ShallIgoand——“
“No！Setstill。“
Thepaironthesofasatstill。CaptainCystoodlikeastatueinthemiddleofthefloor。Hesquaredhisshouldersandjammedhisclenchedfistsintohispockets。Stepscrunchedthegravelofthewalk。Therecameaknockatthedoorofthediningroom。
Walkingsteadily，butwithafacesetasthefigureheadononeofhisownships，thecaptainwenttoanswertheknock。Theyheardthedooropen，andthenaman\'svoiceasked：
“IsthisCap\'nWhittaker？”
“Yes，“wastheshortanswer。
“Well，Cap，Iguessyoudon\'tknowme，thoughmaybeyouknowsomeofmyfamily。Ha，ha！Don\'tunderstandthat，hey？Well，youletmeinandI\'llexplainthejoke。“
Thecaptain\'sreplywascalmanddeliberate。
“Ishouldn\'twonderifIunderstoodit，“hesaid。“Comein。
Don\'t——“Theremainderofthesentencewaswhisperedandthelistenersonthesofacouldnothearit。AmomentlaterCaptainCyenteredthesittingroom，followedbyhiscaller。
Thelatterwasastranger。Hewasabroad-shoulderedmanofmediumheight，withayellowishmustacheandbrownhair。Hewasdressedinrathershabbyclothes，withoutanovercoat，andhehadasoftfelthatinhishand。Themostnoticeablethingabouthimwasaslighthesitancyinhiswalk。Hewasnotlame，hedidnotlimp，yethisleftfootseemedtohaltforaninstantashebroughtitforwardinthestep。Theylearnedafterwardsthatithadbeenhurtinaminecave-in。Hecarriedhimselfwithaswagger，and，afterhisentrance，therewasaperceptiblearomaofalcoholintheroom。
HestaredattheBoardofStrategyandthestarewasreturnedinfullmeasure。BaileyandAsaphwerewildlycurious。They，ofcourse，connectedthestranger\'sarrivalwiththemysteriousletterandthecaptain\'sperturbationoftheday。
Buttheircuriositywasnottobesatisfied，atleastnotthen。
“Howareyou，gents？”hailedthenewcomercheerfully。“Likethelooksofme，doyou？”
CaptainCycutofffurtherconversation。
“Ase，“hesaid，“this——er——gentlemanandIhavegotsomebusinesstotalkover。Iknowyou\'regoodenoughfriendsofminenottomindifIaskyoutoclearout。You\'llunderstand。YouWILL
understand，boys，won\'tyou？”headded，almostentreatingly。
“Sartinsure！”repliedMr。Tidditt，risinghurriedly。“Don\'tsayanotherword，Whit。“AndthemystifiedBangsconcurredwitha“Yes，yes！Why，ofcourse！Didn\'thavenothin\'thatamountstonothin\'tostayforanyhow。Seeyouto-morrer，Cy。“
Outsideandatthegatetheystoppedandlookedateachother。
“Well！”exclaimedAsaph。“Ifthatain\'tthestrangestthing！Whowasthatfeller？Where\'dhecomefrom？DidyounoticehowCyacted？Seemedtobeholdin\'himselfinbymainstrength。“
“Didyousmelltherumonhim？”returnedBailey。“Onthatt\'otherchap，Imean？Didn\'thelooklikeareg\'larno-accounttoyou？
Andsay，Ase，didn\'theremindyouofsomebodyyou\'dseensomewheres——kindof，inaway？”
Theywalkedhomeinadazedstate，askingunanswerablequestionsandmakingprofitlessguesses。ButAsaph\'sfinalremarkseemedtosumupthesituation。
“There\'stroublecomin\'ofthis，Bailey，“hedeclared。“Andit\'stroubleforCyWhittaker，I\'mafraid。PooroldCy！Well，WE\'LL
standbyhim，anyhow。Idon\'tbelievehe\'llsleepmuchto-night。
Didn\'tlookasthoughhewould，didhe？WhoISthatfeller？”
IfhehadseenCaptainCy，attwoo\'clockthenextmorning，sittingbyBos\'n\'sbedsideandgazinghopelesslyatthechild，hewouldhaverealizedthat，ifhisformerpredictionswerewipedofftheslateandhecouldbejudgedbytheoneconcerningthecaptain\'ssleeplessnight，hemightthereafterposeasatrueprophet。
CHAPTERXI
ABARGAINOFF
“Mornin\'，Georgianna，“saidCaptainCytohishousekeeperasthelatterunlockedthebackdooroftheWhittakerhousenextmorning。
“I\'malittleaheadofyouthistime。“
MissTaylor，beingBayportbornandbred，wasanearlyriser。Shelodgedwithhersister，inBassett\'sHollow，agoodhalfmilefromtheCyWhittakerplace，butshewasalwaysonhandatthelatterestablishmentbysixeachmorning，exceptSundays。Nowsheglancedquicklyattheclock。Thetimewastenminutestosix。
“Landsakes！”sheexclaimed。“Ishouldsayyouwas！Whatintheworldgotyouupsoearly？Ain\'tsick，areyou？”
“No，“repliedthecaptainwearily。“Iain\'tsick。Ididn\'tsleepverywelllastnight，that\'sall。“
Georgiannalookedsharplyathim。Hisfacewashaggardandhiseyeshaddarkcirclesunderthem。
“Humph！”shegrunted。“No，Iguessyoudidn\'t。Lookstomeasifyou\'dbeenupallnight。“Thensheaddedananxiousquery：
“\'Tain\'tBos\'n——sheain\'tsick，Ihope？”
“No。She\'sallright。Isay，Georgianna，youputonanextryplatethismornin\'。Gotcompanyforbreakfast。“
Thehousekeeperwassurprised。
“Forbreakfast？”sherepeated。“Landofgoodness！who\'scomin\'forbreakfast？Ineverheardofcompanydroppin\'inforbreakfast。
That\'sonemealfolksgenerallygettohome。Whoisit？Mr。
Tidditt？HasKeturyturnedhimoutdoorbecausehe\'stoobadanexampleforherhusband？”
“No，\'tain\'tAse。It\'sa——afriendofmine。Well，notexactlyafriend，maybe，butanacquaintancefromoutoftown。Hecamelastevenin\'。He\'supinthesparebedroom。“
“Well，Inever！Comeunexpected，didn\'the？IwishI\'dknownhewascomin\'。Thatspareroombedain\'tbeenairedIdon\'tknowwhen。“
“Iguesshecanstandit。Ical\'latehe\'ssleptinconsider\'bleworse——Hum！Yes，hedidcomekindofsudden。“
“What\'shisname？”
“Whatdifferencedoesthatmake？Idon\'tknow\'shisnamemakesanyoddsaboutgettin\'hisbreakfastforhim。“
Georgiannawashurt。Hereasy-goingemployerhadneverusedthistonebeforewhenaddressingher。
“Oh！”shesniffed。“IsTHATthewayyoufeel？Allright！Icanmindmyownbusiness，thankyou。Ionlyaskedbecauseit\'sconvenientsometimestoknowwhethertocallapersonBillSmithorSolJones。ButIdon\'tcareifit\'sNebuchadnezzar。Iknowwhentokeepmytonguestill，Iguess。“
Sheflouncedovertotherange。CaptainCylookedashamedofhimself。
“I\'mkindofoutofsortsto-day，“hesaid。“Gotsomeheadache。
Why，hisnameis——is——yes，\'tisSmith，cometothinkofit——JohnSmith。Funnyyoushouldguessright，wan\'tit？”
“Humph！”wastheungraciousanswer。“Namesdon\'tinterestme，I
tellyou。“
ThecaptainwasinthediningroomwhenBos\'nappeared。
“Goodmorning，UncleCyrus，“shesaid。“You\'vebeenwaiting，haven\'tyou？AmIlate？Ididn\'tmeantobe。“
“No，no！youain\'tlate。Early，ifanything。Breakfastain\'tquitereadyyet。Comehereandsetinmylap。Iwanttotalktoyou。“
Hetookheronhisknee。Shelookedupintohisface。
“What\'sthematter，UncleCy？”sheasked。“Whatmakesyousosober？”
“Sober？Ifyouain\'ttheoldestyoungoneforeightyearsIeversaw！Why，Iain\'tsober。No，no！Say，Bos\'n，doyoulikeyourschoolaswellasever？”
“Yes，sir。Ilikeitbetterallthetime。“
“Do，hey？Andthatteacherwoman——goonlikin\'her？”
Thechildnoddedemphatically。“Yes，sir，“shesaid。“AndI
haven\'tbeenkeptaftersincethatonce。“
“Sho！sho！Courseyouain\'t\'！SoyouthinkBayport\'sasniceasConcord，doyou？”
“Oh！lotsnicer！IfmammawasonlyhereI\'dneverwanttobeanywhereelse。Andnotthen，maybe，unlessyouwasthere，too。“
“Hum！Wanttoknow！Say，Bos\'n，howwouldyoufeelifyouhadtogosomewhereselse？”
“Tolive？Havewegotto？I\'dfeeldreadful，ofcourse。Butifyou\'vegottogo，UncleCyrus，why——“
“Me？No；Iain\'tgottogoanywheres。But\'twasyouIwasthinkin\'
of。Wouldn\'twanttoleavetheoldman，hey？”
“ToleaveYOU！Oh，UncleCyrus！”
Shewasstaringathimnowandherchinwastrembling。
“Uncle，“shedemanded，“youain\'tgoingtosendmeaway？Haven\'tI
