\"Humph！\"gruntedtheyoungman；\"Iguessyou’renotasdangerousasyoulook。Staywhereyouareandkeepstill。\"
Heturnedtoenterthekitchen，turningagainjustintimetofindthepupathisheels。Heliftedtheshovel，andJobjumpedfranticallyoutofreach，satdowninaclumpofbeachgrass，liftedhisnosetotheskyandexpressedhisfeelingsinahowlofuttermisery。
\"Good——heavens！\"observedJohnBrownfervently，and，shiftingtheshoveltohislefthand，rubbedhisforeheadwithhisright。Jobhowledoncemoreandgazedathimwithsorrowfulappeal。Thesituationwassoridiculousthattheyoungmanbegantolaugh。Thismerrimentappearedtoencouragethepup，whostoppedhowlingandbegantocaper，throwingtheloosesandfrombeneathhispawsinshowers。
\"What’sthematter，oldboy？\"inquiredBrown。\"Lonesome，areyou？\"
Jobwasmakinghimselfthecenterofasmall-sizedsandspout。
\"Humph！Well……well，allright。I’mnotgoingtohurtyou。
Staywhereyouare，andIwon’tshutthedoor。\"
Butthiscompromisewasnotsatisfactory，becausethemomenttheyoungmanstartedtocrossthethresholdthedogstartedtofollow。
WhenBrownhalted，hefollowedsuit——andhowled。Thenthesubstituteassistantsurrenderedunconditionally。
\"Allright，\"hesaid。\"Comein，then，ifyouwantto。Comein！butforgoodnesssakekeepstillwhenyouarein。\"
Hestrodeintothekitchen，leavingthedooropen。Jobslunkafterhim，andcrouchedwithhismuzzleacrossthesill，evidentlynotyetcertainthathisvictorywascomplete。Hedidnothowl，however，andhislateadversarywasthankfulfortheomission。
Brownbethoughthimselfofthewaterinthewashboilerand，removingthecover，testeditwithhisfinger。Itwassteadilyheating，butnotyetattheboilingpoint。Hepushedtheboileraside，liftedalidoftherangeandinspectedthefire。Frombehindhimcameayelp，another，athump，andthenaseriesofthumpsandyelps。HeturnedandsawJobinthecenterofthefloorapparentlyhavingafit。
Themomenthisbackwasturned，thepuphadsneakedintothekitchen。Itwasnotalargekitchen，andJobwasdistinctlyalargedog。Also，hewassuspiciousoffurtherassaultswiththefireshovelandhadendeavoredtofindahidingplaceunderthetable。
Incrawlingbeneaththisarticleoffurniturehehadknockedoffasheetoftheflypaper。Thishadfallen\"buttersidedown\"uponhisback，andstuckfast。Hereachedafttopullitloosewithhisteethandhadencounteredasecondsheetlaidonachair。Thishadstucktohisneck。Jobwasanapprehensiveanimalbynatureandastheresultofexperience，andhisnerveswereeasilyunstrung。Heforgottheshovel，forgotthehumanwhomhehadbeenfearfullytryingtopropitiate，forgoteverythingexceptthedreadfulobjectswhichclungtohimandpulledhishair。Herolledfrombeneaththetable，ashrieking，kicking，snappingcyclone。Andthatkitchenwasnoplaceforacyclone。
Herolledandwhirledforaninstant，thenscrambledtohisfeetandbeganrunninginwideningcircles。Browntriedtoseizehimashepassed，buthemightaswellhaveseizedarailroadtrain。Anotherchair，alsoloadedwithflypaper，upset，andJobaddedathirdsheettohiscollection。Thisoneplastereditselfacrosshisnoseandeyes。Heceasedrunningforwardandbegantoleaphighintheairandbackwards。Thenetcontainingthebiglobsterfelltothefloor。ThenJohnBrownfledtotheopenair，leanedagainstthesideofthebuildingandscreamedwithlaughter。
