Mrs。Beasley，herhearingnowwithinforty-fivedegreesofthenormal，grewinterested。Sheusheredhervisitorintotheadjoiningroom，andprofferedherachair。Thatsittingroomwasawonderofitskind，eventotheteacher\'saccustomedeyes。Agilt-
framedcrayonenlargementofthelateMr。Beasleyhunginthecenterofthebroadestwallspace，andwasnottheugliestthingintheapartment。Havingsaidthis，furtherdescriptionisunnecessary——particularlytothosewhorememberMr。Beasley\'spersonalappearance。
“WhatyousointerestedintheThayersfor？”inquiredDebby。“Oneoftheheirs，beyou？Theydidn\'tleavenothin\'。“
No，theschoolmistresswasnotanheir。Wasnotevenarelativeofthefamily。Butshewas——wasinterested，justthesame。Afriendofherswasarelative，and——
“Whatisyourfriend？”inquiredtheinquisitor。“Aman？”
TherewasnoreasonwhyMissDawesshouldhavechangedcolor，but，accordingtoDebby\'ssubsequenttestimony，shedid；sheblushed，sothewidowdeclares。
“No，“sheprotested。“Oh，no！it\'sa——she\'sachild，that\'sall——alittlegirl。But——“
“Maybeyou\'regettin\'uponeofthemgeographicaltrees，“suggestedMrs。Beasley。“I\'veseen\'em，fustsettlersdowninthetrunk，andchildrenandgrandchildrenspreadin\'outinthebranches。Isthatit？”
Herewasanavenueofescape。Phoebestretchedthetruthatrifle，andadmittedthatthat，orsomethingofthesort，waswhatshewasengagedin。Theexplanationseemedtobesatisfactory。Debbyaskedhervisitor\'sname，and，misunderstandingit，addressedheras“MissDorcas“thereafter。ThensheproceededtogiveherreminiscencesoftheThayers，anditdidnottakelongforthedisappointedteachertodiscoverthat，forallpracticalpurposes，thesereminiscenceswerevalueless。Mrs。Beasleyrememberedmanythings，butnothingatallconcerningJohnThayer\'slifeintheWest，northenameoftheshiphesailedin，norwhohisshipmateswere。
“Heneverwrotehomebutonceortwiceaforehedied，“shesaid。
“AndwhenhedidEmily，hiswife，nevertoldmewhatwasinhisletters。Shealwaysburnt\'em，Iguess。Iusedtohuntaroundfor\'emwhenshewasout，butsheburnt\'emtospiteme，Ical\'late。
Herandmedidn\'tgetalonganytoowell。ShesaidItalkedtoomuchtootherfolksaboutwhatwasnoneoftheirbusiness。Now，anybodythatknowsmeknowsTHATain\'toneofmyfailin\'s。Itoldherso；saysI——“
Andsoonfortenminutes。ThenPhoebeventuredtorepeatthewords“outWest，“andhercompanionwentoffonanewtack。ShehadjustbeenWestherself。Shehadbeenonavisittoherhusband\'sniece，wholivedinArizona。InBlazeton，Arizona。
“It\'sthenicesttowneveryousee，“shecontinued。“Andthesmartest，mostup-to-dateplace。TalkabouttheWestbein\'
oncivilized！Myland！yououghttoseethattown！Electriclights，andtelephones，and——and——Idon\'tknowwhatall！Why，MissWhat\'s-your-name——MissDorcas，marm，youjustoughttoseethephotygraphsI\'vegotthatwastookoutthere。Myniece，shetook\'emwithoneofthemlittlemitesofcameras。Youwouldn\'tbelievesuchalittleboxofathingcouldtakesuchphotygraphs。I\'mgoin\'toget\'emandshow\'emtoyou。No，sir！youain\'tgottogo，neither。Setrightstillandletmefetchthemphotygraphs。
\'Twon\'tbeamiteoftrouble。I\'dlovetodoit。“
Protestswereunavailing。Thephotographs，atleastfiftyofthem，wereproduced，andthesufferingcallerwasshowntheBlazetonCityHall，andtheBlazeton“PalaceHotel，“andthehomeoftheBeasleyniece，takenfromthefront，therear，andbothsides。WitheachspecimenDebbydeliveredadescriptivelecture。
“Youseethathouse？”sheasked。“Well，\'tain\'tmuchofaonetolookat，butit\'sgotthemostinterestin\'storytaggedontoit。
ImadeEva，that\'smyniece，takeapictureofitjustonthataccount。Thewomanthatlivesthere\'shadthehardesttime。Herfustname\'sDesire，andthatkindofmademetakeaninterestinherrightoff，\'causeIhadanAuntDesireonce，andit\'sanameyoudon\'thearveryoften。AfterwardsIgottoknowherrealwell。
Shewasawidderwoman，likeme，onlyshedidn\'thaveasmuchsenseasI\'vegot，andwentandmarriedasecondtime。\'Twas\'longin1886shedoneit。ThismanHiggins，hewenttoworkforheronherplace，andprettysoonhemarriedher。Theylivedtogether，principallyonherfusthusband\'sinsurancemoney，Ical\'late，untilayearorsoago。Thentheinsurancemoneygiveout，andMr。
Higginshesays：\'Oldwoman，\'hesays——I\'Dneverletahusbandofminecallme\'oldwoman，\'butDesiredidn\'tseemtomind——\'Oldwoman，\'hesays，\'I\'mgoin\'overtoPhoenix\'——that\'sanothercityinArizona——\'tolookforajob。\'Andhewent，andsheain\'theardhide——Imeanseenhidenorheardhair——WhatDOESailme？Sheain\'tseennorheardofhimsince。Andsheadvertisedintheweeklypaper，andIdon\'tknowwhatall。Shethinkshewasmurdered，youknow；that\'swhatmakesitsosortofcreepyandinterestin\'。
Everybodywasawfulkindtoher，andwegottoberealgoodfriends。Why，I——“
Thiswasbutthebeginning。ItwasevidentthatMrs。BeasleyhadthoroughlyenjoyedherselfinBlazeton，andthatthesorrowsofthebereavedDesireHigginshadbeenoneoftheprincipalsourcesofthatenjoyment。Theschoolmistressendeavoredtoturnthesubject，butitwasuseless。
“Ifetchedhomeawholepileofthemnewspapers，“continuedDebby。
“Theywasawfulinterestin\'；fullofpicturesofBlazetonbuildin\'sandleadin\'folksandall。AndinsomeofthebacknumberswastheadvertisementaboutMr。Higgins。IdowishIcouldshow\'emtoyou，butIlent\'emtoMrs。AtwooduptotheCenter。If\'twan\'tsuchawaysI\'dgoandfetch\'em。Mrs。Atwood\'sbeenawfulnicetome。ShetookcareofmytrunksandthingswhenIwentWest——yes，andaforethatwhenIwenttoBayporttokeephouseforthatmiser\'bleCap\'nWhittaker。Iain\'ttoldyouaboutthat，butIwillbyandby。Themtrunkshadlotsofthingsin\'emthatIdidn\'twanttolosenorhaveanybodysee。Mydiaries——I\'vekeptadiarysince1850——and——“
“Diaries？”interruptedPhoebe，graspingatstraws。“DidyoukeepadiarywhileyouwereattheThayers？”
“Yes。Now，whydidn\'tIthinkofthatafore？More\'nlikelythere\'dbesomethin\'inthattohelpyouwiththatgeographicaltree。Iusedtoputdowneverythingthathappened，and——Whereyougoin\'？”
MissDaweshadrisenandwaspeeringoutofthewindow。
“Iwaslookingtoseeifmydriverwasanywhereabout，“shereplied。“IthoughtperhapshewoulddriveovertoMrs。Atwood\'sandgetthediaryforyou。ButIdon\'tseehim。“
Justthen，fromaroundthecornerofthehouse，peepedanagitatedface；anagitatedforefingerbeckoned。Debbysteppedtothewindowbesidehervisitor，andthefaceandfingerwentoutofsightasifpulledbyastring。
MissPhoebesmiled。
“IthinkI\'llgooutandlookforhim，“shesaid。“Hemustbenearhere。I\'llberightback，Mrs。Beasley。“
Withoutstoppingtoputonherjacket，shehurriedthroughthediningroom，outofthedoor，andaroundthecorner。ThereshefoundMr。Bangsinahighlynervousstate。
