Thehousekeeperdrewherselfup。Herfacewasveryredandhersmalleyessnapped。
“CyWhittaker，“shebegan，mannersanddeferencetoemployeralikeforgotten，“don\'tyousaynomoreofthatwickedfoolishnesstome。
I\'llleavetheminuteyou\'remean-spiritedenoughtoletthatchildgoandnotafore。AndwhenTHAThappensI\'llbeGLADtoleave。
Landsakes！there\'ssomebodyatthedoor；andIexpectI\'maperfectsight。“
Sherubbedherfacewithherapron，therebymakingitredderthanever，andhurriedintothediningroom。
“Bos\'n，“saidCaptainCyquickly，“youstayhereinthekitchen。“
Emmielookedathiminsurprisedbewilderment，butshesuppressedhercuriosityconcerningtheidentityofthepersonwhohadknocked，andobeyed。Thecaptainpulledthekitchendooralmostshutandlistenedatthecrack。
ThefirstspokenwordsbythevisitorappearedtorelieveCaptainCy\'sanxiety；buttheyseemedtoastonishhimgreatly。
“Why！”heexclaimedinawhisper。“Ain\'tthat——Itsoundslike——“
“It\'steacher，“whisperedBos\'n，whoalsohadbeenlistening。
“She\'scometofindoutwhyIwasn\'tatschool。Youtellher，UncleCy。“
Georgiannareturnedtoannounce：
“It\'sMissDawes。Shesaysshewantstoseeyou，Cap\'n。She\'sinthesettin\'room。“
Thecaptaindrewalongbreath。Then，repeatinghiscommandtoEmmietostaywhereshewas，helefttheroom，closingthedoorbehindhim。ThelatterprocedurerousedBos\'n\'sindignation。
“Whatmadehimdothat？”shedemanded。“Ihaven\'tbeenbad。HeNEVERshutmeupbefore！”
TheschoolmistresswasstandingbythecentertableinthesittingroomwhenCaptainCyentered。
“Goodevenin\'，“hesaidpolitely。“Won\'tyousitdown？”
ButMissDawespaidnoattentiontotrivialities。Sheseemedmuchagitated。
“Cap\'nWhittaker，“shebegan，“Ijustheardsomethingthat——“
Thecaptaininterruptedher。
“Excuseme，“hesaid，“butIthinkwe\'llpulldownthecurtainsandhavealittlelightonthesubject。Itgetsdarkearlynow，especiallyofagraydaylikethisone。“
Hedrewtheshadesatthewindowsandlitthelamponthetable。
Theredglowbehindthepanesofthestovedoorfadedintoinsignificanceastheyellowradiancebrightened。Theuglyportraitsandthestiffoldengravingsonthewallretiredintoabecomingdusk。Theold-fashionedroombecamemorehomelike。
“Nowwon\'tyousitdown？”repeatedCaptainCy。“Takethatrocker；
it\'sthemostcomf\'tableoneaboard——soBos\'nsays，anyhow。“
MissPhoebetooktherocker，underprotest。Herhostremainedstanding。
“It\'sbeenaniceafternoon，“hesaid。“Bos\'n——Emmie，ofcourse——
andIhavebeenforawalk。\'Twan\'therfault，\'twasmine。Ikeptheroutofschool。Iwas——well，kindoflonesome。“
Theteacher\'sgrayeyesflashedinthelamplight。
“Cap\'nWhittaker，“shecried，“pleasedon\'twastetime。Ididn\'tcomeheretotalkabouttheweathernorEmily\'sreasonfornotattendingschool。Idon\'tcarewhyshewasabsent。ButIhavejustheardofwhathappenedatthatmeeting。Isittruethat——“
Shehesitated。
“ThatEmmie\'sdadisaliveandhere？Yes，it\'strue。“
“But——butthatmanlastnight？WasheTHATman？”
Thecaptainnodded。
“That\'stheman，“hesaidbriefly。
MissDawesshuddered。
“Cap\'nWhittaker，“sheaskedearnestly，“areyousureheisreallyherfather？Absolutelysure？”
“Sureandsartin。“
“Thenshebelongstohim，doesn\'tshe？Legally，Imean？”
“Maybeso。“
“Are——areyougoingtogiveheruptohim？”
“No。“
“ThenwhatIheardwastrue。Youdidsayatthemeetingthatyouweregoingtodoyourbesttokeephimfromgettingher。“
“Um——hum！WhatIsaidamountstojustaboutthat。“
“Why？”
CaptainCywassurprisedandalittledisappointedapparently。
“Why？”herepeated。
“Yes。Why？”
“Well，forreasonsI\'vegot。“
“Doyoumindtellingmethereasons？”
“Ical\'lateyoudon\'twanttohear\'em。Ifyoudon\'tunderstandnow，thenIcan\'tmakeitmuchplainer，I\'mafraid。“
Thelittleladysprangtoherfeet。
“Oh，youareprovoking！”shecriedindignantly。“Can\'tyouseethatIwanttohearthereasonsfromyouyourself？Cap\'nWhittaker，Ishookhandswithyoulastnight。“
“YourememberItoldyouyou\'dbetterwait。“
“Ididn\'twanttowait。IbelievedIknewsomethingofhumannature，andIbelievedIhadlearnedtounderstandyou。Imadeupmymindtopaynomoreattentiontowhatpeoplesaidagainstyou。
Ithoughttheywereenviousanddislikedyoubecauseyoudidthingsinyourownway。Iwouldn\'tbelievethestoriesIheardthisafternoon。Iwantedtohearyouspeakinyourowndefenseandyourefusetodoit。Don\'tyouknowwhatpeoplearesaying？TheysayyouaretryingtokeepEmilybecause——Oh，I\'mashamedtoaskit，butyoumakeme：HASthechildgotvaluablepropertyofherown？”
CaptainCyhadbeen，throughoutthisscene，standingquietlybythetable。Nowhetookastepforward。
“MissDawes，“hesaidsharply，“sitdown。“
“ButI——“
“Sitdown，please。“
Theschoolmistressdidn\'tmeantoobeytheorder，butforsomereasonshedid。Thecaptainwentonspeaking。
“It\'sprettyplain，“hesaid，“thatwhatyouheardattheboardin\'
house——forIsupposethat\'swhereyoudidhearit——waswhatyoumightcallaPhinneyizedstoryofthedoin\'satthemeetin\'。Well，there\'sanotheryarn，andit\'smine；I\'mgoin\'tospinitandI
wantyoutolisten。“
Hewentontospinhisyarn。ItwaspracticallyarepetitionofhisreplytoTadSimpsonthatmorning。Itsconclusionwasalsomuchthesame。
“Thelandain\'tworthfiftydollars，“hedeclared，“butifitwasfiftymillionheshouldn\'thaveit。Why？Becauseitbelongstothatlittlegirl。Andheshan\'thaveheruntilheandthosebackofhimhavehammeredmethroughthecourtstillI\'mdownfortyfathomunderwater。Andwhentheydogether——and，tobehonest，I
cal\'latetheywillintheend——IhopetoGodIwon\'tbealivetoseeit！There！I\'veansweredyou。“
Hewaswalkingupanddowntheroom，withtheoldquarter-deckstride，hishandsjammeddeepinhispocketsandhisfaceworkingwithemotion。
“It\'sprettynighasingle-handedfightforme，“hecontinued，“butI\'vefoughtsingle-handedbefore。Theotherside\'sgotalmostallthepowderandthemen。HemanandTadandthatThomashavegotseveneighthsofBayportbehind\'em，nottomentionthe\'Providence\'
they\'resosureof。Mycrowdisamightyforlornhope：DimickandAseTidditt，andBailey，asmuchashiswife\'lllethim。Oh，yes！”
andhesmiledwhimsically，“there\'sanotherone。Anewrecruit\'sjustjoined；Georgianna\'senlisted。That\'smyarmy。Sortofrag-jacketedcadets，weare，smallpotatoes，andfewinahill。“
Theteacherroseandlaidahandonhisarm。Heturnedtowardher。
Thelamplightshoneuponherface，andhesaw，tohisastonishment，thatthereweretearsinhereyes。