beenagoodgirl？”
Thecaptain\'slipsshuttight。Hewaitedamomentbeforereplying。
“\'Deedyou\'vebeenagoodgirl！”hesaidbrusquely。“Ineversawabetterone。No，Iain\'tgoin\'toSENDyouaway。Don\'tyouworryaboutthat。“
“ButAliciaAtkinssaidonetimeyoutoldsomebodyyouwasgoingtosendmeoutWest，afterawhile。Ididn\'tbelieveit，then，she\'ssomean，butshesaidyousaid——“
“SAID！”CaptainCygroaned。“TheLordknowswhatIain\'tsaid！
I\'vebeenafool，dearie，andit\'sajudgmentonme，Iguess。“
“Butain\'tyougoin\'tokeepme？I——I——“
Shesobbed。Thecaptainstrokedherhair。
“Keepyou？”hemuttered。“Yes，bythebigdipper！I\'mgoin\'tokeepyou，ifIcan——ifIcan。“
“Hello！”saidavoice。Thepairlookedup。Themanwhohadarrivedonthepreviousnightstoodinthesitting-roomdoorway。
Howlonghehadbeenstandingtherethecaptaindidnotknow。WhathedidknowwasthatMr。JohnSmithbydaylightwasnotmoreprepossessingthanthesameindividualviewedbytheaidofalamp。
EmilysawthestrangerandslidfromCaptainCy\'sknees。Thecaptainrose。
“Bos\'n，“hesaid，“thisisMr——er——Smith，who\'sgoin\'tomakeusalittlevisit。Iwantyoutoshakehandswithhim。“
ThegirldutifullyapproachedMr。Smithandextendedherhand。Hetookitandhelditinhisown。
“Isthisthe——“hebegan。
CaptainCybowedassent。
“Yes，“hesaid，hiseyesfixedonthevisitor\'sface。“Yes。Don\'tforgetwhatyousaidlastnight。“
Smithshookhishead。
“No，“hereplied。“Iain\'tthekindthatforgets，unlessitpaysprettywell。There\'ssomethingsI\'verememberedforquiteafewyears。“
Helookedthechildoverfromheadtofootandhisbrowsdrewtogetherinanuglyfrown。
“Sothisisher，hey？”hemutteredmusingly。“Humph！Well，I
don\'tknowasI\'dhaveguessedit。Favorstheothersideofthehousemore——therespectableside，Ishouldsay。Still，there\'salittlebrandofthelostsheep，hey？Enoughtoproveproperty，huh？Markofthebeast，Is\'posethepsalm-singin\'relationswouldcallit。D——nem！I——“
“Steady！”brokeinthecaptain。Mr。Smithstarted，seemedtorememberwherehewas，andhismannerchanged。
“Comeandseeme，honey，“hecoaxed，drawingthegirltowardhimbythehandhewasholding。“Ain\'tyougotanicekissformethisfinemornin\'？Don\'tbescared。Iwon\'tbite。“
Bos\'nlookedshrinkinglyatMr。Smith\'sunshavencheeksandthenatCaptainCy。Thelatter\'sfacewasabsolutelydevoidofexpression。
Hemerelynodded。
SoEmilykissedoneofthebristlingcheeks。Thekisswasreturnedfulluponthemouth。Shewipedherlipsanddartedawaytoherchairbythetable。
“What\'syourhurry？”inquiredthevisitor。“Don\'tIdoitright？
BeensometimesinceIkissedagirl——alittleone，anyhow，“headded，winkingathishost。“Nevermind，we\'llknoweachotherbetterbyandby。“
HelookedoninwonderingdisgustasBos\'nsaidher“grace。“
“Whatinblazes！”heburstoutwhenthelittleblessingwasfinished。“Whoputheruptothat？Aleft-overfromthepsalm-
singers，isit？”
“Idon\'tknow，“answeredthecaptain，speakingwithdeliberation。
“IdoknowthatIliketohaveherdoitandthatsheshalldoitaslong\'sshe\'satthistable。“
“Oh！sheshall，hey？Well，Ireckon——“
“Sheshall——ASLONGASSHE\'SATTHISTABLE。Isthatrealplainandunderstandable，orshallIwriteitdown？”
Therewasanicyclearnessinthecaptain\'stonewhichseemedtofreezefurtherconversationonthepartofMr。Smith。Hemerelygruntedandatehisbreakfastinsilence。Heateagreatdealandateitrapidly。
Bos\'ndepartedforschoolwhenthemealwasover。CaptainCyhelpedheronwithhercoatandhood。Then，ashealwaysdidoflate，hekissedhergood-by。
“Hi！”calledMr。Smithfromthesittingroom。“Ain\'tIinonthat？
Ifthere\'sanykissesgoin\'Iwanttotakeahandbeforethedeal\'sover。“
“MustI？”whisperedBos\'npleadingly。“MustI，UncleCy？Idon\'twantto。Idon\'tlikehim。“
“Comeon！”calledMr。Smith。“I\'mgettin\'overmybashfulnessfast。Hurryup！”
“MustIkisshim，UncleCyrus？”whisperedBos\'n。“MUSTI？”
“No！”snappedthecaptainsharply。“Trotrightalongnow，dearie。
Beagoodgirl。Good-by。“
Heenteredthesittingroom。HisguesthadfoundtheSundayboxandwaslightingoneofhishost\'scigars。
“Well，“heinquiredeasily，“what\'snextonthebill？Anythinggoin\'oninthisforsakenhole？”
“There\'sabarbershopdowntheroad。Youmightgotherefirst，I
shouldsay。Notthatyouneedit，butjustasanoveltylike。“
“Humph！Idon\'tknow。What\'sthematterwithyourrazor？”
“Nothin\'。AtleastIain\'tfoundanythingwrongwithityet。“
“Oh！Say，lookhere！you\'reaqueerguy，youare。Iain\'tgotyourightinmymindyet。Oneminutebutterwouldn\'tmeltinyourmouth，andthenextyou\'refreshasanewegg。WhatISyourlittlegame，anyway？You\'vegotone，sodon\'ttellmeyouain\'t。“
CaptainCywasplainlyembarrassed。Hegazedatthe“ShoretoShore“pictureonthewallasheanswered。
“Nogameaboutit，“hesaid。“LastnightyouandIagreedthatnothin\'wastobesaidforafewdays。YouwastostayhereandI\'dtrytomakeyoucomfort\'ble，that\'sall。Thenwe\'dseeaboutthatothermatter，settleonafairprice，and——“
“Yes，Iknow。That\'sallright。Butyou\'retoowillin\'。There\'ssomethingelse。Say！”Theuglyscowlwasinevidenceagain。
“Say，lookhere，you！youain\'tgotsomethin\'upyoursleeve，haveyou？Thereain\'tsomethin\'morethatIdon\'tknowabout，isthere？
Nomoresecretsthanthat——“
“No！Youhearme？No！You\'llgetyourrights，andmaybealittlemorethanyourrights，ifyou\'redecent。Andit\'llpayyoutobedecent。“
“Humph！”Mr。Smithseemedtobethinking。Thenheadded，lookingupkeenlyunderhisbrows：“Howaboutthe——theincumbranceontheproperty？Ofcourse，whenIgoI\'llhavetotakethatwithme，and——“
CaptainCyinterrupted。
“There！there！”heexclaimed，andtherewasashakeinhisvoice，“there！there！Don\'tlet\'stalkaboutsuchthingsnow。I——I——
Let\'swaitaspell。We\'llhavesomemoreplanstomake，maybe。Ifyouwanttousemyrazorit\'srightinthatdrawer。Justhelpyourself。“
Thevisitorlaughedaloud。Henoddedasifsatisfied。“Ho！ho！”
hechuckled。“Isee！Humph！yes——Isee。Thefoolsain\'talldead，andthere\'snonetobeatanoldone。Well！well！Allright，pard！Iguessyouandme\'llgetalongfine。I\'vechangedmymind；
IWILLgotothebarbershop，afterall。OnlyI\'malittleshyofdustjustatpresent。So，toobligeafriend，maybeyou\'llhandover，huh？”
Thecaptainreachedintohispocket，extractedatwo-dollarbill，andpassedittothespeaker。Mr。Smithsmiledandshookhishead。
“Youcan\'tcomeinonthat，pard，“hesaid。“Thelimit\'sfive。“
CaptainCytookbackthebillandexchangeditforonewithaVineachcorner。Thevisitortookitandturnedtowardthedoor。
“Ta！ta！”hesaid，takinghishatfromthepeginthediningroom。
“I\'mofffortheclippers。WhenIcomebackI\'llbethesweetestlittleWillieinthediggin\'s。Solong。“
Bos\'nandthecaptainsatdowntothedinneratnoonalone。Mr。
Smithhadnotreturnedfromhistriptothebarber\'s。Hecamein，however，justbeforethemealwasover，stillinanunshorncondition，somewhatflushedandveryloquacious。
“Say！”heexclaimedgenially。“ThatSimpson\'stherightsort，ain\'the？Himandmetookashinetoeachotherfromthego-off。
He\'sbeenWesthimselfandhe\'sgotsomewidthtohim。He\'snopsalmsinger。“
“Humph！”commentedthecaptain，withdelicatesarcasm。“Hedon\'tseemtobemuchofabarber，either。What\'sthematter？Goneoutofbusiness，hashe？Orwasyousowildorwoollyhegotdiscouragedbeforehebegun？”