Insidethekitchentheuproarwasterrific。Howls，shrillyelps，thumpsandcrashes。Thencameacrashlouderthananyprecedingit，asplashofwateracrossthesill，andfromthedoorwayleaped，orflew，anobjectsteaminganddripping，flutteringwithflypaper，andwithagiantlobsterclampedfirmlytoitstail。Thelobsterwasknockedoffagainstthedoorpost，buttherestoftheexhibitkeptonaroundthecornerofthehouse，shriekingasitflew。Browncollapsedinthesandandlaugheduntilhissidesachedandhewastooweaktolaughlonger。
Atlasthegotupandstaggeredafterit。Hewasstilllaughingwhenhereachedthebackyard，buttherehestoppedlaughingandutteredanexclamationofimpatienceandsomealarm。
OfJobtherewasnosign，thoughfromsomewhereamidthedunessoundedyelps，screamsandthebreakingoftwigsasthepersecutedonefledblindlythroughthebayberryandbeachplumbushes。ButBrownwasnotanxiousaboutthedog。WhatcausedhimtoshoutandthenbreakintoarunwasthesightofJoshua，theoldhorse，gallopingattopspeedalongtheroadtothesouth。Evenhissedateandancientcalmhadnotbeenproofagainsttheapparitionwhichburstfromthekitchen。Inhisfrighthehadbrokenhishalterropeandmanaged——amiracle，consideringhisage——toleapthepasturefenceandrun。
ThathorsewastheappleofSethAtkins’seye。Thelightkeeperbelievedhimtobeawonderofstrengthandendurance，andneverleftthelightswithoutcautioninghishelpertokeepaneyeonJoshua，\"’causeifanythinghappenedtohimI’dhavetohuntamightylongspelltofindanotherthatcouldtechhim。\"Brownacceptedthistrustwithcomposure，feelingmorallycertainthattheonlythinglikelytohappentoJoshuawasdeathfromovereatingoroldage。Andnowsomethinghadhappened——Joshuawasrunningaway。
Therewasbutonecoursetotake；Brownmustleavethegovernment’spropertyinitsowncareandcapturethathorse。Hehadlaugheduntilrunningseemedanimpossibility，butrunhemust，anddid，afterafashion。ButJoshuawasrunning，too，andhewasfrightened。Hegallopedlikeacolt，andtheassistantlightkeepergaineduponhimveryslowly。
Theroadwascrookedandhilly，andthesandinitsrutswasdeep。
Brownwouldnothavegainedatall，butforthefactthatthehorse，fromlonghabit，kepttotheroadwayandnevertriedshortcuts。
Hispursuerdid，and，therefore，justasJoshuaenteredthegroveonthebluffabovePounddugSlough，Browncaughtupwithhimandmadeagrabattheendofthetrailinghalter。Hemissedit，andthehorsetookafreshstart。
Theroadthroughthegrovewasovergrownwithyoungtreesandbushes，andamidthesetheanimalhadadistinctadvantage。Notuntiltheouteredgeofthegrovewasreacheddidthepantingassistantgetanotheropportunityattherope。Thistimeheseizeditandheldon。
\"Whoa！\"heshouted。\"Whoa！\"
ButJoshuadidnot\"whoa\"atonce。Hekeptonalongtheedgeofthehigh，sandyslope。Brown，fromthetailofhiseye，caughtaglimpseofthewindingchanneloftheSloughbeneathhim，ofasmallschoonerheeledoveronthemudflatatitsmargin，andofthefigureofamanatworkbesideit。
\"Whoa！\"heorderedoncemore。\"Whoa，Josh！standstill！\"
Perhapsthehorsewouldhavestoodstill——heseemedabouttodoso——
butfromthedistance，somewhereontheroadhehadjusttraversed，cameahowl，long-drawnandterrifyinglyfamiliar。Joshuaheardit，jumpedsidewise，jerkedatthehalterand，asifplaying\"snapthewhip，\"senthiswould-becaptorheelsoverheadovertheedgeofthebankandrollingdownthesandyslope。ThehalterflewfromBrown’shands，herolledandbumpedandclutchedatclumpsofgrassandbushes。Thenhestruckthebeachandstopped，spread-eagledonthewetsand。
