Ruthgraspedhismeaninglaterwhenshetastedthepuddingand，founditflavoredwithNewEnglandrum。
Afterdinnertheyadjournedtotheparlor。Maud，beingcoaxedby，heradoringfather，playedthepiano。Thenshesang。Thenthey，allsang，allexceptJedandthecaptain，thatis。Thelatter，declaredthathisvoicehadmildewedinthedampweathertheyhad，beenhavinglately，andJedexcusedhimselfonthegroundthathe，hadbeenwarnednottosingbecauseitwasnothealthy。
Barbarawassurprisedandshocked。
“Why，UncleJed！”shecried。”YousingEVERsomuch。Iheardyou，singingthismorning。”
Jednodded。”Ye-es，“hedrawled，“butIwasalonethenandI’m，liabletotakechanceswithmyownhealth。BlueyBatcheldorwasin，theshoplastweek，though，whenIwastunin’upanditdisagreed，withHIM。”
“Idon’tbelieveit，UncleJed，“withrighteousindignation。”How，doyouknowitdid？”
“’Causehesaidso。Helistenedaspell，andthensaidImadehim，sick，soItookhiswordforit。”
CaptainSamlaugheduproariously。”Youmustbeprettybadthen，Jed，“hedeclared。”AnybodywhodisagreeswithBlueyBatcheldor，mustbeprettynighthelimit。”
Jednodded。”Um-hm，“hesaid，reflectively，“prettynigh，butnot，quite。Alwaysseemedtomethereallimitwasanybodywhoagreed，withhim。”
SoJed，withBabbieonhisknee，satinthecornerofthebay，windowlookingoutonthestreet，whileMrs。Armstrongandher，brotherandMissHunniwellplayedandsangandthecaptain，applaudedvigorouslyandloudlydemandedmore。AfteratimeRuth，leftthegroupatthepianoandjoinedJedandherdaughterbythe，window。CaptainHunniwellcameafewminuteslater。
“Makeagood-lookin’couple，don’tthey？”hewhispered，bending，down，andwithajerkofhisheadinthedirectionofthe，musicians。”Yourbrother’safine-lookin’youngchap，Mrs。
Armstrong。Andheactsaswellashelooks。Don’tknowwhenI’ve，takensuchashinetoayoungfellerasIhavetohim。Yes，ma’am，theymakeagood-lookin’couple，evenifoneof’emismy，daughter。”
Thespeechwasmadewithouttheslightestthoughtorsuggestionof，anythingbutdelightedadmirationandparentalaffection。
Nevertheless，Ruth，towhomitwasmade，startedslightly，and，turning，regardedthepairatthepiano。Maudwasfingeringthe，pagesofabookofcollegesongsandlookingsmilinglyupintothe，faceofCharlesPhillips，whowaslookingdownintohers。There，was，apparently，nothinginthepicture——aprettyone，bytheway——
tocauseMrs。Armstrongtogazesofixedlyortobringtheslight，frowntoherforehead。AfteramomentsheturnedtowardJed，Winslow。Theireyesmetandinhisshesawthesamestartledhint，ofwonder，ofpossibletrouble，sheknewhemustseeinhers。Then，theybothlookedaway。
CaptainHunniwellpratedproudlyon，chantingpraisesofhis，daughter’scapabilitiesandtalents，ashedidtoanyonewhowould，listen，andvaryingthemonotonywithoccasionalreferencestothe，wonderfulmannerinwhichyoungPhillipshad“takenhold“atthe，bank。Ruthnoddedandmurmuredsomethingfromtimetotime，butto，anyonelessengrossedbyhissubjectthanthecaptainitwould，havebeenevidentshewaspayinglittleattention。Jed，whowas，beingentertainedbyBabbieandPetunia，wasabsentlypretendingto，bemuchinterestedinafairystorywhichtheformerwas，improvising——shecalledtheprocess“makingupasIgoalong“——for，hisbenefit。Suddenlyheleanedforwardandspoke。
“Sam，“hesaid，“there’ssomebodycomin’upthewalk。Ididn’tget，agoodsightofhim，butitain’tanybodythatliveshereinOrham，regular。”
“Eh？，Thatso？”demandedthecaptain。”Howdoyouknow’tain’tif，youdidn’tseehim？”
“’Causehe’scomin’tothefrontdoor，“repliedMr。Winslow，with，unanswerablelogic。”Thereheisnow，comin’outfromasternof，thatlilacbush。Soldier，ain’the？”
ItwasRuthArmstrongwhofirstrecognizedthevisitor。”Why，“she，exclaimed，“itisMajorGrover，isn’tit？”
Themajoritwas，andamomentlaterCaptainHunniwellusheredhim，intotheroom。HehadcometoOrhamonanerrand，heexplained，andhadstoppedatthewindmillshoptoseeMr。Winslow。Finding，thelatterout，hehadtakenthelibertyoffollowinghimtothe，Hunniwellhome。
“I’mgoingtostaybutamoment，CaptainHunniwell，“hewenton。
“IwantedtotalkwithWinslowona——well，onabusinessmatter。
OfcourseIwon’tdoitnowbutperhapswecanarrangeatime，convenientforusbothwhenIcan。”
“Don’tcal’latethere’llbemuchtroubleaboutthat，“observedthe，captain，withachuckle。”Jedgenerallyhastimeconvenientfor，’mosteverybody;eh，Jed？”
Jednodded。”Um-hm，“hedrawled，“foreverybodybutGabBearse。”
“SoyouandJedaregoin’totalkbusiness，eh？”queriedCaptain，Sam，muchamusedattheidea。”Figgerin’tohavehimrigup，windmillstodrivethoseflyin’machinesofyours，Major？”
“Notexactly。Mybusinesswasofanotherkind，andprobablynot，veryimportant，atthat。Ishallprobablybeoverhereagainon，Monday，Winslow。Canyouseemethen？”
Jedrubbedhischin。”Ye-es，“hesaid，“I’llbeonprivate，exhibitiontomyfriendsallday。Andchildrenhalfprice，“he，added，givingBabbieahug。”Butsay，Major，howintheworlddid，youlocatemeto-day？，HowdidyouknowIwasoverheretoSam’s？
InevertoldyouIwascomin’，I’llsweartothat。”
ForsomereasonorotherMajorGroverseemedjustalittle，embarrassed。
“Whyno，“hesaid，stammeringatrifle，“youdidn’ttellme，but，someonedid。Now，who——“
“IthinkItoldyou，Major，“putinRuthArmstrong。”Lastevening，whenyoucalledto——toreturnCharlie’sumbrella。Itoldyouwe，weretodinehereto-dayandthatJed——Mr。Winslow——wastodine，withus。Don’tyouremember？”
Groverrememberedperfectlythen，ofcourse。Hehastenedto，explainthat，havingborrowedtheumbrellaofCharlesPhillipsthe，previousweek，hehaddroppedinonhisnextvisittoOrhamto，returnit。
Jedgrunted。
“Humph！”hesaid，“younevercametoseemelastnight。Whenyou，wasascloseaboardasnextdoorseems’sifyoumight。”
Themajorlaughed。”Well，you’llhavetoadmitthatIcameto-
day，“hesaid。
“Yes，“putinCaptainSam，“and，nowyouarehere，you’regoin’to，stayaspell。Oh，yes，youare，too。UncleSamdon’tneedyouso，hardthathecan’tletyouhaveanhourorsooffonThanksgiving，Day。Maud，whyintimedidn’twethinktohaveMajorGroverhere，fordinneralongwiththerestofthefolks？，Say，couldn’tyoueat，aplateoffrozenpuddin’rightthisminute？，We’vegotsomeon，handthattastesofmygrandfather，andwewanttogetridofit。”
Theircallerlaughinglydeclinedthefrozenpudding，buthewas，prevailedupontoremainandhearMissHunniwellplay。SoMaud，playedandCharlesturnedthemusicforher，andMajorGrover，listenedandtalkedwithRuthArmstrongintheintervalsbetween，selections。AndJedandBarbarachattedandCaptainSambeamed，goodhumoruponeveryone。Itwasaverypleasant，happy，afternoon。Warandsufferingandheartacheandtroubleseemeda，long，longwayoff。