“Greatsnakes！”exclaimedthevisitor。“Iforgotallabouttheclippers！Well，that\'soneonme，pard！I\'llmakeanewtrysoon\'sgrub\'sover。Don\'tbesotight-fistedwiththesteak；thisisaplateI\'mpassin\'，notacontributionbox。“
HewinkedatBos\'nandwouldhavechuckedherunderthechinifshehadnotdodged。SheseemedtohavetakenagreataversiontoMr。
Smithandwasplainlyafraidofhim。
“Ishegoingtostayverylong，UncleCyrus？”shewhispered，whenitwasschooltimeoncemore。“Doyouthinkhe\'snice？”
CaptainCydidnotanswer。Whenshehadgoneandtheguesthadrisenfromthetableandputonhishat，thecaptainsaidwarningly：
“There\'sonelittlebitofadviceIwanttogiveyou，MisterMan：
Abargain\'sabargain，butittakestwotokeepit。Don\'tletyourloveforTadSimpsonleadyouintotalkin\'toomuch。Talk\'scheap，theysay，buttoomuchofitmightbemightydearforyou。
Understand？”
Smithpattedhimontheback。“Lordloveyou，pard！”hechuckled，“I\'mnospringchicken。I\'mashardtoopenasasafe，Iam。Ittakesacanopenertogetanythingoutofme。“
“Yes；well，youcangetinsidesomefolkseasierwithacorkscrew。
I\'vebeentoldthatTad\'sakindofamediumsometimes。Ifheraisesanyspiritsinthatbackroomofhis，I\'dleave\'emalone，ifIwasyou。Solongasyou\'redecent，I\'llputupwith——“
ButMr。Smithwasonhiswaytothegate，whistlingasifhehadn\'tacareintheworld。CaptainCywatchedhimgodowntheroad，andthen，withthedrawn，wearylookonhisfacewhichhadbeentheresincethedaybefore，heenteredthesittingroomandthrewhimselfintoachair。
MissPhoebeDawes，theschoolteacher，workedlatethatevening。
Therewereexaminationpaperstobegoneover，andexperiencehaddemonstratedthattheonlyplacewhereshecouldbefreefrominterruptionswastheschoolroomitself。AttheperfectboardinghousetheshrilltonesofKeturah\'svoiceandthoseofMissPhinneyandMrs。Tripppenetratedthroughshutdoors。ItishardtofigurepercentageswhenthemostintimatedetailsofBayport\'sfamilylifearebeingrecitedandgloatedoverontheothersideofathinpartition。AndwhenMatildaundertooktodefendtheCome-Outerfaithagainsttheassaultsofthemajority，theverbalriotwas，asMr。Tiddittdescribedit，“likefeedin\'timeinaparrotshop。“
SoMissPhoebecametotheboardinghouseforsupperandthenreturnedtotheschoolroom，where，withalightedbracketlampbesideheronthedesk，shelaboreduntilnineo\'clock。Thensheputonhercoatandhat，extinguishedthelight，lockedthedoor，andstartedonherlonelywalkhome。
“Themainroad“inourvillageisdarkafternineoclock。Thereisastreetlight——akerosenelamp——onapostinfrontoftheMethodistmeetinghouse，butthesextonforgetsit，generallyspeaking，or，atanyrate，neglectstofillitexceptatrareintervals。Simmons\'sfrontwindowsareablaze，ofcourse，andsoarethedingypanesofSimpson\'sbarbershop。Butthesetwocentersofsociabilityarebothatthedepotroadcorner，andwhentheyarepassedtheonlysourcesofilluminationarethescatteredgleamsfromthebackwindowsofdwellings。Asmostofusretirebyhalf-pasteight，theglowalongthemainroadisnotdazzling，tosaytheveryleast。
MissDaweswasnotafraidofthedark。Shehadbeenherownescortforagoodmanyyears。Shewalkedbrisklyon，heardthelaughterandloudvoicesinthebarbershopdieawaybehindher，passedtheschoolhousepond，nowbleakandchillwiththerawNovemberwindblowingacrossit，andbegantoclimbtheslopeofWhittaker\'sHill。Andherethewind，rushinginunimpededoverthefloodedsaltmeadowsfromthetumbledbayoutside，woundherskirtsaboutherandmadeclimbingdifficultandbreath-taking。
Shewas，perhaps，halfwayupthelongslope，whensheheard，intheintervalsbetweenthegusts，footstepsbehindher。Sheknewmostofthevillagepeoplebythistimeandthethoughtofcompanywasnotunpleasant。Soshepausedandpantinglywaitedforwhoeverwascoming。Shecouldnotseemorethanafewyards，butthefootstepssoundednearerandnearer，and，amomentlater，aman\'svoicebegansinging“AnnieRooney，“amelodythenpastitsprimeinthecities，butpopularizedinBayportbysomedepartedbatchofsummerboarders。
Shedidnotrecognizethevoiceandshedidnotparticularlyapproveofsinginginthestreets，especiallysuchloudsinging。
Soshedecidednottowaitlonger，andwasturningtocontinueherclimb，whenthepersonbehindstoppedhisvocalizingandcalled。
“Hi！”heshouted。“Hello，aheadthere！Whoisit？Holdonaminute，pard！I\'mcomin\'。“
Shedisobeyedtheorderto“holdon，“andbegantohurry。Thehurrywasofnoavail，however，forthefollowerbrokeintoarunandsoonwasbyherside。Hewasastrangertoher。
“Whee！Wow！”hepanted。“Thisisnoracetrack，pard。Pullup，andlet\'stakeiteasy。Myoffleg\'sgotakinkinit，andIdon\'trunsoeasyasIusedto。Greatsnakes；what\'syourrush？Ain\'tyoufondofcompany？Hello！Ibelieveit\'sawoman！”
Shedidnotanswer。Hismannerandthesmellofliquorabouthimweredecidedlyunpleasant。Theideathathemightbeatrampoccurredtoher。TrampsareourbugabooshereinBayport。
“Awoman！”exclaimedthemanhilariously。“Well，say！Ididn\'tbelievetherewasonelooseinthistail-endofnowhere。Girlie，I\'mgladtoseeyou。NotthatIcanseeyoumuch，butnevermind。
Allcatsaregrayinthedark，hey？Youcan\'tseeme，neither，sowe\'lltakeeachotherontrust。\'She\'smysweetheart，I\'mherbeau。\'Say，Maud，mayIseeyouhome？”
Shewasfrightenednow。TheWhittakerplaceonthehilltopwasthenearesthouse，andthatwassomedistanceoff。
“What\'sthematter，Carrie？”inquiredtheman。“Don\'tbescared。
Iwouldn\'thurtyou。I\'mjustlonesome，that\'sall，andIneedsociety。Don\'trush，you\'llruinyourcomplexion。Here！comeundermywingandlet\'stoddlealongtogether。How\'smamma？”
Heseizedherarmandpulledherbackbesidehim。Shetriedtofreeherself，butcouldnot。Herunwelcomeescortheldherfastandshewasobligedtomoveasslowlyashedid。Itwasverydark。
“Say，whatISyourname？”coaxedtheman。“IsisMaud，hey？OrJulia？IalwayslikedJulia。Don\'tbepeevish。Tellus，that\'sagoodgirl。“
Shegaveaquickjerkandmanagedtopullherarmfromhisgrasp，givinghimaviolentpushasshedidso。He，beingunsteadyonhisfeet，tumbleddownthelowbankwhichedgedthesidewalk。Thensheranonupthehillasfastasshecould。Sheheardhimswearashefell。
ShehadnearlyreachedtheendoftheWhittakerfencewhenhecaughther。Hewaslaughing，andthatalarmedheralmostasmuchasifhehadbeenangry。
“Naughty！naughty！”hechuckled，holdingherfast。“Tryin\'tosneak，wasyou？Notmuch！Notthistime！Didyoueverplayforfeitswhenyouwaslittle？Well，thisisaforfeitgameandyou\'reIt。Youmustbowtotheprettiest，kneeltothewittiest，andkisstheoneyoulovebest。AndI\'llletyouoffonthefirsttwo。Comenow！Payup！”
Thenshescreamed。Andherscreamwasansweredatonce。Agateswungbackwithabangandsheheardsomeonerunningalongthewalktowardher。
“OCap\'nWhittaker！”shecalled。“Come！Comequick，please！”
HowsheknewthatthepersonrunningtowardherwasCaptainCyhasnotbeensatisfactorilyexplainedevenyet。Shecannotexplainitandneithercanthecaptain。Andequallyastonishingwasthelatter\'sanswer。Hecertainlyhadnotheardhervoiceoftenenoughtorecognizeitundersuchcircumstances。
“Allright，teacher！”heshouted。“I\'mcomin\'！Letgoofthatwoman，you——Oh，it\'syou，isit？”
HehadseizedMr。Smithbythecoatcollarandjerkedhimawayfromhisvictim。MissDawestookrefugebehindthecaptain\'sbulkyform。Thetwomenlookedateachother。Smithwasrecoveringhisbreath。