“Whydidn\'tyoutellme\'twasDebbyBeasleyyouwascomin\'tosee？”
hedemanded。“Ifyou\'dmentionedthatdeefimage\'snameyou\'dnevergotMEtodriveyou，Itellyouthat！”
“Yes，“answeredtheteachersweetly。“Iimaginedthat。That\'swhyIdidn\'ttellyou，Mr。Bangs。NowIwantyoutodomeafavor。
WillyoudriveovertoTrumetCenter，anddeliveranoteandgetapackageforme？Thenyoucancomebackhere，andIshallbereadytostartforhome。“
“Drive！Drivenothin\'！Theblacksmith\'sout，andwon\'tbebackforanotherhour。Hisboy\'sthere，buthe\'sabigenoughlunkheadtotrybailin\'outadorywithafork，andthatbuggyaxleisbentsoit\'ssimplygottobefixed。I\'dnomoregohometoKeturywiththatbuggyas\'tisthanI\'d——Oh！mylandoflove！”
Theejaculationwasalmostagroan。Thereatthecorner，eartrumpetadjusted，andspectaclesglistening，stoodDebbyBeasley。
Baileyappearedtowiltunderhergazeasifthespectaclesweretwinsuns。MissDaweslookedasifsheverymuchwantedtolaugh。
Thewidowstaredinsilence。
“How——howd\'yedo，Mrs。Beasley？”falteredMr。Bangs，notforgettingtoraisehisvoice。“Ihopeyou\'relookin\'aswellasyoufeel。Imean，Ihopeyou\'resmart。“
Mrs。Beasleynoddeddecisively。
“Yes，“sheanswered。“I\'mprettytoler\'ble，thankyou。Whatwasthematter，Mr。Bangs？Whydidn\'tyoucomein？Doyouusuallymakeyourcallsroundthecorner？”
Thegentlemanaddressedseemedunabletoreply。Theschoolmistresscametotherescue。
“Youmustn\'tblameMr。Bangs，Mrs。Beasley，“sheexplained。“Hewasn\'tresponsibleforwhathappenedatCaptainWhittaker\'s。Heisthegentlemanwhodrovemeoverhere。IwasgoingtosendhimtoMrs。Atwood\'sforthediary。“
“WhosaidIwasblamin\'him？”queriedthewidow。“If\'twasthatlittleTiddittthingImightfeeldifferent。But，considerin\'thatIgotthishornfromMr。Bangs，I\'mwillin\'toletbygonesbepast。
Ithelpsmyhearin\'alot。Themear-fixin\'swasgoodwhiletheylasted，buttheygotoutofkilterquick。_I_shan\'tbotherMr。
Bangs。Ifhecansquarehisownconscience，I\'msatisfied。“
Bailey\'sconsciencewasnottroublinghimgreatly，andheseemedrelieved。Phoebetoldofthedamagedbuggy。
“Humph！”gruntedthewidow。“Thehorsedidn\'tgetbent，too，didhe？”
Mr。Bangsindignantlydeclaredthatthehorsewasallright。
“Um——hum。Well，then，IguessIcansupplyacarriage。MyfustcousinEzrathatdiedusedtobedoctorhere，andhegivemehissulkywhenhegotanewone。It\'soutinthebarn。Gofetchyourhorse，andharnesshimin。I\'llbereadytimetheharnessin\'sdone。“
“You？”gaspedtheteacher。“Youdon\'tneedtogo，Mrs。Beasley。I
wouldn\'tthinkofgivingyouthattrouble。“
“Notroubleatall。Iwouldn\'ttrustnobodyelsewiththemtrunks。
Andbesides，Ialwaysdoenjoyridin\'。Youcouldgo，too，MissDorcas，butthesulkyseat\'stoonarrerforthree。Youcansetinthesettin\'roomtillwegetback。\'Twon\'ttakeuslong。Don\'tsayanotherword；I\'mA-GOIN\'。“
CHAPTERXVI
AREMARKABLEDRIVEANDWHATFOLLOWED
ThenumberofreasonsgivenbyMr。Bangsoneaftertheother，toprovethatitwouldbequiteimpossibleforhimtobeMrs。
Beasley\'scharioteerwasacredittotheresourcesofhisinvention。Theblacksmithmightbebackanyminute；itwasdinnertime，andhewashungry；Henry，thehorse，wastired；itwasn\'tanicedayforriding，andhewouldcomeoversomeothertimeandtakethewidowout；he——ButDebbyhadaconclusiveanswerforeachprotest。
“Yousaidyourselftheblacksmithwouldn\'tbebackforanhour，“
sheobserved。“Andyoucanleavewordwiththeboywhathe\'stodowhenhedoescome。Asfordinner，I\'llberealgladtogiveyouandMissDorcasasnacksoon\'swegetback。Idon\'tmindifitain\'tapleasantday；alittlefreshair\'lldomegood。Ibeenshutupherehouse-cleanin\'eversinceIgotbackfromoutWest。
Now，hurryrightalong，andfetchyourhorse。I\'llunlockthebarn。“
“But，Mrs。Beasley，“putintheschoolmistress，“whycouldn\'tyougiveusanotetoMrs。Atwoodandletusstopforthediaryonourwayhome？Icouldreturnittoyoubymail。Oryoumightgetityourselfsomeotherdayandmailittome。“
“No，no！Neverputofftillto-morrerwhatyoucandoto-day。Myhusbandwasagreathandtoputoffandputoff。ForthelasteightyearsofhislifeIwasathimtobuyanewgo-to-meetin\'
suitofclothes。Theonehehadwasbluetostartwith，butitfadedtoabrown，and，towardthelastofit，Ideclareifitdidn\'tcommencetoturngreen。Nothin\'Icouldsaywouldmakehimheaveitawayeventhen。Seemedtothinkmoreofitthanever。
Saidhewantedtohangtoitaspellandseewhat\'twouldturnnext。Buthediedandwaslaidoutinthatsamesuit，andIwassomortifiedatthefuneralIcouldn\'tthinkofnothin\'else。No，I\'llgoafterthempapersandthediarywhilethey\'refreshinmymind。Andbesides，doyous\'poseI\'dletSarahAnnAtwoodrummagethroughmytrunks？Iguessnot！”
Phoebebegantobesorryshehadthoughtofsendingforthediary，particularlyasthechanceofitscontainingvaluableinformationwassoremote。Mrs。Beasleywentintothehousetodressfortheride。Theschoolmistresswentwithherasfarasthesittingroom。
TheperturbedBaileystalkedoff，muttering，totheblacksmith\'s。
Inalittlewhilehereturned，leadingHenrybythebridle。Debby，adornedwiththebefloweredbonnetshehadwornwhenshearrivedattheCyWhittakerplace，andwithablackclothcapeoverherleanshoulders，waswaitingforhimbytheopendoorofthebarn。Thecapehadafurcollar——“catfur，“soMr。Bangssaidafterwardsindescribingit。
“Pullthesulkyrightout，“commandedthewidow。
Baileystaredintotheblackinteriorofthebarn。
“Whichisit？”heshouted。
Mrs。Beasleypointedwithhereartrumpet。
“Why，thatonethere，ofcourse。\'Tother\'satruckcart。Youwouldn\'texpectmetorideinthat，wouldyou？”
Mr。Bangsenteredthebarn，seizedthevehicleindicatedbytheshafts，anddrewitoutintotheyard。Heinspecteditdeliberately，andthensatweaklydownonthechoppingblocknearby。Apparentlyhewasovercomebyemotion。
The“sulky“bequeathedbythelatedoctorhadbeenbuilttoorderforitsformerowner。Itwasofthe“carryall“variety，exceptthatithadbutasinglenarrowseat。Itstopwassquareandwascurtained，thecurtainsbeingtightlybuttoneddown。Altogetheritwassomethingofacuriosity。MissDawes，whohadcomeouttoseethestart，lookedatthe“sulky，“thenatMr。Bangs\'sface，andturnedherback。Hershouldersshook：
“ItusedtobearealnicecarriagewhenEzrahadit，“commentedthewidowadmiringly。“Itneedsilin\'andsprucin\'upnow，butI
guess\'twilldo。Come！”toBailey，whohadnotrisenfromthechoppingblock。“Hurryupandharnessorwe\'llnevergetstarted。
Thoughtyouwantedtogetbackfordinner？”
Mr。Bangsstoodupandheavedasigh。
“Idid，“heansweredslowly，“but，“withaglanceatthesulky，“somethin\'seemstohavetookawaymyappetite。Teacher，doyoumeanto——“
