningafterherarrival“Bos\'n“suggestedthatsheandCaptainCygotochurch。
“MotherandIalwayswentathome，“shesaid。“AndAuntieOliverusedtosaymeetingwasagoodthingforthosethatneededit。“
“ThinkIneedit，doyou？”askedthecaptain，who，inshirtsleevesandslippers，hadpreparedforaquietforenoonwithhispipeandtheBostonTranscript。
“Idon\'tknow，sir。IheardwhatyousaidwhenLonesomeateupthesteak，andIthoughtmaybeyouhadn\'tbeenforalongtime。I
guesschurchesaredifferentinSouthAmerica。“
SotheywenttochurchandsatintheoldWhittakerpew。ThecaptainhadbeenthereoncebeforewhenhefirstreturnedtoBayport，butthesermonwasmoresomnolentthanedifying，andhehadn\'trepeatedtheexperiment。Thepairattractedmuchattention。
Fragmentsofaconversation，heardbyCaptainCyastheyemergedintothevestibule，hadmomentousconsequences。
“Kindofaprettychild，ain\'tshe？”commentedMrs。EbenSalters，pattingherfalsefrontintoplaceundertheeavesofherSundaybonnet。
“Prettyenoughintheface，“sniffedMrs。“Tad“Simpson，whowaswearingherblacksilkforthefirsttimesinceitsthirdmaking-
over。“Prettyenoughthatway，Is\'pose。But，myland！lookatthewayshe\'srigged。Olddress，darnedandpatchedupandalloutgrown！IfIhadCyWhittaker\'smoneyI\'dbeashamedtohavearelationofminecometomeetin\'thatway。Evenifherfolkswaspoorer\'nJob\'soffoxI\'dspendalittleonmyownaccountandtrusttogettingitbacksometime。I\'dhavemorecareformyownself-respect。LookatAliciaAtkins。Seehowniceshelooks。
Themfeathersonherhatmusthavecostsomethin\'，Ibetyou。
Howdydo，\'Licia，dear？When\'syourpacomin\'home？”
TheHonorableHemanhadlefttownonabusinesstriptotheSouth。
AliciawasaccompaniedbytheAtkinshousekeeperand，asusual，wasgarbedregardlessofexpense。
Mrs。SalterssmiledsweetlyupontheAtkinsheirandthenadded，inachurchwhisper：“Don\'tshelooksweet？Iagreewithyou，Sarah；
itisstrangehowCaptainWhittakerletshislittleniecego。Andhimrich！”
“Niece？”repeatedMrs。Simpsoneagerly。“Whosaid\'twashisniece？
Iheard\'twasachildhe\'dadoptedoutofahome。There\'sallsortsofqueeryarnsabout。I——Oh，goodmornin\'，Cap\'nCyrus！
HowDOyoudo？”
Thecaptaingruntedananswertotheeffectthathewasbearingupprettywell，considering。Therewasascowlonhisface，andhespokelittleas，holdingEmilybythehand，heledthewayhome。
ThateveninghedroppedinattheperfectboardinghouseandbeggedtoknowifMrs。Bangshadany“fashionbooks“aroundthatshedidn\'twant。
“Imean——er——er——magazineswithpicturesofwomen\'sdudsin\'em，“
hestammered，inexplanation。“Bos\'nlikestolookat\'em。She\'sgreatonfashionbooks，Bos\'nis。“
KeturahgottogetherahalfdozennumbersoftheHomeDressmakerandotherperiodicalsofasimilarnature。Thecaptaintookthemunderhisarmanddeparted，whisperingtoMr。Tidditt，ashepassedthelatterinthehall：
“Comeupbyandby，Ase。Iwanttotalktoyou。BringBaileyalong，ifyoucandoitwithoutstartin\'divorceproceedings。“
Later，whenthetriogatheredintheWhittakersittingroom，CaptainCyproducedthe“fashionbooks“andspokeconcerningthem。
“Yousee，“hesaid，“I——I\'vebeenthinkin\'thatBos\'n——Emily，thatis——wan\'triggedexactlythewaysheoughttobe。Haveyoufellersnoticedit？”