“It\'syou，isit？”repeatedCaptainCy。Then，turningtoMissPhoebe，heasked：“Didhehurtyou？”
“No！Notyet。Buthefrightenedmedreadfully。Whoishe？Doyouknowhim？”
Herpersecutoransweredthequestion。
“Youbetyourlifeheknowsme！”hesnarled。“Heknowsmemightywell！Pard，youkeepyournoseoutofthis，d\'yousee！Youmindyourownbusiness。Iwan\'tgoin\'tohurtherany。“
Thecaptainpaidnoattentiontohim。
“Yup，Iknowhim，“hesaidgrimly。Thenheadded，pointingtowardthelightedwindowofthehouseahead：“You——Smith，yougointhereandstaythere！Trot！Don\'tmakemespeaktwice。“
ButMr。Smithwastoofargonewithangerandthe“spirits“raisedbyTadSimpsontoheedthemenaceinthewords。
“Smith，hey？”hesneered。“Oh，yes，SMITH！Well，Smithain\'tgoin\'，d\'yousee！He\'sgoin\'todowhathepleases。IreckonI\'montopoftheroosthere！Iknowwhat\'swhat！Youcan\'ttalktome。I\'vegotrights，Ihave，and——“
“Blastyourrights！”
“What？WHAT？Blastmyrights，hey？Oh，yes！Thinkbecauseyou\'vegotmoneyyoucancheatmeoutof\'em，doyou？Well，youcan\'t！Andhowabouttheotherpartofthoserights？S\'poseI
walkrightintothathouseand——“
“Stopit！Shutup！You\'dbetternot——“
“Andintothatbedroomandjustsay：\'Emmie，here\'syour——\'“
Hedidn\'tfinishthesentence。CaptainCy\'sbigfiststruckhimfairlybetweentheeyes，andthebackofhisheadstruckthewalkwitha“smack！”Then，throughthefireworkswhichwereilluminatinghismuddledbrain，heheardthecaptain\'svoice。
“Youlow-down，good-for-nothin\'scamp！”growledCaptainCy。
“AllthisdayI\'vebeenhatin\'myselfforthewayI\'veactedtoyou。I\'vehatedmyselfandbeentryin\'tospunkupcouragetosay\'It\'salloff！\'ButIwastoomuchofacoward，Iguess。AndnowtheLordA\'mightyhasMADEmesayit。Youwantyourrights，doyou？So？Thenget\'emifyoucan。It\'syouandmeforit，andwe\'llseewho\'sthebestman。Teacher，ifyou\'rereadyI\'llwalkhomewithyounow。“
Mr。Smithwasnotentirelycowed。
“Yougo！”heyelled。“Goahead！AndI\'llgotoalawyer\'sto-
morrow。Butto-night，andinsideoffiveminutes，I\'llwalkintothathouseofyoursandgetmy——“
ThecaptaindroppedMissDawes\'sarmandstrodebacktowherehisantagonistwassittinginthedustofthewalk。Stoopingdown，heshookabigforefingerintheman\'sface。
“You\'vebeenoutWest，theytellme，“hewhisperedsternly。“Yes！
Well，outWesttheytakethelawintotheirownhands，sometimes，I
hear。I\'vebeeninSouthAmerica，andtheydoitthere，too。Justsosureasyougointomyhouseto-nightandtouch——well，youknowwhatImean——justsosureI\'llkillyoulikeadog，ifIhavetochaseyoutoJericho。Nowyoucanbelievethatornot。IfIwasyouI\'dbelieveit。“
Takingthefrightenedschoolmistressbythearmoncemorehewalkedaway。Mr。Smithsaidnothingtilltheyhadgonesomedistance。
Thenhecalledafterthem。
“Youwaittillto-morrow！”heshouted。“Youjustwaitandseewhat\'llhappento-morrow！”
CaptainCywassilentallthewaytothegateoftheperfectboardinghouse。MissDaweswassilentlikewise，butshethoughtagreatdeal。Atthegateshesaid：
“CaptainWhittaker，I\'mEVERsomuchobligedtoyou。Ican\'tthankyouenough。“
“Don\'ttry，then。That\'swhatyousaidtomeaboutthecow。“
“ButI\'malmostsorryyouweretheonetocome。I\'mafraidthatmanwillgetyouintotrouble。Hashe——canhe——Whatdidhemeanaboutto-morrow？WhoIShe？”
Thecaptainpushedhiscapbackfromhisforehead。
“Teacher，“hesaid，“there\'saproverb，ain\'tthere，aboutlettin\'
to-morrowtakecareofitself？Asfortrouble——well，IdidthinkI\'dhadtroubleenoughinmylifetolastmethrough，butI
cal\'lateI\'vegotanotherguess。Anyhow，don\'tyoufret。Ididjusttherightthing，andI\'mgladIdidit。IfitwasonlymeI
wouldn\'tfret，either。Butthere\'s——“Hestopped，groaned，andpulledthecapforwardagain。“Goodnight，“headded，andturnedtogo。
MissDawesleanedforwardanddetainedhim。
“Justaminute，Cap\'nWhittaker，“shesaid。“IwasalittleprejudicedagainstyouwhenIcamehere。Iwastoldthatyougotmetheteacher\'sposition，andtherewasmorethanahintthatyoudiditforselfishreasonsofyourown。WhenyoucalledthatafternoonattheschoolIwas——“
“Don\'tsayaword！Iwasthebiggestfoolintownthattime，andI\'vebeenashamedtolookintheglasseversince。Iain\'talwayssuchanidiot。“
“ButI\'vehadtojudgepeopleformyselfinmylifetime，“continuedtheschoolmistress，“andI\'vemadeupmymindthatIwasmistakenaboutyou。Ishouldliketoapologize。Willyoushakehands？”
Sheextendedherhand。CaptainCyhesitated。
“Hadn\'tyoubetterwaitaspell？”heasked。“You\'veheardthatswabcallmepartner。Hadn\'t——“
“No；Idon\'tknowwhatyourtroubleis，ofcourse，andIcertainlyshan\'tmentionittoanyone。ButwhateveritisI\'msureyouarerightandit\'snotyourfault。Nowwillyoushakehands？”
Thecaptaindidnotanswer。Hemerelytooktheprofferedhand，shookitheartily，andstrodeoffintothedark。
CHAPTERXII
“TOWN-MEETIN\'“
“Thisisgoin\'tobeameMOriabletownmeetin\'！”declaredSylvanusCahoon，withunction，risingfromthesetteetogazeabouthimovertheheadsofthevotersinthetownhall。“Ibetyoueveryable-
bodiedmaninBayport\'llbeherethisforenoon。Yes，sir！that\'swhatIcallit，ame-MO-riablemeetin\'！”
“SeeanythingofCy？”inquiredJosiahDimick，whosatnexttoSylvanus。
“No，heain\'tcomeyet。AndHemanain\'there，neither。Hello！
there\'sTad。Lookshappy，seemstome。“
CaptainDimickstooduptoinspectMr。Simpson。
“Humph！”hemuttered。“Well，unlessmycount\'swrong，heain\'tgotmuchtobehappyabout。\'LonzoSnow\'swithhim。Taddoeslooksortofjoyful，don\'the？Themthatlaughslastlaughsbest。Whenthevoteforschoolcommittee\'sallinwe\'llseewhodoesthegrinnin\'。ButIcan\'tunderstand——Hello！there\'sTidditt。
Asaph！Ase！S-s-t-t！Comehereaminute。“
Mr。Tidditt，tremblingwithexcitement，andshakinghandseffusivelywitheveryonehemet，pushedhiswayuptheaisleandbentoverhisfriend。
“Say，Ase，“whisperedJosiah，“where\'sWhit？Whyain\'theonhand？
Nothin\'shappened，hasit？”
“No，“repliedthetownclerk。“Everythingseemstobeallright。
IstoppedinonthewayalongandCysaidnottowait；he\'dbehereontime。He\'sbeenkindofoffhisfeedforthelastdayorso，andIcal\'latehedidn\'tfeellikehurryin\'。Say，Joe，nowhonest，whatdoyouthinkofmychances？”
SuchaconfirmedjokerasDimickcouldn\'tloseanopportunitylikethis。Withtheaidofonetryingtobecheerfulunderdiscouragementheansweredthat，sofar，Asaph\'schanceslookedfair，prettyfair，butofcourseyoucouldn\'talwayssometimestell。Mr。Tiddittrushedawaytobeginthehandshakingalloveragain。
Fromthisroundofcordialityhewasreluctantlytornandconductedtotheplatform。Afterthumpingthedeskwithhisfistheannouncedthatthegatheringwould“cometoorderrightoff，astherewasconsider\'blebusinesstobedoneanditoughttobegoin\'ahead。“
Hethenproceededtoreadthecallforthemeeting。ThisceremonywasnosooneroverthanAbednegoSmall，“UncleBedny，“wasonhisfeetloudlydemandingtobeinformedwhythetown“hadn\'tdonenothin\'“towardfixinguptheBassett\'sHollowroad。UncleBedny\'sspeechhadproceedednofurtherthan“Fellercitizens，inthenameofanoutrageous——IshouldsayoutragedportionofourcommunityI——“whenhewaschokedoffbyaself-appointedcommitteewhoknewMr。Smallofoldandhadseatedthemselvesnearhimtobereadyforjustsuchemergencies。Thenextstep，judgedbymeetingsofotheryears，shouldhavebeentounanimouslyelectEbenSaltersmoderator；
