Cy Whittaker's Place

d his ankle on the icy sidewalk in front of Simmons's, and was therefore obliged to remain in the front bedroom of th

aniels, who was calling upon the strang

ere, Mister, if you want to scare me about the future you just hint that they'll put me

ly Thomas's arrival at the Cy Whittaker place found the little girl still there and apparently no neare

se she ain't gone! And, what's more, she ain't goin' to go. Whit's got so

rday he was tellin' how Betsy'd feel when the gi

es 'em. Man alive! can't you SEE? Ain't he gettin' more foolish over the young one every day? Don't she boss him round like the overseer on a cranberry swamp? Don't he look more contented than h

man-struck and at an age when it hadn't oug

ed by a large portion of the townspeople. Emily had not been in the Whittaker house two days before Angeline Phinney called, hot on the trail of gossip and sensation. But, persistent as

bout the cranb'ry crop this fall; and after that all he could say was 'cranb'ries, cranb'ries, cranb'ries!' 'Hear you've got comp'ny,' says I. 'Did you?' says he. 'Now ain't it strange how things'll get spread around? Only yesterday I heard that Joe Dimick's swamp was just loaded down with "early blacks." And yet when I went over to look at it there didn't seem to be so many. T

ed by Asaph concerning the a

so interested in cranb'

rom a rush of curiosity to the head and I cured her by homeopath doses. Every time she opened her mouth

where she came from. "What they don't know won't hurt 'em any," declared Captain Cy. And Emily's answer to inquiring souls

far," said the captain; "but I ain't braggin', either

on at the Whittaker place and grew to be more and more a part of it

ou're so handy here that it fits in first rate. And, besides, it

long as she was permitted to stay with her new friend. Already the bos'n had taken charge of the

her arrival "Bos'n" suggested tha

id. "And Auntie Oliver used to say meeting

n shirt sleeves and slippers, had prepared for a qui

e up the steak, and I thought maybe you hadn't been for a

Bayport, but the sermon was more somnolent than edifying, and he hadn't repeated the experiment. The pair attracted much a

Mrs. Eben Salters, patting her false front in

ed and patched up and all outgrown! If I had Cy Whittaker's money I'd be ashamed to have a relation of mine come to meetin' that way. Even if her folks was poorer'n Job's off ox I'd spend a little on my own account and trust to ge

o the South. Alicia was accompanied by the Atkins hous

church whisper: "Don't she look sweet? I agree with you, Sarah; it is

heard 'twas a child he'd adopted out of a home. There's all sorts o

n his face, and he spoke little as, holding Emily by the hand, he led the way home. That evening he dropped in a

in 'em," he stammered, in explanation. "Bos'n likes to

r periodicals of a similar nature. The captain took them under his arm an

o you. Bring Bailey along, if you can do

aker sitting room, Captain Cy produced the

Bos'n-Emily, that is-wan't rigged exactly the w

ither was ready with an immediat

me to haul her into dry dock and refit. That's why I borrowed these magazines of Ketury. I've been lookin' them over and there seems to be plenty of riggin' for small craft; the

an feet, who, arrayed in flounces and furbelows, was toddling gingerly down a flight of marble steps. She c

ion inspected the young lady

you say?" deman

them kind of dogs," obs

he dog in with the clothes, for good meas

gs look

der'ble less fleshy than Emily. This one looks to me as if she was breakin' in two amidships. Still, I s'pose likel

er beneath the fashion plate and then

he read. "Humph! that settles that, firs

she could wear forenoons, if she wanted to

y rejected. One after another the different magazines were examined and the pictures discusse

g Mr. Tidditt. "That's mighty swell, ain'

d with embroidered batiste.

now. Do yo

shouldn't wonder. Well, Ketury's down on the French ever sence she read about Na

wear.' Summer! Why, by the big dipper, we're aground again

floor, rubbed his forehead,

those women at the meetin' house goin' on about how pretty 'Licia Atkins was got up and how mean and shabby Bos'n looked, it made me bile. And, by the big

s, but Effie Taylor comes and takes the wheel whil

married man aboard, after all. A dressmaker'

id, "rigged out fresh from main truck to keelson." In this "rigging" Captain Cy and his two partners-Josiah Dimick had already christened the pair "The

s'n?" asked the captain, referring to one of the new gown

"There ain't anything cheap about it, and you'll find it ou

ung along the yards would sort of liven it up? Why! you ought to see them Greaser girls down in S

aker sniff

a barber's pole you'll have to get somebody else to do it. I'm used to dressing Christi

rometer fallin'. I was only suggestin'

uld like red very much; nor the other co

ldn't want you to look like a barber's pole. Don't love

her sister Georgiana, who had been working in a Brockton shoe shop, was now at home and might be engaged to attend to the household duties at the

o have the term begin in September. But this idea has little chance of success as long as cranberry picking continues to be our leading industry. So ma

s wish with calm dignity and the philosophy of the truly great who are not troubled by trifles. His lieutenant, Tad Simpson, quoted him as saying that, of course, the will of the school committee was paramount, and he, as all good citizens should, bowed to their verdict. "Far be it from me," so the great man proclaimed, "to desire that my

dit upon Mr. Atkins. There were a few scoffers, however.

t believer in his own judgment. One time, it bein' Saturday, his wife wanted him to pump the washtub full and take a bath. He said, no; said the cistern was awful low and 'twould use up all the water.

