Cy Whittaker's Place

day, "wan't you surprised

construction of which had progressed slowly of late, owing to the

if friend Tad had found the tide settin' too strong against him and had whistl

supper? He never so much as stepped foot in the house

urnt part off the bottom. I may be school committeeman after town meetin'. He'll move all creation to stop me, of course-in his quiet, round-the-corner way-but, if I do win out, he wants to be in a position to take m

two or three more chronic growls have been the only ones to sling out hints against him, till you come. Course I'm working for you, tooth and nail, and I will say that you seem to be gettin' the votes some way or other. But if Heman SHOULD step r

le, I don't know exactly. All I'm sure is that he does. Maybe it's 'cause I don't like the way he wears his whiskers. Maybe it's because he's so top-lofty and condescendin'. A feller can whistle to me and say: 'Come on, Bill,' and I'll trot

den chimney on the doll house, found it a trifle out of plumb, and proceeded to whittle a shaving off the lower edge.

'em I guess 'll vote for you, but most of 'em are pretty sartin' for 'Lonzo. However, I-Where is that list?

papers he produced

e's a letter for you, Cy, that he got at the post-office a week ago Monday. 'Twas the night of the church sociable, and he had on his Sunday cutaway, and he ain't worn it sence, till the party yesterd

ew comments and suggestions, and told his friend to heave ahead and land as many of the listed as pos

Say,

is hand on the ga

on't keep me no longer'n you can

e is kind of epidemic down at the boardin' house,

t namin' me with Matildy Tripp? I like a joke as well

-mindedness was a love symptom, so I just got to thinkin', that's a

mpled envelope, and stalked off without another word. The captain chuckled, laid the letter on the bench beside him and went on with hi

During the meal he realized that Mr. Bangs seemed to be trying to attract his attention. Whenever he glanced in that gentleman's dir

kly. "If you do, out with it! Don't set there workin' y

rning all the other faces toward

idn't know it. I've been washin' carriages and cleanin' up the barn all day and I cal'late I'

At any rate, a marked recovery set in and he signaled no more during the meal. But when it was over, and his task as d

I know there's somethin' and I've froze

glancing fearfully over his shoulder

sence mor

cks in the barn about eleven o'clock, when he come postin' in, white and shaky, an

eman's comin' back has knocked out hi

m to give a durn about 'em, one way or t'other. No, 'twas somethin' about that letter, the one I forgot so long. He wanted to know why in time I hadn't given it to him when it fust come. He was real ugly about it, for him, and kept pacin' up and down the barn

say what had

together and actin' as if he didn't see the road across his bows. Now, you know how cool and easy

een up to se

uldn't get away a minute, though I made up more'n a dozen errands at Simmons's and the like of that. You hold o

as half drawn and beneath it they had a clear view of the interior of the sitting room. Captain Cy was in the rocker before the stove, holding Bos'n in his arms. The child was sound asleep, her yell

e little girl close against his breast, met them at the sitting-room door. When he sa

ispered warningl

ed to the bedroom, turned back the bedclothes with one hand and laid Bos'n down. They saw him tuck her c

ome in," explained Asaph. "We see

n he stepped over and pulled the shade down to the sill,

ey, trying to be facetious. "'Frai

not even sit down, but remained

Did you fellers want to see

ys you scared him half to death this forenoon. And you look now as if somebody's

w his hand acro

EN a ghost. There! there! don't mind me. I ain't

as flatterin' myself you'd be tickled to hear I'd done so well. Why, even M

ghbor of Alonzo Snow's. But C

murmured.

ot to say? Are you really s

fierce in its utterance. "She

didn't know but she might be

d. "I'm the fool myself. Don't mind my barkin'; I don't mean

you? Was that let

eld up his hand. "I t

time for it! Humph! seems to be stoppin', don'

Set s

floor. He squared his shoulders and jammed his clenched fists into his pockets. Step

one of his own ships, the captain went to answer the knoc

Cap'n W

s the sho

u know some of my family. Ha, ha! Don't understand tha

reply was calm

der of the sentence was whispered and the listeners on the sofa could not hear

felt hat in his hand. The most noticeable thing about him was a slight hesitancy in his walk. He was not lame, he did not limp, yet his left foot seemed to halt for an instant as he brought it fo

Bailey and Asaph were wildly curious. They, of course, connected the stranger

as not to be satisfie

the newcomer cheerfully. "L

t off further

ow you're good enough friends of mine not to mind if I ask you to clear out. You'l

hit." And the mystified Bangs concurred with a "Yes, yes! Why, of course! Didn't

ate they stopped and

Who was that feller? Where'd he come from? Did you notice how

I mean? Didn't he look like a reg'lar no-account to you? And say, Ase, d

able questions and making profitless guesses. But

taker, I'm afraid. Poor old Cy! Well, WE'LL stand by him, anyhow. I don't believe he

y at the child, he would have realized that, if his former predictions were wiped off the slate and he coul