butasCaptainEbenrefusedtoserve，owingtohisinterestintheWhittakercampaign，AlvinKnowleswas，byasmallmajority，chosenforthatoffice。Mr。KnowleswasadevoutadmirerofthegreatAtkins，andhiselectionwouldhavebeenconsideredapreliminaryvictoryfortheoppositionhaditnotbeenthatmanyofCaptainCy\'sadherentsvotedforAlvinfromaloveofmischief，knowingfromexperiencehisignoranceofparliamentarylawandhiseasy-goingrule。“Nowthere\'llbefun！”declaredonedelightedindividual。
“Anything\'sinorderwhenAlvin\'schairman。“
Theproceedingsofthefirsthalfhourweredisappointinglytame。
MostofushadcometheretowitnessapoliticalwrestlingmatchbetweenTadSimpsonandCyrusWhittaker。SomeevendaredhopethatCongressmanAtkinsmightdirecthisfightinperson。ButneithertheHonorablenorCaptainCywasinthehallasyet。SolonEldridgewasre-electedselectmanandsoalsowasAsaphTidditt。
NobodybutAsaphseemedsurprisedatthisresult。HisspeechofacceptancewouldundoubtedlyhavebeenatriumphoforatoryhaditnotbeeninterruptedbyUncleBedny，whorosetoemphaticallyprotestagainst“settin\'roundandwastin\'time“whentheBassett\'sHollowroad“hadrutsdeepenoughtodrownacatinwhenevertherewasamore\'naverageheavydew。“
TheBassett\'sHollowdelegatebeingagaintemporarilysquelched，ModeratorKnowlesannouncedthatnominationsforthevacantplaceontheschoolcommitteewereinorder。Therewasaperceptiblestironthesettees。Thiswaswhatthemeetinghadbeenwaitingfor。
“NosignofCyorHemanyet，“observedMr。Cahoon，craninghisneckinthedirectionofthedoor。“It\'sthequeerestthingeverI
see。“
“QueerenoughaboutCy，that\'safact，“concurredCaptainDimick。
“Iain\'tsosurprisedaboutHeman\'snotcomin\'。LooksasifWhitwasright；healwayssaidAtkinsdodgedarowwherefolkscouldwatchit。Doesmostofhisfightin\'fromroundthecorner。Hello！
there\'sTad。Nowyou\'llseethecrownofgloryseton\'LonzoSnow\'shead。Hopethecrown\'spaddedniceandsoft。Anythingwithsharpedgeswouldsinkin。“
ButMr。Simpson，itseemed，wasnotyetreadytoproceedwiththecoronation。Hehadrisentoaskpermissionofthemeetingtodefertheschoolcommitteematterforashorttime。Persons，importantpersons，whoshouldbepresentwhilethenominatingwasgoingon，hadnotyetarrived。Hewassurethatthegatheringwouldwishtohearfromthesepersons。Heaskedforonlyaslightdelay。
Matterssuchasthis，affectingthewelfareofourposterity，oughtnottobehurried，etc。，etc。
Mr。Simpson\'srequestwasunexpected。Themeeting，apparently，didn\'tknowhowtotakeit。UncleBednywasfirmlyheldinhisseatbythoseabouthim。LemuelMyricktookthefloortoprotest。
“Imustsay，“hedeclared，“thatIdon\'tseeanyreasonforwaitin\'。
Iffolksain\'there，that\'stheirownfault。Mr。Moderator，I
demandthatthenominatin\'goahead。“
Tadwasonhisfeetinstantly。
“I\'mgoin\'toappeal，“hecried，“tothedecencyandgratitudeofthecitizensofthetownofBayport。OneofthepersonsI\'m——thatis，we\'rewaitin\'forhasdonemoreforourbeautifulvillagethanalltherestofusputtogether。Thereain\'tnoneedformetonamehim。Arightup-to-datetownpump，alovelymemorialwindow，a——“
“Howaboutthatharborappropriation？”criedavoicefromthesettees。
Mr。Simpsonwastakenaback。Hisfaceflushedandheangrilyturnedtowardtheinterrupter。
“That\'syou，JoeDimick！”heshouted，pointinganagitatedforefinger。“Youneedn\'tscoochdown。Iknowyourtongue。Theideaofyoufindin\'faultbecauseabigmanlikeCongressmanAtkinsdon\'tjumpwhenyouholler\'Gitup！\'WhatdoYOUknowaboutdoin\'satWashington？Thatharborappropriation\'llgothroughifanybodyonearthcangetitthrough。There\'sotherplacesbesidesBayporttobeprovidedforand——“
“Andtheircongressmenprovidefor\'em，“calledanothervoice。Tadwhirledtofacehisnewtormentor。
“Huh！”hegruntedwithsarcasm。“That\'sLemMyrick，_I_know。
Lem，thegreatpainter，whovoteswherehepaintsandgetspaidaccordin\'。“
“Order！”criedseveral。
“Oh，allright，Mr。Moderator！I\'llkeeporderallright。ButI
saytoyou，Lem，andyou，JoeDimick，thatIknowwhoputthesesmartnotionsintoyourheads。Weallknow，unlesswe\'rebornfools。Whoisitthat\'sbeensayin\'theHonorableHemanAtkinswasshirkin\'thatappropriation？WhowasitsaidifHEwasrepresentativethethingwouldhavegonethroughaforethis？Who\'sbeenmakin\'hisbragsthathecouldgetitthroughifhehadthechance？Youknowwho！SodoI！Iwishhewashere。Ionlywishhewashere！I\'dsayittohisface。“
“Well，heis。Heaveaheadandsayit。“
Everyoneturnedtowardthedoor。CaptainCyhadenteredthehall。
Hewasstandingintheaisle，andwithhimwasBaileyBangs。Thecaptainlookedverytired，almostwornout，buthenoddedcoollytoMr。Simpson，whohadretiredtohisseatwithsurprisingquicknessandapparentdiscomfiture。
“HereIam，Tad，“continuedthecaptain。“Sayyourpiece。“
ButTad，itappeared，wasnotanxiousto“sayhispiece。“Hewaswhisperingearnestlywithagroupofhisfollowers。CaptainCyhelduphishand。
“Mr。Moderator，“heasked，“canIhavetheflooraminute？AllI
wanttosayisthatIcal\'lateI\'mthefellerthelastspeakerhadreferenceto。IHAVEsaidthatIdidn\'tseewhythatappropriationwassohardtoget。Isayitagain。Otherappropriationsaregot，andwhynotours？IDIDsayifIwasacongressmanI\'dgetit。
Yes，andI\'llsaymore，“headded，raisinghisvoice，“I\'llsaythatifIwassenttoWashin\'tonbythistown，congressmanornot，I\'dmoveheavenandearth，andallcreationfromthePresidentdowntillIdidgetit。That\'sall。Sowouldanyliveman，Ishouldthink。“
Hesatdown。Therewassomeapplause。BeforeithadsubsidedAbelLeonard，oneofthequickest-wittedofMr。Simpson\'sworkers，wasonhisfeet，gesticulatingforattention。
“Mr。Moderator，“heshouted，“Iwanttomakeamotion。We\'veallheardthebigtalkthat\'sbeenmade。Allright，then！Imoveyou，sir，thatCaptainCyrusWhittakerbeappointedacommitteeofonetoGOtoWashin\'ton，ifhewantsto，oranywhereselse，andseethatwegettheappropriation。Andifwedon\'tgetittheblame\'shis！There，now！”
Therewasaroaroflaughter。Thiswasexactlythesortof“tit-
for-tat“humorthatappealstoaYankeecrowd。Themotionwassecondedhalfadozentimes。ModeratorKnowlesgrinnedandshookhishead。
“Ajoke\'sajoke，“hesaid，“andwealllikeagoodone。However，thismeetin\'issupposedtobeforbusiness，notfun，so——“
“Question！Question！It\'sbeenseconded！We\'vegottovoteonit！”shoutedachorus。
“Don\'tyouthink——seemstomethatain\'tinorder，“beganthemoderator，butCaptainCyrosetohisfeet。Thegrimsmilehadreturnedtohisfaceandhelookedatthejoyousassemblagewithalmosthisoldexpressionofappreciativealertness。
“Nevermindthevote，“hesaid。“IrealizethatBrotherLeonardhasrathergotoneonme，sotospeak。Allright，Iwon\'tdodge。
I\'llBEacommitteeofoneontheharborgrab，andifnothin\'comesofitI\'lltakemyshareofkicks。Gentlemen，Iappreciateyourtrustfulnessinmyability。“
Thisbriefspeechwasahugesuccess。If，foramoment，thependulumofpublicfavorhadswungtowardSimpson，thistrumpingofthelatter\'sleadingcardpusheditbackagain。Themoderatorhadsomedifficultyinrestoringordertothehilariousmeeting。
