Cy Whittaker's Place

made no less than nine

oarding house; that he was "awful well off"-having made lots of money down in South America; that he intended to "fix over" the Whittaker place, and that it was to be fixed over, not in a modern manner, with plush parlor sets-a

ou s'pose anybody that wan't foolish would be for spendin' good money on an old house to make it OLDER?' I says. Goin' to tear down the piazza the fust thing! Perfectly good piazza that cost ninety-eight dollars and sixty cents to build; I know, because I see the bill when the Howeses had it done. And he's goin' to set out box hedges, somethin' that ain't been the style in this town sence Congres

few months. The majority of our people didn't understand him at all. He was generally liked, for although h

ters were hung; new windowpanes were set; the roof was newly shingled. Captain Cy, Senior, had, in his day, cherished a New England fondness for white and green paint; therefore the new fence was white and the house was white and the blinds a brilliant green. Rows of box hedge, the plants brought from Boston, were set out on each side of the front walk. The Howes front-

patterns, stripes and roses and flowered sprays with impossible birds flitting among them. The Bassett decorators has pasted the gilt improvement over the old Whittaker paper, and it was the Whittaker paper that the captain did his best to match, sending samples here, there, and everywhere in the effort. Then, upon the walls he hung old-fashioned pictures, such as Bayport dwellers had lo

he "antiquers," and wouldn't have done so now, had it not been that the captain's offer was too princely to be real, and the old lady feared she might be dreaming and would wake up before she received the money. And from Trumet to Ostable he journeyed, buying a chair here and a ta

and wearing "side curls," and telling yarns of South American dress and behavior, which would probably have shocked Mrs. Tripp-she having recently left the Methodist church to join the "Come-Outers," because the Sunday services of the former were, with the organ and a paid choir, alt

igh and admit that

minister, might have a chance t

stanch adherent of the regular faith. "South America

e old place just for fun-he always had had a gang of men working for him, and it seemed natural s

t don't almost seem as though I was a boy again. Why! it's your dad's house come back alive, it is so! Look at this settin' room! Seem's if I could see him now a-settin' by that ere s

Cy laugh

like new. And there's granddad's picture, lookin' just as I remember him-only he wan't quite so much of a frozen wax

ly and the Caribs went around dressed in a handkerchief and a paper cigar, and it made you wish you could. I've seen 'em-but there! every time I've seen 'em I've swore that some day I'd come back and LIVE 'em, and now, by the big dipper! here I am. Oh, I tell you, chummies, you want to be fired OUT of

!" replied Asa

ms and pickin' cranberries in Bassett's

Yankee 'darn' once in a while. Kept me feelin' like a white man. Oh, I'm a Whittaker! I know it. And I've got all the Whittaker pig-headedness, I guess. And because the old man-bless his heart, I say now-told me I shoul

e which had taken the place of

ve, lookin' at the pictures in a heap of Godey's Lady's Book. And says dad, 'Bos'n,' he says-he used to call me 'Bos'n' in those days-'Bos'n,' says dad, 'run down cellar and fetch me up a pitcher of cider, that's a good feller.'

Society are exclusively feminine in membership; therefore Simmons's store is the gathering place of those males who are bachelors or widowers or who are sufficiently free from petticoat government to risk an occasional evening out. Asaph Tiddit

of life. Bailey gets talk enough to home. Wha

let him do some of the talkin' himself up here. Down at

owd visited the deef and dumb asylum. When 'twas time to go, he was missin', and they found him in the female ward lookin' at the inmates. Said that the sight of all them women, every one of 'em not

e indignant Asaph. "If you expect I'm goin'

stairs teacher. Our schoolhouse is a two-story building, with a schoolroom on each floor. The lower room, where the little tots begin with their "C-A-T Cat," and progress until they have mastered the Fourth Reader, is called "downstairs." "Upstairs" is, of course, t

liation. Her scholars had enjoyed themselves and would have liked her to continue, but the committee and the