OnthewaybacktotheshopinthechillNovemberduskGrovertold，Jedalittleofwhathehadcalledtodiscusswithhim。IfJed’s，mindhadbeenofthesuper-criticaltypeitmighthavedeemedthe，subjectofscarcelysufficientimportancetowarrantthemajor’s，pursuinghimtotheHunniwells’。Itwassimplythesubjectof，PhineasBabbittandthelatter’santi-warutterancesandsurmised，disloyalty。
“Yousee，“explainedGrover，“someoneevidentlyhasreportedthe，oldchaptotheauthoritiesasasuspiciousperson。The，government，Iimagine，isn’tkeenonsendingaspecialinvestigator，downhere，sotheyhaveaskedmetolookintothematter。Idon’t，knowmuchaboutBabbitt，butIthoughtyoumight。Ishedisloyal，doyouthink？”
Jedhesitated。Thingsthehardwaredealerhadsaidhadbeen，reportedtohim，ofcourse;butgossip——particularlytheBearse，brandofgossip——wasnotthemostreliableofevidence。Thenhe，rememberedhisownrecentconversationwithLeanderandthe，latter’sexpressedfearthathisfathermightgetintotrouble。
Jeddetermined，fortheson’ssake，nottobringthattrouble，nearer。
“Well，Major，“heanswered，“Ishouldn’twanttosaythathewas。
Phineastalksawfulfoolishsometimes，butIshouldn’twonderif，thatwashishotheadandbulltemperasmuchasanythingelse。As，towhetherhe’sanythingmorethanfoolishornot，courseI
couldn’tsaysartin，butIdon’tthinkhe’stoodesperatetobe，runnin’loose。Ical’latehewon’tputanybombsunderneaththe，townhalloranythingofthatsort。Phinandhiskindremindme，someofthatnewkindofballoonyouwastellin’methey’dprobably，haveovertoyourcampwhen’twasdone，that——er——er——dirigible;
wasn’tthatwhatyoucalledit？”
“Yes。ButwhydoesBabbittremindyouofadirigibleballoon？，I
don’tseetheconnection。”
“Don’tyou？，Well，seems’sifIdid。Phinfillshimselfupwith，thegashegetsfromhisAnarchistpapersandmagazines——the’rich，man’swar’andalltherestofit——andgoesupintheairandwhen，he’supintheairhe’skindofhardtohandle。That’swhatyou，toldmeabouttheballoon，ifIrecollect。”
Groverlaughedheartily。”Thenthebestthingtodoistokeephim，ontheground，Ishouldsay，“heobserved。
Jedrubbedhischin。”Um-hm，“hedrawled，“butshuttin’offhis，gassupplymighthelpsome。Idon’tthinkI’dworryabouthim，much，ifIwasyou。”
Theyseparatedatthefrontgatebeforetheshop，wheretherowsof，emptyposts，fromwhichthemillsandvaneshadallbeenremoved，stoodasgauntremindersofthevanishedsummer。MajorGrover，refusedJed’sinvitationtocomeinandhaveasmoke。
“No，thankyou，“hesaid，“notthisevening。I’llwaitherea，momentandsaygood-nighttotheArmstrongsandPhillipsandthenI
mustbeonmywaytothecamp……Why，what’sthematter？
Anythingwrong？”
Hiscompanionwassearchinginhisvariouspockets。Thesearch，completed，heproceededtolookhimselfover，sotospeak，taking，offhishatandlookingatthat，liftingahandandthenafootand，lookingatthem，andallwithapuzzled，far-awayexpression。When，Groverrepeatedhisquestionheseemedtohearitforthefirst，timeandthennotveryclearly。
“Eh？”hedrawled。”Oh，why——er——yes，thereISsomethin’wrong。
Thatistosay，thereain’t，andthat’sthewrongpartofit。I
don’tseemtohaveforgottenanything，that’sthetrouble。”
Hisfriendburstoutlaughing。
“Ishouldscarcelycallthatatrouble，“hesaid。
“Shouldn’tyou？，No，Ipresumelikelyyouwouldn’t。ButInevergo，anywherewithoutforgettin’somethin’，forgettin’tosaysomethin’
ordosomethin’orbringsomethin’。Neverdidinallmylife。Now，hereIamhomeagainandIcan’trememberthatI’veforgotasingle，thing……Hum……Well，Ideclare！，Iwonderwhatitmeans。
Maybe，it’sasignsomethin’sgoin’tohappen。”
Hesaidgoodnightabsent-mindedly。Groverlaughedandwalkedaway，tomeetRuthandherbrother，who，withBarbaradancingahead，were，comingalongthesidewalk。Hehadgonebutalittlewaywhenhe，heardMr。Winslowshoutinghisname。
“Major！”shoutedJed。”MajorGrover！，It’sallright，Major，I
feelbetternow。I’vefoundit。’Twasthekey。Ileftitinthe，frontdoorlockherewhenIwentawaythismornin’。Iguess，there’snothin’unnaturalaboutme，afterall;guessnothin’sgoin’
tohappen。”
Butsomethingdidandalmostimmediately。Jed，enteringtheouter，shop，closedthedoorandblunderedonthroughthatapartmentand，thelittleshopadjoininguntilhecametohisliving-roombeyond。
Thenhefumbledaboutinthedarknessforalampandmatchbox。He，foundthelatterfirst，onthetablewherethelampshouldhave，been。Lightingoneofthematches，hethenfoundthelampona，chairdirectlyinfrontofthedoor，wherehehadputitbefore，goingawaythatmorning，hisideainsodoingbeingthatitwould，thusbeeasiertolocatewhenhereturnedatnight。Thankinghis，luckystarsthathehadnotupsetbothchairandlampinhis，prowlings，Mr。Winslowlightedthelatter。Then，withitinhis，hand，heturned，toseetheverymanheandMajorGroverhadjust，beendiscussingseatedintherockerinthecorneroftheroomand，glaringathimmalevolently。
Naturally，Jedwassurprised。Naturally，also，beinghimself，he，showedhissurpriseinhisownpeculiarway。Hedidnotstart，violently，norutteranexclamation。Insteadhestoodstockstill，returningPhineasBabbitt’sglarewithasteady，unwinkinggaze。
Itwasthehardwaredealerwhospokefirst。Andthat，bytheway，waspreciselywhathehadnotmeanttodo。
“Yes，“heobserved，withcausticsarcasm，“it’sme。Youneedn’t，standthereblinkin’likeafoolanylonger，Shavin’s。It’sme。”
Jedsetthelampuponthetable。Hedrewalongbreath，apparently，ofrelief。
“Why，so’tis，“hesaid，solemnly。”WhenIfirstsawyousittin’
there，Phin，Ihadasuspicion’twasyou，butthelongerIlooked，themoreIthought’twasthePresidentcometocall。Doyouknow，“
headded，confidentially，“ifyoudidn’thaveanywhiskersandhe，lookedlikeyouyou’dbetheveryimageofhim。”
Thisinterestingpieceofinformationwasnotreceivedwith，enthusiasm。Mr。Babbitt’ssenseofhumorwasnotacutely，developed。
“Nevermindthefunnybusiness，Shavin’s，“hesnapped。”Ididn’t，comeheretobefunnyto-night。DoyouknowwhyIcamehereto，talktoyou？”
Jedpulledforwardachairandsatdown。
“Ipresumelikelyyoucameherebecauseyoufoundthedoor，unlocked，Phin，“hesaid。
“Ididn’tsayHOWIcametocome，butWHYIcame。Iknewwhereyou，wasthisafternoon。IseeyouwhenyouleftthereandIhadagood，mindtocrossoverandsaywhatIhadtosaybeforethewholecrew，SamHunniwell，andhisstuck-uprattle-headofadaughter，andthat，Armstrongbunchthatthinkthemselvessouppish，andallof’em。”
Mr。Winslowstirreduneasilyinhischair。”Now，Phin，“he，protested，“seemstome——“
ButBabbittwastooexcitedtoheed。Hislittleeyessnappedand，hisbristlingbeardquivered。
“Youholdyourhorses，Shavin’s，“heordered。”Ididn’tcomehere，tolistentoyou。IcamebecauseIhadsomethin’tosayandwhen，I’vesaiditI’mgoin’andgoin’quick。Myboy’sbeenhome。You，knewthat，Isuppose，didn’tyou？”
Jednodded。”Yes，“hesaid，“IknewLeander’dcomehomefor，Thanksgivin’。”
“Oh，youdid！，Hecameheretothisshoptoseeyou，maybe？，Humph！
