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？”