ButMissDaweshadwithdrawntothecornerofthehouse，fromwhichviewpointsheseemedtobeinspectingthesurroundinglandscape。
BaileyseizedHenrybythebridleandbackedhimintotheshafts。
“Backup！”heroared。“Backup，Itellyou！Youneedn\'tlookatmethatway，“headded，inalowertone。“_I_can\'thelpit。Youain\'tanyworseashamedthanIam。There！theark\'sofftheways。
Allaboard！”
Turningtotheexpectantwidow，he“boosted“her，nottootenderly，uptothenarrowseat。Thenheclimbedinhimself。Twoonthatseatmadeatightfit。Baileytookupthereins。Debbyleanedforwardandpeeredaroundtheedgeofthecurtains。
“You！”sheshouted。“You，MissWhat\'s-your-name——Dorcas！Comehereaminute。Iwanttotellyousomethin\'。“
Theschoolmistress，herfaceredandhereyesmoist，approached。
“Ijustwantedtosay，“explainedDebby，“thatIain\'trealsureasthatdiary\'sthere。Iburntupalotofmyoldlettersandthingsaspellago，andseemstomeIburntsomeolddiaries，too，butmaybethatwan\'toneof\'em。Anyhow，IcangetthemArizonapapers，andIdowantyoutosee\'em。They\'rethemostINTERESTIN\'
things。Now，“sheadded，turningtohercompanionontheseat，“youcangitdapjustassoonasyouwantto。“
WhetherornotMr。Bangswantedto“gitdap“isadoubtfulquestion。Butatalleventshedid。BeforetheastonishedMissDawescouldthinkofananswertotheobservationconcerningthediary，thecarriage，itslongunusedaxlesshriekingprotests，movedoutoftheyard。Theschoolmistresswatcheditgo。Thenshereturnedtothesittingroomandcollapsedinarockingchair。
Onceoutfromtheshelterofthehouseandontheopenroad，thesulkyreceivedthefullforceofthewind。ThefirstgustthathowledinfromthebaystruckitscurtainedsidewithasuddenburstofpowerthatcausedMrs。Beasleytoclutchherdriver\'sarm。
“Goodlandofmercy！”shescreamed。“Itblowsrealhard，don\'tit？”
Mr。Bangs\'sanswerwasintheformofdelicatesarcasm，bellowedintotheeartrumpet。
“Sho！”heexclaimed。“Iwanttoknow！Youdon\'tsay！Nowyoumentionit，seemsasifIhadnoticedalittleairstirrin\'。“
Anothergusttiltedthecarriagetop。Debbyclutchedthearmstilltighter。
“Why，itblowsawfulhard！”shecried。“I\'dnoideeitblewlikethis。“
“Wantto\'boutshipandgohomeagain？”whoopedBailey，hopefully。
Butthewidowdidn\'tintendtogiveuptherareluxuryofa“ride“
whichakindProvidencehadcastinherway。
“No，no！”sheanswered。“IguessifyoufolkscomeallthewayfromBayportIcanstanditasfur\'stheCenter。Buthurryallyoucan，won\'tyou？I\'mkindof\'fraidofthesprings。“
“Springs？Whatsprings？Letgomyarm，willyou？It\'sgoin\'tosleep。“
Mrs。Beasleyletgoofthearmmomentarily。
“Imeanthespringsonthiscarriage，“sheexplained。“LasttimeIlentittoanybody——SolonDavis，\'twas——hesaidtheboltsunderneathwasprettynighrustedout，andaboutallthatheldthewagonpartonwasitsownweight。Sowe\'llhavetobekindofcareful。“
“Well——I——swan——to——MAN！”wasMr。Bangs\'ssolecommentontheamazingdisclosure；however，asanexpressionofconcentratedandprofounddisgustitwasquitesufficient。Hespokebutonceduringtheremainderofthetriptothe“Center。“Then，whenhispassengerbeggedtoknowif“thatWhittakerman“hadbeenwellsincesheleft，heshouted：“Yes——EVERsince，“andrelapsedintohisformergloomysilence。
Thewidow\'sstopattheAtwoodhouse，whichwasintheimmediaterearoftheAtwoodstore，wasofahalfhour\'sduration。Baileyrefusedtoleavetheseatofthesulkyandsatthere，speakingtonoone；notevenreplyingtothequestionsofagroupofloungerswhogatheredtoinspecttheancientvehicle，andprofessedtobeindoubtastowhetherithadbeenwashedinwiththetideorbeen“left“tohiminawill。
AtlastDebbymadeherappearance，herarmsfilledwithnewspapers。
Thelattershepiledunderthecarriageseat，andthenclimbedtoherformerplacebesidethedriver。Henry，inresponsetoaslapfromthereins，gotunderwayoncemore。Theaxlessqueakedandscreamed。
“Gee！”criedoneyoungster，fromthestepsofthestore。“It\'sthesteamcalliope。When\'stherestoftheshowcomin\'？”
“Hi！”yelledanother。“Seehowclosethey\'rehuggeduptogether。
Ain\'ttheylovin\'！It\'saweddin\'！”
“Shutup！”roaredthetorturedBailey，whosehathadblownbackintothebodyofthesulky，leavinghisbaldheadexposedtothecuttingwind。
Theaudiencebeggedhimtogivethemalockofhishair，andaddedotherremarksofapersonalnatureconcerningtheyouthandbeautyofthebridalcoupleandtheirchariot。Mr。Bangswasinastateofdumbfrenzy。Debby，who，withouthertrumpet，hadheardnothingofallthis，wassmilingandgarrulous。
“Ifoundallthepapers，“shesaid。“They\'rerightundertheseat。
I\'mgoin\'tolook\'emoverso\'stohavetheinterestin\'partsallreadytoshowMissDorcaswhenwegethome。Ain\'titniceIfound\'em？”
Inspiteofherdriver\'sremonstrances，unheardbecauseofthenonadjustmentofthetrumpet，shereachedundertheseatandbroughtoutthepileofBlazetonweeklies。Withherfeetuponthepiletokeepitfromblowingaway，sheproceededtounfoldoneofthepapers。Itcrackledandsnappedinthewindlikealoosemainsail。
“Keepthatdrattedthingoutofmyface，won\'tyou？”shriekedtheagonizedBailey。“How\'mIgoin\'toseetosteerwiththatsmackin\'
mebetweentheeyeseveryothersecond？”
“Hey？Didyouspeaktome？”askedthewidowsweetly。
“DidISPEAK？No，Iscreeched！Whatintunket——“
“Iwantyoutoseethispictureofthemayor\'shouseinBlazeton。
Eva，myhusband\'sniece，livesrightacrosttheroadfromhim。
Many\'sthetimeI\'vesetontheirpiazzaandseenhimcomeoutandgototheCityHall。“
“Keepitoutofmyface，Itellyou！Reefit！Furlit，you——youwoman！Iwishtothunderthepiazzahadcavedinonyou！Ineverseesuchanoldfoolinmyborndays。TAKEITAWAY！”
Mrs。Beasleyremovedthepaper，butonlytosubstituteanother。
“Here\'sEva\'sbrother-in-law，“shescreamed。“He\'soneoftheprominentbusinessmenoutthere，sotheyputhiminthepaper。
Ain\'thenicelookin\'？”
Bailey\'scommentsontheprominentbusinessman\'sappearancewereanythingbutflattering。Debbycontinuedtoreachformorepapers，carefullyreplacingthoseshehadinspectedinthepilebeneathherfeet。Thewindblewashardasever；evenharder，foritwasnowalmostdeadahead。Henryploddedalong。Theywereinthehollowatthefootofthelastlonghill，thatfromwhichtheblacksmithshophadfirstbeensighted。
“IknowwhatI\'lldo，“declaredthepassenger。“I\'llhuntforthatmissin\'husbandadvertisementofDesireHiggins\'s。Let\'sseenow！
\'Twillbedownatthebottomofthepile，\'causethepaperit\'sinisalastyearone。“
Shebobbeddownbehindthehighdashboard。Mr。Bangsstoodupinorderthathergymnasticsmightinterfere，toalesserdegree，withhisdriving。Theequipagebegantomoveuptheslopeofthehill，bouncingandtwistinginthefrozenruts。
“Here\'tis！”exclaimedDebby。“Irememberit\'sinthisnumber，\'causethere\'sapictureofthePalaceHotelonthefrontpage。
