第1章

THEPERFECTBOARDINGHOUSE

Itisqueer，butCaptainCyhimselfdoesn\'trememberwhetherthedaywasTuesdayorWednesday。AsaphTidditt\'srecordsoughttosettleit，fortherewasameetingoftheboardofselectmenthatday，andAsaphhasbeentownclerkinBayportsincethesummerbeforetheBaptistmeetinghouseburned。Butontherecordthedate，inAsaph\'shandwriting，stands“Tuesday，May10，189-“and，asithappens，May10ofthatyearfellonWednesday，notTuesdayatall。

KeturahBangs，whokeeps“theperfectboardinghouse，“saysitwasTuesday，becausesherememberstheyhadfriedcodcheeksandcabbagethatday——astheyhaveeveryTuesday——andneitherMr。

TiddittnorBaileyBangs，Keturah\'shusband，wasonhandwhenthedinnerbellrang。KeturahsayssheiscertainitwasTuesday，becausesherememberssmellingtheboiledcabbageasshestoodatthesidedoor，lookinguptheroadtoseeifeitherAsaphorBaileywascoming。AsforBailey，hesaysheremembersbeinglatetodinnerandhiswife\'s“startin\'toheaveabroadsidesintohim“

becauseofit，buthedoesn\'trememberwhatdayitwas。Thisisn\'tsurprising；Keturah\'sverbalcannonadesarelikelytomakeoneforgetfuloftrifles。

Atanyrate，whetherTuesdayorWednesday，itiscertainthatitwasquarterpasttwelve，accordingtotheclockpresentedtotheMethodistSocietybytheHonorableHemanAtkins，whenAsaphTiddittcamedownthestepsofthetownhall，aftertheselectmen\'smeeting，andsawBaileyBangswaitingforhimontheoppositesideoftheroad。

“Hello，Ase！”hailedMr。Bangs。“You\'llbelatetodinner，ifyoudon\'thurry。Iwasheadin\'forhome，allsailsot，whenIseeyou。

Whatkeptyou？”

“Townbusiness，ofcourse，“repliedMr。Tidditt，withtheimportancepertainingtohisofficialposition。“WhatkeptYOU，forthelandsakes？Won\'tKeturybeinyourwool？”

Baileyhasn\'tany“wool“worthmentioningnow，andhehadverylittlemorethen，buthemoppedhisforehead，ortheextensionaboveit，takingoffhiscaptodoso。

“Ical\'lateshewill，“hesaid，uneasily。“Tellyouthetruth，Ase，Iwasuptothestore，andCap\'nJosiahDimickandsomemoreof\'emdriftedinandwegottalkin\'aboutthechancesoftheharborappropriation，andonethingor\'nother，and\'twaslater\'nIthought\'twas\'foreIknewit。“

Theappropriationfromthegovernment，whichwastodeepenandwidenourharborhereatBayport，wasaveryvitaltopicamongusjustthen。HemanAtkins，thecongressmanfromourdistrict，hadpromisedtodohisbestfortheappropriation，andhadforatimebeenverysanguineofsecuringit。Recently，however，hehadnotbeenquiteashopeful。

“What\'sCap\'nJosiahthinkaboutthechances？”askedAsapheagerly。

“Well，sometimeshethinks\'Yes\'andthenagainhethinks\'No，\'“

repliedBailey。“Hesays，ofcourse，ifHemanisabletogetithewill，butifheain\'tableto，he——he——“

“Hewon\'t，Is\'pose。Well，_I_canthinkthatmyself，andIdon\'tsetuptobenoinspiredknow-it-all，likeJoeDimick。Heain\'theardfromHemanlately，hashe？”

“No，heain\'t。Neither\'sanybodyelse，sofurasIcanfindout。“

“Oh，yes，theyhave。_I_have，forone。“

Mr。Bangsstoppedshortinhisdouble-quickmarchforhomeanddinner，andlookedhiscompanionintheface。

“AseTidditt！”hecried。“Doyoumeantotellmeyou\'vehadaletterfromHemanAtkins，fromWashin\'ton？”

Asaphnoddedportentously。

“Yes，sir，“hedeclared。“AletterfromtheHonorableHemanG。

Atkins，ofWashin\'ton，D。C。，cometomelastnight。IreaditaforeIturnedin。“

“Youdid！Andneversaidnothin\'aboutit？”

“WhyshouldIsayanythingaboutit？\'Twasaddressedtomeastownclerk，andwasconcernin\'amattertobetookupwiththeboardofs\'lectmen。Iain\'tinthehabitofhollerin\'townaffairsthroughaspeakin\'trumpet。Folksthatvoteformetown-meetin\'dayknowthat，Iguess。AngiePhinneysaystomeonlyyesterday，\'Mr。

Tidditt，\'saysshe，\'there\'sonethingI\'llsayforyou——youdon\'ttalk。\'“

MissPhinneyboardedwiththeBangses，andBaileywasacquaintedwithherpersonalpeculiarities；forthatmattersoweremostofBayport\'spermanentresidents。

“Humph！”hesnortedindignantly。“Shethought\'twasagoodthingnottotalk，hey？SHEdid？Well，bymighty！younevergetnoCHANCEtotalkwhenshe\'saround。AngiePhinney！Why，whenthatpollparrotofhersdied，Alph\'usSmalleydeclaredupanddownthatwhatkilleditwasjealousyanddisapp\'intedambition；hesaiditbrokeitshearttryin\'tokeepupwithAngie。Hermawasthesamebreedofcats。Iremember——“

ThetalkingproclivitiesoffemalesistheonetopicuponwhichKeturah\'shusbandistouchiest。Asaphknewthis，buthedelightedtostiruphischumoccasionally。Hechuckledasheinterruptedtheflowofreminiscence。

“There，there，Bailey！”heexclaimed。“IknowasmuchaboutAngie\'stribeasyoudo，Ical\'late。Ain\'twealittlemiteoffthecourse？Seemstomewewastalkin\'aboutHeman\'sletter。“

“Isthatso？Ijudgedfromwhatyousaidwewa\'n\'tgoin\'totalkaboutit。Aw，don\'tbesomean，Ase！Showin\'offyourimportancelikeayoungone！WhatdidHemansayabouttheappropriation？Ishegoin\'togetit？”

Mr。Tiddittpausedbeforereplying。Then，bendingover，hewhisperedinhischum\'sear：

“Heneversaidonewordabouttheappropriation，Bailey；notoneword。Hewantedtoknowifwe\'dgotthisyear\'staxesontheWhittakerplace。And，ifwehadn\'t，whatwaswegoin\'todoaboutit？Bailey，betweenyouandmeandthemizzenmast，HemanAtkinswantstogetaholdofthatplacetheworstway。“

“Hedoes？HeDOES？Forthelandsakes，ain\'thegotpropertyenoughalready？Ain\'ta——apalacelikethatenoughforoneman，withoutwantin\'tobuyarattletraplikeTHAT？”

Thefirst“that“wasemphasizedbyabrandishedbutreverentlefthand；thesecondbyaderisivelypointingright。Thetwofriendshadreachedthecrestofthelongslopeleadingupfromthetownhall。Ononesideoftheroadstretchedtheimposingfrontageofthe“Atkinsestate，“withitsironfenceandstoneposts；ontheotherslouchedtheweed-grown，tumble-downdesolationofthe“CyWhittakerplace。“Thecontrastwasthatofopulentprosperityandpoverty-strickenneglect。

Ifourvillageboastedoneofthosehorselessjuggernauts，suchasareusedtocarrysightseersinBostonfromtheoldNorthChurchtothePublicLibraryandotherpointsofinterest——thatis，iftherewasa“seeingBayport“car，itisfromthishillthatitsoccupantswouldbegiventheirfinestviewofthevillageanditssurroundings。

AsCaptainJosiahDimickalwayssays：“Bayportisallnorthandsouth，likeacodfishline。ItputsmeinmindofSethHiggins\'soldestboy。Hewassotallandthinthatwhentheyboughtasuitofclothesforhim，theyusedtotakereefsinthesidesofthejacketandusetheclothtopieceontothebottomsofthetrousers\'legs。“