Avoicesaid：\"Well——by——TIME！\"
Brownlookedup。SethAtkins，apaintpailinonehandandadrippingbrushintheother，wasstandingbesidehim，blankastonishmentwrittenonhisfeatures。
\"Well——bytime！\"saidSethagain，andwithevenstrongeremphasis。
Thesubstituteassistantraisedhimselftohisknees，rubbedhisbackwithonehand，andthen，turning，satinthesandandreturnedhissuperior’sastonishedgazewithoneofequalbewilderment。
\"Hello！\"hegasped。\"Well，byGeorge！it’syou，isn’tit！Whatareyoudoinghere？\"
Thelightkeeperputdownthepailofpaint。
\"WhatamIdoin’？\"herepeated。\"WhatamIdoin’——？Say！\"Hisastonishmentchangedtosuspicionandwrath。\"NeveryoumindwhatI’mdoin’，\"hewenton。\"That’smyaffairs。WhatareYOUdoin’
here？That’swhatIwanttoknow。\"
Brownrubbedthesandoutofhishair。
\"Idon’tknowexactlywhatIamdoing——yet，\"hepanted。
\"Youdon’t，hey？Well，you’dbetterfindout。MaybeIcanhelpyoutoremember。Sneakin’afterme，wa’n’tyou？Spyin’，tofindoutwhatIwasupto，hey？\"
Heshookthewetpaintbrushangrilyathishelper。Brownlookedathimforaninstant；thenherosetohisfeet。
\"Spyin’onme，wasyou？\"repeatedSeth。
\"Didn’tItellyouthatmindin’yourownbusinesswaspartofourdickerifyouwasgoin’tostayatEastborolighthouse？Didn’tI
tellyouthat？\"
Theyoungmanansweredwithacontemptuousshrug。Turningonhisheel，hestartedtowalkaway。Atkinssprangafterhim。
\"Answerme，\"heordered。\"Didn’tIsayyou’dgottomindyourownbusiness？\"
\"Youdid，\"coldly。
\"YoubetIdid！Andwasyoumindin’it？\"
\"No。Iwasmindingyours——likeafool。Nowyoumaymindityourself。\"
\"Holdonthere！Whereyougoin’？\"
\"Backtothelights。Andyoumaygotothedevil，oranywhereelsethatsuitsyourconvenience，andtakeyourconfoundedmenageriewithyou。\"
\"Mymenag——Whatonearth？Say，holdon！Mercyonus，what’sthat？\"
Fromthetopofthebluffcameacrashingandaseriesofyelps。
Throughthethicketofbeachplumbusheswasthrustayellowhead，fringedwithtornfragmentsofflypaper。
\"What’sthat？\"demandedtheastonishedlightkeeper。
Brownlookedatthewhiningapparitioninthebushesandsmiledmaliciously。
\"That，\"heobserved，\"isJob。\"
\"JOB？\"
\"Yes。\"Fromsomewhereinthegrovecameathrashingofbranchesandafrightenedneigh。\"Andthat，\"hecontinued，\"isJoshua，I
presume。IftherearemoreOldTestamentpatriarchsinthevicinity，Idon’tknowwheretheyare，andIdon’tcare。Youmayhuntforthemyourself。I’mgoingtofollowyouradviceandmindmyownbusiness。Goodby。\"
Hestrodeoffupthebeach。Job，atthetopofthebank，startedtofollow，butawell-aimedpebblecausedhimtododgeback。
\"Holdon！\"roaredthelightkeeper。\"MaybeImadeamistake。
Perhapsyouwa’n’tspyin’onme。Don’tgooffmad。I……Wait！\"
ButJohnBrowndidnotwait。Hestroderapidlyawayupthebeach。
Sethstaredafterhim。Fromthegrove，wherehishalterhadcaughtfirmlyintheforkofayoungpine，Joshuathrashedandneighed。
\"Aa-oo-ow！\"howledJob，fromthebushes。
AnhourlaterAtkins，leadingthewearyandhomesickJoshuabythebridle，trudgedinatthelighthouseyard。Job，stillornamentedwithremnantsoftheflypaper，slunkathisheels。Sethstabledthehorseand，aftersomemanoeuvering，managedtodecoythedogdowntheslopetotheboathouse，whereheclosedthedooruponhimandhiswhines。Thenheclimbedbacktothekitchen。