Let\'ssee——\'Doglost\'——no，thatain\'tit。\'Cornerlotforsale\'——
wishIhadmoneyenoughtobuyit；I\'dlikenothin\'betterthantoliveoutthere。\'Informationwantedofmyhusband\'——Here\'tis！
Um——hum！”
Shestraightenedupandeagerlybeganreadingtheadvertisement。
Thehillwasverysteepjustatitstop，andthesulkyslantedbackwardatasharpangle。Aterrificburstofwindtorearoundthecornerofthebluff。Iteddiedthroughthesulkybetweenthedashboardandthecurtainedsides。Thewidow，inherexcitementatfindingtheadvertisement，hadinadvertentlyremovedherfeetfromthepileofpapers。InaninstanttheairwasfilledwithwhirlingcopiesoftheBlazetonWeeklyCourier。
Henry，thehorse，wasasoberanimalwhohadlongagoreachedtheageofdiscretion。Buttohavehisoldearsandeyessuddenlyblanketedwithaflappingwhitethingswoopingapparentlyfromnowherewastoomuchevenforhissedatenerves。Hejumpedsidewise。Thereinswerejerkedfromthedriver\'shandsandfellintheroad。
“Mercyonus！”shriekedDebby，clutchinghercompanionaboutthewaist。“What——“
“Letgoofme！”howledBailey，pushingherviolentlyaside。“Whoa！
Standstill！”
ButHenryrefusedtostandstill。Theflappingpaperstillclungtohisagitatedhead。Herearedandpranced，jerkingthesulkybackandforth，itswheelsstillwedgedintheruts。Baileysprangtothegroundtopickupthereins。Heseizedthem，butfellashedidso。ThetugathisbitsturnedHenry\'shead，literallyandfiguratively。Herearedandwhirledabout。Thesulkyroseontwowheels。ThescreamingMrs。Beasleycollapsedagainstitsdownwardside。Anothermoment，andthewholeupperhalfofthesulky——body，seat，curtains，andDebby——tiltedoverthelowerwheels，and，therustedboltsfailingtohold，slidwithathumptothefrozenroad。
Thewind，catchingitunderneathasitslid，tippeditbackward。
ThenHenryranaway。
MissDawes，leftaloneinthehouseatthefootofthehill，hadamusedherselfforatimewiththeBeasleylibrary，whichpartiallyfilledashelfinthesittingroom。But“TheBookofMartyrs“and“ABeliever\'sThoughtsonDeath“werenotcheeringliterature，particularlyastheauthorofthelattervolume“thought“sodismallyconcerningthefutureofallwhodidnotbelievepreciselyashedid。Sotheteacherlaiddownthebook，withashudder，andwanderedabouttheroom，inspectingthelateMr。Beasley\'sportrait，thephotographsinsplintworkframes，the“alumbasket“
onthemantel，thebluecastles，bluetrees，andbluepeoplepicturedonthewindowshades，andotherworksofartintheapartment。Sheevenpeepedintotheparlor，butthemusty，shut-upsmellofthatduskytombwastoomuchforher，andshesatdownbythesitting-roomwindow，undertheemptybirdcage，tolookuptheroadandwatchforthereturnofthesulkyanditsoccupants。
Sittingthere，shewasawitnessofthealarmingcatastropheonthehilltop，andreachedthefrontgatejustintimetoseeHenrygogallopingby，draggingthefourwheelsandspringsofthesulky，while，sprawledacrosstherearaxleandstillclingingtothereins，hungafamiliar，howling，andmostwickedlyprofaneindividualbythenameofBangs。
Therunawaydashedontowardtheblacksmithshop。Phoebe，bareheadedandcoatless，ranupthehill。Beforeshereachedthecrest，shewasawareofmuffledscreams，whichsoundedasifthescreamerwasshutupinatrunk。
“O-o-oh！”screamedMrs。Beasley。“O-o-oh！Ow！Letmeout！Help！
I\'mstuck！Myback\'sbroke！He-e-lp！”
Theupperpartofthesulky，withitsboxlikecurtainedtop，layonitssideintheroad。Fromsomewherewithintheboxcamethegroansandscreams。Thegalesweptthehilltop，and，foraquartermiletoleeward，thescenerywasanimatedbysoaring，flutteringcopiesoftheBlazetonCourier，thatswoopedandduckedlikemammothwhitebutterflies。
Thepantingandalarmedteacherstoopedandpeeredintothedarkshadowbetweenthedashboardandthebackcurtain。Allshecouldmakeoutatfirstwereapairofthinanklesand“Congress“shoesinagitatedmotion。Thesebobbedupanddownbehindtheoverturnedseatanditsdisplacedcushion。
“OMrs。Beasley！”screamedPhoebe。“Areyouhurt？”
Debby，ofcourse，didnothearthequestion。Shecontinuedtogroanandscreamforhelp。Herlungswerenotinjured，atallevents。Theschoolmistress，droppingonherknees，reachedintothesulkytopandtuggedattheseat。Itwasrathertightlywedged，butshemanagedtoloosenitandpullittowardher。
Thewidowraisedherselfonanelbowandlookedoutbetweentheflowersofhersmashedbonnet。
“Whoisit？”shedemanded。“Oh，isthatyou，MissDorcas？Oh，mysoulandbody！Oh，mystars！Oh，mygoodnessme！”
“Areyouhurt？”shriekedPhoebe。
“Hey？Idon\'tknow！Idon\'tknowWHATIbe！Idon\'tknownothin\'！”
“Canyouhelpyourself？Canyougetup？”
“Hey？Idon\'tknow。MaybeIcanifyouhaulthateverlastin\'seatoutoftheway。Oh，mysakesalive！”
Herrescuerpulledtheseatforward，and，withaneffort，tumbleditclearofthecurtains。Debbyraisedherselfstillhigher。
“Oh！”shegroaned。“Talkabout——Landsakes！who\'scomin\'？Men，ain\'tit？Letmeoutofherequick！QUICK！”
Shescrambledoutofherprisononhandsandknees，andjumpedtoherfeetwithreassuringalacrity。Herfur-collaredcapewasdrapedinarollaboutherneck，andherbonnethungjauntilyoverherlefteye。
“I\'masight，ain\'tI？”sheasked。“Haulthisbunnetstraight，quick\'severyoucan。Hurt？No，no！Iain\'thurtnonebutmyfeelin\'s。HurryUP！S\'poseIwantthemmenfolkstoseemewitheverythingallhindsideto？”
MissDawes，relievedtofindthattheaccidenthadhadnoseriousconsequences，andtryingherhardestnottolaugh，assistedthewidowtorearrangeherwearingapparel。Theblacksmithandhishelpercamerunningupthehill。
“Hello，Debby！”hailedtheformer。“What\'sthematter？Hurt，beyou？”
Mrs。Beasley，whethersheheardornot，didnotdeigntoreply。
“Getmyhornoutofthatcarriage，“sheordered。“Don\'tstandtheregapin\'。Getit。“
Theeartrumpetwasresurrectedfromtheinteriorofthevehicle。
Thewidowadjusteditwithdignity。
“Hadaspill，didn\'tyou，Debby？”inquiredtheblacksmith。“Upset，didn\'tyou？”
Debbyglaredathim。
“No，“sherepliedwithsarcasm。“CourseIdidn\'tupset！JustthoughtI\'drollroundintheroadforthefunofit。Smartquestion，thatis！Where\'sthatBaileyBangsgonetowiththerestofmycarriage？”
Theblacksmithpointedtohisshopinthehollow。BeforeitstoodMr。Bangs，holdingHenrybythebridle，andstaringintheirdirection。
“He\'sallright，“volunteeredthe“helper。““Thehorsestoppedrunnin\'soon\'shegottothefootofthenexthill。“
Mrs。Beasleywasnot，apparently，overjoyedatthenews。
“Humph！”shegrunted。“I\'mostwishhe\'dbrokehisneck！Pesky，carelessthing！gettin\'usrunawaywithandupset。Who\'sgoin\'topayforfixin\'mysulky，Iwanttoknow？”
“Mr。Bangswillpayforit，I\'msure，“saidPhoebesoothingly。“Ifhedoesn\'t，Iwill。Oh，Mrs。Beasley！didyoufindthediary？”