WhatCaptainJoemeansisthatthehousesinthevillageareallbuiltbesidethreeroadsrunninglongitudinally。Thereisthe“mainroad“andthe“upperroad“——or“WoodchuckLane，“justasyouprefer——andthe“lowerroad，“otherwiseknownas“Bassett\'sHoller。“

The“upperroad“issometimescalledthe“depotroad，“becausetherailroadstationisconvenientlylocatedthereon——convenientfortherailroad，thatis——thestationbeingafullmilefromSimmons\'s“generalstore，“whichisconsideredthecenterofthetown。Theupperroadentersthemainroadatthecornerbythestore，andtherealsoaretheMethodistmeetinghouseandtheschoolhouse。Thetownhallisinthehollowfartheron。Thencomesthebighill——

“Whittaker\'sHill“——andfromthetopofthishillyoucan，onaclearday，seeformilesacrossthesaltmarshesandoverthebaytotheeastward，andwestasfarasthechurchsteepleinOrham。

Iftherehappenstobeafog，withastrongeasterlywind，youcannotseethemarshesorthebay，butyoucansmellthem，wetandsaltyandsweet。ItisasmellthatthebornBayporterneverforgets，butcarrieswithhiminmemorywhereverhegoes；andthat，inthepalmydaysofthemerchantmarine，waslikely，tobefar，foreverymalebabyinthevillagewasbornwithwebfeet，sopeoplesaid，andwaspredestinedtobeasailor。

WhenHemanAtkinscamebackfromtheSouthSeasearlyinthe\'60\'s，“richasdockmud，“thoughstillayoungman，hepromptlytoredownhisfather\'soldhouse，whichstoodonthecrestofWhittaker\'sHill，andbuiltinitsplaceabigimposingresidence。ItwasbyfarthefinesthouseinBayport，andHemanmadeitfinerastheyearspassed。Therewereimitationbrownstonepillarssupportingitsfrontporch，irondogsandscrollworkironbenchesborderingitsfrontwalk，andapairofstoneurns，insummerfilledwithflowers，besideitsbigironfrontgate。

Hemanwasourleadingcitizen，ourrepresentativeinWashington，andthetown\'sphilanthropist。HegavetheAtkinsmemorialwindowandtheAtkinstowerclocktotheMethodistChurch。TheAtkinstownpump，alsohisgift，stoodbeforethetownhall。TheAtkinsportraitintheBayportLadies\'Librarywasmuchadmired；andthesizeoftheAtkinsfortunewastheprincipalsubjectofconversationatsewingcircle，atthetableof“theperfectboardinghouse，“

aroundthestoveinSimmons\'sstore，orwhereverBayporterswereusedtogather。WeneverexactlyworshippedHemanAtkins，perhaps，butwefigurativelydoffedourhatswhenhisnamewasmentioned。

The“CyWhittakerplace“facedtheAtkinsestatefromtheoppositesideofthemainroad，butitwasthegeneralopinionthatitoughttobeashamedtofaceit。Almosteverybodycalledit“theCyWhittakerplace，“althoughsomeoftheyoungersetspokeofitasthe“SeaSightHouse。“Itwasabig，old-fashioneddwelling，gambrel-roofedandbrownanddilapidated。Originallyithadenjoyedthedignifiedseclusionaffordedbyawhitepicketfencewithsquaregateposts，andthepathtoitsseldom-usedfrontdoorhadbeenguardedbyrigidlinesofboxhedge。This，however，wasyearsago，beforethesecondCaptainCyWhittakerdied，andbeforetheHowesfamilyturneditintothe“SeaSightHouse，“ahotelforsummerboarders。

TheHoweses“improved“thehouseandgrounds。Theytoredownthepicketfence，uprootedtheboxhedges，hungasignoverthesacredfrontdoor，andbuiltawideverandaundertheparlorwindows。

Theytookboardersforfiveconsecutivesummers；thentheygaveuptheunprofitableundertaking，returnedtoConcord，NewHampshire，theirnativecity，andlefttheCyWhittakerplacetobeartheravagesofBayportwintersandBayportsmallboysasbestitmight。

Foryearsitstoodempty。Theweedsgrewhighaboutitsfoundations；

thesparrowsbuiltnestsbehindsuchofitsshuttersashadnotbeenrippedfromtheirhingesbyFebruaryno\'theasters；itsroofgrewbaldinspotsastheshinglesloosenedandwereblownaway；theswallowsflewinandoutofitsstone-brokenwindowpanes。YearbyyearitbecamemoreofadisgraceintheeyesofBayport\'sneatandthriftyinhabitants——forneatandthriftyweare，ifwedosayit。

Theselectmenwouldhavelikedtotearitdown，buttheycouldnot，becauseitwasprivateproperty，havingbeenpurchasedfromtheHowesheirsbythethirdCyWhittaker，CaptainCy\'sonlyson，whoranawaytoseawhenhewassixteenyearsold，andwasdisinheritedandcastoffbytheproudoldskipperinconsequence。EachMarch，AsaphTidditt，inhisofficialcapacityastownclerk，hadbeenaccustomedtoreceiveanenvelopewithaSouthAmericanpostmark，andinthatenvelopewasadraftonaBostonbankinghouseforthesumdueastaxesonthe“CyWhittakerplace。“Thedraftsweresigned“CyrusM。Whittaker。“

Butthisparticularyear——theyearinwhichthischroniclebegins——

nodrafthadbeenreceived。Asaphwaitedafewweeksandthenwrotetotheaddressindicatedbythepostmark。Hisletterwasunanswered。ThetaxesweredueinMarchanditwasnowMay。Mr。

Tiddittwroteagain；thenhelaidthecasebeforetheboardofselectmen，andCaptainEbenSalters，chairmanofthataugustbody，alsowrote。ButevenCaptainEben\'sauthoritativedemandwasignored。Nexttotheharborappropriation，thequestionofwhatshouldbedoneaboutthe“CyWhittakerplace“filledBayport\'sthoughtsthatspring。Noone，however，hadsupposedthattheHonorableHemanmightwishtobuyit。BaileyBangs\'ssurprisewasexcusable。

“Whatintheworld，“repeatedBailey，“doesHemanwantofashebanglikethat？Ain\'thegotenoughalready？”

Hisfriendshookhishead。

“\'Pearsnot，“hesaid。“Ijudgeit\'sthisway，Bailey：Heman，he\'saproudman——“

“Well，ain\'thegotarighttobeproud？”brokeinMr。Bangs，hasteningtoresentanycriticismofthepopularidol。“Cal\'lateyouandme\'dbeproudifwewasabletocarryasmuchsailashedoes，wouldn\'twe？”

“Yes，Iguesslikewewould。Butyouneedn\'tgetredinthefaceandstrainyourbilerjustbecauseIsaidthat。Iain\'tfindingfaultwithHeman；I\'monlytellin\'you。He\'sproud，asIsaid，andhiswife——“

“She\'sdeadthisfouryear。Whatareyouresurrectin\'herfor？”

“Land！you\'repepperyasaWestInjyomeletthismornin\'。LetmealonetillI\'vefinished。Hiswife，whenshewasalive，shewasproud，too。Andhisdaughter，Alicia，she\'seightyearoldnow，andbyandbyshe\'llbegrownupintoahigh-tonedyoungwoman。

Well，Hemanisfur-sighted，andIs\'poselikelyhe\'sthinkin\'ofthedayswhenthere\'llbeyoungrichfellers——senatorsand——and——

well，countsandlords，maybe——cruisin\'downherecourtin\'her。BythattimetheWhittakerplace\'llbeaworsedisgracethan\'tisnow。

Ipresumehedon\'twantthoseswellstositonhisfrontpiazzaandseethecrowsbuildin\'nestsintheruinsacrosttheroad。So——“

“Crows！Didyoueverseeacrowbuildanestinahouse？Ineverdid！”

“Oh，belay！Crowsorcanarybirds，whatdifferencedoesitmake？

SOMETHIN\'\'llnestthere，ifit\'sonlyA\'ntSophronyHallett\'shens。SoHemanhewritestotheboard，askin\'ifthetaxesispaid，ifwe\'veheardanyreasonwhytheyain\'tpaid，andwhatwe\'regoin\'todoaboutit。Ifthere\'sasalefortaxeshewantstobefustbidder。Then，whentheplaceishis，hecanteardownorrebuild，justasheseesfit。See？”