Thetablewassetforone，andinthewashboilerontherangethegiantlobsterwascooking。Ofthesubstituteassistantkeepertherewasnosign，but，aftersearching，Sethfoundhiminhisroom。
\"Well？\"observedAtkins，gruffly，\"wemight’swellhavesupper，hadn’twe？\"
Browndidnotseeminterested。\"Yoursupperisready，Ithink，\"heanswered。\"Itriednottoforgetanything。\"
\"Iguess’tis；seemstobe。Comeon，andwe’lleat。\"
\"Ihaveeaten，thankyou。\"
\"Youhave？Alone？\"
\"Yes。That，too，\"withemphasis，\"isapartofmybusiness。\"
Thelightkeeperstared，grunted，andthenwentoutoftheroom。Heatealonelymeal，notofthelobster——hekeptthatforanotheroccasion——butonemadeupofcoldscrapsfromthepantry。Hewandereduneasilyaboutthepremises，quietedJob’swailsforthetimebyagiftofeatableoddsandendstossedintotheboathouse，smoked，triedtoread，and，whenitgrewdusk，litthelampsinthetowers。Atlasthewalkedtothecloseddoorofhishelper’sroomandrapped。
\"Well？\"wastheungraciousresponse。
\"It’sme，Atkins，\"heannounced，hesitatingly。\"I’dliketospeaktoyou，ifyoudon’tmind。\"
\"Onbusiness？\"
\"Well，no——notexactly。Say，Brown，IguesslikelyI’doughttobegyourpardonagain。Ical’lateI’vemadeanothermistake。Ijedgeyouwa’n’tspyin’onmewhenyoudovedownthatbankin’。\"
\"Yourjudgmentisgoodthistime。Iwasnot。\"
\"No，I’msartinyouwa’n’t。Iapologizeandtakeitallback。NowcanIcomein？\"
Thedoorwasthrownopen。Sethentered，lookingsheepish，andsatdowninthelittlecane-seatedrocker。
\"Say，\"hebegan，afteramomentofuncomfortablesilence，\"wouldyoumind——nowthatI’vebeggedyourpardonandall——tellin’mewhatdidhappenwhileIwasaway。Iimagine，judgin’bythelooksofthingsinthekitchen，thattherewas——er——well，consider’bledoin’，astheboyssay。\"
Hegrinned。Browntriedtobeserious，butwasobligedtosmileinreturn。
\"I’lltellyou，\"hesaid。\"Ofcourseyouknowwherethat——er——
remarkabledogcamefrom？\"
\"Icanguess，\"drily。\"HenryG。’spresent，ain’the？Humph！Well，I’doughttohaveknownthatanythingHenrywouldGIVEawaywaslikelytoberemarkableinallsortsofways。Allright！that’soneHenry’sgotonme。TomorrowafternoonmeandJobtakeatripbacktoEastboro，andoneofusstaysthere。Itmaybeme，butIhavemydoubts。IagreedtotakeaDOGontrial，notayeller-jaundicedcowwithachurchorganinsideofit。Hearthecritterwhoopin’downthereintheboathouse！Andhe’seateverythingthat’schewableonthereservationalready。He’safamineonlegs，thatpup。Butnevermindhim。He’sbeentried——andfoundguilty。Tellmewhathappened。\"
Brownbeganthetaleoftheafternoon’sperformances，beginningwithhisexperienceasalobstercatcher。Sethsmiled，thenchuckled，andfinallyburstintoroarsoflaughter，inwhichthenarratorjoined。
\"Jiminycrimps！\"exclaimedSeth，whenthestorywasfinished。\"Oh，byjiminycrimps！thatbeatstheDutch，andeverybody’sbeentoldwhattheDutchbeat。Ha，ha！ho，ho！Brown，Iapologizealloveragain。Idon’twonderyouwasputoutwhenIaccusedyouofspyin’。
Wonderyouhadn’trizupoffthatsandandbutcheredmewhereI
stood。Cal’latethat’swhatI’dhavedoneinyourplace。Well，I
hopethere’snohardfeelin’snow。\"
\"No。Yourapology，isaccepted。\"
\"That’sgood。Er——er——say，you——youmusthavebeensortofsurprisedtoseemepaintin’theDaisyM。\"
\"Thewhich？\"
\"TheDaisyM。That’sthenameofthatoldschoonerIwastoworkon。\"
\"Indeed……Howistheweathertonight，clear？\"