“Diary？No，no！ItoldyouIwasafraidI\'dburntitup。Well，I
had，andawholelotmoreofthemoldones。ButIdidgetallthemArizonapapers，andtookthetroubletotote\'emallthewayhereso\'syoucouldlookat\'em。Andnow“——sheshookwithindignationandwavedherhandtowardasectionofhorizonwherelittlewhitedotsindicatedthewhereaboutsoftheCouriers——“nowlookwheretheybe！BlowedfromDantoBeersheby！Comeontothehouseandletmesetdown。Ibeenstandin\'onmyheadtillI\'mtired。Here，Jabez，“totheblacksmith，“youtendtothatcarriage，willyou？”
Shestalkedoffdownthehill。Theschoolmistressturningtofollowher，caughtaglimpseofthe“helper“doubledupwithsilentlaughter，andtheblacksmithgrinningbroadlyashestoopedtowardthecapsizedsulky。
Phoebewasdowncastanddisappointed。Shewasconvinced，inherownmind，thattheHonorableAtkinshadsomehiddenmotiveforhisespousaloftheThomascause。Asaph\'sfruitlessquestinOrhamhadnotshakenherfaith。CaptainCyhadrefusedtoseekDebbyBeasleyforinformationconcerningtheThayers，andsoshe，onherownresponsibility，haddoneso。Andthiswastheridiculousendingofherjourney。Thediaryhadbeenaforlornhope；nowthatwasburned。PoorBos\'n！andpoor——someoneelse！
Debbymarchingdownthehill，continuedtosputteraboutthelostweeklies。
“It\'saneverlastin\'shame！”shedeclared。“I\'djustfoundtheonewiththatadvertisementinitandwasreadin\'it。IrememberthepartIread，plainascouldbe。Whilewe\'reeatin\'dinnerI\'lltellyouaboutit。“
ButMissDawesdidnotcarefordinner。LikeMr。Tiddittandthecaptain，shehadhadaboutalltheDebbyBeasleyshewanted。
“Yes，yes，youwillstop，too，“affirmedthewidow。“IwanttotellyoumoreaboutBlazeton。Icanseethatadvertisementthisminute，rightaforemyeyes——\'Informationwantedofmyhusband，EdwardHiggins。Fivefooteightinchestall，sandycomplected，brownhair，andyellowishmustache；notlame，buthasapeculiarslightlimpwithhisleftfoot——\'“
“What？”askedtheschoolmistress，stoppingshort。
“Hey？\'Hasapeculiarlimpwithhisleftfoot。\'IrememberhowDesireusedtotalkaboutthatlimp。Shesaid\'twasalmostasifhestutteredwithhisleg。HehurtitwhenhewasupinMontana，and——“
“Oh！”criedMissDawes。Thecolorhadleftherface。
“Yes。Youseeheusedtobeaminerorsomethin\'upthere。He\'dneversaymuchabouthisyoungerdays，butonetimehedidtellthat。I\'djustgotasfarasthatlimpwhenthesulkyupset。Talkaboutbein\'surprised！Ineverwassosurprisedinmylifeaswhenthathorsecritterraredupand——“
Phoebeinterrupted。Hercolorhadcomeback，andhereyeswereshining。
“Mrs。Beasley，“shecried，“IthinkIshallchangemymind。I
believeIwillstaytodinnerafterall。I\'mEVERsomuchinterestedinArizona。“
Baileyandtheteacherbegantheirlongdrivehomeaboutfouro\'clock。Thebuggyaxlehadbeenfixed，andthewindwaslessviolent。Mr。Bangswasglumandmoody。Heseemedtobethinking。
“Say，teacher，“hesaidatlength，“I\'dliketoaskafavorofyou。
Ifitain\'tnecessary，Iwishyouwouldn\'tsaynothin\'aboutthatupsettin\'businesstothefolkstohome。Itdoessoundsodumfoolish！I\'llneverhearthelastofit。“
MissDawes，whohadbeeninhighspirits，nowtookamomentforreflection。
“Allright！”shesaid，noddingvigorously。“Wewon\'tmentionit，then。Wewon\'ttellasoul。YoucansaythatIcalledattheAtwoods\'，ifyouwantto；thatwillbetrue，becauseIdid。Andwe\'llhaveMrs。Beasleyforoursecret——yoursandmine——untilwedecidetotell。It\'sabargain，Mr。Bangs。Wemustshakehandsonit。“
Theyshookhands，andBailey，lookinginherface，thoughtheneversawherlooksowellorasyoung。Shewaspretty，hedecided。
Thenhethoughtofhisownchoiceofawife，and——well，ifhehadanyregrets，hehasn\'tmentionedthem，noteventohisfellow-
memberoftheBoardofStrategy。
CHAPTERXVII
THECAPTAINREMEMBERSHISAGE
Decemberwasnearlyover。Christmashadcome。Bos\'nhadhungupherstockingbythebase-burnerstove，andfounditwartyanddropsicalthenextmorning，withagenerousoverflowofgiftspiledonthefloorbeneathit。TheBoardofStrategysentpresents；sodidMissDawesandGeorgianna。AsforCaptainCyhespentmanyeveninghours，aftertherestofhishouseholdwasinbed，poringovercataloguesoftoysandbooks，andtheordershesenttothebigshopsinBostonwerelengthyandcostly。Thelittlegirl\'seyesopenedwidewhenshesawthestockingandthetreasuresheapedonthefloor。Shesatinher“nighty“amidstthewonders，books，andplaythingsinacircleabouther，andthebiggestdollofallhuggedcloseinherarms。CaptainCy，whohadarisenathalfpastfiveinordertobewithheronthegreatoccasion，wasatleastashappyasshe。
“Like\'em，doyou？”heasked，smiling。
“like\'em！OUncleCy！Whatmakeseverybodysogoodtome？”
“Idon\'tknow。Strangething，ain\'tit——considerin\'whatahardlittleticketyouare。“
Bos\'nlaughed。Sheunderstoodher“UncleCy，“anddidn\'tmindbeingcalleda“hardticket“byhim。
“I——I——didn\'tbelieveanybodyCOULDhavesuchaniceChristmas。I
neversawsomanynicethings。“
“Humph！Whatdoyoulikebest？”
Theanswerwasaquestion，andwascharacteristic。
“Whichdidyougiveme？”askedBos\'n。
Thecaptainwouldhavedodged，butshewouldn\'tlethim。Soonebyonethepresentshehadgivenwereindicatedandputbythemselves。
Theremainderwerebutfew，butsheinsistedthatthegiversoftheseshouldbenamed。Whenthesortingwasovershesatsilentlyhuggingherdolland，apparently，thinking。
“Well？”inquiredtheamusedcaptain。“Madeupyourmindyet？
Whichdoyoulikebest？”
Thechildnodded。
“Why，these，ofcourse，“shedeclaredwithemphasis，pointingwithherdollie\'sslipperedfootatCaptainCy\'spile。
“So？Do，hey？Didn\'tknowIcouldpicksowell。Allright；thefirstprizeismine。Whotakesthesecond？”
ThistimeBos\'ndeliberatedbeforeanswering。Atlast，however，shebentforwardandtouchedtheteacher\'sgifts。
“These，“shesaid。“Ilikethesenextbest。“
CaptainCywassurprised。
“Sho！”heexclaimed。“Youdon\'tsay！”
“Yes。IthinkIliketeachernexttoyou。IlikeGeorgiannaandMr。TiddittandMr。Bangs，ofcourse，butIlikeheralittlebetter。Don\'tyou，uncleCyrus？”
Thecaptainchangedthesubject。Heaskedherwhatsheshouldnameherdoll。
TheBoardofStrategycameinduringtheforenoon，andthepresentshadtobeshowntothem。WhiletheexhibitionwasinprogressMissDawescalled。AndbeforesheleftGabeLumleydroveupinthedepotwagonbearingabigexpresspackageaddressedto“MissEmilyThomas，Bayport。“
“Humph！”exclaimedCaptainCy。“Somethin\'moreforBos\'n，hey！
Whointheworldsentit，doyous\'pose？”
AsaphandBaileymadevariousinanesuggestionsastothesender。
Phoebesaidnothing。Therewasafrownonherfaceasshewatchedthecaptaingettoworkontheboxwithchiselandhammer。Itcontainedabeautifuldoll，fullyandexpensivelydressed，andpinnedtothedresswasacard——“TodearlittleEmmie，fromherlonesomePapa。“