“Yes，Isee。Well，IfeelaboutthatthewayJoeDimickfeltwhenheheardthedoctorhadtoldElviryPeppershemuststopsingin\'inthechoirorlosehervoicealtogether。\'Whicheverhappens\'llbeanimprovement，\'saysCap\'nJoe；andwhateverHemandoes\'llhelptheWhittakerplace。Whatdidyoudecideatthemeetin\'？”

“Nothin\'。Wecan\'tdecideyet。Weain\'tsureaboutthelawandwewanttowaitaspell，anyhow。ButIknowhow\'twillend：Atkins\'llgettheplace。Healwaysgetswhathewants，Hemandoes。“

Baileyturnedandlookedbackattheoldhouse，forlornamidstitshuddleofblackberrybriersandweeds，andwiththeubiquitous“silver-leaf“saplingsspringingupinclusterseverywhereaboutitandclosinginonitsdefenselesswallslikesquadsofvictorioussoldierymakingthefinalchargeuponaconqueredfort。

“Well，“sighedMr。Bangs，“sothat\'llbetheendoftheoldWhittakerplace，hey？Sho！thingschangeinafeller\'slifetime，don\'tthey？Youandmecanremember，Ase，whenCap\'nCyWhittakerwasoneofthebiggestmenwehadinthistown。Sowashisdadaforehim，theCap\'nCythatbuiltthehouse。Iwonderthelooksofthingsherenowdon\'tbringthemtwoupoutoftheirgraves。DoyourememberyoungCy——\'Whit\'weusedtocallhim——or\'ReddyWhit，\'

\'countofhisredhair？Idon\'tknow\'syoudo，though；guessyou\'dgonetoseawhenherunawayfromhome。“

Mr。Tiddittshookhishead。

“No，no！”hesaid。“Iwastohomethatyear。Remember\'Whit\'？

Well，IshouldsayIdid。Hewasaholyterror——yes，sir！Wan\'tnomonkeyshinesordidoscutupinthistownthatyoungCywan\'tinto。Fur\'sthatgoes，youandmewasin\'em，too，Bailey。Wewasallholyterrorsthen。Youngonesnowadaysain\'tgotthespunkweusedtohave。“

Hisfriendchuckled。

“That\'sso，“hedeclared。“That\'sso。Whitwasagood-heartedboy，too，butfulloftheOldScratchandassotinhiswaysashisdad，andifCap\'nCywan\'tsot，thenthereain\'tnosotness。

\'You\'llgotocollegeandbeaparson，\'saystheCap\'n。\'I\'llgotoseaandbeasailor，sameasyoudone，\'saysWhit。Andhedid，too；runawayonenight，tookthepackettoBoston，andshippedaboardanAustralianclipper。Cap\'nCydidn\'tgoafterhimtofetchhimhome。No，sir——ee！notafetch。SenthimaletterplumbtoMelbourneand，sayshe：\'You\'vemadeyourbed；nowlayinit。

Don\'tyouneverdasttocomebacktomeoryourma，\'hesays。AndWhitdidn\'t，hewan\'tthatkind。“

“Prettynighkilledtheoldlady——Whit\'sma——thatdid，“musedAsaph。“Shediedalittlespellafterwards。Andtheoldmanpinedaway，too，buthenevergiveinoraskedtheboytocomeback。

Stubbornasallget-outtotheend，hewas，andwilledtheplace，allhehadleft，tothemHowesfolks。AndanicemessTHEYmadeofit。YoungCy，he——“

“YoungCy！”interruptedBailey。“We\'realwayscallin\'him\'youngCy，\'andyet，whenyoucometothinkofit，hemustbeprettynighfifty-fivenow；\'mostasoldasyouandIbe。Wonderifhe\'llevercomebackhere。“

“Youbethewon\'t！”wastheoracularreply。“Youbethewon\'t！

FromwhatIhearhegottobeaseacap\'nhimselfandsettleddownthereinBuenosAyres。He\'smadeallkindsofmoney，theysay，outofhidesandsuch。Whatheeverboughthisdad\'soldplacefor，_I_can\'tsee。He\'llnevercomebacktothesecommon，one-horselatitudes，nowyoumarkmywordonthat！”

ItwasaprophecyMr。Tiddittwasaccustomedtomakeeachyeartothecrowdatthepostoffice，whenthereceiptforthedraftfortaxescausedhimtowaxreminiscent。TheyoungergenerationhereinBayportregardtheirtownclerkassomethingofanoracle，andthisregardhasmadeAsaphatriflevainandpositive。

Baileychuckledagain。

“WeWASaspunky，dare-devillotintheolddays，wan\'twe，Ase？”

hesaid。“Spunkwaskindofborninus，asyoumightsay。Andevennowwe\'re——“

TheAtkinstowerclockboomedonce——asolemn，dignifiedstroke。

Mr。Tiddittandhiscompanionstartedandlookedateachother。

“Godfreyscissors！”gaspedAsaph。“Isthathalfpasttwelve？”

Mr。Bangspulledabigwornsilverwatchfromhispocketandglancedatthedial。

“Itis！”hemoaned。“Assure\'syou\'reborn，itis！We\'vekeptKetury\'sdinnerwaitin\'twentyminutes。Youandmeareinforitnow，AseTidditt！Twentyminuteslate！She\'llskinusalive。“

Mr。Tiddittdidnotpausetoanswer，butplungedheadlongdownthehillatarace-horsegait，Baileypoundingathisheels。For“borndare-devils，“self-confessed，theywereanervousandapprehensivepair。

The“perfectboardinghouse“issituatedaquarterofamilebeyond“Whittaker\'sHill，“nearlyoppositetheSaltershomestead。Thesign，hungonthepolebythefrontgate，reads，“BayportHotel。

BaileyBangs，Proprietor，“butnooneexceptthestrangerinBayportacceptsthatsignseriously。When，owingtoanunexpectedchangeintheadministrationatWashington，Mr。Bangswasobligedtorelinquishhispositionasourvillagepostmaster，hiswifecametotherescuewiththeproposalthattheyopenaboardinghouse。

“\'Whatsoe\'eryoufindtodo，\'quotedKeturahatsewing-circlemeeting，\'doitthenwithallyourmight！\'That\'sagoodSabbath-

schoolhymntuneandit\'sgoodsensebesides。Iintendtomakeitmylifeworktorunjustascompletea——aeatin\'andlodgin\'

establishmentasIcan。If，whenI\'mlaidtorest，theycanputontomygravestone，\'Sheruntheperfectboardin\'house，\'I\'LLbesatisfied。“

Thisremark，andsubsequentsimilardeclarations，werewidelyquoted，and，therefore，thoughcasualvisitorsmayrefertothe“BayportHotel，“tousnativestheBangsresidenceisalways“Keturah\'sperfectboardinghouse。“Asforthesign\'saffirmationofMr。Bangsproprietorship，thatisconsideredthecreamofthejoke。Theideaofmeek，bald-headedlittleBaileyposingasproprietorofanythingwhilehiswifeisondeck，ticklesBayport\'ssenseofhumor。

Theperspiringdelinquentspantedintotheyardoftheperfectboardinghouseandtremblinglyopenedthedoorleadingtothediningroom。Dinnerwaswellunderway，andMrs。Bangs，enthronedattheendofthelongtable，behindthesilver-platedteapot，waswaitingtoreceivethem。Thesilencewasappalling。

“Sorrytobealittlebehindhand，Ketury，“stammeredAsaphhurriedly。

“Townaffairsareimportant，ofcourse，andcan\'tbeneglected。I——“

“Yes，yes；that\'sso，Ketury，“cutinMr。Bangs。

“Yousee——“

“Hum！Yes，Isee。“Keturah\'stonewasseveraldegreesbelowfreezing。“Hum！Is\'pose\'twastownaffairskeptyou，too，hey？”

“Well，well——er——notexactly，asyoumightsay，but——“Baileysqueezedhimselfintothearmchairattheendofthetableoppositehiswife，theendwhich，withsarcasmnotthelesskeenforbeingunintentional，wascalledthe“head。““Notexactlytownaffairs，\'twan\'tthatkeptme，Ketury，but——My！don\'tthemcodcheekssmellgood？Youalwayscouldcookcodcheeks，ifIdosayit。“