I’llbethedid，thepoorfool！”
AgainJedshiftedhisposition。Hishandsclaspedabouthisknee，andhisfootliftedfromthefloor。
“There，there，Phin，“hesaidgently;“afterall，he’syouronly，son，youknow。”
“Iknowit。Buthe’safooljustthesame。”
“Now，Phin！，Theboy’llbegoin’towarprettysoon，youknow，and——“
Babbittsprangtohisfeet。Hischintrembledsothathecould，scarcelyspeak。
“Shutup！”hesnarled。”Don’tletmehearyousaythatagain，Jed，Winslow。Whosenthimtowar？，Whofilledhisheadfullofrubbish，aboutpatriotism，anddutytothecountry，andalltherestofthe，rottenWallStreetstuff？，Whoputmyboyuptoenlistin’，Jed，Winslow？”
Jed’sfootswungslowlybackandforth。
“Well，Phin，“hedrawled，“toberealhonest，Ithinkheput，himselfuptoit。”
“You’realiar。YOUdidit。”
Jedsighed。”DidLeandertellyouIdid？”heasked。
“No，“mockingly，“Leanderdidn’ttellme。YouandSamHunniwell，andtherestoftheganghavefixedhimsohedon’tcometohis，fathertotellthingsanylonger。Buthetoldhisstep-motherthis，verymornin’andshetoldme。Youwastheonethatadvisedhimto，enlist，hesaid。GoodLord;thinkofit！，Hedon’tgotohisown，fatherforadvice;hegoestothetownjackassinstead，thecritter，thatspendshistimewhittlin’outyoung-one’splaythings。MyLord，A’mighty！”
Hespatonthefloortoemphasizehisdisgust。Therewasan，intervalofsilencebeforeJedanswered。
“Well，Phin，“hesaid，slowly，“you’reright，inaway。Leander，andIhavealwaysbeenprettygoodfriendsandhe’sbeeninthe，habitofdroppin’inheretotalkthingsoverwithme。Whenhe，cametometoaskwhatheoughttodoaboutenlistin’，askedwhat，I’ddoifIwashe，Itoldhim;that’salltherewastoit。”
Babbittextendedashakingforefinger。
“Yes，andyoutoldhimtogotowar。Don’tlieoutofitnow;you，knowyoudid。”
“Um……yes……Idid。”
“Youdid？，YouDID？，Andyouhavethecheektoownuptoitright，aforemyface。”
Jed’shandstrokedhischin。”W-e-e-ll，“hedrawled，“youjust，orderedmenottolieoutofit，youknow。Leanderaskedmeright，upanddownifIwouldn’tenlistifIwasinhisposition。
Naturally，IsaidIwould。”
“Yes，youdid。AndyouknewallthetimehowIfeltaboutit，you，SNEAK。”
Jed’sfootslowlysanktothefloorandjustasslowlyhehoisted，himselffromthechair。
“Phin，“hesaid，withdeliberatemildness，“isthereanythingelse，you’dliketoaskme？，’Causeifthereisn’t，maybeyou’dbetter，runalong。”
“Yousneakin’coward！”
“Er——er——now——now，Phin，youdidn’tunderstand。Isaid’ask’me，not’call’me。”
“No，Ididn’tcomeheretoaskyouanything。Icamehereand，waitedhereso’stobeabletotellyousomethin’。Andthatis，thatIknownowthatyou’reresponsibleformyson——myonlyboy，theboyI’ddependedon——and——and——“
Thefiercelittlemanwas，forthemoment，closetobreakingdown。
Jed’sheartsoftened;hefeltalmostconscience-stricken。
“I’msorryforyou，Phineas，“hesaid。”Iknowhowharditmustbe，foryou。Leanderrealizedit，too。He——“
“Shutup！，Shavin’s，youlistentome。Idon’tforget。Allmy，lifeI’veneverforgot。AndIain’tnevermissedgettin’square。
Icanwait，justasIwaitedhereinthedarkoveranhourso’sto，saythistoyou。I’llgetsquarewithyoujustasI’llgetsquare，withSamHunniwell……That’sall……That’sall……
DAMNYOU！”
HestampedfromtheroomandJedheardhimstumblingthroughthe，littereddarknessoftheshopsonhiswaytothefrontdoor，kickingattheobstacleshetrippedoverandswearingandsobbing，ashewent。Itwasridiculousenough，ofcourse，butJeddidnot，feellikesmiling。Thebitternessofthelittleman’sfinalcurse，wasnothumorous。Neitherwastheheartbreakinhistonewhenhe，spokeofhisboy。Jedfeltnoself-reproach;hehadadvised，Leanderjustashemighthaveadvisedhisownsonhadhislifebeen，likeothermen’slives，normalmenwhohadmarriedandpossessed，sons。HehadnosympathyforPhineasBabbitt’svindictivehatred，ofallthosemorefortunatethanheorwhoopposedhim，orforhis，sillyandselfishideasconcerningthewar。Buthedidpityhim;
hepitiedhimprofoundly。
Babbitthadleftthefrontdooropeninhisemotionaldepartureand，Jedfollowedtocloseit。Beforedoingsohesteppedoutintothe，yard。
Itwaspitchdarknowandstill。Hecouldhearthefootstepsof，hisrecentvisitorpoundinguptheroad，andthesplashygrumbleof，thesurfonthebarwasunusuallyaudible。Hestoodforamoment，lookingupattheblacksky，withthefewstarsshiningbetweenthe，cloudblotches。Thenheturnedandlookedatthelittlehousenext，door。
Thewindowsofthesitting-roomwerealightandtheshadesdrawn。
AtonewindowhesawCharlesPhillips’silhouette;hewasreading，apparently。AcrosstheothershadeRuth’sdaintyprofilecameand，went。Jedlookedandlooked。Hesawherturnandspeaktosome，one。Thenanothershadowcrossedthewindow，theshadowofMajor，Grover。Evidentlythemajorhadnotgonehomeatonceashehad，toldJedheintendeddoing，plainlyhehadbeenpersuadedtoenter，theArmstronghouseandmakeCharlieandhissisterashortcall。
ThiswasJed’sestimateofthesituation，hissolespeculation，concerningitanditsprobabilities。
AndyetMr。GabeBearse，hadheseenthemajor’sshadowuponthe，Armstrongwindowcurtain，mighthavespeculatedmuch。
CHAPTERXV
ThepitywhichJedfeltforPhineasBabbittcausedhimtokeep，silentconcerninghisThanksgivingeveninginterviewwiththe，hardwaredealer。AtfirsthewasinclinedtotellMajorGroverof，Babbitt’sexpressionsconcerningthewarandhisson’senlistment。
Afterreflection，however，hedecidednottodoso。TheWinslow，charitywaswideenoughtocoveramultitudeofotherpeople’ssins，anditcoveredthoseofPhineas。Thelatterwastobepitied;as，tofearinghim，asaconsequenceofhisthreatto“getsquare，“Jed，neverthoughtofsuchathing。Ifhefeltanyanxietyatallin，thematteritwasatriflinguneasinessbecausehisfriends，the，HunniwellsandtheArmstrongs，wereincludedinthethreat。Buthe，wasinclinedtoconsiderMr。Babbitt’swrathashehadonce，estimatedthespeechofacertainOstablecandidateforpolitical，office，tobe“likeatumblerofplainsodywater，mostlyfizzand，frothandnothin’verysubstantialorfillin’。”，Hedidnottell，Groveroftheinterviewintheshop;hetoldnoone，notevenRuth，Armstrong。
The——tohim，atleast——delightfulfriendshipandintimacybetween，himselfandhisfriendsandtenantscontinued。HeandCharlie，Phillipscametoknoweachotherbetterandbetter。Charleswas，nowalmostasconfidentialconcerninghispersonalaffairsashis，sisterhadbeenandcontinuedtobe。
“It’ssurprisinghowIcomeinhereandtellyouallmyprivate，business，Jed，“hesaid，laughing。”Idon’tgoaboutshoutingmy，joysandtroublesineverybody’searlikethis。WhydoIdoitto，you？”
Jedstoppedadismalwhistleinthemiddleofabar。
“W-e-e-ll，“hedrawled，“Idon’tknow。WhenIwasayoung-oneI
usedtoliketoholleroutbackofUncleLabanRyder’sbarnso’sto，heartheecho。Whenyousaysoandso，Charlie，Igenerallyagree，withyou。Maybeyoucomeheretogetanecho;eh？”