nail head ten foot off with a spitball three times out of four, and she can whisper loud enough to be understood in Jericho. But, not wishing to be unreasonabl

th modern training. Others, remembering that Miss Seabury had graduated from that school, were for proved ability and less up-to-date methods. These latter had selected a

t say?" demanded Alpheus Smalley, clerk at the store. "Don't we want our t

r school, that's been known in these latitudes. Order? Why, say! Eben Salters told me that when he visited her room over there 'twas so still that he didn't dast to rub one shoe against t'other, it soun

it seems to me, fellers, that we'd better wait and hear what Mr. Atkins has to say in this matter. I gu

kins's confidence. The mention of the great man's na

o nothin' to displease Hema

e chorus. He refilled his

Ase, won't you? Thanks. I understand there's a special prayer

as well's I do. Ain't everybody's garden dryin' up and the ponds so low that we shan't be ab

hing, don't it? Why don't you telegraph to He

horrified silence. Tad Simps

. When you do, you'll feel same as the rest of

ble and his daughter had been, since the adjournment of Congress, on a pleasure trip to the Yosemite and Yellowstone Park, and now they were to remain in the mansion on the hill for some time. The big house was

had been inspecting the progress made by the carpenters and were leaning over the new fence, then just erected, but not yet

d Asaph. "There's H

. Seems to be h

ed Mr. Bangs. "Yes, he is. He's real everyda

I can without stimulants, as the doctor says. If you

touched his. Captain Cy looked provo

because of the whistle. "I'm proud to see you back among us, sir. H

ional smile. He approached the grou

ee you both again. Yes, my daughter is well, I thank you. She, like her father, is glad to be back in

whiskers with an interested air, "I want to make you acquainted with your new neighbor. You used to know him when you was

at man

Is it possible that this is reall

re you, Heman? Fatter'n you used to be, a

emed a trifle taken aback. Comments on his personal appe

to welcome you back among us. I should scarcely

me older. Don't need any Normal School graduate to do that sum for us. I'm within seven or

changed t

gave me much pleasure to learn that you were reb

ew feathers. Old birds like to roost comf'tab

ppose you would find it rathe

'll be enough left in the stockin' to buy a f

on dogs guarding the Atkins g

ighbor. I have always felt a fondness for the old place, even when you allowed it-even wh

nterruption. "I judged you m

selectmen and the contemplated "sale for

downstairs this comin' year. We've sort of chawed it over among us, but naturally we wa

sman cleare

y birthplace very near and dear to me, I confess that I am inclined to favor a modern teacher, one educated and trained in the institution provided for t

us at our Fourth-of-July celebrations and October "rallies." Two of his hearers, at least, were vi

hat's so, ain't it, Cy?

?" asked t

t Wellmouth a

. They're twent

t so conclusive, Mr. Atkins. I can see

ed the frock coat

r village. We-my daughter and myself-will probably remain at home until the fall. I trust

ptain Cy shor

That's right.

own the hill. The t

s a comfort to know 'tis settled. Still I did kind o

this county, pretty nigh? I'd like to know who is if he ain't. The

at the dignified form of the

s on the school committee? E

aded that nobody-not even a United States Representative-could change

k? Lem Myrick

ain't but one M

captain and was sile

wes had been called, by a vote of two to one, to teach the downstairs school. Asaph, aghast, rushed out of Simmons's store and up to th

in. "What's the matter? Hasn't

resence of Mr. Myrick, hesitated ove

hoebe," he said. "What of it? I vote

Mr. Atk

one in this town can change me. Anyway," he added, "I'm going to resign next spri

Captain Cy. "His price was a little higher than

time. Then he cornered the captain behind

hirin' Phoebe Dawes. You offered Lem the paintin' job if he'd v

eyes on her

n say he wanted the other

n Cy g

t raisins in the flapjacks once, just to see what they tasted like. I judged Heman had had his own w