ThenMr。Myrickwasaccordedtheprivilegeofthefloor，inspiteofTad\'sprotests，andproceededtonominateCyrusWhittakerfortheschoolcommittee。Lemhaddevotedhoursoftoilandwearisomementalstruggletothepreparationofhisaddress，anditwaslengthyandflorid。CaptainCywasdescribedaspossessingallthevirtues。Bailey，listeningwithahandbehindhisear，wasmovedtoapplauseatfrequentintervals，andevenAsaphforgotthedignityofhisexaltedpositionontheplatformandpoundedtheofficialdeskinecstasy。Theonlypersontoappearuninterestedwasthenomineehimself。Hesatlistlesslyinhisseat，hiseyescastdown，andhisthoughtsapparentlyfaraway。
JosiahDimicksecondedthecaptain\'snomination。ThenMr。Simpsonsteppedtothefrontand，afterawistfulglanceatthedoor，begantospeak。
“Fellercitizens，“hesaid，“itismyprivilegetoputinnominationforschoolcommitteeamanwhosenamestandsforallthat\'sgoodandcleanandprogressiveinthistownship。ButaforeIdoitI\'mgoin\'
toaskyoutoletmesayawordortwoconcernin\'somethin\'thatbearsrightonthismatter，andwhich，Ibelieve，everyoneofyououghttoknow。It\'ssomethin\'thatmostofyoudon\'tknow，andit\'llbeasurprise，abigsurprise。I\'llbeasquickasIcan，andIcal\'lateyou\'llthankmewhenI\'mdone。“
Hepaused。Themeetinglookedateachotherinastonishment。
Therewaswhisperingalongthesettees。ModeratorKnowleswasplainlypuzzled。Helookedinquiringlyatthetownclerk，butAsaphwasevidentlyquiteasmuchinthedarkasheconcerningthethreateneddisclosure。
“FellerBayporters，“wentonTad，“there\'sonethingwe\'veallagreedon，nomatterwhowe\'vemeanttovotefor。Thatis，thatamemberofourschoolcommitteeshouldbeanupright，honestman，onefitmorallytolookoutforourdearchildren。Ain\'tthatso？
Well，then，Iaskyouthis：Wouldyouconsideramanfitforthatjobwhodeliberatelycamebetweenafatherandhischild，whopizenedthemindofthatchildagainsthisownparent，andwhenthatparentcometoclaimthatchild，firsttriedtobuyhimoffandthenturnedhimoutofthehouse？Yes，andofferedviolencetohim。Anddoneit——markwhatIsay——forreasonswhich——which——well，wecanonlyguess\'em，buttheguessmaynotbesoawfulbad。IsTHATthekindofmanwewanttohonorortolookoutforourownchildren\'sschoolin\'？”
Mr。Simpsonundoubtedlymeanttocauseasensationbyhisopeningremarks。Hecertainlydidso。Thestirandwhisperingredoubled。
Asaph，hismouthopen，staredwildlydownatCaptainCy。Thecaptainrosetohisfeet，thensankbackagain。Hislistlessnesswasgoneand，payingnoattentiontothoseabouthim，hegazedfixedlyatTad。
“Gentlemen，“continuedthespeaker，“lastnightIhadanexperiencethatIshan\'tforgetaslongasIlive。Imetapoorman，apoor，lamemanwho\'dbeenawayoutWestandgothurtbad。Folksthoughthewasdead。Hiswifethoughtsoanddiedgrievin\'forhim。Sheleftalittlebabygirl，onlysevenoreightyearold。Whenthismancomeback，wellagainbutpoor，tolookuphisfamily，hefoundhiswifehadpassedawayandthechildhadbeensentoff，justtogetridofher，toastrangerinanothertown。Thatstrangerfullymeanttosendheroff，too；hesaidsodozensoftimes。Agoodmanyofyoufolksrighthereheardhimsayit。Butheneversenther——hekepther。Why？Well，that\'sthequestion。_I_shan\'tanswerit。_I_ain\'taccusin\'nobody。AllIsayis，what\'seasyenoughforanyofyoutoprove，andthatisthatitcometolightthechildhadpropertybelongin\'toher。Property！land，wuthmoney！”
Hepausedoncemoreanddrewhissleeveacrosshisforehead。Mostofhishearersweresilentnow，ontiptoeofexpectation。DimicklookedsearchinglyatCaptainCy。Thenhesprangtohisfeet。
“Order！”heshouted。“What\'sallthisgottodowithnominatin\'
forschoolcommittee？Ain\'theoutoforder，Alvin？”
Themoderatorhesitated。Hishabitualindecisionwasnowcomplicatedbythefactthathewasascuriousasthemajorityofthosebeforehim。Therewereshoutsof，“Goahead，Tad！”“Tellustherest！”
“Lethimgoon，Mr。Moderator！”
CyWhittakerslowlyrose。
“Alvin，“hesaidearnestly，“don\'tstophimyet。Asafavortome，lethimspinhisyarn。“
Simpsonwasreadyandevidentlyeagertospinit。
“Thisman，“heproclaimed，“thisfather，mournin\'forhisdeadwifeandlongin\'forhischild，comestothetownwherehewastofindandtakeher。Andwhenhemeetsthemanthat\'sgother，whenhecomes，pooranddownonhisluck，whatdoesthisman——thisrichman——do？Why；fustofall，he\'ssweeter\'nsiruptohim，takeshimin，keepshimovernight，andthenextdayhesaystohim：\'Youjustbequietandsaynothin\'tonobodythatshe\'syourlittlegirl。I\'llmakeitwuthyourwhile。KeepquiettillI\'mreadyforyoutosayit。\'Andhegivesthefathermoney——notmuch，butsome。
Allrightsofur，maybe；butwait！Thenitturnsoutthatthefatherknowsaboutthisland——thisproperty。AndTHENthekind，charitableman——thisrichmanwithlotsofmoneyofhisown——turnsthepoorfatherout，tellin\'himtogetthegirlandthelandifhecan，knowin\'——KNOWIN\'，mindyou——thatthefatherain\'tgotacenttohirelawyersnoreventopayforhisnextmeal。Andwhenthefathersayshewon\'tgo，butwantshisdearonethatbelongstohim，therichfellerabuseshim，knockshimdownwithhisfist！
Knocksdownapoor，weak，lameinvalid，justoffasickbed！IsTHATthekindofamanwewantonourschoolcommittee？”
Heaskedthequestionwithbothhandsoutspreadandtheperspirationrunningdownhischeeks。Themeetingwasinanuproar。
“NoneedformetotellyouwhoImean，“shoutedTad，wavinghisarms。“Youknowwho，aswellasIdo。You\'vejustheardhimpraisedasbein\'allthat\'sgoodandgreat。But_I_say——“
“You\'vesaidenough！Nowletmesayaword！”
ItwasCaptainCywhointerrupted。Hehadpushedhiswaythroughthecrowd，downtheaisle，andnowstoodbeforethegesticulatingMr。Simpson，whoshrankbackasifhefearedthatthetreatmentaccordedthe“poorweakinvalid“mightbecontinuedwithhim。
“Knowles，“saidCaptainCy，turningtothemoderator，“letmespeak，willyou？Iwon\'tbebutaminute。Friends，“hecontinued，facingtheexcitedgathering——“forsomeofyouaremyfriends，orI\'vecometothinkyouare——apartofwhatthismansaysisso。
ThegirlatmyhouseisEmilyThomas；hermotherwasMaryThomas，whosomeofyouknow，andherfather\'snameisHenryThomas。Shecametomeunexpected，bein\'sentbyaMrs。OliveruptoConcord，because\'twaseithermeoranorphanasylum。Itookherinmeanin\'
tokeepheralittlewhile，andthensendheraway。ButastimewentonIkeptputtin\'offandputtin\'off，andatlastIrealizedIcouldn\'tdoit；I\'dcometothinktoomuchofher。
“Fellers，“hewenton，slowly，“I——Ihardlyknowhowtotellyouwhatthatlittlegirl\'scometobetome。WhenIfirststruckBayport，afterfortyyearsawayfromit，allIthoughtofwasmakin\'overtheoldplaceandlivin\'init。Ical\'lateditwouldbeasortofParadise，andHOWIwasgoin\'toliveorwhetherornotI\'dbelonesomewitheveryoneofmyfolksdeadandgone，nevercrossedmymind。ButthelongerIlivedtherealonethelesslikeParadiseitgottobe；Irealizedmoreandmorethatitain\'tfurnitureandfixin\'sthatmakeahome；it\'sthemyoulovethat\'sinit。AndjustasI\'daboutreachedtheconclusionthat\'twasafailure，thewholebusiness，why，then，Bos\'n——Emily，thatis——
droppedin，andinsideofaweekIknewI\'dgotwhatwasmissin\'inmylife。
“InevermarriedandchildrennevermeantmuchtometillIgother。She\'sthebestlittle——little……There！Imustn\'ttalkthisway。Ibluffedalotaboutnotkeepin\'herpermanent，bein\'
kindofashamed，Iguess，butdowninsidemeI\'dmadeupmymindtobringheruplikeadaughter。SheandmewastolivetogethertillshegrewupandgotmarriedandI……Well，what\'stheuse？A