Thecomplimentwaswasted。Mrs。Bangshadasermontodeliver，anditstextwasnot“codcheeks。“

“BaileyBangs，“shebegan，“whenIwasbroughttorealizethatmyhusband，althoughapparentlyanable-bodiedman，couldn\'tsupportmeasI\'dbeenusedtobesupported，andwhenIwasforcedtosupportHIMbykeepin\'boarders，Isays，\'Ifthere\'sonethingthatmyhouseshallstandforit\'spunctualpromptnessatmealtimes。I

saynothing，\'Isays，\'abouttheinconvenienceofgettin\'onwithonlyonehiredhelpwhenweoughttohavethree。IfProvidence，initsunscrutablewisdom，\'Isays，\'hasseenfittolaythisburdenontome，theburdenofahouseholdofboardersandahusbandwhom——\'“

AndjustthenthepowerreferredtobyMrs。Bangsintervenedtospareherhusbandtheremainderofthepreachment。Fromthedrivewayoftheyard，besidethedining-roomwindows，cametherattleofwheelsandthetrampofahorse\'sfeet。Mrs。MatildaTripp，whosatnearestthewindows，onthatside，roseandpeeredout。

“It\'sthedepotwagon，Ketury，“shesaid。“There\'ssomebodyinsideit。Iwonderifthey\'recomin\'here。“

“Transients“werealmostunknownquantitiesattheBayportHotelinMay。Consequently，alltheboardersandthelandladyherselfcrowdedtothewindows。The“depotwagon“haddrawnupbythesteps，andGabeLumley，thedriver，haddescendedfromhisseatandwasdoinghisbesttoopenthedooroftheancientvehicle。Itstuck，ofcourse；thedoorsofalldepotwagonsstick。

“Holdonashake！”commandedsomeoneinsidethecarriage。“WaittillIgetapurchaseonher。Now，then！Allhandstotheropes！

Heave——ho！THEREshecomes！”

Thedoorflewbackwithabang。Amansprangoutuponthelowerstepoftheporch。Theeyeofeveryinmateoftheperfectboardinghousewasonhim。Eventhe“hiredhelp“peeredfromthekitchendoor。

“He\'sastranger，“whisperedMrs。Tripp。“Ineverseehimbefore，didyou，Mr。Tidditt？”

Thetownclerkdidnotanswer。Hewasstaringatthedepotwagon\'spassenger，staringwithafacetheinterestedexpressionofwhichwaschangingtothatofsurpriseandamazedincredulity。Mrs。

TrippturnedtoMr。Bangs；healsowasstaring，open-mouthed。

“Godfreyscissors！”gaspedAsaph，underhisbreath。“Godfrey——

SCISSORS！Bailey，I——Ibelieve——Iswantoman，Ibelieve——“

“AseTidditt！”exclaimedMr。Bangs，“amIgoin\'looney，oristhat——

isthat——“

Neitherfinishedhissentence。Therearetimeswhenlanguageseemssopitifullyinadequate。

CHAPTERII

THEWANDERER\'SRETURN

HereinBayport，nowadays，thecollectingof“antiques“isafavoriteamusementofoursummervisitors。Thoseofuswhowerefortunateenoughtopossessasetofnickedbluedishes，awarmingpan，oratallclockwithwoodenwheels，havelongagopartedwiththesetreasuresforconsiderablesums。OddlyenoughSylvanusCahoonhasprofitedmostbythiscraze。Sylvanususedtobejudgedtheunluckiestmanintown；oflatethisjudgmenthasbeenrevised。

ItwasSylvanuswho，confinedtothehousebyanillnessbroughtonbyeatingtoomuch“sugarcake“atafreesociablegivenbytheMethodistSociety，aroseinthenightanddrankcopiouslyofwhathesupposedtobethemedicineleftbythedoctor。Ithappenedtobewater-bugpoison，andSylvanuswasnearlykilledbythedose。

Heisreportedashavingadmittedthathe“didn\'tminddyin\'somuch，buthatedtodiesuchadummeandeath。“

Whileconvalescenthetooktosmokinginbedandwasburnedoutofhouseandhomeinconsequence。Thenitwasthathiskind-heartedfellowcitizensdonated，forthefurnishingofhisnewresidence，allthecast-offbitsoffurnitureandoddsandendsfromtheirgarrets。“Charity，“observedCaptainJosiahDimickatthetime，“beginsathomewithusBayporters，anditgenerallybeginsupattic，thatbein\'nighesttoheaven。“

LaterSylvanussoldmostofthedonationsas“antiques“andmademoneyenoughtherefromtobuyanewplushparlorset。MissAngelinePhinneynevercalledontheCahoonsafterthatwithoutmakingherappearanceatthefrontdoor。“I\'llgetsomegoodoutofthatplushsofyIhelpedtopayfor，“declaredAngeline，“ifit\'sonlytowearitoutbysettin\'onit。“

Therearetwo“antiques“inBayportwhichhavenotyetbeensoldorevenbidfor。OneisGabeLumley\'s“depotwagon，“andtheotheris“Dan\'lWebster，“thehorsewhichdrawsit。Bothareveryancient，sadlyinneedofupholstery，andjerkyoflocomotion。

Gabewas，asusual，waitingatthestationwhenthedowntrainarrived，ontheTuesday——orWednesday——oftheselectmen\'smeeting。

Thetrainwasdue，accordingtothetime-table，atelevenforty-

five。Thistime-table，andthesignboardofthe“BayportHotel“

aretheonlybitsofhumorousliteraturepeculiartoourvillage，unlessweaddthepoliticaleditorialsoftheBayportBreeze。

So，atelevenforty-five，Mr。Lumleywasserenelydozingonthebaggagetruck，whichhehadwheeledtothesunnysideoftheplatform。Atfiveminutespasttwelve，heyawned，stretched，andlookedathiswatch。Then，rollingoffthetruck，hestrolledtotheedgeoftheplatformandspokeauthoritativelyto“Dan\'lWebster。“

“Hithere！standstill！”commandedMr。Lumley。

StandingstillbeingDan\'l\'slongsuit，theorderwasobeyed。

Gabethenloafedtothedoorofthestationandaccostedthedepotmaster，whowasnoddinginhischairbesidethetelegraphinstrument。

“Whereisshenow，Ed？”askedMr。Lumley，referringtothetrain。

“JustleftSouthHarniss。Behereprettysoon。What\'syourhurry？

Expectin\'anybody？”

“Naw；nobodythatIknowof，special。SophronyHallett\'sgonetoOstable，butshewon\'tbebacktillto-morrowIcal\'late。Hello！

thereshewhistlesnow。“

Needlesstosayitwasthetrain，notthewidowHallett，thathadwhistled。Thedepotmasterrosefromhischair。Ayellowdog，hisproperty，scrambledfrombeneathit，andrushingoutofthedoorandtothefartherendoftheplatform，barkedfuriously。CephasBaker，wholivesacrosstheroadfromthedepot，sloucheddowntohisfrontgate。Hiswifeopenedthedoorofherkitchenandstoodthere，herwetarmswrappedinherapron。ThefiveBakerchildrentoreroundthecornerofthehouse，overthebackfence，andlinedup，whoopingjoyously，ontheplatform。Acloudofwhitesmokebillowedabovetheclumpofcedarsatthebendofthetrack。Thenthelocomotiveroundedthecurveandboredownuponthestation。

“Standstill，Itellyou！”shoutedGabe，addressingthehorse。

Dan\'lWebsteropenedoneeye，closeditandrelapsedintoslumber。

Thetrain，acombinationbaggagecarandsmoker，twofreightcarsandapassengercoach，rolledponderouslyalongsidetheplatform。

Fromtheopendoorofthebaggagecarweretossedthemailsackandtwoexpresspackages。Theconductorsteppedfromthepassengercoach。Followinghimcamebrisklyashort，thicksetmanwithareddish-graybeardandgrayish-redhair。

“Goin\'downtothevillage，Mister？”inquiredMr。Lumley。“Carriagerighthere。“

Thestrangerinspectedthedriverofthedepotwagon，inspectedhimdeliberatelyfromtoptotoe。Thenhesaid：

“Downtothevillage？Why，yes，Iwouldn\'twonder。Say！you\'reaLumley，ain\'tyou？”