“Cap\'nWhittaker，“shesaid，“willyoutakeanotherrecruit？I
shouldliketoenlist，please。“
“You？Oh，pshaw！I\'mthick-headedto-night。Ididn\'tseethejokeofitatfirst。“
“Thereisn\'tanyjoke。IwantyoutoknowthatIadmireyouforthefightyou\'remaking。Lawornolaw，toletthatdearlittlegirlgoawaywiththatdreadfulfatherofhersisasinandacrime。Icameheretotellyouso。Ididwanttohearyourstory，andyoumademeaskthatquestion；butIwascertainofyouranswerbeforeyoumadeit。Idon\'tsupposeIcandoanythingtohelp，butI\'mgoingtotry。So，yousee，yourarmyisbiggerthanyouthoughtitwas——thoughthenewsoldierisn\'tgoodformuch，I\'mafraid，“sheadded，withalittlesmile。
CaptainCywasgreatlydisturbed。
“MissPhoebe，“hesaid，“I——Iwon\'tsaythatitdon\'tpleasemetohaveyoutalkso，foritdoes，more\'nyoucanimagine。Sympathymeanssomethin\'totheunderdog，anditgiveshimspunktokeeponkickin\'。Butyoumustn\'ttakeanypartintherow；yousimplymustn\'t。Itwon\'tdo。“
“Whynot？Won\'tIbeANYhelp？”
“Help？You\'dbemorehelpthanalltherestofusputtogether。
Youandmehaven\'tseenagreatdealofeachother，andmypartinthefewtalkswehavehadhasbeenameanone，butIknewthefirsttimeImetyouthatyouhadmorebrainsandcommonsensethananywomaninthiscounty——thoughIwastoopig-headedtoownit。Butthatain\'tit。Igotyouthejobofteacher。It\'snocredittome；\'twasjustbullluckandforthefunofjarrin\'Heman。ButI
didit。And，becauseIdidit，theAtkinscrowd——andthatmeansmosteverybodynow——haven\'tanyloveforyou。Mytryin\'forschoolcommitteewasreallyjusttogiveyouafairchanceinyourposition。Iwaslicked，sothecommittee\'stwotooneagainstyou。
Don\'tyouseethatyoumustn\'thaveanythingtodowithme？Don\'tyouSEEit？”
Sheshookherhead。
“Iseethatcommongratitudealoneshouldbereasonenoughformytryingtohelpyou，“shesaid。“But，besidethat，Iknowyouareright，andISHALLhelp，nomatterwhatyousay。Asfortheteacher\'sposition，letthemdischargeme。I——“
“Don\'ttalkthatway。Theyoungstersneedyou，andknowit，nomatterwhattheirfoolfathersandmotherssay。Andyoumustn\'twreckyourchances。You\'reyoung——“
Shelaughed。
“Oh，no！I\'mnot，“shesaid。“Young！Cap\'nWhittaker，youshouldn\'tjokeaboutawoman\'sage。“
“Iain\'tjokin\'。YouAREyoung。“Asshestoodtherebeforehimhewasrealizing，withacuriouslyuncomfortablefeeling，howmuchyoungershewasthanhe。Heglancedupatthemirror，wherehisowngrayhairswerereflected，andrepeatedhisassertion。“You\'reyoungyet，“hesaid，“andbein\'dischargedfromaplacemightmeanawholelottoyou。I\'mgladyoutakesuchaninterestinBos\'n，andyourcomin\'hereonheraccount——“
Hepaused。MissDawescoloredslightlyandsaid：
“Yes。“
“Yourcomin\'hereonheraccountwasmightygoodofyou。Butyou\'vegottokeepoutofthistrouble。Andyoumustn\'tcomehereagain。That\'sowner\'sorders。Why，I\'mexpectin\'aboardin\'partyanyminute，“headded。“Ithoughtwhenyouknockeditwas\'papa\'
comin\'forhischild。You\'dbettergo。“
Butshestoodstill。
“Ishan\'tgo，“shedeclared。“Or，atleast，notuntilyoupromisetoletmetrytohelpyou。Iftheycome，somuchthebetter。
They\'lllearnwheremysympathiesare。“
CaptainCyscratchedhishead。
“Seehere，MissPhoebe，“hesaid。“Iain\'tsurethatyoufullyunderstandthatScriptureandeverythingelseisagainstus。DidAngieturnlooseonyouthe\'WhomtheLordhasjoined\'avalanche？”
Theschoolmistressburstintoalaugh。Thecaptainlaughed，too，buthisgravityquicklyreturned。Forstepssoundedonthewalk，therewasawhisperingoutside，andsomeoneknockedonthedining-
roomdoor。
ThesituationwassimilartothatoftheeveningwhentheBoardofStrategycalledand“JohnSmith“madehisfirstappearance。Butnow，oddlyenough，CaptainCyseemedmuchlesstroubled。HelookedatMissDawesandtherewasadancingtwinkleinhiseye。
“Isit——“beganthelady，inanagitatedwhisper。
“Theboardin\'party？Ipresumelikely。“
“Butwhatcanyoudo？”
“Standbytherepel，Iguess，“wasthecalmreply。“Itoldyouthattheyhadmostoftheammunition，butoursain\'tallblankcartridges。Youstaybelowandlistentothebroadsides。“
TheyheardGeorgiannacrossthediningroom。Therewasamurmurofvoicesatthedoor。Thecaptainnodded。
“It\'sthem，“hesaid。“Well，heregoes。Nowdon\'tyoushowyourself。“
“DoyouthinkIamafraid？Indeed，Ishan\'tstay\'below\'asyoucallit！Ishallletthemsee——“
CaptainCyhelduphishand。
“I\'mcommodoreofthisfleet，“hesaid；“andthatbein\'thecase，I
expectmycrewtoobeyorders。There\'snothin\'youcando，and——
Why，yes！thereis，too。YoucantakecareofBos\'n。Georgianna，“
tothehousekeeperwho，lookingfrightenedandnervous，hadappearedatthedoor，“sendBos\'ninherequick。“
“They\'rethere，“whisperedGeorgianna。“Mr。AtkinsandTadandthatThomascritter，andlotsmore。Andthey\'vecomeafterher。
Whatshallwedo？”
“JumpwhenIspeaktoyou，that\'sthefirstthing。SendBos\'ninhereandyoustayinyourgalley。“
Emilycamerunning。MissDawesputanarmabouther。CaptainCy，thebattlelanternsstilltwinklingunderhisbrows，steppedforthtomeetthe“boardingparty。“
Theywerethere，asGeorgiannahadsaid。Mr。Thomasonthetopstep，HemanandSimpsononthenextlower，andbehindthemAbelLeonardandagroupofinterestedvolunteers，principallyrecruitedfromthebackroomofthebarbershop。
“Evenin\'，gentlemen，“saidthecaptain，openingthedoorsobrisklythatMr。ThomasstartedbackwardandcamedownheavilyuponthetoesofthedevotedTad。Mr。Simpsonswore，Mr。Thomasclawedabouthimtogainequilibrium，andthedignityofthegroupwasseriouslyimpaired。
“Evenin\'，“repeatedCaptainCy。“Quiteasurprisepartyyou\'regivin\'me。Comein。“
“Cyrus，“begantheHonorableAtkins，“weareheretoclaim——“
“Givememydaughter，yourobber！”demandedThomas，fromhisnewpositionintherearoftheothertwo。
“Mr。Thomas，“saidHeman，“pleaserememberthatIamconductingthisaffair。Irespectthenaturalindignationofanoutragedfather，but——ahem！Cyrus，weareheretoclaim——“
“Thendoyourclaimin\'inside。It\'skindofchillyto-night，there\'splentyofemptychairs，andwedon\'tneedtoholdanoverflowmeetin\'。Comeaheadin。“
Thetriolookedateachotherinhesitation。ThenMr。Atkinsmajesticallyenteredthediningroom。ThomasandSimpsonfollowedhim。
“Abe，“observedCaptainCytoLeonard，whowasadvancingtowardthesteps，“I\'msorrynottobehospitable，butthere\'stoomanyofyoutoinviteatonce，and\'tain\'tpolitetoshowpartiality。Youandtherestarewelcometositontheterraceorstroll\'roundthedeerpark。Goodnight。“