Phillipslaughed。”You’renotfairtoyourself，“hesaid。”I
generallyfindwhentheechoinheresaysnoafterI’vesaidyesit，paysmetopayattentiontoit。Sissaysthesamethingaboutyou，Jed。”
Jedmadenocomment，buthiseyesshone。Charleswenton。
“Don’tyougettiredofhearingthestoryofmylife？”heasked。
“I——“
Hestoppedshortandthesmilefadedfromhislips。Jedknewwhy。
Thestoryofhislifewasjustwhathehadnottold，whathecould，nottell。
AsJanuaryslidicilyintoFebruaryMr。GabrielBearsebecamean，unusuallybusyperson。Thereweresomanythingstotalkabout。
AmongthesewasonemorselwhichGaberolledsucculentlybeneath，histongue。CharlesPhillips，“’cordin’toeverybody’stell，“was，keepingcompanywithMaudHunniwell。
“Thereain’tnodoubtofit，“declaredMr。Bearse。”Allhandsis，talkin’aboutit。Looks’sifCap’nSamwouldhaveason-in-lawon，hishandsprettysoon。Howdoyoucal’latehe’dliketheidea，Shavin’s？”
Jedsquintedalongtheedgeoftheboardhewasplaning。Hemade，noreply。Gabetriedagain。
“Howdoyoucal’lateCap’nSam’lllikethenotionofhispet，daughtertakin’upwithanotherman？”hequeried。Jedwasstill，mute。Hiscallerlostpatience。
“Say，whatailsyou？”hedemanded。”Can’tyousaynothin’？”
Mr。Winslowputdowntheboardandtookupanother。
“Ye-es，“hedrawled。
“Thenwhydon’tyou，forthundersakes？”
“Eh？……Um……Oh，Idid。”
“Didwhat？”
“Saynothin’。”
“Oh，youdivilishidiot！，Stoptryin’tobefunny。Iaskedyouhow，youthoughtCap’nSamwouldtakethenotionofMaud’shavin’a，steadybeau？，She’shadagoodmanyafterher，butlooksasifshe，wasstuckonthisoneforkeeps。”
JedsighedandlookedoverhisspectaclesatMr。Bearse。The，lattergrewuneasyunderthescrutiny。
“Whatintimeareyoulookin’atmelikethatfor？”heasked，pettishly。
Thewindmillmakersighedagain。”Why——er——Gab，“hedrawled，“I
wasjustthinkin’likelyYOUmightbestuckforkeeps。”
“Eh？，Stuck？，Whatareyoutalkin’about？”
“Stuckonthatboxyou’resittin’on。Ihadthegluepotstandin’
onthatboxjustaforeyoucameinand……er……itleaks，consider’ble。”
Mr。Bearseraspinglyseparatedhisnethergarmentfromthetopof，theboxanddeparted，expressingprofaneopinions。Jed’slips，twitchedforaninstant，thenhepuckeredthemandbeganto，whistle。
But，althoughhehadrefusedtodiscussthematterwithGabriel，Bearse，herealizedthattherewasastrongelementofprobability，inthelatter’ssurmise。Itcertainlydidlookasifthespoiled，daughterofOrham’sbankpresidenthadlostherhearttoher，father’snewestemployee。Maudhadhadmanyadmirers;somevery，earnestandlovelornswainshadhopefullyclimbedtheHunniwell，frontstepsonlytosorrowfullydescendthemagain。MissMelissa，Busteedandotherlocalscandalscavengershadtartlyclassified，theyoungladyasthe“worstlittleflirtonthewholeCape，“which，wasnottrue。ButMaudwasprettyandvivaciousandshewasnot，aversetothesocietyandadorationofthemalesexingeneral，althoughshehadneveruntilnowshownsymptomsofpreferencefor，anindividual。ButCharliePhillipshadcomeandseenand，judging，byappearances，conquered。
SincetheThanksgivingdinnertheyoungmanhadbeenafrequent，visitorattheHunniwellhome。Maudwasmusical，sheplayedwell，andhadapleasingvoice。Charles’baritonewasunusuallygood。
SoonmanyeveningsCaptainSam’sfrontparlorrangwithmelody，whilethecaptainsmokedinthebigrockerandlistenedadmiringly，andgazeddotingly。Atthemoving-picturetheateronWednesdayand，SaturdayeveningsOrhamnudgedandwinkedwhentwoHunniwellsanda，Phillipscamedowntheaisle。EvenattheCongregationalchurch，whereMaudsanginthechoir，theyoungbankclerkwasbeginningto，beafairlyconstantattendant。CaptainEriHedgedeclaredthat，thatsettledit。
“Whenayoungfellerwhoain’tbeentomeetin’forlandknowshow，long，“observedCaptainEri，“allofasuddenbeginsshowin’up，everySundayreg’larasclockwork，youcanmakeupyourmindit’s，owin’tooneoftworeasons——eitherhe’sgotreligionoragirl。
Inthiscasethereain’tanyrevivalintown，so——“
Andthecaptainwavedhishand。
Jedwasnotblindandhehadseen，perhapssoonerthananyone，else，thepossibilitiesinthecase。Andwhathesawdistressed，himgreatly。CaptainSamHunniwellwashislife-longfriend。Maud，hadbeenhispetsinceherbabyhood;sheandhehadhadmany，confidentialchatstogether，overtroublesatschool，overpetty，disagreementswithherfather，overallsortsofminortroublesand，joys。CaptainSamhadmentionedtohim，morethanonce，the，probabilityofhisdaughter’sfallinginloveandmarryingsome，timeorother，buttheybothhadtreatedtheideaasvagueandfar，off，almostasajoke。
Andnowitwasnolongerfaroff，thefallinginloveatleast。
Andasforitsbeingajoke——Jedshudderedatthethought。Hewas，veryfondofCharliePhillips;hehadmadeuphismindatfirstto，likehimbecausehewasRuth’sbrother，butnowhelikedhimfor，himself。And，hadthingsbeenotherthanastheywere，hecould，thinkofnoonetowhomhehadratherseeMaudHunniwellmarried。
Infact，hadCaptainHunniwellknowntheyoungman’srecord，ofhis，slipanditspunishment，Jedwouldhavebeenquitecontenttosee，thelatterbecomeMaud’shusband。Aterminprison，especially，when，asinthiscase，hebelievedittobeanunwarranted，punishment，wouldhavecountedfornothingintheunworldlymindof，thewindmillmaker。ButCaptainSamdidnotknow。Hewas，tremendouslyproudofhisdaughter;inhisestimationnomanwould，havebeenquitegoodenoughforher。Whatwouldhesaywhenhe，learned？，WhatwouldMaudsaywhenshelearned？foritwasalmost，certainthatCharleshadnottoldher。Theseweresomeofthe，questionswhichweigheduponthesimplesoulofJedidahEdgar，WilfredWinslow。
AndheavierstillthereweighedthethoughtofRuthArmstrong。He，hadgivenherhiswordnottomentionherbrother’ssecrettoa，soul，noteventohim。Andyet，somedayorother，assureand，certainasthedailyflowingandebbingofthetides，thatsecret，wouldbecomeknown。SomedayCaptainSamHunniwellwouldlearnit;
somedayMaudwouldlearnit。Better，farbetter，thatthey，learneditbeforemarriage，orevenbeforethepublicannouncement，oftheirengagement——alwaysprovidedtherewastobesuchan，engagement。Infact，wereitnotforRuthherself，no，considerationforCharles’feelingswouldhavepreventedJed’s，takingthematterupwiththeyoungmanandwarninghimthat，unlesshemadeacleanbreasttothecaptainandMaud，he——Jed——
woulddoitforhim。Thehappinessoftwosuchfriendsshouldnot，bejeopardizedifhecouldpreventit。
ButtherewasRuth。She，notherbrother，wasprimarily，responsibleforobtainingforhimthebankpositionandobtaining，itunderfakepretenses。Andshe，accordingtoherownconfession，toJed，hadurgeduponCharlestheimportanceoftellingnoone。
Jedhimselfwouldhaveknownnothing，wouldhavehadonlyavague，indefinitesuspicion，hadshenottakenhimintoherconfidence。