“Why！why——yes，Ibe！How\'dyouknowthat？Ain\'teverseenyouafore，haveI？”

“Guessnot，“withaquietchuckle。“I\'veneverseenyou，either，butI\'veseenyournose。I\'dknowaLumleynoseifIrunacrossitinChina。“

Thepossessorofthe“Lumleynose“rubbedthatorganinabewilderedfashion。Recoveringinameasurehelaughed，ratherhalf-heartedly，andbeggedtoknowifthetrunk，thenbeingunloadedfromthebaggagecar，belongedtohisprospectivepassenger。Astheanswerwasanaffirmativenod，hesecuredthetrunkcheckanddeparted，stillrubbinghisnose。

Whenhereturned，withthetrunkonthetruck，hefoundthestranger，withhishandsinhispockets，standingbeforeDan\'lWebsterandgazingatthatanimalwithanexpressionofacuteinterest。

“Isthisyour——horse？”demandedthenewcomer，pausingbeforethefinalwordofhisquestion。

“It\'ssocal\'latedtobe，“repliedGabe，withdignity。

“Hum！Doesheworknights？”

“Worknights？No，coursehedon\'t！”

“Oh，allright！Thenyoucanwakehimupwithaclearconscience。

Ididn\'tknowbutheneededthesleep。What\'shisrecord？”

“Record？”

“Yup；histrottin\'record。Anybodycanseehe\'sbuiltforspeed，narrowinthebeamandsharpforeandaft。ShallIgetaboardthebarouche？”

Thedepotmaster，whowasonhandtohelpwiththetrunk，grinnedbroadly。Mr。Lumleysulkilymadeanswerthathispassengermightgetaboardifhewantedto。Apparentlyhewantedto，forhesprangintothedepotwagonwithabouncethatmadetheoldvehiclerockonitssprings。

“Jerushy！”heexclaimed，“sherollssome，don\'tshe？Nevermind，MYballast\'llkeepheronanevenkeel。Trunkmadefastastern？

Allright！Say！youmightfurlsomeofthissparecanvasso\'sI

cantakeanobservationaswegoalong。Don\'tgosofastthatthescenerygetsblurred，willyou？It\'sbeensometimesinceImadethiscruise，andI\'dratherliketokeepalookout。“

Thedriver“furledthecanvas“——thatis，herolledupthecurtainsatthesidesofthecarryall。Thenheclimbedtothefrontseatandtookupthereins。

“Gitup！”heshoutedsavagely。Dan\'lWebsterdidnotmove。

Thepassengerofferedasuggestion。“Whydon\'tyoutryhangin\'analarmclockinhisfore-riggin\'？”heasked。

“Haw！haw！”roaredthedepotmaster。

“Gitup，you——youlump！”bellowedtheharassedMr。Lumley。Dan\'lprickeduponeear，thenahoof，andslowlygotunderway。AstheequipagepassedtheBakerhomestead，thewholefamilywasclusteredaboutthegate，staringattheoccupantofthewagon。Thestarewasreturned。

“Wholivesinthere？”demandedthestranger。“Whoarethosefolks？”

“CephBaker\'stribe，“wasthesullenanswer。

“Baker，hey？Humph！newfolks，Ipresumelikely。UsedtobeSethSnow\'shouse，thatdid。Where\'dSethgoto？”

Gabegruntedthathedidnotknow。HebelievedMr。Snowwasdead，haddiedyearsbefore。

“Humph！dead，hey？ThenIknowwherehewent。Doyoueversmoke——

ordoesdrivin\'thishorsemakeyoutoonervous？”

Mr。Lumleythawedabitatthesightoftheprofferedcigar。Headmittedthathesmokedoccasionallyandthatheguessed“\'twouldn\'tinterferewiththedrivin\'none。“

“Goodenough！thenwe\'lllightup。IcantalkbetterifI\'munderaheadofsteam。There\'sanewhouse；whobuiltthat？”

The“new“housewasfifteenyearsold，butGabegavethenameofitsbuilder。Then，thinkingthatthecatechisinghadbeenaltogethertooone-sided，heventuredanobservationofhisown。

“Thisisaprettygoodcigar，Mister，“hesaid。“SmokeslikeaSnowflake。“

“Likeawhat？”

“LikeaSnowflake。That\'saboutthebeststraightfivecenteryoucangetaroundhere。Simmonsusedtokeep\'em，butthedrummer\'scartain\'tcalledlatelyandhe\'sallout。“

“That\'sashame。Itoldthetrainboythatthesesmokedlikesomethin\'，butIdidn\'tknowwhattocallit。Muchobligedtoyou。

Here\'sanother；putitinyourpocket。Oh，nothanks；pleasure\'sallmine。Who\'sSimmons？”

GabedescribedtheSimmonsgeneralstoreanditsproprietor。Thenheadded：

“Iwasnoticin\'thattrunkofyours，mister；it\'sallplasteredoverwithlabels，ain\'tit？Cal\'latethattrunk\'sdonesometravelin\'，hey？”

“Thinkso，doyou？”

“Yup。Gee！I\'dliketotravelmyself。Butno！Igottostayallmylifeinthisdead\'n\'alivehole。IwantedtogotoBostonandclerkinastore，buttheoldmanputhisfootdown，andhereI\'vestuckeversence。Gitup，Dan\'l！What\'sthematterwithyou？”

Thepassengersmiled，buttherewasadreamylookinhisgrayeyes。

“Don\'tfindfault，son，“hesaid。“There\'sworseplacesintheworldthanoldBayport，andworsejudgmentthanmindin\'yourdad。

Don\'tforgetthatoryoumaybesorryforitsomeday。“Hesniffedeagerly。“Ah！”heexclaimed，“justsmellthat，willyou？Ain\'tthatFINE？”

“Humph！that\'stheflats。Youcansmell\'emanytimewhenthetide\'soutandthewind\'sright。Yousee，thetidegoesoutprettyfurhereand——“

“Don\'tIknowit？Son，I\'vebeenwaitin\'thirtyoddyearforthatsmellandhere\'tisatlast。Driveslowandletmefilluponit。

Justblowthat——thatSnowstormofyourstheotherwayforaspell，won\'tyou？Thanks。“

TherequesttobedrivenslowwassosuperfluousthatMr。Lumleypaidnoattentiontoit。HepuffedindustriouslyattheSnowflakeandwatchedhiscompanion，who，leaningforwardontheseat，wasgazingoutatthetownandthebaybeyondit。The“depothill“isnotashighasWhittaker\'sHill，buttheviewisalmostasextensive。

“Excuseme，Mister，“observedGabe，afteraninterval，“butyouain\'tsaidwhereyou\'regoin\'。“

Thepassengercameoutofhisdaydreamwithastart。

“Why，that\'sright！”heexclaimed。“SoIhaven\'t！Well，now，wherewouldyougo，ifyouwasme？Isthereahotelortavernorsomethin\'？”

“Yup。There\'stheBayportHotel。\'Tain\'texactlyahotel，neither。

Wecallittheperfectboardin\'house\'roundhere。Yousee——“

Heproceededtotellthestoryof“theperfectboardinghouse。“

Hislistenerseemedgreatlyinterested，andalthoughhelaughed，didnotinterruptuntilthetalewasended。

“So！”hesaid，chuckling。“BaileyBangs，hey？StubBangs！Well，well！AndhemarriedKeturyPayson！Howintimedidheeverfindspunkenoughtopropose？AndKeturyrunstheperfectboardin\'

house！Well，thatoughttobejobenoughforonewoman。SherunsBailey，too，ontheside，Is\'pose？”

“Youbetyou！Hedon\'tdasttosay\'boo\'toachickenwhenshe\'s\'round。Isay，Mister！Idon\'tknow\'sIknowyourname，doI？I

judgeyou\'vebeenhereaforeso——“

“Yes，I\'vebeenherebefore。Whoseisthatbigplaceupthereacrossourbows？Theonewiththecupolaonthemaintruck？”

“That，sir，“saidMr。Lumley，oratorically，“belongstotheHonorableHemanG。Atkins，andit\'sprobablythefinestinthiscounty。HemanisourrepresentativeinWashin\'ton，and——Didyousayanything？”