HeclosedthedoorinthefaceofthedisappointedAbelandturnedtothethreeintheroom。
“Well，“hesaid，“outwithit。You\'vecometoclaimsomethin\'，I
understand。“
“Icomeformyrights，“shoutedMr。Thomas。
“Yes？Well，thisain\'tState\'sprisonorI\'dgive\'emtoyouwithpleasure。Heman，you\'dbetterdothetalkin\'。We\'llprobablygetaheadfaster。“
TheHonorableclearedhisthroatandwavedhishand。
“Cyrus，“hebegan，“youaremyboyhoodfriendandmyfellowtownsmanandneighbor。Undersuchcircumstancesitgivesmepain——“
“Thendon\'tletusdiscusspainfulsubjects。Let\'sgetdowntobusiness。You\'vecometorescueBos\'n——Emily，thatis，——fromthe\'robber\'——I\'mquotin\'DeaconThomashere——that\'sgother，so\'stoturnherovertohersorrowin\'father。Isthatit？Yes。Well，youcan\'thaveher——notyet。“
“Cyrus，“saidMr。Atkins，“I\'msorrytoseethatyoutakeitthisway。Youhaven\'ttheshadowofaright。Wehavethelawwithus，andyourconductwillleadustoinvokeit。Theconstableisoutside。ShallIcallhimin？”
“UncleBedny“wasthetownconstableandhadbeensincebeforethewar。Thepurelyhonoraryofficewasgivenhimeachyearasajoke。
CaptainCygrinnedbroadly，andevenTadwasobligedtosmile。
“Don\'tbeinhuman，Heman，“urgedthecaptain。“Youwouldn\'tturnmeovertobeman-handledbyUncleBedny，wouldyou？”
“Thisisnotahumorousaffair——“beganthecongressman，withdignity。Butthe“bereavedfather“hadbeenprospectingonhisownhook，andnowhepeepedintothesittingroom。
“Heresheis！”heshouted。“Iseeher。Comeon，Emmie！Yourdad\'scomeforyou。Letgoofher，youwoman！Whatdoyoumeanbyholdin\'ontoher？”
Thesituationwhichwas“nothumorous“immediatelybecamemuchlessso。Thenextminutewasalivelyone。ItendedasMr。ThomaswaspickedupbyTadfromthefloor，wherehehadfallen，havingbeenpushedviolentlyoverachairbyCaptainCy。Bos\'n，frightenedandsobbing，wasclingingwildlytoMissDawes，whohadclungjustasfirmlytoher。Thecaptain\'svoicerangthroughtheroom。
“That\'senough，“hesaid。“That\'senoughandsomeover。Atkins，takethatfelleroutofthishouseandoffmypremises。Asforthegirl，that\'sforustofightoutinthecourts。I\'mherguardian，lawfullyappointed，andyounornobodyelsecantouchherwhilethatappointment\'sgood。Hereitis——righthere。Nowlookatitandclearout。“
Heheld，forthecongressman\'sinspection，thedocumentwhich，inclosedinthelongenvelope，hadbeenreceivedthatmorning。HisvisittoOstable，madesomeweeksbefore，hadbeenforthepurposeofapplyingtotheprobatecourtfortheappointmentasEmily\'sguardian。Hehadappliedbeforethenewsofherfather\'scomingtolifereachedhim。Theappointmentitselfhadarrivedjustintime。
Mr。Atkinsstudiedthedocumentwithcare。Whenhespokeitwaswithconsiderableagitationandwithouthisusualdiplomacy。
“Humph！”hegrunted。“Humph！Isee。Well，sir，IhavesomeinfluenceinthissectionandIshallseehowlongyour——yourTRICK
willpreventthechild\'sgoingwhereshebelongs。IwishyoutounderstandthatIshallcontinuethisfighttotheverylast。I——I
amnotonetobeeasilybeaten。Simpson，youandThomascomewithme。Thisnight\'sdespicablechicaneryisonlythebeginning。Thisisbadbusinessforyou，CyWhittaker，“hesnarled，hisself-controlvanishing，“and“——withavindictiveglanceattheschoolmistress——
“forthosewhoarewithyouinit。ThatappointmentwasobtainedunderfalsepretensesandIcanproveit。Yourtricksdon\'tscareme。I\'vehadexperiencewithTRICKSbefore。“
“Yup。SoI\'veheard。Well，Heman，Iain\'taswellupintricksasyouclaimtobe，normystockin\'isn\'taswellpaddedasyours，maybe。Butwhilethere\'saten-centpieceleftinthetoeofitI\'llfightyouandtheskunkwhose\'rights\'youseemtohavetakensuchashineto。And，afterthat，whilethere\'salawyerthat\'lltrustme。And，meantime，thatlittlegirlstaysrighthere，andyoutouchherifyoudare，anyofyou！Anythingmoretosay？”
ButtheHonorable\'sdignityhadreturned。Possiblyhethoughthehadsaidtoomuchalready。Amomentlaterthedoorbangedbehindthediscomfortedboardingparty。
CaptainCypulledhisbeardandlaughed。
“Well，werepelled\'em，didn\'twe？”heobserved。“But，asfriendHemansays，thebeginnin\'sonlybegun。Iwishhehadn\'tseenyouhere，teacher。“
MissDaweslookedupfromthetaskofstrokingpoorBos\'n\'shair。
“Idon\'t，“shesaid，“I\'mgladofit。“Thensheadded，laughingnervously：“Cap\'nWhittaker，howcouldyoubesocool？Itwaslikeaplay。Ideclare，youwerejustsplendid！”
CHAPTERXIV
ACLEW
JosiahDimickhasauniquefacultyofgraspingasituationandsummingitupinanout-of-the-ordinaryway。
“Ithink，“observedJosiahtotheexcitedgroupatSimmons\'s，“thatthistownowesCyWhittakeravoteofthanks。“
“Thanks！”gaspedAlpheusSmalley，soshockedandhorrifiedthatheputtheone-poundweightonthescalesinsteadofthehalfpound。
“THANKS！Afterwhatwe\'vefoundout？Well，Imustsay！”
“Ya-as，“drawledCaptainJosiah，“thankswaswhatIsaid。Ifitwan\'tforhimthisgangandthesewin\'circlewouldn\'thavenothin\'
totalkaboutbuttheirneighbors。Ourreputationswouldbeasfullofholesasaskimmerbythistime。Nowallhandsaresobusyjumpin\'onWhit，thattherestofuscanfeelfairlysafe。Ain\'tthatso，Gabe？”
Mr。Lumley，whohadstoppedinforahalfpoundoftea，grinnedfeebly，butsaidnothing。Ifhenoticedtheclerk\'smistakeinweightshedidn\'tmentionit，buttookhispackageandhurriedout。
AfterhisdepartureMr。SmalleyhimselfdiscoveredtheerrorandchargedtheLumleyaccountwith“11/4lbs。MixedGreenandBlack。“
MeanwhiletheassemblageaboutthestovehadputCaptainCyontheanvilandwashammeringhimvigorously。
Bayportwasboilingoverwithrumorandsurmise。HemanhadappealedtothecourtsaskingthatCaptainCy\'sappointmentasBos\'n\'sguardianberescinded。CyhadhiredLawyerPeabody，ofOstable，tolookoutforhisinterests。Mr。Atkinsandthecaptainhadallbutcometoblowsoverthechild。Thomas，thepoorfather，hadbrokendownandwept，andhadthreatenedtocommitsuicide。
Mrs。SaltershadrefusedtospeaktoCaptainCywhenshemetthelatteraftermeetingonSunday。ThelandinOrhamhadbeensoldandthecaptainwasusingthemoney。PhoebeDaweshadthreatenedtoresignifBos\'ncametoschoolanylonger。No，shehadthreatenedtoresignifshedidn\'tcometoschool。Shehadn\'tthreatenedtoresignatall，butwantedhigherwagesbecauseoftheeffectthescandalmighthaveonherreputationasateacher。