Hisfriendsseemedsurprised。Neitherwasreadywithanimmediateanswer，sothecaptainwenton。
“CourseIdon\'tmeansheain\'tgotcanvasenoughtocoverherspars，“heexplained；“butwhatshehasgothasseenconsider\'bleweather，anditseemedtome\'twasprettynightimetohaulherintodrydockandrefit。That\'swhyIborrowedthesemagazinesofKetury。I\'vebeenlookin\'themoverandthereseemstobeplentyofriggin\'forsmallcraft；theonlythingisIdon\'tknowwhat\'stherightcutforherbuild。Bailey，you\'reamarriedman；yououghttoknowsomethin\'aboutwomen\'sclothes。Whatdoyouthinkofthis，now？”
Heopenedoneofthemagazinesandpointedtothepictureofayounggirl，withawaspywaistandLilliputianfeet，who，arrayedinflouncesandfurbelows，wastoddlinggingerlydownaflightofmarblesteps。Shecarriedaparasolinonehand，andtheotherheldtheendofachaintowhichalong-haireddogwasattached。
Thetownclerkandhiscompanioninspectedtheyoungladywithdeliberationandinterest。
“Well，whatdoyousay？”demandedCaptainCy。
“Idon\'tcaremuchforthemkindofdogs，“observedAsaphthoughtfully。
“Goodland！youdon\'ts\'posetheyheavethedoginwiththeclothes，forgoodmeasure，doyou？Bailey，what\'syouropinion？”
Mr。Bangslookedwise。
“Ishouldsay——“hesaid，“yes，sir，Ishouldsaythatwasarealstylishrig-out。Onlythingis，thatgirlisconsider\'blelessfleshythanEmily。Thisonelookstomeasifshewasbreakin\'intwoamidships。Still，Is\'poselikelythedudsdon\'tcomereadymade，sotheycouldbeletoutsome，tofit。What\'sthepriceofasuitlikethat，Whit？”
Thecaptainlookedattheprintednumberbeneaththefashionplateandthenturnedtothedescriptioninthetext。
“\'Afternoongownformissofsixteen，\'“heread。“Humph！thatsettlesthat，firstcrack。Bos\'nain\'tbuthalfofsixteen。“
“Anyway，“putinAsaph，“youneedsomethin\'shecouldwearforenoons，ifshewantedto。What\'sthisone？Shelooksyoungenough。“
The“one“referredtoturnedouttobea“coatforchildoffour。“
Itwasthereforescornfullyrejected。Oneafteranotherthedifferentmagazineswereexaminedandthepicturesdiscussed。Atlengtha“costumeformissofeightyears“waspronouncedtobeprettynearlythething。
“Godfreyscissors！”exclaimedtheadmiringMr。Tidditt。“That\'smightyswell，ain\'tit？What\'sthestuffgoesintothat，Cy？”
“\'Material，batiste，trimmedwithembroideredbatiste。\'Whatintimeisbatiste？”
“Idon\'tknow。Doyou，Bailey？”
“No；neverheardofit。Keturyneverhadnothin\'likethat，I\'msure。French，Ishouldn\'twonder。Well，Ketury\'sdownontheFrencheversenceshereadaboutNapoleonleavin\'hisfustwifetotakeupwithanotherwoman。Doesitsayanymore？”
“Let\'ssee。\'Makesabeautifulgownforeveningorsummerwear。\'
Summer！Why，bythebigdipper，we\'reagroundagain！Bos\'ndon\'twantsummerclothes。It\'scomin\'onwinter。“
Hethrewthemagazineonthefloor，rubbedhisforehead，andthenburstintoalaugh。
“Forgoodnesssake，don\'ttellanybodyaboutthisbusiness，boys！”
hesaid。“IguessImustbehavin\'anearlyspringofsecondchildhood。ButwhenIheardthosewomenatthemeetin\'housegoin\'
onabouthowpretty\'LiciaAtkinswasgotupandhowmeanandshabbyBos\'nlooked，itmademebile。And，bythebigdipper，I
WILLshow\'emsomethin\'aforeIgetthrough，too！Only，dressin\'