Thepassengerhadsaidsomething，buthedidnotrepeatit。Hewasleaningfromthecarriageandgazingsteadilyuptheslopeahead。

Andhisgaze，strangetosay，wasnotdirectedattheimposingAtkinsestate，butatitsoppositeneighbor，theold“CyWhittakerplace。“

Slowly，laboriously，Dan\'lWebstermountedthehill。Atthecresthewouldhavepausedtotakebreath，butthedriverwouldnotlethim。

“Gitalong，you！”hecommanded，flappingthereins。

AndthenMr。Lumleysufferedtheshockofasurprise。Thehithertocoolandself-possessedoccupantoftherearseatseemedverymuchexcited。HisbigredhandclaspedMr。Lumley\'soverthereins，andDan\'lwasbroughttoanabruptstandstill。

“Heaveto！”heordered，sharply，andthetonewasthatofonewhohasgivenmanyordersandexpectsthemtobeobeyed。“Belay！

Whoa，there！Greatlandoflove！lookatthat！LOOKatit！Whodidthat？”

ThematetothebigredhandpointedtothefrontdooroftheWhittakerplace。Gabewasalarmed。

“Donewhat？Donewhich？”hegasped。“Whatyoutalkin\'about？

Thereain\'tnobodylivesinthere。Thathousehasbeenemptyfor——“

“Where\'sthefrontfence？”demandedtheexcitedpassenger。“What\'sbecomeofthehedge？Andwhoputupthat——thatdarnedpiazza？”

ThepiazzahadbeenwhereitnowwasalmostsinceMr。Lumleycouldremember。Hehastenedtoreplythathedidn\'tknow；hewasn\'tsure；hepresumedlikely\'twas“themNewHampshireHoweses，“whentheyranasummerboardinghouse。

Thestrangerdrewalongbreath。“Well，ofallthe——“hebegan。

Thenhechoked，hesitated，andorderedhisdrivertoheaveaheadandrunalongsidethehotelasquickastheAlmightywouldlethim。

Gabehastenedtoobey。Hewasnowabsolutelycertainthathiscompanionwasanescapedlunatic，andthesooneranotherkeeperwasappointedthebetter。Theremainderofthetripwasmadeinsilence。

Mrs。Bangsopenedthedooroftheperfectboardinghouseandstoodmajesticallywaitingtoreceivetheprospectiveguest。Overhershoulderspeeredthefacesoftheboarders。

“Goodafternoon，“beganthelandlady。“Ipresumelikelyyouwouldliketo——“

Shewasinterrupted。Thenewcomerturnedtowardherandextendedhishand。

“Hello，Ketury！”hesaid。“Iain\'tseenyousenceyouworeyourhairup，butyou\'rejustasgood-lookin\'asever。Andain\'tthatBailey？Yes，\'tis，andAsaph，too！Howareyou，boys？Shake！”

Mr。Bangsandhischum，thetownclerk，hademergedfromthedoorway。Theirmouthsandeyeswerewideopenandtheyseemedtobesufferingfromasortofparalysis。

“Well？What\'sthematterwithyou？”demandedthearrival。“Ain\'ttoostuckuptoshakehandsafteralltheseyears，areyou？”

Bailey\'smouthclosedinorderthatit\'spossessormightswallow。

Thenitslowlyreopened。

“Iswantoman！”heejaculated。“WELL！Iswantoman！I——Ib\'lieveyou\'reCyWhittaker！”

“CourseIam。HavetodyemycarrottopifIwanttoplayanybodyelse。Butlookhere，boys，youanswermyquestion：whohadthecheektorigupthatblastedpiazzaonmyhouse？Itstartstocomedownto-morrowmornin\'！”

CHAPTERIII

“FIXIN\'OVER“

MissAngelinePhinneymadenolessthanninecallsthatafternoon。

Beforebedtimeitwasknown，fromthelasthouseinWoodchuckLanetothefishshantiesatWestBayport，that“youngCy“Whittakerhadcomeback；thathehadcomeback“forgood“；thathewasstayingtemporarilyattheperfectboardinghouse；thathewas“awfulwelloff“——havingmadelotsofmoneydowninSouthAmerica；thatheintendedto“fixover“theWhittakerplace，andthatitwastobefixedover，notinamodernmanner，withplushparlorsets——alaSylvanusCahoon——norwithonyxtablesandblueandgoldchairslikethoseadorningtheAtkinsmansion。Itwastobe，asnearaspossible，areproductionofwhatithadbeeninthetimeofthelate“Cap\'nCy，“youngCy\'sfather。

“_I_thinkhe\'soutofhishead，“declaredMissPhinney，inconfidence，toeachoftheninefemaleswhomshefavoredwithhercalls。“Notcrazy，youunderstand，butsortoftouchedintheupperstory。IsayssotoMatildyTripp，saiditrightout，too：

\'Matildy，\'Isays，\'he\'sgotascrewlooseupaloftjustassureasyou\'reabornwoman！\'\'Whatmakesyouthinkso？\'saysshe。

\'Well，\'saysI，\'doyous\'poseanybodythatwan\'tfoolishwouldbeforspendin\'goodmoneyonanoldhousetomakeitOLDER？\'Isays。

Goin\'toteardownthepiazzathefustthing！Perfectlygoodpiazzathatcostninety-eightdollarsandsixtycentstobuild；I

know，becauseIseethebillwhentheHoweseshaditdone。Andhe\'sgoin\'tosetoutboxhedges，somethin\'thatain\'tbeenthestyleinthistownsenceCongressmanAtkinspulleduphis。\'Whatintheworld，Cap\'nWhittaker，\'saysItohim，\'doyouwantofboxhedges？Homelyandstiffandfunerallookin\'！Imighthave\'emaroundmygraveintheburyin\'ground，\'Isays，\'butnowhereselse。\'\'Allright，Angie，\'sayshe，\'youshallhave\'emthere；

I\'llcutsomeslipspurposeforyou。It\'llbeapleasure，\'hesays。Nowain\'tthatcrazytalkforagrownman？”

MissPhinneywasnottheonlyoneinourvillagetoquestionCaptainCyWhittaker\'ssanityduringthenextfewmonths。Themajorityofourpeopledidn\'tunderstandhimatall。Hewasgenerallyliked，foralthoughhehadmoney，hedidnotputonairs，buthehadhisownwayofdoingthings，andtheywerenotBayportways。

Truetohispromise，hehadasquadofcarpentersbusy，onthedayfollowinghisarrival，tearingdowntheloathedpiazza。Thesecarpenters，andmore，werekeptbusythroughoutthatentirespringandwellintothesummer。Thencamepaintersandgardeners。Thepiazzadisappeared；anewpicketfence，exactlyliketheoldonetorndownbytheHoweses，waserected；newshutterswerehung；newwindowpaneswereset；theroofwasnewlyshingled。CaptainCy，Senior，had，inhisday，cherishedaNewEnglandfondnessforwhiteandgreenpaint；thereforethenewfencewaswhiteandthehousewaswhiteandtheblindsabrilliantgreen。Rowsofboxhedge，theplantsbroughtfromBoston，weresetoutoneachsideofthefrontwalk。TheHowesfront-doorbell——aclamorousgong——wasremoved，andaglassknobattachedtoaspringbelloftheold-fashioned“jingle“varietytookitsplace。Anold-fashionedflowergarden——

Cap\'nCy\'smotherhadlovedposies——waslaidoutonthewestlawnbeyondthepeartrees。Allthesechangesthecaptainsuperintended；

whentheywerecompleteheturnedhisattentiontointeriordecoration。

AndnowCaptainCyproceededto，literally，astonishthenatives。

AmongtheHowes“improvements“weregiltwallpapersandmodernfurnitureforthelowerfloorofthehouse。Thefurnituretheyhadtakenwiththem；thewallpaperhadperforcebeenleftbehind。Andthecaptainhadeveryscrapofthatpaperstrippedfromthewalls，andthelatterre-coveredwithquaint，ugly，old-fashionedpatterns，stripesandrosesandfloweredsprayswithimpossiblebirdsflittingamongthem。TheBassettdecoratorshaspastedthegiltimprovementovertheoldWhittakerpaper，anditwastheWhittakerpaperthatthecaptaindidhisbesttomatch，sendingsampleshere，there，andeverywhereintheeffort。Then，uponthewallshehungold-fashionedpictures，suchasBayportdwellershadlongagorelegatedtotheirattics，pictureslike“FromShoretoShore，““ChristianViewingtheCityBeautiful，“and“SigningtheDeclaration。“Totheseheadded，bringingthemfromthecrowdedgarretofthehomestead，oilpaintingsofshipscommandedbyhisfatherandgrandfather，andfamilyportraits，executed——whichisapeculiarlyfittingword——bydeceasedlocalartistsinoilandcrayon。