Thesewereafewofthereports，contradictedandaddedtofromdaytoday。
ToquoteJosiahDimickagain：“Sortin\'outthetruthfromtheliesisliketryin\'tofindaquartofsardinesinaschoonerloadofherrin\'。Andtheydumpinmoreherrin\'everyhalfhour。“
AngelinePhinneywashavingthetimeofherlife。Theperfectboardinghousehummedlikeaflytrap。KeturahandMrs。Tripphaddesertedtotheenemy，andtheminority，meaningAsaphandBailey，hadlittleopportunitytodefendtheirfriend\'scause，eveniftheyhaddared。HemanAtkins，hisChristiancharityandhigh-mindedness，hisdevotiontoduty，regardlessofpoliticalconsequences，andthemagnificentspeechattownmeetingwerelaudedandexalted。TheBayportBreezecontainedafullaccountofthemeeting，anditwasreadaloudbyKeturah，amidsthymnsofpraisefromtheelect。
“\'WhomtheLordhathjoined，\'“readMrs。Bangs，“\'letnomanputasunder。\'Ain\'tthatsplendid？Ain\'tthatFINE？Thepapersays：
\'WhenCongressmanAtkinsdeliveredthisnoblesentimentahushfellupontheexcitedthrong。\'Ishouldthink\'twould。IrememberwhenIwasmarriedtheministersaidprettynighthesamething，andI
COULDN\'Tspeak。Icouldn\'thaveopenedmymouthtosaveme。Don\'tyourememberIcouldn\'t，Bailey？”
Mr。Bangsnoddedgloomily。Itispossiblethathewishedtheeffectoftheminister\'sdeclarationmighthavebeenmorelasting。
Asaphstirredinhischair。
“Idon\'tcare，“hesaid。“Thisputtin\'asunderbusinessisallright，butthere\'salwaystwosidestoeverything。IseethisThomascritterwhenhefustcome，andhedidn\'tlooklikenosaintthen——norsmelllikeone，neither，unless\'twasaspecimenpickledinalcohol。“
Herewasirreverencealmostatheistic。Keturah\'sfaceshowedhershockeddisapproval。MatildaTrippvoicedthegeneralsentiment。
“Humph！”shesniffed。“Well，allIcansayisthatI\'vemetMr。
Thomastwoorthreetimes，and_I_didn\'tnoticeanythingbutpolitenessandgoodmanners。Maybemynoseain\'tsofineforsmellin\'liquorassomefolks\'s——p\'rapsitain\'thadtheexperience——butall_I_sawwasapoorlamemanwithablackeye。
Ipitiedhim，andIdon\'tcarewhohearsmesayit。“
“Yes，“concurredMissPhinney，“andifhewasadrinkin\'man，doyousupposeMr。Atkinswouldhaveanythingtodowithhim？CyrusWhittakermadeawholelotoftalkabouthisinsultin\'somewomanorother，butnobodyknowswhothewomanwas。\'Bouttimeforhertospeakup，Ishouldthink。Teacher，“turningtoMissDawes，“youwasattheWhittakerplacewhenMr。AtkinsandEmily\'sfathercomeforher，Iunderstand。IwishI\'dhavebeenthere。Itmusthavebeenwuthseein\'。“
“Itwas，“repliedMissDawes。Shehadkeptsilentthroughoutthevariousdiscussionsoftheweekfollowingthetownmeeting，butnow，thusappealedto，sheansweredpromptly。
Angeline\'snewscreatedasensation。Theschoolmistressimmediatelybecamethecenterofinterest。
“Isthatso？Wasyouthere，teacher？Well，Ideclare！”Thequestionsandexclamationsflewroundthetable。
“Tellus，teacher，“pleadedKeturah。“Wasn\'tHemangrand？I
shouldsoliketohaveheardhim。Didn\'tCap\'nWhittakerlookashamedofhimself？”
“No，hedidnot。IfanyonelookedashameditwasMr。Atkinsandhisfriends。PerhapsIoughttotellyouthatmysympathiesareentirelywithCaptainWhittakerinthisaffair。Togivethatlittlegirluptoadrunkenscoundrellikeherfatherwould，inmyopinion，beacrime。“
Theboardersandthelandladygasped。AsaphgrinnedandnudgedBaileyunderthetable。Keturahwasthefirsttorecover。
“Well！”sheexclaimed。“Everybody\'sgotarighttotheiropinion，ofcourse。ButIcan\'tseethecrime，myself。Andasforthedrunkenness，I\'dliketoknowwho\'sseenMr。Thomasdrunk。CyrusWhittakerSAYShehas，but——“
Shewavedherhandscornfully。Phoeberosefromherchair。
“Ihaveseenhiminthatcondition，“shesaid。“Infact，Iamthepersonheinsulted。IsawCaptainWhittakerknockhimdown，andI
honoredthecaptainforit。IonlywishedIwereamanandcouldhavedoneitmyself。“
Shelefttheroom，and，afewmomentslater，thehouse。Mr。
Tiddittchuckledaloud。EvenBaileydaredtolookpleased。
“There！”sneeredthewidowTripp。“Ain\'tthat——PerhapsyourememberthatCap\'nWhittakergothertheteacher\'splace？”
“Yes，“putinMissPhinney，“andnobodyknowsWHYhegotitforher。Thatis，nobodyhasknownuptonow。Maybewecanbegintoguessalittleafterthis。“
“Shewasathishouse，wasshe？”observedKeturah。“Humph！I
wonderwhy？Seemstomeif_I_wasayoung——thatis，asinglewomanlikeher，I\'dbekindofcarefulaboutcallin\'onbachelors。
Humph！itlooksfunnytome。“
Asaphroseandpushedbackhischair。
“Ical\'lateshecalledtoseeEmily，“hesaidsharply。“Thechildwasherscholar，andIpresumelikely，knowin\'thekindoffatherthathasturnedupforthepooryoungone，shefeltsorryforher。
Ofcourse，nobody\'shintin\'anythingagainstPhoebeDawes\'scharacter。Ifyouwantacertificateofthat，you\'veonlygottogotoWellmouth。Folksoverthereareprettykeenonthatsubject。
Iguessthetownwouldgotolawaboutitrather\'nhearawordagainsther。Libelsuitsarekindofuncomf\'tablethingsforthemthatain\'tsureoftheirfacts。I\'Dhatetogetmixedupinone，myself。Bailey，I\'mgoingupstreet。Comeon，whenyoucan，won\'tyou？”
Asiffrightenedathisowndisplayofspirit，hehurriedout。
Therewassilenceforatime；thenMissPhinneyspokeconcerningtheweather。
UpattheCyWhittakerplacethedayswerefullones。There，also，legalquestionswerediscussed，withGeorgianna，theBoardofStrategy，JosiahDimickoccasionally，and，moreinfrequentlystill，MissDawes，asparticipantswithCaptainCyinthediscussions。
RumorsweretrueinsofarastheyrelatedtoMr。Atkins\'sappealtothecourts，andthecaptain\'sretainingLawyerPeabody，ofOstable。Mr。Peabody\'sopinionofthecasewasnotencouraging。
“Yousee，captain，“hesaid，whenhisclientvisitedhimathisoffice，“theoddsareverymuchagainstus。ThecourtappointedyouasguardianwiththeunderstandingthatthismanThomaswasdead。Nowheisaliveandclaimshischild。Morethanthat，hehasthemostinfluentialpoliticianinthiscountybackofhim。
Wewouldn\'tstandafightingchanceexceptforonething——Thomashimself。Helefthiswifeandthebaby；desertedthem，soshesaid；wenttogetwork，HEsays。WecanprovehewasadrunkenblackguardBEFOREhewent，andthathehasbeendrunksincehecameback。ButTHEY\'LLsay——Atkinsandhislawyer——thatthemanwasdesperateanddespairingbecauseofyourrefusaltogivehimhischild。They\'llholdhimupasarepentantsinner，anxioustoreform，andneedingthelittlegirl\'sinfluencetohelpkeephimstraight。That\'stheirgame，andthey\'llplayit，besureofthat，Itsoundsreasonableenough，too，forsinnershaverepentedbeforenow。Andthelong-lostfathercomingbacktohischildistheonesurethingtowinapplausefromthegallery，youknowthat。“