littlegirlsissomeoffmyusualcourse。Bailey，doesKeturymakeherownduds？”
“Why，no！Courseshehelpsandstandsbyfororders，butEffieTaylorcomesandtakesthewheelwhiletheriggin\'sgoin\'on。
Effie\'sadressmakerand——“
“There！See，Ase？ItISsomegoodtohaveamarriedmanaboard，afterall。Adressmaker\'swhatwewant。I\'llhuntupEffieto-morrow。“
Andhuntheruphedid，withtheresultthatMissTaylorcametotheWhittakerplaceeachdayduringthefollowingweekandEmilywas，asthecaptainsaid，“riggedoutfreshfrommaintrucktokeelson。“Inthis“rigging“CaptainCyandhistwopartners——
JosiahDimickhadalreadychristenedthepair“TheBoardofStrategy“——tookamarkedinterest。Theywereonhandwheneachnewgarmentwastriedon，andtheyapprovedorcriticisedasseemedtothembest。
“Ain\'tthatkindofsoberlookin\'forayoungonelikeBos\'n？”
askedthecaptain，referringtooneofthenewgowns。“Idon\'twanthertolookasifshewasdressedcheap。“
“Landsakes！”mumbledMissTaylor，hermouthfullofpins。“Thereain\'tanythingcheapaboutit，andyou\'llfinditoutwhenyougetthebill。That\'sanice，rich，sensiblesuit。“
“Iknow，butit\'ssoeverlastin\'quiet！Don\'tyouthinkalittleyellowandblackorsomeredstrungalongtheyardswouldsortoflivenitup？Why！yououghttoseethemGreasergirlsdowninSouthAmericaofaSundayafternoon。Color！andgo！Jerushy！
they\'dprettynighknockyoureyeout。“
Thedressmakersniffeddisdain。
“Cap\'nWhittaker，“sheretorted，“ifyouwantthischildtolooklikeanIndiansquaworabarber\'spoleyou\'llhavetogetsomebodyelsetodoit。I\'musedtodressingChristians，notyellerandblackheathenwomen。Redstrungalongaskirtlikethat！Ineverdid！”
“There，there，Effie！Don\'tgetthebarometerfallin\'。Iwasonlysuggestin\'，youknow。Whatdoyouthink，Bos\'n？”
“Why，UncleCyrus，Idon\'tbelieveIshouldlikeredverymuch；northeothercolors，either。Ilikethisjustasitis。“
“So？Well，you\'rethedoctor。Maybeyou\'reright。Iwouldn\'twantyoutolooklikeabarber\'spole。Don\'tloveTadSimpsonenoughtowanttoadvertisehisbusiness。“
MissTaylor\'scominghadotherresultsbesidestherefittingof“Bos\'n。“Shefoundmuchfaultwiththecaptain\'shousekeeping。ItdevelopedthathersisterGeorgiana，whohadbeenworkinginaBrocktonshoeshop，wasnowathomeandmightbeengagedtoattendtothehouseholddutiesattheWhittakerestablishment，providedshewasallowedto“gohomenights。“Georgianawasengaged，ontrial，anddidwell。Sothatproblemwassolved。
SchoolinBayportopensthefirstweekinOctober。Oflatetherehasbeenamovement，headedbysomeofthetownspeoplewhothinkcitywaysarebest，tohavethetermbegininSeptember。Butthisideahaslittlechanceofsuccessaslongascranberrypickingcontinuestobeourleadingindustry。Somanyofthechildrenhelpoutthefamilymeansbypickingcranberriesinthefallthatschool，untilthepickingseasonwasover，wouldbeslimlyattended。