fewdaysagocomealetterfromtheOliverwomaninConcordsayin\'
thatthisHenryThomas，Bos\'n\'sfather，wan\'tdeadatall，buthadturnedupthere，havin\'learnedsomehowor\'notherthathiswifewasgoneandthathischildhadbeenwilledalittlebitoflandwhichbelongedtohermother。HehadfoundoutthatEmmiewaswithme，andthelettersaidhewouldlikelycomeafterher——andtheland。
“Thatletterwaslikeaflashoflightnin\'tome。Iwasdismastedandonmybeamends。Ididn\'tknowwhattodo。I\'dlearnedenoughaboutthisHenryThomastoknowthathewasnouse，adrunken，good-for-nothin\'scampwhohadcruelizedhiswifeandthenrunoffandleftherandthebaby。Butwhenhecome，theverynightIgottheletter，Igavehimachance。Itookhimin；Iwaswillin\'togivehimajobontheplace；Iwaswillin\'topayforhiskeep，andmore。IDIDaskhimtokeephismouthshutandeventouseanothername。\'Twasweakofme，maybe，butyouwanttorememberthishadcomeonmesudden。Andlastnight——theverysecondnight，mindyou——hewentoutsomewhere，perhapswecanguesswhere，boughtliquorwiththemoneyIgavehim，gotdrunk，andtheninsultedoneofthebestwomeninthistown。Yes，sir！Isayitrighthere，oneofthebest，pluckiestlittlewomenanywhere，althoughsheandIain\'talwaysagreedoncertainmatters。IDIDtellhimtoclearout，andIDIDknockhimdown。Yes，andbythebigdipper，I\'ddoitagainunderthesamecircumstances！
“Asfortheproperty，“headdedfiercely，“why，darntheproperty，Isay！Itain\'twuthmuch，anyhow，and，if\'twasanybody\'selse，heshouldhaveitandwelcome。Butit\'sBos\'n\'s，and，bein\'whatheis，heSHAN\'Thaveit。Andheshan\'thaveHERtocruelize，neither！BytheAlmighty！heshan\'t，solongasI\'vegotadollartofighthimwith。Isaythattoyou，TadSimpson，andtotheman——
towhoeverputyouuptothis。There！I\'vesaidmysay。Now，gentlemen，youcanchooseyourside。“
Hestrodebacktohisseat。Therewassilenceforamoment。ThenJosiahDimicksprangupandwavedhishat。
“That\'sthewaytotalk！”heshouted。“That\'saMAN！ThreecheersforCap\'nWhittaker！Comeon，everybody！”
Buteverybodydidnot“comeon。“Thecheerswerefeeble。Itwasevidentthatthemajorityofthosepresentdidnotknowhowtomeetthisunexpectedcontingency。Ithadtakenthembysurpriseandtheywereundecided。Theuproarofargumentandquestionbeganagain，louderthanever。Thebewilderedmoderatorthumpedhisdeskandshoutedfeeblyfororder。TadSimpsontookthefloorand，inafewwordsandatthetopofhislungs，nominatedAlonzoSnow。AbelLeonardsecondedthenomination。Therewereyellsof“Question！
Question！”and“Vote！Vote！”
EbenSalterswasrecognizedbythechair。CaptainSaltersmadefewspeeches，andwhenhedidmakeoneitwasbecausehehadsomethingtosay。
“Mr。Moderator，“hesaid，“I，forone，hatetovotejustnow。Itisn\'tthattheschoolcommitteeissoimportantofitself。ButI
dothinkthattherightsofafatherwithhischildISprettyimportant，andourvoteforCap\'nWhittaker——andmostofyouknowI
intendedvotin\'forhimandhavebeenworkin\'forhim——mightseemlikeanindorsementofhisposition。Thiswholethingisabigsurprisetome。Idon\'tfeelyetthatweknowenoughoftheinsidefactstogivesuchanindorsement。I\'dliketoseethisThomasmanbeforeIdecidetogiveit——ornottogiveit，either。It\'saqueerthingtocomeupattownmeetin\'，butit\'sup。Hadn\'twebetteradjournuntilnextweek？”
Hesatdown。Themeetingwasdemoralized。Somewereshoutingforadjournment，othersto“Voteitout。“Astrawwouldturnthescaleandthestrawwasforthcoming。WhileCaptainCywasspeakingthedoorhadsilentlyopenedandtwomenenteredthehallandsoughtseclusioninacorner。Nowoneofthesemencameforward——theHonorableHemanAtkins。
Mr。Atkinswalkedsolemnlytothefront，amidstaburstofrecognition。Manyofthevotersrosetoreceivehim。Itwascustomary，whenthegreatmancondescendedtoattendsuchgatherings，toofferhimaseatontheplatform。ThistheobsequiousKnowlesproceededtodo。Asaphwastooovercomebythedisclosureof“JohnSmith\'s“identityandbyMr。Simpson\'sattackonhisfriendtorememberevenhismanners。Hedidnotrise，butsatstonilystaring。
Themoderator\'sgaveldescended“Order！”heroared。“Order，Isay！
CongressmanAtkinsisgoin\'totalktous。“
TheHonorableHemanfacedtheexcitedcrowd。Onehandwasinthebreastofhisfrockcoat；theotherwasclencheduponhiship。Hestoodcalm，benignant，dignified——theincarnationofwisdomandrighteousworth。Theattitudehaditseffect；theapplausebeganandgrewtoanovation。Menwhohadintendedvotingagainsthisfavoredcandidateforgottheirintention，inthemagnetismofhispresence，andcheered。Hebowedandbowedagain。
“Fellowtownsmen，“hebegan，“farbeitfrommetoinfluenceyourchoiceinthematteroftheschoolcommittee。Stillfurtherbeitfrommetoinfluenceyouagainstanoldboyhoodfriend，aneighbor，onewhomIbelieve——er——hadbelievedtobeallthatwassincereandtrue。But，fellowtownsmen，myesteemedfriend，CaptainSalters，hasexpressedawishtoseeMr。Thomas，thefatherwhosestoryyouhaveheardto-day。Ihappentobeinapositiontogratifythatwish。Mr。Thomas，willyoukindlycomeforward？”
ThenfromtherearofthehallMr。Thomascame。Butthedrunkenrowdyofthenightbeforehadbeentransformed。Gonewasthescrubbybeardandtheshabbysuit。Shornwastheunkemptmopofhairandvanishedtheimpudentswagger。Hewasdressedincleanlinenandrespectableblack，andhismannerwasmodestandsubdued。
OnlyadiscolorationofoneeyeshowedwhereCaptainCy\'sblowhadleftitsmark。
Hesteppedupontheplatformbesidethecongressman。Thelatterlaidahanduponhisshoulder。
“Gentlemenandfriends，“saidHeman，“mynamehasbeenbroughtintothiscontroversy，byMr。Simpsondirectly，andininsinuationby——
er——another。Thereforeitismyrighttomakemypositionclear。
Mr。Thomascametomelasteveningindistress，bothofmindandbody。Hetoldmehisstory——substantiallythestorywhichhasjustbeentoldtoyoubyMr。Simpson——and，gentlemen，Ibelieveit。ButifIdidnotbelieveit，ifIbelievedhimtohavebeeninthepastallthathisopponenthassaid；evenifIbelievedthat，onlylastevening，spurned，drivenfromhischild，pennilessandhopeless，hehadyieldedtotheweaknesswhichhasbeenhiscurseallhislife——
evenifIbelievedthat，stillIshoulddemandthatHenryThomas，repentantandearnestasyouseehimnow，shouldbegivenhisrightfulopportunitytobecomeamanagain。Heispoor，butheisnot——shallnotbe——friendless。No！athousandtimes，no！Youmaysay，someofyou，thattheaffairisnotmybusiness。IaffirmthatitISmybusiness。ItismybusinessasaChristian，andthatbusinessshouldcomebeforeallothers。Ihavenotallowedsympathytoinfluenceme。Ifthatwerethecase，myregardformyneighborandfriendofformerdayswouldhaveheldmefirm。But，gentlemen，Ihaveachildofmyown。Iknowwhatafather\'sloveis，asonlyafathercanknowit。And，afterasleeplessnight，I
standherebeforeyouto-daydeterminedthatthismanshallhavehisown，ifmymoney——whichyouwill，I\'msure，forgivemymentioning——andmyunflinchingsupportcangiveittohim。Thatismyposition，andIstateitregardlessofconsequences。“Hepaused，andwithraisedrighthand，likethepictureofJoveintheoldacademymythology，launchedhisfinalthunderbolt。“WhomGodhathjoined，“heproclaimed，“letnooneputasunder！”
Thatsettledit。Thecheersshookthewalls。AmidstthetumultDimickandBaileyBangsseizedCaptainCybytheshouldersandendeavoredtolifthimfromhisseat。