CaptainCynodded。
“Yup，“hesaid，“Iknowit。Theothernight，whenMissPh——whenafriendofminewasatthehouse，shesaidthisbusinesswaslikeaplay。Ididn\'tsaysotoher，butallthesameIrealizeitain\'tlikeaplayatall。Inaplaydadcomeshome，havin\'beensnakedbodilyoutofthejawsofthetombbyhiscoatcollar，andtheyoungonesingsout\'Papa！Papa！\'andhesobs，\'Mechild！Mechild！\'andit\'salllovely，andyouputonyourhatfeelin\'thattheoldmanisgoin\'toberichandrighteousfortherestofhisdays。Buthereit\'sdifferent；dad\'sarascal，andanybodywho\'sseenanythingoftheworldknowshe\'sboundtostayso；andasforthepoorlittlegirl，why——why——“
Hestopped，rose，and，stridingovertothewindow，stoodlookingout。Afteraninterval，duringwhichthegood-naturedattorneyreadadullbusinessletterthroughforthesecondtime，hespokeagain。
“Ihopeyouunderstand，Peabody，“hesaid。“Itain\'tjustselfishnessthatmakesmesteerthecourseI\'mrunnin\'。Course，Bos\'n\'sgottobetheworldandalltome，andifshe\'stakenawayIdon\'tknow\'sIcareatinker\'sdarnwhathappensafterwards。
But，allthesame，ifherdadwasarealman，sorryforwhathe\'sdoneandtryin\'tomakeupforit——why，then，Ical\'lateI\'mdecentenoughtotakeoffmyhat，handherover，andsay：\'Godblessyouandgoodluck。\'Buttothinkofhimcarryin\'herofftheLordknowswhere，toneglectherandcruelizeher，andtolethergrowupamongfellerslikehim，I——I——bythebigdipper，Ican\'tdoit！
That\'sall；Ican\'t！”
“Howdoesshefeelaboutit，herself？”askedPeabody。
“Her？Bos\'n？Why，that\'sthehardestofall。Someofthechildrenatschoolpesterheraboutherfather。Idon\'tknow\'syoucanblame\'em；youngonesaremadethatway，Iguess——butshecomeshometomecryin\'，andit\'s\'OUncleCy，heAIN\'Tmytrulyfather，ishe？\'and\'Youwon\'tlethimtakemeawayfromyou，willyou？\'
tillitseemsasifIshouldflyoutofthewindow。Thepoorlittlething！Andthatpuffed-uphumbugAtkinsblowin\'abouthisChristianityandall！D——nsuchChristianityasthat，Isay！I\'veseenheathenInjuns，whoneverheardofChrist，withmoreofHisspiritinside\'em。There！I\'veshockedyou，Iguess。SometimesIthinkthisplaceistoonarrerandcrampedforme。I\'vebeenaround，youknow，andmyNewEnglandbringin\'uphasworethininspots。Seem\'sifImustgetsomewheresandspreadout，orI\'llbust。“
Hethrewhimselfintoachair。Thelawyerclappedhimontheshoulder。
“There，there，captain，“hesaid。“Don\'t\'bust\'yetawhile。Don\'tgiveuptheship。Ifweloseinonecourt，wecanappealtoanother，andsoonuptheline。Andmeantimewe\'lldoalittleinvestigatingoffriendThomas\'scareersinceheleftConcord。
I\'vewrittentoalegalacquaintanceofmineinButte，givinghimthefactsasweknowthem，andadescriptionofThomas。HewilltrytofindoutwhatthefellowdidinhisyearsoutWest。It\'sourbestchance，asItoldyou。Keepyourpluckupandwaitandsee。“
ThecaptainrepeatedthisconversationtotheBoardofStrategywhenhereturnedtoBayport。MissDaweshadwalkedhomefromschoolwithBos\'n，andhadstoppedatthehousetohearthereport。
Shelistened，butitwasevidentthatsomethingelsewasonhermind。
“CaptainWhittaker，“sheasked，“hasiteverstruckyouasqueerthatMr。Atkinsshouldtakesuchaninterestinthismatter？HeisgivingtimeandcounselandmoneytohelpthismanThomas，whoisaperfectstrangertohim。Whydoeshedoit？”
CaptainCysmiled。
“Why？”herepeated。“Why，todownme，ofcourse。Iwasgettin\'
tooeverlastin\'prominentinpoliticstosuithim。I\'dgotyouinasteacher，andIhad\'LonzoSnowasgoodaslickedforschoolcommittee。GoodnessknowswhatImighthaverunfornext，\'cordin\'
toHeman\'sreasonin\'，andIsimplyhadtobesmashed。Itworkedallright。I\'msounhealthynowinthesightofmostfolksinthistown，thatIcal\'latetheygohomeandsulphur-smoketheirclothesaftertheymeetme，so\'snottocatchmywickedness。“
Buttheteachershookherhead。
“Thatdoesn\'tseemreasonenoughtome，“shedeclared。“JustseewhatMr。Atkinshasdone。Heneveropenlyadvocatedanythingintownmeetingbefore；yousaidsoyourself。Evenwhenhemusthaverealizedthatyouhadthevotesforcommitteemanhekeptstill。
HemighthavetakenmanyofthemfromyoubysimplycomingoutanddeclaringforMr。Snow；buthedidn\'t。Andthen，allatonce，hetakesthisastonishingstand。CaptainWhittaker，Mr。Tiddittsaysthat，thenightofEmily\'sbirthdayparty，youandhetoldwhoshewas，byaccident，andthatMr。Atkinsseemedverymuchsurprisedandupset。Isthatso？”
CaptainCylaughed。
“Hislemonadewasupset；that\'sallInoticedspecial。Oh！yes，andhelosthishatoff，goin\'home。Butwhatofit？Whatareyoudrivin\'at？”
“Iwaswonderingif——ifitcouldbethat，forsomereason，Mr。
AtkinshadaspiteagainstEmilyorherpeople。Orifhehadanyreasontofearher。“
“Fear？FearBos\'n？Oh，my，that\'sfunny！You\'vebeenreadin\'
novels，I\'m\'fraid，teacher，\'thoughIdidn\'tsuspectitofyou。“
Helaughedheartily。MissDawessmiled，too，butshestillpersisted。
“Well，“shesaid，“Idon\'tknow。PerhapsitisbecauseI\'mawoman，andpoliticsdon\'tmeanasmuchtomeastoyoumen，buttomepoliticalreasonsdon\'tseemstrongenoughtoaccountforsuchactionsasthoseofMr。Atkins。Emily\'smotherwasaThayer，wasn\'tshe？andtheThayersoncelivedinOrham。Iwishwecouldfindoutmoreaboutthemwhiletheylivedthere。“
AsaphTiddittpulledhisbeardthoughtfully。
“Well，“heobserved，“maybewecan，ifwewantto，thoughIdon\'tthinkwhatwefindout\'llamounttonothin\'。Iwaskindofcal\'latin\'togotoOrhamnextweekonalittlevisit。SethWingateoverthere——BarzillaWingate\'scousin，Whit——isasortofrelationofmine，andwevisitbackandfortheverynineortenyearorso。Thetenyear\'smostup，andhe\'sbeenpesterin\'metocomeover。Seth\'sbeenOrhamtownclerkaboutaslongasI\'vebeentheBayportone，andhe\'slivedthereallhislife。Whathedon\'tknowaboutOrhamfolksain\'twuthknowin\'。Ifyousayso，I\'llpumphimabouttheThayersandtheRichards。\'Twon\'tdonoharm，andtheoldfoollikestotalk，anyhow。Idon\'tknow\'sIoughttospeakthatwayaboutmyrelations，“headdeddoubtfully，“butSethISsortofstubbornandunlikelyatoddtimes。Wedon\'talwaysagreeastowhichisthebesttowntolivein，youunderstand。“