TheBoardofStrategylookedatthedollinwonderandastonishment。
CaptainCystrodeawaytothewindow。
“Well！”exclaimedMr。Bangs。“Ididn\'tbelievehehadthatmuchheartinsideofhim。Ibetyouthatcostfourorfivedollars；
ain\'tthatso，Cy？”
Thecaptaindidnotanswer。
“Don\'tyouthinkso，teacher？”repeatedBailey，turningtoPhoebe。
“Whatailsyou？Youdon\'tseemsurprised。“
“I\'mnot，“repliedthelady。“Iexpectedsomethingofthatsort。“
CaptainCywheeledfromthewindow。
“YouDID？”heasked。
“Yes。MissPhinneysaidtheotherdayshehadheardthatthatmanwasgoingtogivehisdaughterabeautifulpresent。Shewasveryenthusiasticabouthisgenerosityandself-sacrifice。IaskedwhotoldherandshesaidMr。Simpson。“
“Oh！Tad？Isthatso！”Thecaptainlookedather。
“Yes。AndIthinkthereisnodoubtthatSimpsonhadorderstomakethe\'generosity\'knowntoasmanytownspeopleaspossible。“
“Hum！Isee。YoufigurethatThomascal\'lates\'twillhelphispopularityandmakehiscasestronger；isthatit？”
“Notexactly。Idoubtifheeverthoughtofsuchathinghimself。
Butsomeonethoughtforhim——andsomeonemusthavesuppliedthemoney。“
“Well，theysayhe\'stoworkupinBoston。“
“Iknow。Butnoonecantellwhereheworks。CaptainWhittaker，thisisMr。Atkins\'sdoing——youknowit。Now，WHYdoeshe，abusyman，takesuchaninterestingettingthischildawayfromyou？”
CaptainCyshookhisheadandsmiled。
“Teacher，“hesaid，“you\'redeadsetontaggin\'Hemanwithamystery，ain\'tyou？”
“MissDawes，“askedtheforgetfulBailey，“whenyouandmewentdrivin\'t\'otherdaydidyoufindoutanythingfrom——“
Phoebeinterruptedquickly。
“Mr。Bangs，“shesaid，“atwhattimedowedistributeChristmaspresentsatyourboardinghouse？IsupposeyoumusthavemanyChristmassecretstokeep。YoukeepasecretSOwell。“
Mr。Bangsturnedred。Thehintconcerningsecretkeepingwasnotwasted。Hedidnotmentionthedriveagain。
AlittlelaterCaptainCyfoundBos\'nbusilyplayingwiththedollhehadgivenher。Theother，herfather\'sgift，wasnowhereinsight。
“Iputherbackinthebox，“saidthechildinreplytohisquestion。“Shewasawfulpretty，butIthinkI\'mgoin\'tolovethisonebest。“
Theremarkseemsafoolishthingtogivecomforttoagrownman，butCaptainCyfoundcomfortinit，andcomfortwaswhatheneeded。
Heneededitmoreastimewenton。InJanuarythecourtgaveitsdecision。Thecaptain\'sappointmentasguardianwasrevoked。Withthefatheralive，andprofessedlyanxioustoprovideforthechild\'ssupport，nothingelsewastobeexpected，soMr。Peabodysaid。Thelatterenteredanappealwhichwoulddelaymattersforatime，twoorthreemonthsperhaps；meanwhileCaptainCywastoretaincustodyofBos\'n。
Butthecourt\'saction，expectedthoughitwas，madethecaptainveryblueanddowncast。Hecouldseenohope。Hefeltcertainthatheshouldlosethelittlegirlintheend，inspiteofthelongsuccessionofappealswhichhislawyercontemplated。Andwhatwouldbecomeofherthen？Whatsortoftrainingwouldshebelikelytohave？Whowouldherassociatesbe，undertheauthorityofafathersuchashers？Andwhatwouldhedo，aloneintheoldhouse，whenshehadgoneforgood？Hecouldnotbeartothinkofit，andyethethoughtoflittleelse。
Theevenings，afterBos\'nhadgonetobed，weretheworst。Duringthedayhetriedhisbesttobebusyatsomethingorother。Thedollhousewasfinished，andhehadbeguntofashionafull-riggedshipinminiature。InrealityEmily，beinganormallittlegirl，wasnotgreatlyinterestedinships，but，becauseUncleCywasmakingit，shepretendedtobevastlyconcernedaboutthisone。OnSaturdaysandafterschoolhoursshesatonaboxinthewoodshed，wherethecaptainhadputupasmallstove，andwatchedhimwork。
ThetaboowhichsomanyofourrighteousandAtkins-worshipingtownspeoplehadputupontheWhittakerplaceanditsoccupantsincludedher，andanumberofchildrenhadbeenforbiddentoplaywithher。This，however，didnotpreventtheirtormentingheraboutherfatherandherdisreputableguardian。
Butthecaptain\'seveningsweremiserable。HenolongerwenttoSimmons\'s。Hedidn\'tcareforthecrowdthere，andknewtheywereall“down“onhim。JosiahDimickcalledoccasionally，andtheBoardofStrategyoften，buttheirconversationwasrathertiresome。ThereweretimeswhenCaptainCyhatedBayport，thehousehehad“fixedup“withsuchinterestandpride，andtheoldsittingroominparticular。Thementalpictureofcomfortandcontentmentwhichhadbeenhisdreamthroughsomanyyearsofstruggleandwandering，lookedfartheroffthanever。Sometimeshewastemptedtorunaway，takingBos\'nwithhim。Butthecaptainhadneverrunawayfromafightyet；hehadneverabandonedashipwhiletherewasachanceofkeepingherafloat。And，besides，therewasanotherreason。
PhoebeDaweshadcometobehischiefreliance。Hesawagreatdealofher。Oftenwhenshewalkedhomefromschool，shefoundhimhangingoverthefrontgate，andtheytalkedofvariousthings——ofBos\'n\'sprogresswithherstudies，oftheschoolwork，andsimilartopics。Hecalledherbyherfirstnamenow，althoughinthistherewasnothingunusual——afterafewweeks\'acquaintanceweBayportersalmostinvariablyaddresspeoplebytheir“front“names。
SometimesshecametothehousewithEmily。Thenthethreesatbythestoveinthesittingroom，andtheapartmentbecamereallycheerful，inthecaptain\'seyes。
Phoebewasingoodspirits。ShewasashopefulasCaptainCywasdespondent。Sheseemedtohavelittlefearoftheoutcomeofthelegalproceedings，theappealsandtherest。Infact，shenowappeareddesirousofevadingthesubject，andtherewasaboutheranairofsuppressedexcitement。Heroptimismwasthebestsortofbracerforthecaptain\'sfailingcourage。Heradvicewasalwaysgood，andatalkwithherlefthimwithshoulderssquared，mentally，andalmosthappy。
Onecold，rainyafternoon，earlyinFebruary，shecameinwithBos\'n，whohadavailedherselfoftheshelteroftheteacher\'sumbrella。Georgiannawasinthekitchenbaking，andEmilyhadbeenpromiseda“saucerpie“——sothechildwentouttosuperintendtheconstructionofthattreat。
“Setdown，teacher，“saidCaptainCy，pushingforwardarocker。
“My！butI\'mgladtoseeyou。\'Twasbluer\'nawhetstone\'roundhereto-day。What\'sthenews——anything？”
“Why，no，“repliedPhoebe，acceptingtherockerandthrowingopenherwetjacket；“there\'snonewsinparticular。ButIwantedtoaskifyouhadseentheBreeze？”
“Um——hum，“wasthelistlessanswer。“Ipresumelikelyyoumeanthenewsabouttheappropriation，andtheeditorialdigatyourstruly？
Yes，I\'veseenit。Theydon\'tbothermemuch。I\'vegotmoreimportantthingsonmymindjustnow。“