“Fortheloveofgoodness，Whit！”groanedJosiah，desperately，“standupandanswerhim。Ifyoudon\'t，we\'llfoundersure。“
Thecaptainsmiledgrimlyandshookhishead。HehadnottakenhiseyesfromthefaceofthegreatAtkinssincethelatterbeganspeaking。
“What？”hereplied。“Afterthat\'putasunder\'sockdolager？Manalive！doyouwantmetoaddSabbathbreakin\'tomyothercrimes？”
Thevote，byballot，followedalmostimmediately。ItwaspitifultoseetheerstwhileWhittakermajoritymeltaway。AlonzoSnowwastriumphantlyelected。Butahandfulvotedagainsthim。
CaptainCy，stillgrimlysmiling，roseandleftthehall。Asheclosedthedoor，heheardtheshrillvoiceofUncleBednydemandingjusticefortheBassett\'sHollowroad。
Ithad，indeed，beena“memoriable“townmeeting。
CHAPTERXIII
THEREPULSE
WhenDeaconZebClark——thesameDeaconZebwhofellintothecistern，asnarratedbyCaptainCy——madehisfirstvisittothecity，yearsandyearsago，hestayedbuttwodays。Ashehadproudlyboastedthatheshouldremaininthemetropolisatleastaweek，ourpeopleweremuchsurprisedathisprematurereturn。Tothedriverofthebutchercartwhofoundhimsittingcontentedlybeforehisdwelling，amidsthisdesolateacres，thenearestneighborahalfmileaway，didDeaconZebdisclosehisreasonforleavingthecrowdedthoroughfares。“Therewassomanyfolksthere，“hesaid，“thatIfeltlonesome。“
AndCaptainCy，returningfromthetownmeetingtotheWhittakerplace，feltlonesomelikewise。NotfortheDeacon\'sreason——hemetnooneonthemainroad，saveagroupofschoolchildrenandMissPhinney，and，sightingthelatterintheoffing，hedodgedbehindthetreesbytheschoolhousepondandwaiteduntilshepassed。Butthecaptain，histroublenowheavyuponhim，didfeeltheneedofsympathyandcongenialcompanionship。HeknewhemightcountuponDimickandAsaph，and，wheneverKeturah\'ssupervisioncouldbeevaded，uponMr。Bangs。Buttheywerenottheadvisersandcomfortersforthishourofneed。AlltherestofBayport，hefeltsure，wouldbeagainsthim。HadnotKingHemantheGreatfromthestepsofthethrone，bannedhimwiththeroyaldispleasure！“IfHemaneverSHOULDcomerightoutandsay——“beganAsaph\'swarning。
Well，strangeasitmightseem，Hemanhad“comerightout。“
Astowhyhehadcomeouttherewasnoquestioninthemindofthecaptain。ThelatterhadleftMr。Thomas，theprodigalfather，prostrateandblasphemousintheroadthepreviousevening。Hisnextviewofhimwaswhen，transformedandsanctified，hehadbeensummonedtotheplatformbyMr。Atkins。Nodoubthehadreturnedtothebarbershopand，inhisrageandunderMr。Simpson\'scrossexamination，hadrevealedsomethingofthetruth。Tad，thepolitician，recognizingopportunitywhenitknockedathisdoor，hadhurriedhimtothecongressman\'sresidence。Therestwasplainenough，soCaptainCythought。
However，warwasalreadydeclared，andthereasonsforitmatteredlittle。Thefirstskirmishmightoccuratanymoment。Thesituationwasdesperate。Thecaptainsquaredhisshoulders，thrustforwardhischin，andwalkedbrisklyupthepathtothedoorofthediningroom。Itwasnearlyoneo\'clock，butBos\'nhadnotyetgone。Shewaswaiting，totheverylastminute，forher“UncleCyrus。“
“Hello，shipmate，“hehailed。“Notheadedforschoolyet？Good！
Ical\'lateyouneedn\'tgothisafternoon。I\'mthinkin\'ofhirin\'ateamanddrivin\'toOstable，andIdidn\'tknowbutyou\'dliketogowithme。Thinkyoucould，withoutthatteacherwomanhavin\'youbroughtupaftformutiny？”
Bos\'nthoughtitover。
“Yes，sir，“shesaid；“Iguessso，ifyouwrotemeanexcuse。I
don\'tliketobeabsent，\'causeIhaven\'tbeenbefore，butthere\'sonlymyreadinglessonthisafternoonandIknowthateversowell。
I\'dlovetogo，UncleCy。“
Thecaptainremovedhiscoatandhatandpulledachairforwardtothetable。
“Hello！”heexclaimed。“What\'sthis——themail？”
Bos\'nsmileddelightedly。
“Yes，sir，“shereplied。“IknewyouwasatthemeetingandsoI
broughtitfromtheoffice。Ain\'tyouglad？”
“Sure！Yes，indeed！Muchobliged。Tryin\'tokeephousewithoutyouwouldbelikesteerin\'withoutarudder。“
Evenashesaidittherecametohimtherealizationthathemighthavetosteerwithoutthatrudderinthenearfuture。Hissmilevanished。Hesmotheredagroanandpickedupthemail。
“Hum！”hemused，“theBreeze，acircular，andoneletter。Hello！
itisn\'tpossiblethat——Well！well！”
Theletterwasinalongenvelope。Hehastilytoreitopen。Attheinclosureheglancedinevidentexcitement。Thenhissmilereturned。
“Bos\'n，“hesaid，afteramoment\'sreflection，“Iguessyouandmewon\'thavetogotoOstableafterall。“Noticingthechild\'slookofdisappointment，headded：“Butyouneedn\'tgotoschool。Maybeyou\'dbetternot。Youandme\'lltakeatrampalongshore。Whatdoyousay？”
“Oh，yes，UncleCy！Let\'s——shallwe？”
“Why，Idon\'tseewhynot。We\'llcruiseincompanyaslongaswecan，hey，littlegirl？Thesquall\'slikelytostrikeaforenight，“
hemutteredhalfaloud。“We\'llenjoythefineweathertillit\'stimetoshortensail。“
Theywalkedallthatafternoon。CaptainCywasevenmorekindandgentlewithhissmallcompanionthanusual。Hetoldherstorieswhichmadeherlaugh，pointedoutspotsinthepineswherehehadplayedIndianwhenaboy，carriedher“pigback“whenshegrewtired，andkissedhertenderlywhen，atthebackdooroftheWhittakerplace，hesetheronherfeetagain。
“Hadagoodtime，dearie？”heasked。
“Oh，splendid！Ithinkit\'sthebestwalkweeverhad，don\'tyou，UncleCy？”
“Ishouldn\'twonder。Youwon\'tforgetourcruisestogetherwhenyouareabiggirlandoffsomewhereselse，willyou？”
“I\'llNEVERforget\'em。AndI\'mnevergoinganywherewithoutyou。“
Itwasafterfiveastheyenteredthekitchen。
“AnybodybeenherewhileIwasout？”askedthecaptainofGeorgianna。
Thehousekeeper\'seyeswereredandswollen，andshehuggedBos\'nasshehelpedheroffwithherjacketandhood。
“Yes，therehas，“wasthedecidedanswer。“FirstAseTidditt，andthenBaileyBangs，andthenthat——thatAngiePhinney。“
“Humph！”musedCaptainCyslowly。“SoAngiewashere，wasshe？
Wherethecarcassisthevulturesareondeck，orwordssimilar。
Humph！DidourAngelicfriendhavemuchtosay？”
“DIDshe？And_I_hadsomethin\'tosay，too！Ineverinmylife！”
“Humph！”Heremployereyedhersharply。“So？Andsosoon？Talkaboutthetelegraphspreadin\'news！I\'dbackmostanyhalfdozentonguesinBayporttospreadmorenews，andaddmoretrimmin\'toit，inadaythanthetelegraphcoulddoinaweek。Especiallyifallthetelegraphoperatorswasliketheoneupatthedepot。
Well，Georgianna，whenyougoin\'toleave？”
“Leave？Leavewhere？Whatareyoutalkin\'about？”
“Leavehere。Ofcourseyourealizethatthisshipofours，“
indicatingthehousebyacomprehensivewaveofhishandaroundtheroom，“isgoin\'tobeamightyunpopularcraftfromnowon。Wemaybeonaleeshoreanyminute。You\'vegotyourownwell-bein\'tothinkof。“
“Myownwell-bein\'！Whatdoyous\'poseIcareformywell-bein\'
whenthere\'s——Cap\'nWhittaker，youtellmenow！Isitso？”
“Someofitis——yes。He\'scomebackandhe\'swhohesaysheis。
You\'veseenhim。Hewasherealldayyesterday。“
“SoAngiesaid，butIcouldn\'tscarcelybelieveit。Thattoughy！
Cap\'nWhittaker，doyouintendtohandoverthatpoorlittleinnocentthingto——tosuchamanasTHAT？”
“No。There\'llbenohandin\'overaboutit。Buttheoddsareagainstus，andthere\'snoreasonwhyyoushouldbeintherumpus，Georgianna。Youmaynotunderstandwhatwe\'refacin\'。“