SoitwassettledthatMr。Wingateshouldbesubjectedtothe“pumping“processwhenAsaphvisitedhim。Hedepartedforthisvisitthefollowingweek，andremainedawayfortendays。
MeanwhileseveralthingshappenedinBayport。
OneofthesethingswasthefarewelloftheHonorableHemanAtkins。
CongresswastoopenatWashington，andtheHonorableheededthecallofduty。Aliciaandthehousekeeperwentwithhim，andthebighousewasclosedforthewinter。Atthegatebetweenthestoneurns，andbackedbytheirondogs，thegreatmanbadeagroupofadmiringconstituentsgood-by。Hethankedthemfortheirtrustinhim，andpromisedthatitshouldnotbebetrayed。
“Ileaveyou，myfellowtownsmen，er——ladiesandfriends，“hesaid，“withregret，temperedbypride——anotinexcusablepride，I
believe。Inthetryingexperiencewhichmyself-respectandsympathyhassorecentlyforceduponme，youhavestoodfirmandcheeredmeon。ThetaskIhaveundertaken，thetaskofrestoringtoaworthymanhisown，shallbecarriedontothebitterestextremity。Ihaveputmyhandtotheplow，anditshallnotbewithdrawn。And，furthermore，IgotomyworkatWashingtondeterminedtosecureformynativetowntheappropriationwhichitsosorelyneeds。IshallsecureitifIcan，eventhough——“andthesarcasmwashugelyenjoyedbyhislisteners——“Iam，asIseemlikelytobe，deprivedofthehelpofthe\'committee，\'self-
appointedatourrecenttownmeeting。IfIfail——andIdonotconcealthefactthatImayfail——Iamcertainyouwillnotblameme。NowIshouldliketoshakeeachoneofyoubythehand。“
Thehandswereshaken，andthetrainboretheAtkinsdelegationaway。And，onthedayfollowing，Mr。Thomas，theprodigalfather，alsolefttown。ApositioninBostonhadbeenofferedhim，hesaid，andhefeltthathemustacceptit。Hewouldcomebacksomeofthesedays，withthewarrantfromthecourt，andgethislittlegirl。
“Positionofferedhim！Um——ya-as！”quothDimickthecynical，inconversationwithCaptainCy。“Inspectorofsidewalks，Ishouldn\'twonder。Well，pleasedon\'taskmeifIthinkHemansenthimtoBostonso\'stohavehimoutoftheway，and\'causehe\'dfeelconsider\'blesaferthanifhewasloosedownhere。Don\'taskmethat，for，withmystrictscruplesagainstthetruthImightsay，No。Asitis，Isaynothin\'——andwinkmyporteye。“
Theten-dayvisitended，Mr。TiddittreturnedtoBayport。OntheafternoonofhisreturnheandBaileycalledattheWhittakerplace，andtheretheywerejoinedbyMissDawes，whohadbeensummonedtotheconclavebyanoteintrustedtoBos\'n。
“Now，Ase，“orderedCaptainCy，asthequartetgatheredinthesittingroom，“hereweare，hangin\'onyourwords，asthefellersaid。Don\'tkeepusstrunguptoolong。Whatdidyoufindout？”
Thetownclerkclearedhisthroat。Whenhespoke，therewasatraceofdisappointmentinhistone。TohavebeenabletoelectrifyhisaudiencewiththenewsofsomestartlingdiscoverywouldhavebeenpurejoyforAsaph。
“Well，“hebegan，“Idon\'tknow\'sIfoundoutanythingmuch。YetI
didfindoutsomethin\'，too；butitdon\'treallyamounttonothin\'。
Ihoped\'twouldbesomethin\'more\'n\'twas，butwhennothin\'comeofitexceptthelittlesomethin\'itbegunwith，I——“
“Forthelandsakes！”snappedBaileyBangs，whowasatrifleenviousofhisfriend\'spositioninthecenterofthestage，“stopthem\'nothin\'s\'and\'somethin\'s，\'won\'tyou？Youkeepwhirlin\'\'emroundandoverandovertillmyhead\'sFULLof\'nothin\'，\'and——“
“That\'swhatit\'sfullofmostofthetime，“interruptedAsaphtartly。CaptainCyhastenedtoactaspeacemaker。
“Nevermind，Bailey，“hesaid；“youletAsealone。Telluswhatyoudidfindout，Ase，andcutoutthetrimmin\'s。“
“Well，“continuedMr。Tidditt，withaglareatBangs，“IaskedSethabouttheThayersandtheRichardsfolkstheveryfustnightI
struckOrham。Heremembered\'em，ofcourse；hecanrememberAdam，ifyoulethimtellit。HetoldmeawholemessaboutoldmanThayerandoldmanRichardsandtheirgranddadsandgrandmarms，andwhathousestheylivedin，andhowmanyhenstheykept，andwhattheirdog\'snamewas，andhowtheycometonamehimthat，andenoughmoretofillahogshead。\'Twasteno\'clockaforehegotoutofGenesis，anddownsofurasJohnandEmily。Herememberedtheirbein\'married，andtheirbaby——MaryThayer，Bos\'n\'sma——bein\'born。
“FolksusedtocallJohnThayerasmartyoungfeller，soSethsaid。
Theyusedtocal\'latethathe\'drisehighintheseafarin\'andship-ownin\'line。Maybehewould，onlyhediedsomewheresinCaliforny\'longin\'54orthereabouts。\'Twasthetimeofthegoldcrazinessoutthere，andhelefthisshipandwentgoldhuntin\'。
Andthenextthingtheyknewhewasdeadandburied。“
“Whenwasthat？”inquiredtheschoolmistress。
“In\'54，Itellyou。SoSethsays。“
“Whatshipwasheon？”askedBailey。
“Wan\'tonanyship。Whydon\'tyoulisten，insteadofsettin\'theremoonin\'？Hewasgolddiggin\'，Itellyou。“
“He\'dBEENonaship，hadn\'the？Whatwasthenameofher？”
“Ididn\'task。Whatdiff\'rencedoesthatmake？”
“Wasn\'tMr。Atkinsatseainthosedays？”putintheteacher。Thecaptainansweredher。
“Yes，hewas，“hesaid。“Thatis，Ithinkhewas。HewasawayfromherewhenIskippedout，andhedidn\'tgetbacktill\'61orthereabouts。“
“Well，anyhow，“wentonAsaph，“that\'sallIcouldfindout。Sethandmewentrummagin\'throughtownrecordsfromwaybacktoglory，himgassin\'awayandstringin\'alongaboutthisoldsettlerandthat，tillI\'mostwishedhe\'dchokehimselfwiththedusthewasraisin\'。WefoundJohn\'sgrandad\'swill，andEmily\'sdad\'swill，andJohn\'sownwill，andthat\'sall。Johnlefteverythinghehadandallhemightbecomepossessedoftohiswifeandbabyandtheirheirsforever。Hediedpoorer\'npoverty。What\'stheuseofawillwhenyouain\'tgotnothin\'toleave？”
“Why！”exclaimedCaptainCy。“Theanswertothat\'seasy。Johnwasgoin\'tosea，and，more\'nlikely，intendedtohaveashyatthediggin\'saforehegotback。So，ifhedidmakeanymoney，hewantedhiswifeandbabytohaveit。“
“Well，whattheygotwan\'twuthhavin\'。Emilyhadtoscrimpalonganddodressmakin\'tillshedied。Shedonefairlywellatthat，though，andsavedsomethin\'andpasseditovertoMary。AndMarymarriedHenryThomas，aftershewentwiththeHowestribetoConcord，andhegotridofitforherindoublequicktime——allbuttheOrhamland。“
“Sothatwasallyoucouldfindout，hey，Ase？”askedthecaptain。
“Well，it\'satleastasmuchasIexpected。Yousee，teacher，thesestory-booknotionsdon\'tworkoutwhenitcomestoreallife。“
MissDaweswasplainlydisappointed。
“Iwishweknewmore，“shesaid。“WhowasonthisshipwithMr。
Thayer？Andwhosentthenewsofhisdeathhome？”