CongressmanAtkins\'spledgeinhisfarewellspeech，concerningthemightyefforthewastomaketowardsecuringtheappropriationforBayportharbor，wasinprocessoffulfillment——sohehadwrittentothelocalpaper。But，alas！themightyeffortwaslikelytoproveunavailing。InspiteoftheHonorableHeman\'sbattleforhisconstituents\'rightsitseemedcertainthatthebillwouldnotprovidethethirtythousanddollarsforBayport；atleast，notthisyear\'sbill。Otherandmorepowerfulinterestswouldwinoutand，instead，anothersectionofthecoastbeimprovedatthepublicexpense。Thecongressmanwasdeeplysorry，almostbroken-hearted。
hehadbattledhardforhisbelovedtown，hehadworkednightandday。But，tobeperfectlyfrank，therewaslittleornohope。
FewofusblamedHemanAtkins。Themajorityconsideredhisletter“noble“and“sofeeling。“Butsomeonemustbeblamedforacommunitydisappointmentlikethis，andthescapegoatwasonthepremises。Howaboutthat“committeeofone“self-appointedattownmeeting？HowabouttheblatantpersonwhohaddeclaredHEcouldhavegottentheappropriation？Whathadthe“committee“done？
Nothing！nothingatall！HehadnotevenwrittentotheCapital——
sofarasanyonecouldfindout——muchlessgonethere。
So，atSimmons\'sandthesewingcircle，andaftermeetingonSunday，CyWhittakerwasagaindiscussedandderided。Andthisweek\'sBreeze，outthatmorning，containedasarcasticeditorialwhichmentionednonames，buthintedat“acertainnownotoriousperson“whohadboastedloudly，butwhohadagain“beenweighedinthebalanceofpublicopinionandfoundwanting。“
MissDawesdidnotseempleasedwiththecaptain\'snonchalantattitudetowardtheBreezeanditseditorial。Shetappedthebraidedmatwithherfoot。
“CaptainCyrus，“shesaid，“ifyouintendeddoingnothingtowardsecuringthatappropriationwhydidyouaccepttheresponsibilityforitatthemeeting？”
CaptainCylookedup。Hertoneremindedhimoftheirfirstmeeting，whenshehadreprovedhimforgoingtosleepandleavingBos\'ntothemercyoftheCahooncow。
“Well，“hesaid，“aforethisThomasbusinesshappened，toknockallmyplansontheirbeamends，I\'ddoneconsider\'blethinkin\'aboutthatappropriation。ItseemedtomethattheremustbesomereasonforHeman\'scomin\'aboutsosudden。Hewassartinsureofthethirtythousandforaspell；then，alltoonce，hebeguntotakeinsailandgoont\'othertack。Idon\'tknowmuchaboutpolitics，butIknowHEknowsallthepoliticsthereis。Anditseemedtomethatifaliveman，onewitheyesinhishead，wenttoWashingtonandlookedaroundhemightfindthereason。And，ifhedidfindit，maybeHemancouldbecoaxedintochangin\'hismindagain。
Anyhow，Iwaswillin\'totaketheriskoftryin\'；and，besides，TadandAbeLeonardhadmeonthegriddleatthatmeetin\'，andIspokeupsharp——toosharp，maybe。“
“ButyoustillbelievethatyouMIGHThelpifyouwenttoWashington？”
“Yes。IguessIdo。Anyhow，I\'dasksomeprettyp\'intedquestions。
Yousee，Iain\'tlivedhereinBayportallmylife，andIdon\'tswallerALLthebaitHemanheavesoverboard。“
“Thenwhydon\'tyougo？”
“Hey？Whydon\'tIgo？AndleaveBos\'nand——“
“Emilywouldbeallrightandperfectlysafe。Georgiannathinkstheworldofher。And，CaptainWhittaker，Idon\'tliketohearthesepeopletalkofyouastheydo。Idon\'tliketoreadsuchthingsinthepaper，thatyouwereonlybragginginordertobepopular，andmeanttoshirkwhenthetimecameforaction。Iknowthey\'renottrue。IKNOWit！”
CaptainCywasgratified，andhisgratificationshowedinhisvoice。
“Thankyou，Phoebe，“hesaid。“Iammuchobligedtoyou。But，yousee，Idon\'ttakeanyinterestinsuchthingsanymore。WhenI
realizethatprettysoonI\'vegottogiveupthatlittlegirlforgoodIcan\'tbeartobeawayfromheraminutehardly。Idon\'tliketoleaveherherealonewithGeorgiannaand——“
“Iwillkeepaneyeonher。Youtrustme，don\'tyou？”
“TrustYOU？Bythebigdipper，you\'reabouttheonlyoneICAN
trustthesedays。Idon\'tknowhowI\'dhavepulledthroughthisifyouhadn\'thelped。You\'rediff\'rentfromAseandBaileyandtheirkind——notmeanin\'anythingagainstthem，either。Butyou\'rebroad-
mindedandcool-headedand——and——Doyouknow，ifI\'dhadawomanlikeyoutoadvisemealltheseyearsandkeepmefromgoin\'offthecourse，Imighthavebeensomebodybynow。“
“Ithinkyou\'resomebodyasitis。“
“Don\'ttalkthatway。IownupIliketohearyou，butI\'m\'fraiditain\'ttrue。YousayIamounttosomethin\'。Well，what？Icomebackhomehere，withsomemoneyinmypocket，thinkin\'thatwasaboutallwasnecessarytomakemeagooddealofafeller。TheoldCyWhittakerplace，Isaidtomyself，wasgoin\'tobearealCyWhittakerplaceagain。AndI\'dbearealWhittaker，amanwhoshouldstandforsomethin\'，asmydadandgranddaddidaforeme。
Thetownshouldrespectme，andI\'ddothingstohelpitalong。
Andwhat\'sitallcometo？Why，everyyoungoneonthestreetistoldtobegoodforfearhe\'llgrowuplikeme。Ain\'tthatso？
Courseit\'sso！I\'m——“
“YouSHALLnotspeakso！Doyouimaginethatyou\'renotrespectedbyeveryonewhoserespectcountsforanything？Yes，andbyothers，too。Don\'tyousupposeMr。Atkinsrespectsyou，downinhisheart——
ifhehasone？Doesn\'tyourhousekeeper，whoseesyoueveryday，respectandlikeyou？AndlittleEmily——doesn\'tsheloveyoumorethanshedoesalltherestofustogether？”
“Well，IguessBos\'ndoescarefortheoldmansome，that\'safact。
Shesaysshelikesyounextbest，though。Didyouknowthat？”
ButMissDaweswasindignant。
“CaptainWhittaker，“shedeclared，“onewouldthinkyouwereahundredyearsoldtohearyou。Youarealwayscallingyourselfanoldman。DoesMr。Atkinscallhimselfold？Andheisolderthanyou。“
“Well，I\'moverfifty，Phoebe。“Inspiteofthehabitforwhichhehadjustbeenreproached，thecaptainfoundthisadifficultstatementtomake。
“Iknow。Butyou\'reyoungerthanmostofusatthirty-five。Yousee，I\'mconfessing，too，“sheaddedwithalaughandalittleblush。
CaptainCymadeamentalcalculation。
“Twentyyears，“hesaidmusingly。“Twentyyearsisalongtime。
No，I\'mold。Andworsethanthat，I\'manoldfool，Iguess。IfI
hadn\'tbeenI\'dhavestayedinSouthAmericainsteadofcomin\'heretobehootedoutofthetownIwasbornin。“
Theteacherstampedherfoot。
“Oh，whatSHALLIdowithyou！”sheexclaimed。“Itiswickedforyoutosaysuchthings。DoyousupposethatMr。Atkinswouldfinditnecessarytoworkasheisdoingtobeatafool？And，besides，you\'renotcomplimentarytome。ShouldI，doyouthink，takesuchaninterestinonewhowasanimbecile？”
“Well，\'tismightygoodofyou。Yourcomin\'heresotohelpBos\'n\'sfightalongis——“
“HowdoyouknowitisBos\'naltogether？I——“Shestoppedsuddenly，andthecolorrushedtoherface。Sherosefromtherocker。“I——really，Idon\'tseehowwecametobediscussingsuchnonsense，“shesaid。“Ouragesandthatsortofthing！CaptainCyrus，IwishyouwouldgotoWashington。Ithinkyououghttogo。“
Butthecaptain\'sthoughtswerefarfromWashingtonatthatmoment。
Hisownfacewasalight，andhiseyesshone。