But you can see for yourself that we'll have to cart water from now

't see what that's got to do wit

to do with it. But he kind of ma

ough for Sunday-and, taking his small partner by the hand, would lead the way across the fields, through the pines and down by the meadow "short cut" to the cemetery. The cemetery is a favorite Sabbath resort for the natives of Bayport, who usually speak of it as the graveyard. It is a pleasant, shady spot, and to visit it is considered quit

ties and that of the Honorable Heman Atkins there was a great gulf fixed. But he rather liked to visit the graveyard on Sunda

ng; past the sumptuous granite shaft of the Atkins lot and the tilted mossy stone which told how "Edwin Simpson, our only son," had been "accidentally shot in the West

than October, and there was almost no wind. The sun was shining on the shallow water, and the sand beneath it showed yellow, checkered and marbled with dark green

t this just lovely! I do l

t pulls, that kind of a streak does. There's days when I feel uneasy every minute and hanker for a deck underneath me.

later; "I've been thinkin' about you

n Concord. Mamma used to help me nights, too. I can read almost all t

er and I've been thinkin' that maybe you'd better go. Th

idditt said you was the one

s time; I cal'late I was some responsible for her bein' voted in. Yet I don't really

ooked t

o learn how to read the big words, too. B

ana's there to keep me straight and she'll see to the dust and the dishes.

thought fo

er than Auntie Oliver. I printed a letter to her the other day. I told her

Bailey the declaration that the arrangement was but temporary, and that Betsy How

e'll see. Now you trot around and have a good time. I'm go

ted. By and by the puffs were less frequent and the cigar went out. It fell fr

him, but he did not know what. He blinked and

. "O-o-o-h! Uncle Cyrus

huckleberry and bayberry bushes, bumping into pines and smas

ndary was the iron fence of the cemetery. The other three sides were marked by rail fences and

s that cussed heifer! I forgot her. K

ate depravity. At any rate, she cherished a mortal hatred toward human beings of her own sex. With men and boys she was meek enough, but no person wearing skirts, and alone, might venture in that field without being

ature had appeared from behind a knoll in the pasture and, head down and bellowing wickedly, had rushed upon her. When the captain reached the far-off fenc

"Oh, uncle, where are

y roared

omin'! Shoot you everlastin' crit

English as the captain was using. Emily dodged to the last pin

e said nothing, but picking up her skirts, ran straight toward the cow, heedless of the latter's rep

d reassuringly. Then to the cow: "

eing that the newcomer was only a woman,

" Bos'n obeyed. She made a desperate dash from her pine across the

ok at her, as if the volume was some sort of deadly weapon. "Aren't you ashame

running she continued to advance, brandishing the book and repeating her orders that the creature "go home" at once. The cow did not know what to make of it. Before she

it. When the indignant captain, having pursued and chastised the cow until the stick was but a splintered remnant,

and, holding her with a grip which testified to the nerve strain he had been u

all woman, quietly dressed, and her hair, under a neat black and white hat, was brown. The hat was now a trifle to one side and the hair was

t was the slickest, pluckiest thing ever I saw anywheres. I do

replying. Then she began to laugh, a

n. So when I saw her chasing your poor little girl here I knew right away what was the matter. It must have been foolish enough to look at. I'm used to dogs and cats, but I have

Bos'n joined in the laugh, in spite of

e I took from the table before I left the place where I'm staying, and a duller collec

I should say. But I must tell you,

e a poor set to let her make such a nuisance of

am-she and I was out walkin'. I set down in the pines and I guess I must have dozed off. Anyhow

er changed. Her gray ey

n your charge, and in the very next lot to that cow?

I'd heard o

," put in Bos'n eagerly. "It w

o the child the lady paid

ther 'll say when she see

pared by Miss Taylor. The girl and Captain Cy gazed ruefully

abashed captain, "the fact

ar. Well, if I were you I shouldn't go to slee

lked down the path. At t

nerves are pretty well upset. Besides, if you'll excuse my

but she turned once more

," she said, "if you took it to so

Cy and Bos'n slowly followed her. From the pasture the r

ring the homeward walk she spu

you, Uncle Cyrus!" she exclaime

n smiled o

than half right. But say! she was all business and no frills, wasn't she! Ha, ha!