“Oh，Icantellyouthat，“saidAsaph。“\'Twassomeone-hossdoctoroutthere，goldminin\'himself，hewas。Johndiedofaquickfever。Gotcoldandwentoffinnotime。Sethrememberedthatmuch，thoughhecouldn\'trememberthedoctor\'sname。Hesaid，ifI
wantedtolearnmoreabouttheThayers，Imightgosee——Humph，well，nevermindthat。\'Twasjustfoolishness，anyhow。“
ButPhoebepersisted。
“Toseewhom？”sheasked。“Someoneyouknew？Afriendofyours？”
Asaphturnedred。
“Friendofmine！”hesnarled。“No，SIR！sheain\'tnofriendofmine，I\'mthankfultosay。MoreafriendofBailey\'s，here，ifshe\'sanybody\'s。Oneofhispets，shewas，foraspell。Apatientofhis，youmightsay；anyhow，heprescribedforher。\'Twasthatdeefidiot，DebbyBeasley，Cy；that\'swho\'twas。HernamewasBriggsaforeshemarriedBeasley，andshewashiredhelpforEmilyThayer，whenMarywasborn，anduntilJohndied。“
CaptainCyburstintoaroaroflaughter。Baileysprangoutofhischair。
“De——DebbyBeasley！”hestammered。“DebbyBeasley！”
“ShewasthatdeefhousekeeperBaileyhiredforme，teacher，“
explainedthecaptain。“I\'vetoldyouabouther。Ho！ho！sothat\'stheendofthemysteryhuntin\'。Wegogunnin\'forHemanAtkins，andwebringdownDebby！Well，Ase，goin\'toseetheoldlady？”
Mr。Tidditt\'sretortwasemphatic。
“Goin\'toSEEher？”herepeated。“Iguessnot！Godfreyscissors！
ItoldSeth，saysI，\'I\'vehadalltheDebbyBeasley_I_want，andIcal\'lateCyWhittakerfeelsthesameway。\'Gotoseeher！I
wouldn\'tgotoseeherifshewasupinParadisea-hollerin\'forme。“
“Nobodyupthere\'sgoin\'tohollerforYOU，AseTidditt，“remarkedBailey，withsarcasm；“sodon\'tletthatworryyounone。“
“AreYOUgoingtoseeher，CaptainWhittaker？”askedPhoebe。
Thecaptainshookhishead。
“Why，no，Iguessnot，“hesaid。“Idon\'ttakemuchstockinwhatshe\'dbelikelytoknow；besides，I\'magooddeallikeAse——I\'vehadaboutalltheDebbyBeasleyIwant。“
CHAPTERXV
DEBBYBEASLEYTOTHERESCUE
“Mrs。Bangs，“saidtheschoolmistress，asifitwasthemostcasualthingintheworld，“Iwanttoborrowyourhusbandto-morrow。“
ItwasFridayevening，andsupperattheperfectboardinghousehadadvancedasfarasthestewedprunesandfruit-cakestage。
Keturah，whowascarefullydealingouttheprunes，exactlyfourtoeachsaucer，stoppedshort，spooninair，andgazedatMissDawes。
“You——youwanttoWHAT？”sheasked。
“Iwanttoborrowyourhusband。Iwanthimallday，too，becauseI\'mthinkingofdrivingovertoTrumet，andIneedacoachman。
You\'llgo，won\'tyou，Mr。Bangs？”
Bailey，whohadbeenconsideringtheadvisabilityofaskingforasecondcupoftea，brightenedupandlookedpleased。
“Why，yes，“heanswered，“I\'llgo。Icangojustaswellasnot。
Factis，I\'dliketo。Ain\'tbeentoTrumetIdon\'tknowwhen。“
MissPhinneyandthewidowTripplookedateachother。ThentheybothlookedatKeturah。Thatlady\'smouthclosedtightly，andsheresumedherprunedistribution。
“I\'msorry，“shesaidcrisply，“butI\'m\'fraidhecan\'tgo。It\'sSaturday，andI\'llneedhimroundthehouse。Doyoucareforcaketo-night，Elviry？I\'m\'fraidit\'sprettydry；Iain\'thadtimetodomuchbakin\'thisweek。“
“Ofcourse，“continuedthesmilingPhoebe，“Ishouldn\'tthinkofaskinghimtogofornothing。Ididn\'tmeanborrowhiminjustthatway。Iwasthinkingofhiringyourhorseandbuggy，and，asI\'mnotusedtodriving，IthoughtperhapsImightengageMr。Bangstodriveforme。Iexpectedtopayfortheprivilege。But，asyouneedhim，IsupposeImustgetmyriganddriversomewhereelse。
I\'msosorry。“
Thelandlady\'sexpressionchanged。Thiswasthedullseason，andopportunitiesto“let“thefamilysteedandbuggy——“horseandteam，“wecallitinBayport——werefew。
“Well，“sheobserved，“Idon\'twanttobeunlikelyanddisobligin\'。
Far\'she\'sconcerned，he\'dratherbetraipsin\'roundthecountrythanstaytohome，anyday；thoughit\'sbeensolongsencehetookMEtoridethatIdon\'tknow\'sI\'dknowhowtoact。“
“Why，Ketury！”protestedherhusband。“Howyoutalk！Didn\'tI
driveyoudowntothegraveyardonlylastSunday——ortheSundayafore？”
“Graveyard！Yes，Inoticeourridesalwaysfetchupatthegraveyard。You\'realwayswillin\'totakemeTHERE。Seemssometimesasifyouenjoyeddoin\'it。“
“Now，Keturah！youknowyourselfthat\'twasyouproposedgoin\'
there。Yousaidyouwantedtolookatourlot，\'causeyouwasafraid\'twan\'tbigenough，andyoudidn\'tknowbutwe\'doughttoaddonanotherpiece。Yousaidthatitkeptyouawakenightsworryin\'forfearwhenIpassedawayyouwouldn\'thaveroominthatlotforme。Landsakes！don\'tIremember？Didn\'tyougivemethebluecreepstalkin\'aboutit？”
Mrs。Bangsignoredthisoutburst。Turningtotheschoolteacher，shesaidwithasigh：
“Well，Iguesshecango。I\'llgetalongsomehow。Ihopehe\'llbecarefulofthebuggy；wehaditpaintedonlylastJanuary。“
Mrs。Trippventuredahintedquestionconcerningtheteacher\'serrandatTrumet。Thereplybeingnoncommittal，thewidowcheerfullyprophesiedthatsheguessed\'twasgoingtorainorsnownextday。“It\'sabouttimeforthelinestorm，“sheadded。
Butitdidnotstorm，althoughabrisk，coldgalewasblowingwhen，afterbreakfastnextmorning，the“horseandteam，“withBaileyinhisSundaysuitandovercoat，andMissDawesonthebuggyseatbesidehim，turnedoutoftheboarding-houseyardandstartedonthetwelve-milejourneytoTrumet。
Itwasableakride。Denboro，thevillageadjoiningBayportonthebayside，isaprettyplace，witholdelmsandsilverleafsshadingthemainstreetinsummer，andwithsubstantialhousesseteachinitstrimyard。ButbeyondDenborotheTrumetroadwindsoutoverrolling，barehills，withcranberrybogs，nowfloodedandskimmedwithice，inthehollowsbetweenthem，clumpsofbayberryandbeach-plumbushesscatteredovertheirroundedslopes，andwhitescarsintheirsidesshowingwherethecranberrygrowershavecutawaythethinlayerofcoarsegrassandmosstoreachthesandbeneath，sandwhichtheyuseinpreparingtheirbogsforthenewvines。
Andthewind！ThereisalwaysabreezealongtheTrumetroad，eveninsummer——whenthemosquitoeslieinwaittoleewardlikebuccaneersuntil，sightingthelucklesswayfarerintheoffing，theydrivedownbeforethewindinclouds，literallytoeathimalive。Theyareskillednavigators，thoseTrumetroadmosquitoes，andtheyknowtheadvantageofsnugharborsunderhatbrimsandbehindspreadingears。AndeachindividualsmashedbyafranticpalmleavesathousandbloodrelativestoattendhisfuneralandexactrevengeaftertheCorsicanfashion。