“Phoebe，“hefalteredunbelievingly，“whatwasyougoin\'tosay？
Doyoumeanthat——that——“
Thesidedoorofthehouseopened。ThenextinstantMr。Tidditt，adrippingumbrellainhishand，enteredthesittingroom。
“Hello，Whit！”hehailed。“Justruninforaminutetosayhowdy。“
Thenhenoticedtheschoolmistress，andhisexpressionchanged。
“Oh！howbeyou，MissDawes？”hesaid。“Ididn\'tseeyoufustoff。
Don\'trunawayonmyaccount。“
“Iwasjustgoing，“saidPhoebe，buttoningherjacket。CaptainCyaccompaniedhertothedoor。
“Good-by，“shesaid。“TherewassomethingelseImeanttosay，butIthinkitisbesttowait。Ihopetohavesomegoodnewsforyousoon。SomethingthatwillsendyoutoWashingtonwithalightheart。PerhapsIshallhearto-morrow。Ifso，Iwillcallafterschoolandtellyou。“
“Yes，do，“urgedthecaptaineagerly。“You\'llfindmeherewaitin\'。Goodnewsornot，docome。I——Iain\'tsaidallIwantedto，myself。“
Hereturnedtothesittingroom。Thetownclerkwasstandingbythestove。Helookedtroubled。
“What\'stherow，Ase？”askedCycheerily。Hewasoverflowingwithgoodnature。
“Oh，nothin\'special，“repliedMr。Tidditt。“Youlookjoyfulenoughfortwoofus。Hadgoodcompany，ain\'tyou？”
“Why，yes；\'boutasgoodasthereis。Whatmakesyoulooksoglum？”
Asaphhesitated。
“Phoebewashereyesterday，too，wan\'tshe？”heasked。
“Yup。Whatofit？”
“Andthedayaforethat？”
“No，notforthreedaysaforethat。ButwhatOFit，Iaskyou？”
“Well，now，Cy，youmustn\'tgetmad。I\'mafriendofyours，andfriendsoughttobeabletosay\'mostanythingtoeachother。If——
ifIwasyou，Iwouldn\'tletPhoebecomesooften——nothere，youknow，atyourhouse。Course，IknowshecomeswithBos\'nandall，but——“
“Outwithit！”Thecaptain\'stonewasominous。“Whatareyoudrivin\'at？”
Thecallerfidgeted。
“Well，Whit，“hestammered，“there\'sconsider\'bletalkin\'goin\'on，that\'sall。“
“Talkin\'？Whatkindoftalkin\'？”
“Well，youknowthekind。Thistowndoesagooddealofit，\'speciallyafterchurchandprayermeetin\'。Seem\'siftheythought\'twasasortofproperplace。_I_don\'tmyself；Ikindofliketokeepmycharityandbrotherlylovespreadoutthroughtheweek，but——“
“Ase，arethefolksinthistownsayin\'awordagainstPhoebeDawesbecauseshecomesheretosee——Bos\'n？”
“Don\'t——don\'tgetmad，Whit。Don\'tlookatmelikethat。_I_
ain\'tsaidnothin\'。Why，aspellago，attheboardin\'house，I——“
HetoldofthemealattheperfectboardinghousewhereMissDaweschampionedhisfriend\'scause。Alsooftheconversationwhichfollowed，andhisownpartinit。CaptainCypacedthefloor。
“Iwouldn\'thavehercomesooften，Cy，“pleadedAsaph。“Honest，I
wouldn\'t。Course，youandmeknowthey\'remean，miser\'bleliars，butit\'sherI\'mthinkin\'of。She\'sayoungwomanandsingle。Andyou\'reagoodmanyyearsolder\'nsheis。Andso，ofcourse，youandsheain\'tevergoin\'togetmarried。Andhaveyouthoughtwhateffectitmighthaveonherkeepin\'herteacher\'splace？Thecommittee\'samajorityagainstheras\'tis。And——youknow_I_
don\'tthinkso，butagoodmanyfolksdo——youain\'tgotthebestnamejustnow。Darnitall！Iain\'tputtin\'thisthewayI\'doughtto，butYOUknowwhatImean，don\'tyou，Cy？”
CaptainCywasleaningagainstthewindowframe，hisheaduponhisarm。Hewasnotlookingout，becausetheshadewasdrawn。Tiddittwaitedanxiouslyforhimtoanswer。Atlastheturned。
“Ase，“hesaid，“I\'mmuchobligedtoyou。You\'vepoundeditinprettyhard，butIcal\'lateI\'doughttohavehaditdonetome。
I\'mafool——anOLDfool，justasIsaidawhileback——andnothin\'
norNOBODYoughttohavemademeforgetit。ForaminuteorsoI——
butthere！don\'tyoufret。Thatyoungwomanshan\'triskherjobnorherreputationonaccountofme——norofBos\'n，either。I\'llseetothat。Andseehere，“headdedfiercely，“Ican\'tstopwomen\'stongues，evenwhenthey\'reasbadassomeofthetonguesinthistown，BUTifyouhearaMANsayonewordagainstPhoebeDawes，onlyoneword，youtellmehisname。Youhear，Ase？Youtellmehisname。Nowrunalong，willyou？Iain\'tsafecompanyjustnow。“
Asaph，frightenedattheeffectofhiswords，hurriedlydeparted。
CaptainCypacedtheroomforthenextfifteenminutes。Thenheopenedthekitchendoor。
“Bos\'n，“hecalled，“comeinandsetinmylapawhile；don\'tyouwantto？I\'m——I\'msortoflonesome，littlegirl。“
Thenextafternoon，whentheschoolmistress，whohadbeendelayedbytheinevitableexaminationpapers，stoppedattheCyWhittakerplace，shewasmetbyGeorgianna；Emily，whostoodbehindthehousekeeperinthedoorway，wascrying。
“Cap\'nCyhasgoneaway——toWashin\'ton，“declaredGeorgianna。
“Thoughwhathe\'sgonetherefor\'smore\'nIknow。Hesaidhe\'dsendhishoteladdresssoon\'shegotthere。Hewentonthethreeo\'clocktrain。“
Phoebewasastonished。
“Gone？”sherepeated。“Sosoon！Why，hetoldmeheshouldcertainlybeheretohearsomenewsIexpectedto-day。Didn\'theleaveanymessageforme？”
Thehousekeeperturnedred。
“MissPhoebe，“shesaid，“hetoldmetotellyousomethin\'，andit\'ssodreadfulIdon\'thardlydasttosayit。Ithinkhistroubleshavedrivenhimcrazy。Hesaidtotellyouthatyou\'dbetternotcometothishouseanymore。“
CHAPTERXVIII
CONGRESSMANEVERDEAN
Intheolddays，thegreatdaysofsailingshipsandlandmerchantfleets，Bayportwasacommunityoftravelers。Everyambitiousmanwenttosea，andeventually，ifhelived，becameacaptain。Thenhetookhiswife，andinmostcaseshischildren，withhimonlongvoyages。Tothestay-at-homescameletterswithodd，foreignstampsandpostmarks。Ourwhat-notsandparlormantelswerefilledwithcarvedbitsofivory，gorgeousshells，alabastercandlesticks，andplasterminiaturesoftheLeaningToweratPisaortheColiseumatRome。Weusuallybeganaconversationwith“WhenmyhusbandandIwereatHongKongthelasttime——“or“IrememberatMauritiustheyalways——“NewOrleansor\'Friscowerethenearestdomesticportsthementionofwhichwasconsideredworthwhile。
Butthisissonolonger。AtriptoBostonis，ofcourse，nonoveltytothemostofus；butwhenwevisitNewYorkwetakecaretoadvertiseitbeforehand。Andthefewwhoavailthemselvesofthespring“cutrates“andgoonexcursionstoWashington，plandefiniteprogrammesforeachdayattheCapital，anddiscussthemwithenviousfriendsforweeksinadvance。Andiftheprearrangedprogrammeisnotscrupulouslycarriedout，wefeelthatwehavebeendefrauded。ItwastheregretofAuntSophroniaHallett\'slifethat，onherWashingtonexcursion，shehadnotseenthe“DiplomaticCorpse。“ShesawthePresidentandtheMonumentandCongressand“therelicsintheSmithsonianInstitute，“butthe“Corpse“wasnotonview；AuntSophronianeverquitegotoverthedisappointment。
ProbablynootherBayporter，inrecentyears，hasstartedforWashingtononsuchshortnoticeorwithsoill-definedaprogrammeasCaptainCy。Hewentbecausehefeltthathemustgosomewhere。