ThelastweekinSeptemberfoundusalldiscussingthecomingofthenewdownstairsteacher，MissPhoebeDawes。Sinceitwasdefinitelysettledthatshewastocome，theoppositionhaddieddownandwaslessopenlyexpressed；butitwasthere，allthesame，beneaththesurface。CongressmanAtkinshadacceptedthesurprisingdefianceofhiswishwithcalmdignityandthephilosophyofthetrulygreatwhoarenottroubledbytrifles。Hislieutenant，TadSimpson，quotedhimassayingthat，ofcourse，thewilloftheschoolcommitteewasparamount，andhe，asallgoodcitizensshould，bowedtotheirverdict。“Farbeitfromme，“sothegreatmanproclaimed，“todesirethatmyopinionshouldcarrymoreweightthanthatofthehumblestofmyfriendsandneighbors。Speakingasonewhoseknowledgeoftheworldwas，perhaps——er——moreextensivethan——er——others，IfavoredtheNormalSchoolcandidate。Butthepersonschosentoselectthought——orappearedtothink——otherwise。
Ithereforesaynothingandawaitdevelopments。“
ThisattitudewasconsideredbymostofustoreflectcredituponMr。Atkins。Therewereafewscoffers，however。WhentheproclamationwasrepeatedtoCaptainCyhesmiled。
“Alpheus，“hesaidtoMr。Smalley，hisinformant，“youdidn\'tusetoknowDeaconZebClark，wholivedupbythesaltworksinmygranddad\'stime，hey？No，courseyoudidn\'t！Well，thedeaconwasagreatbelieverinhisownjudgment。Onetime，itbein\'Saturday，hiswifewantedhimtopumpthewashtubfullandtakeabath。Hesaid，no；saidthecisternwasawfullowand\'twoulduseupallthewater。Shesaidnosuchthing；therewaswatera-plenty。Toproveshewaswronghewentandpriedthecisterncoverofftolook，andfellin。Mrs。Clarkpeekeddownandsawhimthere，standin\'uptohisneck。
“\'Tabby，\'sayshe，\'youwouldhaveyourwayandI\'mtakin\'thebath。Butyoucanseeforyourselfthatwe\'llhavetocartwaterfromnowon。However，_I_ain\'tresponsible；throwmedownthesoapandtowel。\'“
“Humph！”gruntedSmalley，“Idon\'tseewhatthat\'sgottodowithit。Hemanain\'ttakin\'nobath。“
“Idon\'tknow\'sit\'sgotanythingtodowithit。ButhekindofmademethinkofZeb，allthesame。“
Thefirstdayofschoolwas，ofcourse，aMonday。OnSundayafternoonCaptainCyandBos\'nwentforawalk。ThesewalkshadbecomearegularpartoftheSabbathprogramme，theweather，ofcourse，permitting。Afterchurchthepaircamehomefordinner。
Themealbeingeaten，thecaptainwouldlightacigar——apipewasnowhardly“dressed-up“enoughforSunday——and，takinghissmallpartnerbythehand，wouldleadthewayacrossthefields，throughthepinesanddownbythemeadow“shortcut“tothecemetery。ThecemeteryisafavoriteSabbathresortforthenativesofBayport，whousuallyspeakofitasthegraveyard。Itisapleasant，shadyspot，andtovisititisconsideredquiterespectableandinkeepingwiththedayandadueregardfordecorum。Theungodly，meaningthesummerboardersandthevillageno-accounts，seemtopreferthebeachandthefishhouses，butthecemeteryattractsthechurchgoers。Onemaygossipconcerningtheprobablecostofanewtombstoneandstillremainfaithfultothemostrigidcreed。
CaptainCywasnot，strictlyspeaking，areligiousman，accordingtoBayportstandards。BetweenhisattendancetochurchlydutiesandthatoftheHonorableHemanAtkinstherewasagreatgulffixed。ButheratherlikedtovisitthegraveyardonSundayafternoons。Hismotherhadbeenusedtostrolltherewithhim，inhisboyhood，anditpleasedhimtofollowinherfootsteps。