Now，inDecember，therewere，ofcourse，nomosquitoes，butthewindtoreacrossthosebarehilltopsinguststhatrockedthebuggyonitssprings。Thebayberrybusheshuddledandcrouchedbeforeit。Theskywascoveredwithtumbling，flyingclouds，whichchangedshapecontinually，andrippedintolong，fleecyravelings，thatbrokelooseandpeltedonuntilmergedintothenextbillowymass。Thebaywasgrayandwhite，andinthespotswhereanoccasionalsunbeambrokethroughandstruckit，flashedlikeaturnedknifeblade。
Baileydrovewithonehandandheldhishatonhisheadwiththeother。TheroadhadbeendeeplyruttedduringtheNovemberrains，andnowtherutswerefrozen。Thebuggywheelstwistedandscrapedastheyturnedinthefurrows。
“What\'sthematter？”askedtheschoolmistress，shoutingsoastobeheardabovetheflappingofthebuggycurtains。“Whydoyouwatchthatwheel？”
“\'Fraidoftheaxle，“whoopedMr。Bangsinreply。“Nut\'skindofloose，foronething，andthewaythewheelwobblesI\'mscartshe\'llcomeoff。Callthisaroad！”hesnortedindignantly。“Morelikeaplowedfieldaconsider\'blesight。Jerushy，howsheblows！
NowondertheyraisesomanydeefanddumbfolksinTrumet。I\'dtalksignlanguagemyselfifIlivedhere。What\'stheuseofwastin\'strengthpumpin\'upwordswhenthey\'reblowedbackdownyourthroatfastenoughtochokeyou？Gitdap，Henry！Don\'tyouseethemeetin\'housesteeple？We\'remostthere，thankthegoodness。“
InTrumetCenter，whichisnotmuchofacenter，MissDawesalightedfromthebuggyandenteredabuildingbearingasignwiththewords“MetropolitanVarietyStore，JoshuaAtwood，Prop\'r，Groceries，Coal，DryGoods，Insurance，BootsandShoes，GardenSeeds，etc。“Asmallersignbeneaththiswaslettered“JusticeofthePeace，“andonebelowthatread“PostOffice。“
Sheemergedamomentlater，followedbyanelderlypersoninaredcardiganjacketandoveralls。
“Takethefustturnin\'totheleft，marm，“hesaidpointing。“It\'sprettynightoEastTrumettownhall。Fusthousethissideoftheblacksmithshop。Abouttwomile，I\'dsay。Windydayfordrivin\'，ain\'tit？ThathorseofyoursbelongsinBayport，Ical\'late。
Lookstomelike——Hello，Bailey！”
“Hello，Josh！”gruntedMr。Bangs，addinganexplanatoryasidetotheeffectthatheknewJoshAtwood，thelatterhavingoncelivedinBayport。
“Butsay，“heaskedastheymovedononcemore，“havewegottogotoEASTTrumet？Jerushy！that\'stheplacewherethewindCOMES
from。Theyraiseitoverthere；anyhow，theydon\'traisemuchelse。Whosehouseyougoin\'to？”
Hehadaskedthesamequestionatleasttentimessinceleavinghome，andeachtimeMissDaweshadevadedit。Shedidsonow，sayingthatshewassuresheshouldknowthehousewhentheygottoit。
ThetwomilestoEastTrumetwereworsethanthetwelvewhichtheyhadcome。Thewindfairlyshriekedhere，fortheroadparalleledtheedgeofhighsandbluffsclosebytheshore，andtherutsand“thank-you-marms“weretryingtothetemper。Bailey\'swascompletelywrecked。
“Teacher，“hesnappedastheyreachedthecrestofalonghill，andaquickgrabathishatalonepreventeditsstartingonaballoonascension，“getoutaspell，willyou？I\'vegottoswearorbust，and\'long\'syou\'reaboardIcan\'tswear。Whatyoustandin\'stillfor，you？”hebellowedatpoorHenry，thehorse，whohadstoppedtorest。“Ical\'latethecritterthinksthatlastcyclonemusthaveblowedmeskyhigh，andhe\'swaitin\'toseewhereIlight。Gitdap！”
“IguessIshallgetoutverysoonnow，“pantedPhoebe。“There\'stheblacksmithshopovertherenearthenexthill，andthishouseinthehollowmustbetheoneI\'mlookingfor。“
Theypulledupbesidethehouseinthehollow。Alittle，story-
and-a-halfhouseitwas，and，judgingbytheneglectedappearanceoftheweedsandbushesintheyard，ithadbeenunoccupiedforsometime。However，theblindswerenowopen，andafewfowlsaboutthebackdoorseemedtopromisethatsomeonewaslivingthere。Thewoodenletterboxbythegatehadanamestencileduponit。MissDawessprangfromthebuggyandlookedatthebox。
“Yes，“shesaid。“Thisistheplace。Willyoucomein，Mr。Bangs？
Youcanputyourhorseinthatbarn，I\'msure，ifyouwantto。“
ButBaileydeclinedtocomein。Hedeclaredhewasgoingontotheblacksmith\'sshoptohavethatwheelfixed。Hewouldnotfeelsafetostartforhomewithitasitwas。Hedroveoff，andMissDawes，knowingfromlifelongexperiencethatfrontdoorsaremerelyforshow，passedaroundthemainbodyofthehouseandrappedonthedoorintheell。Therapwasnotanswered，thoughshecouldhearsomeonemovingaboutwithin，andashrillvoicesinging“TheSweetByandBy。“Sosherappedagainandagain，butstillnoonecametothedoor。Atlastsheventuredtoopenit。
Athinwoman，withherheadtiedupinacoloredcottonhandkerchief，wasintheroom，vigorouslywieldingabroom。Shewassinginginahighcrackedvoice。Theopeningofthedoorletinagustofcoldwindwhichstruckthesingerinthebackoftheneck，andcausedhertoturnaroundhastily。
“Hey？”sheexclaimed。“Landsakes！youscareabodytodeath！
Shutthatdoorquick！Iain\'thankeringforinfluenzy。Whoareyou？Whatdoyouwant？Whydidn\'tyouknock？Where\'smyspecs？”
Shetookapairofspectaclesfromthemantelshelf，rubbedthemwithherapron，andsetthemonthebridgeofherthinnose。Thensheinspectedtheschoolmistressfromheadtofoot。
“Ibegpardonforcomingin，“shoutedPhoebe。“Iknocked，butyoudidn\'thear。YouareMrs。Beasley，aren\'tyou？”
“Idon\'twantnone，“repliedDebby，withemphasis。“Sothere\'snouseyourwastin\'yourbreath。“
“Don\'twant——“repeatedtheastonishedteacher。“Don\'twantwhat？”
“Hey？IsayIdon\'twantnone。“
“Don\'twantWHAT？”
“Whatever\'tisyou\'repeddlin\'。Booksorsoaportea，orwhatever\'tis。Idon\'twantnothin\'。“
Aftersomestrenuousminutes，thevisitormanagedtomakeitcleartoMrs。Beasley\'smindthatshewasnotapeddler。Shetriedtoaddawordoffurtherexplanation，butitwaseffortwasted。
“\'Tain\'tnouse，“snappedDebby，“Ican\'thearyou，youspeaksofaint。WaittillIgetmyhorn；it\'sinthesettin\'room。“
Phoebe\'swonderastowhatthe“horn“mightbewasrelievedbythewidow\'sappearance，amomentlater，withthebiggesteartrumpethercallerhadeverseen。
“There，now！”shesaid，adjustingtheinstrumentandthrustingthebell-shapedendundertheteacher\'snose。“Talkintothat。Ifyouain\'tapeddler，whatbeyou——sewin\'machineagent？”
PhoebeexplainedthatshehadcomesomedistanceonpurposetoseeMrs。Beasley。ShewasinterestedintheThayers，whousedtoliveinOrham，particularlyinMr。JohnThayer，whodiedin1854。ShehadbeentoldthatDebbyformerlylivedwiththeThayers，andcould，nodoubt，rememberagreatdealaboutthem。Wouldshemindansweringafewquestions，andsoon？