Andtohimthatconfidencewasprecious，sacred。IfCharlie’s，secretbecameknown，itwasnothealonewhowouldsuffer;Ruth，too，wouldbedisgraced。SheandBabbiemighthavetoleaveOrham，mighthavetogooutofhislifeforever。
Nowonderthat，asthedayspassed，andGabeBearse’scommentsand，thoseofCaptainEriHedgewereechoedandreassertedbythe，majorityofOrhamtongues，JedWinslow’sworryandforeboding，increased。HewatchedCharliePhillipsgowhistlingoutofthe，yardaftersupper，andsighedashesawhimturnuptheroadinthe，directionoftheHunniwellhome。HewatchedMaud’sfacewhenhe，metherand，althoughtheyoungladywasinbetterspiritsand，prettierthanhehadeverseenher，theseveryfactsmadehim，miserable，becauseheacceptedthemasproofsthatthesituation，wasashefeared。HewatchedRuth’sfacealsoandthere，too，he，saw，orfanciedthathesaw，agrowinganxiety。Shehadbeenvery，well;herspirits，likeMaud’s，hadbeenlight;shehadseemed，youngerandsomuchhappierthanwhenheandshefirstmet。The，littleWinslowhousewasnolongersoquiet，withnosoundof，voicesexceptthoseofBarbaraandhermother。TherewereRed，Crosssewingmeetingsthereoccasionally，andcallerscame。Major，Groverwasoneofthelatter。Themajor’serrandsinOrhamwere，morenumerousthantheyhadbeen，andhistripsthithermuchmore，frequent，inconsequence。Andwheneverhecamehemadeitapoint，todropin，usuallyatthewindmillshopfirst，andthenupon，Babbieatthehouse。Sometimeshebroughtherhomefromschoolin，hiscar。HetoldJedthathehadtakenagreatfancytothelittle，girlandcouldnotbeartomissanopportunityofseeingher。
WhichstatementJed，ofcourse，acceptedwholeheartedly。
ButJedwassurethatRuthhadbeenanxiousandtroubledoflate，andhebelievedthereasontobethatwhichtroubledhim。Hehoped，shemightspeaktohimconcerningherbrother。Hewouldhaveliked，tobroachthesubjecthimself，butfearedshemightconsiderhim，interfering。
Oneday——itwasinlateFebruary，thegroundwascoveredwithsnow，andakeenwindwasblowinginoveraseagray-greenandsplashed，thicklywithwhite——JedwasbusyathisturninglathewhenCharlie，cameintotheshop。Businessatthebankwasnotheavyinmid-
winterand，althoughitwasbutlittleafterthree，theyoungman，wasthroughworkfortheday。Hehoistedhimselftohisaccustomed，seatontheedgeoftheworkbenchandsatthere，swinginghisfeet，andwatchinghiscompanionturnouttheheadsandtrunksofabatch，ofwoodensailors。Hewasunusuallysilent，forhim，merely，noddinginresponsetoJed’scheerful“Hello！”andspeakingbuta，fewwordsinreplytoaquestionconcerningtheweather。Jed，absorbedinhisworkanddroningahymn，apparentlyforgotall，abouthiscaller。
Suddenlythelatterspoke。
“Jed，“hesaid，“whenyouareundecidedaboutdoingornotdoinga，thing，howdoyousettleit？”
Jedlookedupoverhisspectacles。
“Eh？”heasked。”What’sthat？”
“Isaywhenyouhaveadecisiontomakeandyourmindisabout，fifty-fiftyonthesubject，howdoyoudecide？”
Jed’sanswerwasabsentlygiven。”W-e-e-ll，“hedrawled，“I
generally——er——don’t。”
“Butsupposethetimecomeswhenyouhaveto，whatthen？”
“Eh？……Oh，then，if’tain’tveryimportantIusuallyleaveit，toIsaiah。”
“Isaiah？，Isaiahwho？”
“Idon’tknowhislastname，buthe’sgotawholelotoffirst，ones。That’shim，uponthatshelf。”
Hepointedtoamuchbatteredwoodenfigureattachedtotheedgeof，theshelfuponthewall。Thefigurewasthatofalittleman，holdingasetofmillarmsinfrontofhim。Thesaidmillarms，werepaintedarobin’s-eggblue，andonewastippedwithblack。
“That’sIsaiah，“continuedJed。”Hum……yes……that’shim。
HewasthefirstoneofhiskindofcontraptionthatIevermade，and，bein’asheseemedtobringmeluck，I’vekepthim。He’s，settledagoodmanyquestionsforme，Isaiahhas。”
“WhydoyoucallhimIsaiah？”
“Eh？，Oh，that’sjusthisto-day’sname。IcalledhimIsaiahjust，now’causethatwasthefirstoftheprophetnamesIcouldthink，of。Nexttimehe’sjustasliabletobeHoseaorEzekielorSamuel，orJeremiah。Heprophesiesjustaswellunderanyoneof’em，don’tseemtobeparticular。”
Charlessmiledslightly——hedidnotappeartobeinalaughing，mood——andthenasked：“Yousayhesettlesquestionsforyou？，How？”
“How？……Oh……Well，younoticeoneendofthatwhirligig，armhe’sgotissmudgedwithblack？”
“Yes。”
“That’sHosea’sindicator。SupposeI’vegotsomethin’on——onwhat，complimentaryfolkslikeyouwouldcallmymind。Suppose，sameas，’twasyesterdaymornin’，Iwastryin’todecidewhetherornotI’d，haveapieceofsteakforsupper。Igave——er——Elisha’swhirlagig，hereaspinandwhentheblackendstopped’twasp’intin’straight，up。Thatmeantyes。Ifithadp’inteddown，’twouldhavemeantno。”
“Supposeithadpointedacross——halfwaybetweenyesandno？”
“Thatwouldhavemeantthat——er——what’s-his-name——er——Deuteronomy，theredidn’tknowanymorethanIdidaboutit。”
ThistimePhillipsdidlaugh。”Soyouhadthesteak，“heobserved。
Jed’sliptwitched。”Iboughtit，“hedrawled。”Igotsofarall，accordin’toprophecy。AndIputitonaplateoutintheback，roomwhere’twascold，intendin’tocookitwhensuppertimecame。”
“Well，didn’tyou？”
“No-o;yousee，’twasotherwiseprovided。Thateverlastin’Cherub，tomcatofTaylor’smusthavesneakedinwiththeboywhenhe，broughttheorderfromthestore。WhenIshutthesteakupinthe，backroomI——er——er——hum……”
“Youdidwhat？”
“Eh？……Oh，Ishutthecatupwithit。Iguesslikelythat’s，theendoftheyarn，ain’tit？”
“Prettynearly，Ishouldsay。Whatdidyoudotothecat？”
“Hum……Why，Ilethimgo。He’sagoodenoughcat，’cordin’to，hislights，Iguess。Itmusthavebeenatreattohim;Idoubtif，hegetsmuchsteakathome……Well，doyouwanttogiveIsaiah，awhirlonthatdecisionyousayyou’vegottomake？”
Charlesgavehimaquickglance。”Ididn’tsayIhadonetomake，“
hereplied。”Iaskedhowyousettledsuchaquestion，that’sall。”
“Um……Isee……Isee。Well，theprophet’satyour，disposal。Helpyourself。”
Theyoungfellowshookhishead。”I’mafraiditwouldn’tbevery，satisfactory，“hesaid。”HemightsaynowhenIwantedhimtosay，yes，yousee。”
“Um-hm……He’sliabletodothat。WhenhedoesittomeI
keeponspinnin’himtillweagree，that’sall。”
Phillipsmadenocommentonthisilluminatingstatementandthere，wasanotherintervalofsilence，brokenonlybythehumandraspof，theturninglathe。Thenhespokeagain。
“Jed，“hesaid，“seriouslynow，whenabigquestioncomesupto，you，andyou’vegottoansweritonewayortheother，howdoyou，settlewithyourselfwhichwaytoanswer？”
Jedsighed。”That’seasy，Charlie，“hedeclared。”Theredon’tany，bigquestionsevercomeuptome。Iain’tthekindoffellerthe，bigthingscometo。”
Charlesgrunted，impatiently。”Oh，well，admittingallthat，“he，said，“youmusthavetofacequestionsthatarebigtoyou，that，seembig，anyhow。”