Heboardedupthefireplaceinthesittingroomandinstalledabase-burnerstove，resurrectedfromthetinsmith\'sbarn。Hepurchasedafull“hairclothset“ofparlorfurniturefromoldMrs。

Penniman，whoneverhadbeenknowntosellanyofherhoardedbelongingsbefore，eventothe“antiquers，“andwouldn\'thavedonesonow，haditnotbeenthatthecaptain\'sofferwastooprincelytobereal，andtheoldladyfearedshemightbedreamingandwouldwakeupbeforeshereceivedthemoney。AndfromTrumettoOstablehejourneyed，buyingachairhereandatablethere，braidedragmatsfromthisone，andcordedbedsteadsand“risingsun“quiltsfromthat。AtleasthalfofBayportbelievedwithGabeLumleyandMissPhinneythat，ifCaptainCyhadnotescapedfromahomefortheinsane，hewasalikelycandidateforsuchaninstitution。

Atthetableoftheperfectboardinghousethecaptainwasnotinclinedtobecommunicativeregardinghisreasonsandhisintentions。Hewasaprimefavoritethere，praisingKeturah\'scooking，jokingwithAngelineconcerningwhathewaspleasedtocallher“giddy“mannerofdressingandwearing“sidecurls，“andtellingyarnsofSouthAmericandressandbehavior，whichwouldprobablyhaveshockedMrs。Tripp——shehavingrecentlylefttheMethodistchurchtojointhe“Come-Outers，“becausetheSundayservicesoftheformerwere，withtheorganandapaidchoir，altogether“tooplay-actin\'“——iftheyhadnotbeensointeresting，andifCaptainCyhadnotalwaysconcludedthemwiththeobservation：“Butthere！youcan\'texpectnothin\'morefromignorantcrittersdeniedtheprivilegesofcongregationalsingin\'andexperiencemeetin\'s；hey，Matilda？”

Mrs。Trippwouldsighandadmitthatshesupposednot。

“OnlyIdowishMr。Daniels，OURminister，mighthaveachancetopreachover\'em，poorthings！”

“SodoI，“withacovertwinkatMrs。Bangs，whowasastanchadherentoftheregularfaith。“SouthAmerica\'dbejusttheplaceforhim；ain\'tthatso，Keturah？”

Heevadedallpersonalquestionsputtohimbytheboarders，explainingthathewasrenovatingtheoldplacejustforfun——healwayshadhadagangofmenworkingforhim，anditseemednaturalsomehow。Buttothefriendsofhisboyhood，AsaphTiddittandBaileyBangs，hetoldtherealtruth。

“Iswantoman！”exclaimedBailey，almosttearfully，asthetriowanderedthroughtheroomsoftheCyWhittakerplace，dodgingpaperhangersandplasterers；“Iswantoman，Whit，ifitdon\'talmostseemasthoughIwasaboyagain。Why！it\'syourdad\'shousecomebackalive，itisso！Lookatthissettin\'room！Seem\'sifI

couldseehimnowa-settin\'bythaterestove，andMrs。Whittaker，yourma，overtherea-sewin\'，andoldCap\'nCy——yourgranddad——

snoozin\'inthatbigarmchair——Why！why，whit！it\'stheveryimageofthechairhealwayssetin！”

CaptainCylaughedaloud。

“It\'smoren\'that，Bailey，“hesaid；“it\'sTHEchair。\'Twasupattic，allbustedandcrippled，butIhaditmadeoverlikenew。

Andthere\'sgranddad\'spicture，lookin\'justasIrememberhim——

onlyhewan\'tquitesomuchofafrozenwaximageashe\'spaintedthere。I\'mgoin\'tohangitwhereitalwayshung，overthemantelpiece，nexttothelookin\'glass。

“Greatlandoflove，boys！”hewenton，“youfellersdon\'tknowwhatthismeanstome。Manyandmany\'sthetimeI\'vehadthisoldhouseandthisoldroominmymind。I\'veseen\'emaboardshipinahowlin\'galeofftheHorn。I\'veseen\'emdowninSurinamofahotnight，whentherewan\'tabreathscurcelyandtheCaribswentarounddressedinahandkerchiefandapapercigar，anditmadeyouwishyoucould。I\'veseen\'em——butthere！everytimeI\'veseen\'emI\'vesworethatsomedayI\'dcomebackandLIVE\'em，andnow，bythebigdipper！hereIam。Oh，Itellyou，chummies，youwanttobefiredOUTofahomeandoutofatowntoappreciate\'em！NotthatIblametheoldman；heandIwastoomuchaliketocruiseincompany。ButBayportIwasbornin，andintheBayportgraveyardtheycanplantmewhenI\'mreadyforthescrapheap。It\'sinthebloodand——Why，seehere！Don\'tITALKlikeaBayporter？”

“Yousartindo！”repliedAsaphemphatically。

“Abody\'dthinkyou\'dbeendiggin\'clamsandpickin\'cranberriesinBassett\'sHollerallyourlifelong，tohearyou。“

“Youbet！Well，that\'spride；that\'swhatthatis。Ipridedmyselfonhangin\'totheBayporttwangthroughthickandthin。

AmongalltheSpanish\'Carambas\'and\'MadredeDioses\'itdidmegoodtocomeoutwithagoodoldYankee\'darn\'onceinawhile。

Keptmefeelin\'likeawhiteman。Oh，I\'maWhittaker！_I_knowit。AndI\'vegotalltheWhittakerpig-headedness，Iguess。Andbecausetheoldman——blesshisheart，Isaynow——toldmeI

shouldn\'tBEaWhittakernomore，norlivelikeaWhittaker，I

simplysworeupanddownIwouldbeoneandcomebackhere，whenI\'dmademypile，toheaveanchorandstayonetillIdie。Maybethat\'sfoolishness，butit\'sme。“

HepuffedvigorouslyatthepipewhichhadtakentheplaceoftheSnowflakecigar，andadded：

“Takethisoldsettin\'room——why，hereitis；see！Here\'sdadinhischairandmainhers，and，ifyougobackfarenough，granddadinhis，justasyousay，Bailey。Andhere\'sme，alittleshaver，squattin\'onthefloorbythestove，lookin\'atthepicturesinaheapofGodey\'sLady\'sBook。Andsaysdad，\'Bos\'n，\'hesays——heusedtocallme\'Bos\'n\'inthosedays——\'Bos\'n，\'saysdad，\'rundowncellarandfetchmeupapitcherofcider，that\'sagoodfeller。\'

Yes，yes；that\'sthisroomasI\'veseenitinmymindeversinceI

tiptoedthroughitthenightIrunaway，withmydudsinabundleundermyarm。DoyouwonderIwasfightin\'madwhenIsawwhatthatHowestribehaddonetoit？”

SuperintendingthemakingoveroftheoldhomeoccupiedmostofCaptainCy\'sdaylighttimethatsummer。HiseveningswerespentatSimmons\'sstore。WehavenoclubsinBayport，strictlyspeaking，forthesewingcircleandtheShakespeareReadingSocietyareexclusivelyfeminineinmembership；thereforeSimmons\'sstoreisthegatheringplaceofthosemaleswhoarebachelorsorwidowersorwhoaresufficientlyfreefrompetticoatgovernmenttoriskanoccasionaleveningout。AsaphTiddittwasaregularsojourneratthestore。BaileyBangs，happeningintopurchasefiftycents\'

worthofsugarortohavethemolassesjugfilled，lingeredoccasionally，butnotoften。CaptainCyexplainedBailey\'sabsenceincharacteristicfashion。

“Variety，“observedthecaptain，“isthespiceoflife。Baileygetstalkenoughtohome。What\'stheuseofhiscomin\'upheretogetmore？”