SoheandBos\'nwalkedalongthegrass-coveredpaths，betweentheiron-fenced“lots“ofthewell-to-doandthehumblemoundsandsimpleslabswherethepoorweresleeping；pastthesumptuousgraniteshaftoftheAtkinslotandthetiltedmossystonewhichtoldhow“EdwinSimpson，ouronlyson，“hadbeen“accidentallyshotintheWestIndies“；outthroughthebackgateandupthehilltothepinegroveoverlookingthebay。Here，onascentedcarpetofpineneedles，theysatthemdowntorestandchat。
Emily，hersmallkneesdrawnupandencircledbyherarms，lookedoutacrosstheflats，nowhalfcoveredwiththerisingtide。Itwasamildday，morelikeAugustthanOctober，andtherewasalmostnowind。Thesunwasshiningontheshallowwater，andthesandbeneathitshowedyellow，checkeredandmarbledwithdarkgreenstreaksandpatcheswheretheweed-borderedchannelswoundtortuously。OnthehorizonthesandhillsofWellmouthnotchedthebluesky。Thegirldrewalongbreath。
“Oh！”sheexclaimed。“Isn\'tthisjustlovely！Idoliketheseaanawfullot。“
“That\'snaturalenough，“repliedhercompanion。“There\'sabigstreakofsaltwaterinyourbloodonyourma\'sside。Itpulls，thatkindofastreakdoes。There\'sdayswhenIfeeluneasyeveryminuteandhankerforadeckunderneathme。Thesettin\'roomfloorstaysaltogethertooquietonadaylikethat；I\'dliketofeelitheavin\'overagroundswell。“
“Say，Bos\'n，“hesaidafewminuteslater；“I\'vebeenthinkin\'
aboutyou。You\'vebeentoschool，haven\'tyou？”
“CourseIhave，“wastheratherindignantanswer。“IwenttwoyearsinConcord。Mammausedtohelpmenights，too。Icanreadalmostallthelittlewords。Don\'tIhelpyoureadyourpaper\'mosteverynight？”
“Sartinyoudo！Yes，yes！Well，ourschoolopensto-morrerandI\'vebeenthinkin\'thatmaybeyou\'dbettergo。There\'sanewteachercomin\'，andIhearshe\'sprettygood。“
“Don\'tyouKNOW？Why，Mr。Tiddittsaidyouwastheonethatgothertocomehere！”
“Yes；well，Asaphsays\'mosteverythingbuthisprayers。Still，heain\'tfuroffthistime；Ical\'lateIwassomeresponsibleforherbein\'votedin。YetIdon\'treallyknowanythingabouther。Yousee，I——well，nevermind。Whatdoyouthink？Wanttogo？”
Bos\'nlookedtroubled。
“I\'dliketo，“shesaid。“CourseIwanttolearnhowtoreadthebigwords，too。ButIliketostayathomewithyoumore。“
“Youdo，hey？Sho，sho！Well，IguessIcangetalongbetweentimes。Georgiana\'stheretokeepmestraightandshe\'llseetothedustandthedishes。Iguessyou\'dbettergoto-morrermornin\'andseehowyoulikeit，anyhow。“
Thechildthoughtforamoment。
“Ithinkyou\'reawfulgood，“shesaid。“Ilikeyounexttomamma；
evenbetterthanAuntieOliver。Iprintedalettertohertheotherday。ItoldheryouwerebetterthanweexpectedandIhaddecidedtolivewithyoualways。“
CaptainCywasstartled。Consideringthat，onlythedaybefore，hehadrepeatedtoBaileythedeclarationthatthearrangementwasbuttemporary，andthatBetsyHoweswasescapingresponsibilityonlyforamonthorso，hescarcelyknewwhattosay。
“Humph！”hegrunted。“You\'vedecidedit，haveyou？Well，we\'llsee。Nowyoutrotaroundandhaveagoodtime。I\'mgoin\'tohaveanothersmoke。I\'llbeherewhenyougetback。“
Bos\'nwanderedoffinsearchoflategoldenrod。Thecaptainsmokedandmeditated。Byandbythepuffswerelessfrequentandthecigarwentout。Itfellfromhisfingers。WithhisbackagainstapinetreeCaptainCydozedpeacefully。
Heawokewithajump。Somethinghadawakenedhim，buthedidnotknowwhat。Heblinkedandgazedabouthim。Thenheheardafaintscream。