Jedcouldnothelpwincing，justalittle。Thematter-of-factway，inwhichhiscompanionacceptedtheestimateofhisinsignificance，washumiliating。Jeddidnotblamehim，itwastrue，ofcourse，butthetruthhurt——alittle。Hewasashamedofhimselffor，feelingthehurt。
“Oh，“hedrawled，“Idohavesomethings——littleno-accountthings——
todecideeveryonceinawhile。Sometimestheybotherme，too——
althoughtheyprobablywouldn’tanybodywithaheadinsteadofa，Hubbardsquashonhisshoulders。TheonlywayIcandecide’emis，tosetdownandopencourt，put’emontrial，asyoumightsay。”
“Whatdoyoumean？”
“Why，Icallinwitnessesforbothsides，seemsso。Here’sthe，reasonswhyIoughttotell;here’sthereasonswhyIshouldn’t。
I——“
“Tell？，OughttoTELL？，Whatmakesyousaythat？，WhathaveYOUgot，totell？”
Hewasglaringatthewindmillmakerwithfrightenedeyes。Jed，knewaswellasifithadbeenpaintedontheshopwallbeforehim，thequestionintheboy’smind，themomentousdecisionhewas，tryingtomake。Andhepitiedhimfromthebottomofhisheart。
“Tell？”herepeated。”DidIsaytell？，Well，ifIdid’twasjust，a——er——figgerofspeech，asthebookfellerstalkabout。Butthe，onlywaytodecideathing，asitseemstome，istotryandfigger，outwhat’stheRIGHTofit，andthendothat。”
Phillipslookedgloomilyatthefloor。”Andthat’ssuchaneasy，job，“heobserved，withsarcasm。
“Thefiggerin’orthedoin’？”
“Oh，thedoing;thefiguringisusuallyeasyenough——tooeasy。But，thedoingisdifferent。Theaveragefellowisafraid。Idon’t，supposeyouwouldbe，Jed。Icanimagineyoudoingalmostanything，ifyouthoughtitwasright，andhangtheconsequences。”
Jedlookedaghast。”Who？，Me？”hequeried。”Goodlandoflove，don’ttalkthatway，Charlie！，I’mthescarestcritterthatlives，andtheweakest-kneed，too，’mostgenerally。But——but，allthe，same，Idobelievethebestthing，andtheeasiestintheend，not，onlyforyou——orme——butforallhands，istotakethebullbythe，hornsandheavethecritter，ifyoucan。Theremaybeanawfulbig，trouble，butbigorlittleit’llbeoveranddonewith。THATbull，won’tbehangin’aroundallyourlifeandsneakin’upasterntoget，you——andthoseyou——er——carefor……Mercyme，howIdopreach！
They’llbecallin’metotheBaptistpulpit，ifIdon’tlookout。
Iunderstandthey’recandidatin’。”
Hisfrienddrewalongbreath。”ThereisapoemthatIusedto，read，orhearsomeoneread，“heobserved，“thatfillsthebillfor，anyonewithyourpointofview，Ishouldsay。Somethingabouta，fellow’snotbeingafraidtoputallhismoneyononehorse，orthe，lastcard——abouthisnotdeservinganythingifheisn’tafraidto，riskeverything。WishIcouldrememberit。”
Jedlookedupfromthelathe。
“’Heeitherfearshisfatetoomuch，Orhisdesertsaresmall，Whodaresnotputittothetouch，Towinorloseitall。’
That’ssomethin’likeit，ain’tit，Charlie？”heasked。
Phillipswasamazed。”Well，Ideclare，Winslow，“heexclaimed，“youbeatme！，Ican’tplaceyouatall。Whoeverwouldhave，accusedyouofreadingpoetry——andquotingit。”
Jedrubbedhischin。”Idon’tknowmuch，ofcourse，“hesaid，“but，there’sconsider’blemanypoetrybooksuptothelibraryandIlike，toread’emsometimes。You’reliabletorunacrossa——er——poem——
well，likethisone，forinstance——thatkindofgetsholdofyou。
Itfillsthebill，youmightsay，asnothin’elsedoes。There’s，anotheronethat’sbetterstill。About——
’Oncetoeverymanandnation，Comesthemomenttodecide。
Doyouknowthatone？”
Hisvisitordidnotanswer。Afteramomentheswunghimselffrom，theworkbenchandturnedtowardthedoor。
“’Heeitherfearshisfatetoomuch，’“hequoted，gloomily。
“Humph！，Iwonderifiteveroccurredtothatchapthattheremight，becertainkindsoffatethatCOULDN’Tbefearedtoomuch？……
Well，solong，Jed。Ahhum，youdon’tknowwhereIcangetholdof，somemoney，doyou？”
Jedwassurprised。”Humph！”hegrunted。”IshouldsayyouHAD
holdofmoneytwo-thirdsofeveryday。Fellerthatworksinabank，issupposedtohandlesomecash。”
“Yes，ofcourse，“withanimpatientlaugh，“butthatissomebody，else’smoney，notmine。Iwanttogetsomeofmyown。”
“Sho！……Well，Ical’lateIcouldletyouhavetenortwenty，dollarsrightnow，ifthatwouldbeanyhelptoyou。”
“Itwouldn’t;thankyoujustthesame。Ifitwasfivehundred，insteadoften，why——perhapsIshouldn’tsayno。”
Jedwasstartled。
“Fivehundred？”herepeated。”Fivehundreddollars？，Doyouneed，allthatsoverybad，Charlie？”
Phillips，hisfootuponthethresholdoftheoutershop，turnedand，lookedathim。
“ThewayIfeelnowI’ddoalmostanythingtogetit，“hesaid，and，wentout。
Jedtoldnooneofthisconversation，althoughhisfriend’sparting，remarktroubledandpuzzledhim。Infactittroubledhimsomuch，thatatasubsequentmeetingwithCharleshehintedtothelatter，thatheshouldbegladtolendthefivehundredhimself。
“Ioughttohavethatandsomemoreinthebank，“hesaid。”Sam，wouldknowwhetherIhadornot……Eh？，Why，andyouwould，too，ofcourse。Iforgotyouknowasmuchaboutfolks’bank，accountsasanybody……More’nsomeof’emdothemselves，bashfulnessstoppin’mefromnamin’anynames，“headded。
Charleslookedathim。”Doyoumeantotellme，JedWinslow，“he，said，“thatyouwouldlendmefivehundreddollarswithoutany，securityorwithoutknowingintheleastwhatIwanteditfor？”
“Why——why，ofcourse。’Twouldn’tbeanyofmybusinesswhatyou，wanteditfor，wouldit？”
“Humph！，Haveyoudonemuchlendingofthatkind？”
“Eh？……Um……Well，Iusedtodoconsider’ble，butSamhe，kindofputhisfootdownandsaidIshouldn’tdoanymore。ButI
don’tHAVEtomindhim，youknow，althoughIgenerallydobecause，it’seasier——andlessnoisy，“headded，withatwinkleinhiseye。
“Well，yououghttomindhim;he’sdeadright，ofcourse。You’rea，goodfellow，Jed，butyouneedaguardian。”
Jedshookhisheadsadly。”Ihatetobesounpoliteastocall，yourattentiontoit，“hedrawled，“butI’veheardsomethin’like，thatafore。UptonowIain’tfoundanyguardianthatneedsme，that’sthetrouble。AndifIwanttolendyoufivehundred，dollars，Charlie，I’mgoin’to。Oh，I’madivilofafellerwhenI
setouttobe，desperateandreckless，Iam。”
Charlielaughed，butheputhishandonJed’sshoulder，“You’rea，brick，Iknowthat，“hesaid，“andI’mamilliontimesobligedto，you。ButIwasonlyjoking;Idon’tneedanyfivehundred。”
“Eh？……Youdon’t？……Why，yousaid——“
“Oh，I——er——needsomenewclothesandthingsandIwastalking，foolishness，that’sall。Don’tyouworryaboutme，Jed;I’mall，right。”
ButJeddidworry，alittle，althoughhisworryconcerningthe，youngman’sneedofmoneywassofarovershadowedbytheanxiety，causedbyhisfallinginlovewithMaudHunniwellthatitwas，almostforgotten。Thatsituationwasstillastenseasever。Two-
thirdsofOrham，soitseemedtoJed，wastalkingaboutit，wonderingwhentheengagementwouldbeannouncedandspeculating，asGabeBearsehaddone，onCaptainSam’sreceptionofthenews。
Theprincipals，MaudandCharles，didnotspeakofit，ofcourse——