“Oh，Idon\'tknow，“saidJosiahDimick，withagrin，“welethimdosomeofthetalkin\'himselfuphere。Downattheboardin\'houseKeturahandAngiePhinneydoitall。“

“Yes。Still，ifafellerwascondemnedtoliveoverabilerfactoryhewouldn\'thankertogetajobINit，wouldhe？WhenBaileywasadelegatetotheMethodistConferenceupinBoston，himandacrowdvisitedthedeefanddumbasylum。When\'twastimetogo，hewasmissin\'，andtheyfoundhiminthefemalewardlookin\'

attheinmates。Saidthatthesightofallthemwomen，everyoneof\'emnotabletosayaword，wasthemostwonderfulthingeverhelaideyeson。Saiditmadehimfeelkindofreverentandholy，almostasifhewasinParadise。SoAseTiddittsays，anyway；it\'shisyarn。“

“\'Tain\'tnuther，CyWhittaker！”declaredtheindignantAsaph。“IfyouexpectI\'mgoin\'tofatherallyourlies，you\'remistaken。“

ThecrowdatSimmons\'sdiscusspolitics，asageneralthing；stateandnationalpoliticsintheirseasons，butcountypoliticsandlocalaffairsalways。ThequestioninBayportthatsummer，asidefromthatoftheharborappropriation，waswhoshouldbehiredasdownstairsteacher。Ourschoolhouseisatwo-storybuilding，withaschoolroomoneachfloor。Thelowerroom，wherethelittletotsbeginwiththeir“C——A——TCat，“andprogressuntiltheyhavemasteredtheFourthReader，iscalled“downstairs。““Upstairs“

is，ofcourse，thesecondstory，wheretheolderchildrenaretaught。Tohandlesomeofthe“bigboys“upstairsisataskforahealthyman，andsuchaoneusuallyfillstheteacher\'spositionthere。Downstairsbeing，intheory，atleast，lessstrenuous，ispresidedoverbyawoman。

MissSeabury，whohadbeendownstairsteacherforonelivelyterm，hadresignedthatspringintearsandhumiliation。Herscholarshadenjoyedthemselvesandwouldhavelikedhertocontinue，butthecommitteeandthetownspeoplethoughtotherwise。Therewasageneralfeelingthatenjoymentwasnotthewholeaimofeducation。

“Betty，“saidCaptainDimick，referringtohissmallgranddaughter，“hasdonefustratesofur\'smarksmanshipandlungtrainin\'goes。

Ical\'lateshecanhitanailheadtenfootoffwithaspitballthreetimesoutoffour，andshecanwhisperloudenoughtobeunderstoodinJericho。But，notwishingtobeunreasonable，stillIshouldliketohaveherspell\'door\'withoutan\'e。\'I\'vealwaysbeenusedtoseein\'itspelledthatwayand——well，I\'mkindofold-

fashioned，anyway。“

TherewasadifferenceofopinionconcerningMissSeabury\'ssuccessor。AportionofthetownspeoplewereforhiringagraduateoftheStateNormalSchool，ayoungwomanwithmoderntraining。

Others，rememberingthatMissSeaburyhadgraduatedfromthatschool，wereforprovedabilityandlessup-to-datemethods。TheselatterhadselectedacandidateinthepersonofaMissPhoebeDawes，aresidentofWellmouth，andteacheroftheWellmouth“downstairs“forsomeyears。TheargumentsatSimmons\'swerehotones。

“What\'stheuseofhirin\'somebodyfromrightnextdoortous，asyoumightsay？”demandedAlpheusSmalley，clerkatthestore。

“Don\'twewantourteachin\'tobeabreastofthetimes，andisWellmouthabreastofANYthing？”

“It\'sabreastofthebay，that\'saboutall，Iwillgivein，“

repliedMr。Tidditt。“But，thewayIlookatit，weneeddisCIPlinemore\'nanythingelse，andPhoebeDaweshashadthebestdisCIPlineinherschool，that\'sbeenknownintheselatitudes。Order？Why，say！EbenSalterstoldmethatwhenhevisitedherroomoverthere\'twassostillthathedidn\'tdasttoruboneshoeagainstt\'other，itsoundedupso。Hehadtosetstillandbearhischilblainsbesthecould。AndPOPULAR！Why，whenshehintedthatshemightleaveinMay，herscholarsmore\'nha\'fof\'em，bustoutcryin\'。Nowyouhearme，I——“

“Itseemstome，“putinThaddeusSimpson，whoranthebarbershopandwassomethingofapolitician，“itseemstome，fellers，thatwe\'dbetterwaitandhearwhatMr。Atkinshastosayinthismatter。Iguessthat\'swhatthecommittee\'lldo，anyhow。Wewouldn\'twanttogocontrarytoHeman，noneofus；hey？”

“Tad“SimpsonwasknowntobedeepinCongressmanAtkins\'sconfidence。Thementionofthegreatman\'snamewasreceivedwithreverenceandnodsofapproval。

“That\'sright。Wemustn\'tdonothin\'todispleaseHeman，“wasthegeneralopinion。

CaptainCydidnotjointhechorus。Herefilledhispipeandcrossedhislegs。

“Humph！”hegrunted。“HemanAtkinsseemstobe——Givemeamatch，Ase，won\'tyou？Thanks。Iunderstandthere\'saspecialprayermeetin\'atthechurchto-morrownight，Alpheus。What\'sitfor？”

“For？”Mr。Smalleyseemedsurprised。“It\'stoprayforrain，that\'swhat。Youknowit，Cap\'n，aswell\'sIdo。Ain\'teverybody\'sgardendryin\'upandthepondssolowthatweshan\'tbeabletogetwaterforthecranberryditchesprettysoon？There\'sneedtopray，Ishouldthink！”

“Humph！Seemsaroundaboutwayofgettin\'athing，don\'tit？Whydon\'tyoutelegraphtoHemanandaskhimtofixitforyou？Savetime。“

Thisremarkwasreceivedinhorrifiedsilence。TadSimpsonwasthefirsttorecover。

“Cap\'n，“hesaid，“youain\'tmetMr。Atkinsyet。Whenyoudo，you\'llfeelsameastherestofus。He\'scomin\'homenextweek；

thenyou\'llsee。“

ApartatleastofMr。Simpson\'sprophecyprovedtrue。TheHonorableAtkinsdidcometoBayportthefollowingweek，accompaniedbyhislittledaughterAlicia，thehousekeeper，andtheAtkinsservants。

TheHonorableandhisdaughterhadbeen，sincetheadjournmentofCongress，onapleasuretriptotheYosemiteandYellowstonePark，andnowtheyweretoremaininthemansiononthehillforsometime。Thebighousewasopened，thestoneurnsburstintorefulgentbloom，theirondogswererefreshedwithacoatofblackpaint，andthebigirongatewasswungwide。Bayportsatupandtooknotice。

AngelinePhinneywasinherglory。

ThemeetingbetweenCaptainCyandMr。Atkinstookplacethemorningafterthelatter\'sreturn。Thecaptainandhistwochumshadbeeninspectingtheprogressmadebythecarpentersandwereleaningoverthenewfence，thenjusterected，butnotyetpainted。

Downthegravelwalkofthemansionacrosstheroadcamestrollingitsowner，silk-hatted，side-whiskered，benignant。

“Godfrey！”exclaimedAsaph。“There\'sHeman。Seehim，Whit？”

“Yup，Iseehim。Seemstobeheadin\'thisway。“

“I——Idobelievehe\'scomin\'across，“whisperedMr。Bangs。“Yes，heis。He\'srealeveryday，Cy。HEwon\'tmindifyouain\'tdressedup。“

“Won\'the？That\'scomfortin\'。Well，I\'lldothebestIcanwithoutstimulants，asthedoctorsays。Ifyouhearmykneesrattlejustnudgeme，willyou，Bailey？”

Mr。Tiddittremovedhishat。Baileytouchedhis。CaptainCylookedprovokinglyindifferent；heevenwhistled。

“Goodmornin\'，Mr。Atkins，“hailedthetownclerk，raisinghisvoicebecauseofthewhistle。“I\'mproudtoseeyoubackamongus，sir。HopeyouandAliciahadanicetimeoutWest。Howisshe——

prettysmart？”