“Uncle！”screamedBos\'n。“O——o——o——h！UncleCyrus，helpme！Comequick！”
Thenextmomentthecaptainwasplungingthroughthescrubofhuckleberryandbayberrybushes，bumpingintopinesandsmashingthebranchesasideasheraninthedirectionofthecall。
Backofthepinegrovewasabiginclosedpasturenearlyaquarterofamilelong。Itsrearboundarywastheironfenceofthecemetery。Theotherthreesidesweremarkedbyrailfencesandastonewall。Asthecaptainflounderedfromthegroveandvaultedtherailfencehesworealoud。
“Bythebigdipper，“hegroaned，“it\'sthatcussedheifer！I
forgother。Keepdodgin\'，Bos\'ngirl！I\'mcomin\'。“
ThepasturewastenantedbyaredandwhitecowbelongingtoSylvanusCahoon。Whetherornottheanimalhad，duringhercalfhooddays，beeninjuredbyawomanisnotknown；possiblyherbehaviorwasduemerelytoinnatedepravity。Atanyrate，shecherishedamortalhatredtowardhumanbeingsofherownsex。Withmenandboysshewasmeekenough，butnopersonwearingskirts，andalone，mightventureinthatfieldwithoutbeingchasedbythatcow。Whatwouldhappenifthepursuedonewascaughtcouldonlybesurmised，for，sofar，nofemalehadpermittedherselftobecaught。Fewwouldcomeevensonearastheothersideofthepasturewalls。
Bos\'nhadforgottenthecow。Shehadgonefromonegolden-rodclumptoanotheruntilshehadtraversednearlythelengthofthefield。Thentheviciouscreaturehadappearedfrombehindaknollinthepastureand，headdownandbellowingwickedly，hadrusheduponher。Whenthecaptainreachedthefar-offfence，thelittlegirlwasdodgingfromonedwarfpinetothenext，withthecowinpursuit。ThepineswerefewandBos\'nwasnearlyattheendofherdefenses。
“Help！”shescreamed。“Oh，uncle，whereareyou？WhatshallI
do？”
CaptainCyroaredinanswer。
“Keepitup！”heyelled。“I\'ma-comin\'！Shootyoueverlastin\'
critter！I\'llbreakyourbackforyou！”
Thecowdidn\'tunderstandEnglishitseemed，evensuchvigorousEnglishasthecaptainwasusing。Emilydodgedtothelastpine。
Theanimalwascloseuponher。Herrescuerwasstillfaraway。
Andthenthecemeterygateopenedandanotherpersonenteredthepasture。Asmallperson——awoman。Shesaidnothing，butpickingupherskirts，ranstraighttowardthecow，heedlessofthelatter\'sreputationandviciousappearance。Onehandclutchedthegatheredskirts。Intheothersheheldabook。
Don\'tbescared，dear，“shecalledreassuringly。Thentothecow：
“Stopit！Goaway，youwickedthing！”
Theanimalheardthevoiceandturned。Seeingthatthenewcomerwasonlyawoman，sheloweredherheadandpawedtheground。
“Runforthegate，littlegirl，“commandedtherescuer。“Runquick！”Bos\'nobeyed。Shemadeadesperatedashfromherpineacrosstheopenspace，andinanothermomentwassafeinsidethecemeteryfence。
“Scat！Gohome！”orderedthelady，advancingtowardthecowandshakingthebookather，asifthevolumewassomesortofdeadlyweapon。“Aren\'tyouashamedofyourself！Goaway！Youneedn\'tgrowlatme！I\'mnotabitafraidofyou。“
The“growling“wasthemutteredbellowwithwhichthecowwaswonttoterrorizeherfemininevictims。Butthisvictimrefusedtobeterrorized。Insteadofscreamingandrunningshecontinuedtoadvance，brandishingthebookandrepeatingherordersthatthecreature“gohome“atonce。Thecowdidnotknowwhattomakeofit。Beforeshecoulddecidewhethertochargeorretreat，agood-