neitherdidthecaptainorRuthArmstrong。JedexpectedRuthto，speak;hewascertainsheunderstoodthesituationandrealizedits，danger;sheappearedtohimanxiousandverynervous。Itwasto，him，andtohimalone——herbrotherexcepted——shecouldspeak，but，thedayspassedandshedidnot。AnditwasCaptainHunniwellwho，spokefirst。
CHAPTERXVI
CaptainSamenteredthewindmillshopabouttwoo’clockonewindy，afternooninthefirstweekofMarch。Hewaswearingaheavyfur，overcoatandamotoringcap。Hepulledoffthecoat，threwitover，apileofboardsandsatdown。
“Whew！”heexclaimed。”It’sblowinghardenoughtostartthebark，onalog。”
Jedlookedup。
“Didyousaylogordog？”heasked，solemnly。
Thecaptaingrinned。”Isaidlog，“heanswered。”Thisgaleof，windwouldblowadogaway，barkandall。Whew！，I’malloutof，breath。It’ssomeconsider’bleofadriveoverfromWapatomac。
Comin’acrossthatstretchofmarshroadbyWestOstableIdidn’t，knowbutthelittleflivverwouldturnherselfintoaflyin’-
machineandgoup。”
Jedstoppedinthemiddleofthefirstnoteofahymn。
“Whatintheworldsentyouautoin’wayovertoWapatomacandback，thisday？”heasked。
Hisfriendbittheendfromacigar。”Oh，diggin’uptherootof，allevil，“hesaid。”Ihadtocollectanotethatwasdueover，there。”
“Humph！，Idon’tknowmuchaboutsuchthings，butInever，mistrusted’twasnecessaryforyoutogocruisin’likethatto，collectnotes。Seemsconsider’blelikesendin’theskipperuptown，tobuyonionsforthecook。Couldn’tthe——thefellerthatowedthe，moneysendyouacheck？”
CaptainSamchuckled。”Hecould，Ical’late，buthewouldn’t，“he，observed。”’TwasoldSylvesterSage，uptoSouthWapatomac，the，’cranberryking’theycallhimupthere。Heownscranberrybogs，fromoneendoftheCapetotheother。You’veheardofhim，of，course。”
Jedrubbedhischin。”Maybeso，“hedrawled，“butifIhaveI’ve，forgothim。TheonlysageIrecollectisthesageteaMotherused，tomakemetakewhenIhadacoldsometimes。ICOULDN’Tforget，that。”
“Well，everybodybutyouhasheardofoldSylvester。He’sthe，biggestcrankonearth。”
“Hum-m。Seems’sifheandIoughttoknoweachother……But，maybehe’sadifferentkindofcrank;eh？”
“He’sallkinds。Oneofhisnotionsisthathewon’tpaybillsby，check，ifhecanpossiblyhelpit。He’lltravelfiftymilestopay，moneyforathingsoonerthansendacheckforit。Hehadthis，note——fourteenhundreddollars’twas——comin’dueatourbankto-day，andhe’dsentwordifwewantedthecashwemustsendforit’cause，hislumbagowastoobadforhimtotravel。Iwantedtoseehim，anyhow，aboutalittlematterofapoliticalappointmentuphis，way，soIdecidedtotakethecarandgomyself。Well，I’vejust，gotbackandIhadawindyv’yage，too。Andcold，don’ttalk！”
“Um……yes……Getyourmoney，didyou？”
“Yes，Igotit。It’sinmyovercoatpocketnow。Ithoughtone，spellIwasn’tgoin’togetit，fortheoldfellerwasmadabout，someoneofhiscranberrybuyersfailin’uponhimandhewasas，cross-grainedasascruboakroot。HeandIhadaregularrowover，thematterofpoliticsIwenttheretoseehimabout’special。I
toldhimwhathewasandhetoldmewhereIcouldgo。That’show，weparted。ThenIcamehome。”
“Hum……You’dhavehadawarmertripifyou’dgonewherehe，sentyou，Ipresumelikely……Um……Yes，yes……
’There’saplaceinthischorus，Foryouandforme，Andthethemeofitever，Andalwaysshallbe：
Hallelujah，’tisdo-ne！
Ibelieve……’
Hum！……Ithoughtthatpaintcanwasfullandthereain’t，more’nahalfpintinit。Imusthavedrunkitinmysleep，I
guess。DoIlookgreenaroundthemouth，Sam？”
ItwasjustbeforeCaptainSam’sdeparturethathespokeofhis，daughterandyoungPhillips。Hementionedtheminamostcasual，fashion，ashewasputtingonhiscoattogo，butJedhadafeeling，thathisfriendhadstoppedatthewindmillshoponpurposeto，discussthatverysubjectandthatallthedetailofhisWapatomac，triphadbeeninthenatureofasubterfugetoconcealthisfact。
“Oh，“saidthecaptain，withsomewhatelaboratecarelessness，ashe，struggledintotheheavycoat，“Idon’tknowasItoldyouthatthe，directorsvotedtoraiseCharlie’ssalary。Um-hm，atlast，Saturday’smeetin’theydidit。’Twasunanimous，too。He’sas，smartasawhip，thatyoungchap。Weallthinkaheapofhim。”
Jednodded，butmadenocomment。Thecaptainfidgetedwitha，buttonofhiscoat。Heturnedtowardthedoor，stopped，cleared，histhroat，hesitated，andthenturnedbackagain。
“Jed，“hesaid，“has——hasitseemedtoyouthat——thathe——that，Charliewas——maybe——comin’tothinkconsider’bleof——ofmy，daughter——ofMaud？”
Jedlookedup，caughthiseye，andlookeddownagain。CaptainSam，sighed。
“Isee，“hesaid。”Youdon’tneedtoanswer。Ipresumelikelythe，wholetownhasbeentalkin’aboutitforlandknowshowlong。It’s，generallythefolksathomethatdon’tnoticetillthelastgun，fires。OfcourseIknewhewascomin’tothehouseagooddealand，thatheandMaudseemedtolikeeachother’ssociety，andallthat。
Butitneverstruckmethat——thatitmeantanythingserious，you，know——anything——anything——well，youknowwhatImean，Jed。”
“Yes。Yes，Sam，IsupposeIdo。”
“Yes。Well，I——Idon’tknowwhyitneverstruckme，either。If，Georgianna——ifmywifehadbeenalive，she’dhavenoticed，I’ll，bet，butIdidn’t。’Twasonlylastevenin’;whenhecametoget，hertogotothepictures，thatitcameacrossme，youmightsay，like——likeawet，coldrope’send’slappin’meintheface。Igive，youmyword，Jed，I——Ikindofshiveredallover。Shemeans——she，meanssomethin’tome，thatlittlegirland——and——“
Heseemedtofindithardtogoon。Jedleanedforward。
“Iknow，Sam，Iknow，“hesaid。Hisfriendnodded。
“Iknowyoudo，Jed，“hesaid。”Idon’tthinkthere’sanybodyelse，knowssowell。I’mgladI’vegotyoutotalkto。Ical’late，though，“headded，withashortlaugh，“ifsomefolksknewIcame，hereto——totalkovermyprivateaffairsthey’dthinkIwasgoin’
softinthehead。”
Jedsmiled，andtherewasnoresentmentinthesmile。
“They’dlocatethesoftnessint’otherheadofthetwo，Sam，“he，suggested。
“Idon’tcarewheretheylocateit。Icantalktoyouaboutthings，Inevermentiontootherfolks。Guessitmustbebecauseyou——you——
well，Idon’tknow，butit’sso，anyhow……Well，togoahead，aftertheyoungfolkshadgoneIsattherealoneintheparlor，in，thedark，tryin’tothinkitout。Thehousekeeperhadgoneoverto，herbrother’s，soIhadtheplacetomyself。Ithoughtandthought，andtheharderIthoughtthelonesomertherestofmylifebeganto，look。Andyet——andyetIkepttellin’myselfhowselfishand，foolishthatwas。Iknew’twasadeadsartintyshe’dbegettin’
marriedsometime。YouandIhavelaughedaboutitandjokedabout，ittimeandagain。AndI’vejokedaboutitwithher，too。But——
butjokin’sonethingandthiswasanother……Whew！”
Hedrewahandacrosshisforehead。Jeddidnotspeak。Aftera，momentthecaptainwenton。
“Well，“hesaid，“whenshegothome，andafterhe’dgone，Igot，Maudtositonmyknee，sameasshe’sdoneeversinceshewasa，littlegirl，andsheandIhadatalk。Ikindofleduptothe，subject，asyoumightsay，andbyandbywe——well，wetalkeditout，prettystraight。Shethinksanawfulsightofhim，Jed。There，ain’tanydoubtaboutthat，sheasmuchastoldmeinthosewords，andmorethantoldmeinotherways。Andhe’stheonlyoneshe’s，evercaredtwostrawsfor，shetoldmethat。And——and——well，I