sizedstickdescendeduponherbackwitha“whack“thatsettledthequestion。CaptainCyhadreachedthesceneofbattle。
Thentherescuer\'scourageseemedtodeserther，forsheranbacktothecemeteryevenfasterthanshehadrunfromit。Whentheindignantcaptain，havingpursuedandchastisedthecowuntilthestickwasbutasplinteredremnant，reachedthehavenbehindtheironfence，hefoundhersoothingthefrightenedBos\'nwhowassobbingandhysterical。
Emilysawher“UncleCyrus“comingandrushedintohisarms。Hepickedherupand，holdingherwithagripwhichtestifiedtothenervestrainhehadbeenunder，steppedforwardtomeetthestranger，whosecominghadbeensoopportune。
AndsheWASastranger。ThecaptainknewmostofBayport\'sinhabitantsbythistime，orthoughthedid，buthedidnotknowher。Shewasasmallwoman，quietlydressed，andherhair，underaneatblackandwhitehat，wasbrown。Thehatwasnowatrifletoonesideandthehairwastheleastbitdisarranged，aneffectnotatallunbecoming。Shewastuckinginthestraywispsasthecaptain，withBos\'ninhisarms，cameup。
“Well，ma\'am！”puffedCaptainCy。“WELL，ma\'am！Imustsaythatwastheslickest，pluckiestthingeverIsawanywheres。Idon\'tknowwhatwould——I——IdeclareIdon\'tknowhowtothankyou。“
Theladylookedathimamomentbeforereplying。Thenshebegantolaugh，ajollylaughthatwaspleasanttohear。
“Don\'ttry，please，“shesaidchokingly。“Itwasn\'tanything。Oh，mercyme！I\'malloutofbreath。Yousee，IhadbeenwarnedaboutthatcowwhenIstartedtowalkthisafternoon。SowhenIsawherchasingyourpoorlittlegirlhereIknewrightawaywhatwasthematter。Itmusthavebeenfoolishenoughtolookat。I\'musedtodogsandcats，butIhaven\'thadmanypetcows。Itoldherto\'gohome\'andto\'scat\'andallsortsofthings。WonderIdidn\'ttellhertoliedown！AndthewayIshookthatridiculousbookatherwas——“
ShelaughedagainandthecaptainandBos\'njoinedinthelaugh，inspiteofthefrighttheybothhadexperienced。
“Thatbookwasdryenoughtofrightenalmostanything，“continuedthelady。“ItwasoneItookfromthetablebeforeIlefttheplacewhereI\'mstaying，andadullercollectionofsermonsIneversaw。Oh，dear！……there！Ismyhatanymorerespectablenow？”
“Yes\'m。It\'saboutonanevenkeel，Ishouldsay。ButImusttellyou，ma\'am，youdonesimplygreatand——“
“Seemstomethepeoplewhoownthatcowmustbeapoorsettolethermakesuchanuisanceofherself。Didyourdaughterrunawayfromyou？”
“Well，yousee，ma\'am，sheain\'treallymydaughter。Bos\'nhere——
that\'smynicknameforher，ma\'am——sheandIwasoutwalkin\'。I
setdowninthepinesandIguessImusthavedozedoff。Anyhow，whenIwokeupshewasgone，andthefirstthingIknewofthisscrapewashearin\'herhail。“
Thelittlewoman\'smannerchanged。Hergrayeyesflashedindignantly。
“Youdozedoff？”sherepeated。“Withalittlegirlinyourcharge，andintheverynextlottothatcow？Didn\'tyouknowthecreaturechasedwomenandgirls？”
“Why，yes；I\'dheardofit，but——“
“Itwasn\'tUncleCyrus\'sfault，“putinBos\'neagerly。“Itwasmine。Iwentawaybymyself。“
Beyondshiftinghergazetothechildtheladypaidnoattentiontothisremark。
“Whatdoyouthinkhermother\'llsaywhensheseesthatdress？”
sheasked。