thinkshethinkshecaresforherthatway，too，althoughofcourse，shedidn’tsayso。Buthehasn’tspokentoheryet。Idon’tknow，but——butitseemedtome，maybe，thathemightbewaitin’tospeak，tomefirst。I’mhis——er——boss，youknow，andperhapshemayfeel，alittle——littleunderobligationstomeinabusinesswayandthat，mightmakeitharderforhimtospeak。Don’titseemtoyoumaybe，thatmightbeit，Jed？”
PoorJedhesitated。Thenhestammeredthatheshouldn’tbe，surprised。CaptainSamsighed。
“Well，“hesaid，“ifthat’sit，itdoeshimcredit，anyhow。I
ain’tgoin’tobeselfishinthisthing，Jed。Ifshe’sgoin’to，haveahusband——andsheis，ofcourse——Ical’lateI’drather’twas，CharliethananybodyelseI’veeverrunacross。He’ssmartand，he’llclimbprettyhigh，Ical’late。Ourlittlesingle-sticked，bankin’craftain’tgoin’tobebigenoughforhimtosailinvery，long。Icanseethatalready。He’llbenavigatin’aclipperone，ofthesedays。Well，that’sthewayI’dwantit。I’mpretty，ambitiousforthatgirlofmineandIshouldn’tbesatisfiedshort，ofatop-notcher。Andhe’saGOODfeller，Jed;astraight，clean，honestandabove-boardyoungchap。That’sthebestofit，after，all，ain’tit？”
Jed’sreplywasalmostagroan，buthisfrienddidnotnotice。He，putonhisovercoatandturnedtogo。
“So，thereyouare，“hesaid。”Ihadtotalktosomebody，hadto，getitoffmychest，and，asIjustsaid，itseemstobeeasierto，talksuchthingstoyouthananybodyelse。Nowifanyofthetown，gasengines——GabBearseoranybodyelse——comescruisin’inhere，heavin’overboardquestionsabouthowIlikethenotionofMaudand，Charlietakin’upwitheachother，youcantell’emI’mtickledto，death。Thatwon’tbealllie，neither。Ican’tsayI’mhappy，exactly，butMaudisandI’mgoin’tomake-believebe，forher，sake。Solong。”
Hewentout。Jedputhiselbowsontheworkbenchandcoveredhis，facewithhishands。HewasstillinthatpositionwhenRuth，Armstrongcamein。Herosehastily，butshemotionedhimtosit，again。
“Jed，“shesaid，“CaptainHunniwellwasjustherewithyou;Isaw，himgo。Tellme，whatwashetalkingabout？”
Jedwasconfused。”Why——why，Mrs。Ruth，“hestammered，“hewas，justtalkin’about——aboutanotehe’dbeencollectin’，and——and，such。”
“Wasn’thespeakingofhisdaughter——and——andmybrother？”
ThistimeJedactuallygasped。Ruthdrewalongbreath。”Iknew，it，“shesaid。
“But——but，formercysakes，HOWdidyouknow？，Didhe——？”
“No，hedidn’tseemeatall。Iwaswatchinghimfromthewindow。
ButIsawhisfaceand——“withasuddengestureofdesperation，“Oh，itwasn’tthatatall，Jed。Itwasmyguiltyconscience，I
guess。I’vebeenexpectinghimtospeaktoyou——orme——havebeen，dreadingiteveryday——andnowsomehowIknewhehadspoken。I
KNEWit。Whatdidbesay，Jed？”
JedtoldthesubstanceofwhatCaptainSamhadsaid。Shelistened。
Whenhefinishedhereyeswerewet。
“Oh，itisdreadful，“shemoaned。”I——Iwassohopingshemight，notcareforCharlie。Butshedoes——ofcourseshedoes。She，couldn’thelpit，“withasuddenoddlittleflashofloyalty。
Jedrubbedhischinindesperation。
“And——andCharlie？”heasked，anxiously。”Doeshe——“
“Yes，yes，I’msurehedoes。Hehasnevertoldmeso，neverinso，manywords，butIcansee。Iknowhimbetterthananyoneelsein，theworldandIcansee。Isawfirst，Ithink，onThanksgiving，Day;atleastthatiswhenIfirstbegantosuspect——tofear。”
Jednodded。”WhentheywasatthepianotogetherthattimeandSam，saidsomethin’abouttheirbein’afine-lookin’couple？”hesaid。
“Why，yes，thatwasit。Areyouamindreader，Jed？”
“No-o，Iguessnot。ButIsawyoulookin’kindofsurprisedand——
er——well，scaredforaminute。Iwasfeelin’thesamewayjust，then，soitdidn’tneedanymindreadertoguesswhathadscared，you。”
“Isee。But，oh，Jed，itisdreadful！，WhatSHALLwedo？，What，willbecomeofusall？，Andnow，whenI——Ihadjustbeguntobe，happy，reallyhappy。”
Shecaughtherbreathinasob。Jedinstinctivelystretchedout，hishand。
“Butthere，“shewenton，hurriedlywipinghereyes，“Imustn’tdo，this。Thisisnotimeformetothinkofmyself。Jed，this，mustn’tgoanyfurther。Hemustnotaskhertomarryhim;hemust，notthinkofsuchathing。”
Jedsadlyshookhishead。”I’mafraidyou’reright，“hesaid。
“Notasthingsarenowhesurelymustn’t。But——but，Mrs。Ruth——“
“Oh，don’t！”impatiently。”Don’tusethatsilly’Mrs。’anylonger。
Aren’tyouthe——thebestfriendIhaveintheworld？，Docallme，Ruth。”
Ifshehadbeenlookingathisfacejustthenshemighthaveseen——
things。Butshewasnotlooking。Therewasanintervalofsilence，beforehespoke。
“Well，then——er——Ruth——“hefaltered。
“That’sright。Goon。”
“Iwasjustgoin’toaskyouifyouthoughtCharliewascal’latin’
toaskher。Iain’tsosurethatheis。”
HetoldofCharles’recentvisittothewindmillshopandtheyoung，man’squeryconcerningthemakingofadecision。Shelistened，anxiously。
“Butdon’tyouthinkthatmeansthathewaswonderingwhetheror，notheshouldaskher？”shesaid。
“No。Thatis，Idon’tthinkit’ssartinsureitmeansthat。I
ratherhadthenotionitmightmeanhewasfiggerin’whetherornot，togostraighttoSamandmakeacleanbreastofit。”
“Youmeantell——telleverything？”
“Yes，allaboutthe——thebusinessatMiddleford。Idohonestly，believethat’swhattheboy’sgotonhismindtodo。Itain’tvery，surprisin’thathebacksandfillssomebeforethatmind’smadeup。
Seewhatitmightmeantohim：itmightmeanthelossofhis，prospectshereandhisplaceinthebankand，more’neverything，else，losin’Maud。It’ssomedecisiontomake。IfIhadtomake，itI——，Well，Idon’tknow。”
Sheputherhandtohereyes。”ThePOORboy，“shesaid，underher，breath。”But，Jed，DOyouthinkthatisthedecisionhereferred，to？，Andwhyhasn’thesaidawordtome，hisownsister，aboutit？
I’msurehelovesme。”
“Sartinhedoes，andthat’sjustit，asIseeit。Itain’thisown，hopesandprospectsalonethatareallwrappedupinthisthing，it’syours——andBabbie’s。He’stroubledaboutwhat’llhappento，you。That’swhyhehasn’taskedyouradvice，Ibelieve。”
Theywerebothsilentforamoment。Thenshesaid，pleadingly，“Oh，Jed，itisuptoyouandme，isn’tit？，Whatshallwedo？”
Itwasthe“we“inthissentencewhichthrilled。Ifshehadbade，himputhisneckinfrontofthehandsawjustthenJedwouldhave，obeyed，andsmilinglyhavepulledtheleverwhichsetthemachine，inmotion。Butthequestion，nevertheless，wasastaggerer。
“W-e-e-ll，“headmitted，“I——Ihardlyknowwhattosay，Iwillgive，in。Toberightdownhonest——andtheLordknowsIhatetosayit——
itwouldn’tdoforaminutetoletthosetwoyoungfolksget，engaged——tosaynothin’ofgettin’married——withthisthingbetween，’em。Itwouldn’tbefairtoher，nortoSam——no，nortohimor，you，either。Youseethat，don’tyou？”hebegged。”YouknowI
don’tsayitforanyreasonbutjust——justforthebestinterests，ofallhands。Youknowthat，don’tyou——Ruth？”