\"Yes，it’sfairnow，butlookssortofthicktotheeast’ard。Isayyoumusthavebeensurprisedtoseemepaintin’theDaisyM。I’vebeentinkerin’onthatoldboat，offandon，eversincelastfall。
Boughtherforeightdollarsofthefellerthatownedher，andshewasahulkforsartinthen。I’vecaulkedherupandriggedher，afterafashion。Nowshemightfloat，ifshehadachance。Everyafternoon，prettynigh，I’vebeenather。Don’tknowexactlywhyI
doit，neither。AndyetIdo，too。Prob’lyyou’vewonderedwhereI
wastakin\"allthatoldcanvasandstuff。I——\"
\"Excuseme，Atkins。Imindmyownbusiness，youknow。Iasknoquestions，andyouareundernoobligationtotellmeanything。\"
\"Iknow，Iknow。\"Thelightkeepernoddedsolemnly。Heclaspedhiskneewithhishandsandrockedbackandforthinhischair。\"I
know，\"hewenton，anabsent，wistfullookinhiseye；\"butyoumusthavewondered，justthesame。Iboughtthatcraftbecause——well，becausesheremindedmeofoldtimes，Ical’late。Iusedtocommandaschoonerlikeheronce；biggerandlotsmoreable，ofcourse，butafishin’schooner，sameassheusedtobe。AndIwasagoodskipper，ifIdosayit。MycrewsjumpedwhenIsaidtheword，nowItellyou。That’swhereIbelong——onthedeckofavessel。I’mamanthere——aman。\"
Hepaused。Brownmadenocomment。Sethcontinuedtorockandtotalk；heseemedtobethinkingaloud。
\"Yes，sir，\"hedeclared，withasigh；\"whenIwasafloatIwasaman，andfolksrespectedme。Ijustdolovesaltwaterandsailin’
craft。That’swhyIboughttheDaisyM。I’vebeenriggin’herandcaulkin’herjustforthefunofdoin’it。She’llneverfloatagain。Itwouldtakeatidelikeafloodtogetheroffthemflats。
ButwhenI’maboardorputterin’aroundher，I’mhappy——happier，I
mean。ItmakesmeforgetI’magood-for-nothin’derelict，strandedinanoldwoman’sjoboflightkeepin’。Ah，hum-a-day，youngfeller，youdon’tknowwhatitistohavebeensomebody，andthen，becauseyouwasafoolanddidafoolthing，tobenothin’——nothin’！Youdon’tknowwhatthatis。\"
JohnBrowncaughthisbreath。Hisfistdescendeduponthewindowledgebesidehim。
\"Don’tI！\"hegroaned。\"ByGeorge，don’tI！Doyousuppose——\"
Hestoppedshort。Atkinsstartedandcameoutofhisdream。
\"Why——why，yes，\"hesaid，hastily；\"Is’poselikelyyoudo……
Well，goodnight。I’vegottogoonwatch。Seeyouinthemornin’。\"
CHAPTERVI
THEPICNIC
SethwastruetohispromiseconcerningJob。Thenextafternoonthatremarkablecaninewasdecoyed，bytheusualbone，intotheboxinwhichhehadarrived。Beingin，thecoverwassecurelyrenailedabovehim。Brownandthelight-keeperliftedtheboxintothebackpartofthe\"openwagon，\"andAtkinsdrovetriumphantlyaway，thepup’sagonizedprotestsagainstthejourneyservingasspurstourgeJoshuafasteralongtheroadtothevillage。When，aboutsixo’clock，Sethreenteredtheyard，hewasgrinningbroadly。
\"Well，\"inquiredBrown，\"didhetakehimbackwillingly？\"
\"Who？HenryG。？Idon’tknowaboutthewillin’part，buthe’lltakehimback。Iattendedtothat。\"
\"Whatdidhesay？Didhethinkyouungratefulforrefusingtoaccepthispresent？\"
Atkinslaughedaloud。\"Hedidn’tsaynothin’，\"hedeclared。\"Hedidn’tknowitwhenIleftEastboro。Iwa’n’tsuchafoolastocartthatcrittertothestore，whereallthegang’roundthestorecouldhollerandmakefun。Notmuch！Idrovewayroundtheotherway，upthebackroad，andunloadedhimatHenry’shouse。I
cal’latedtoleavehimwithAuntOlive——that’sHenry’ssister，keepin’houseforhim——butshe’dgoneouttosewin’circle，andtherewa’n’tnobodytohome。Thesidedoorwasunlocked，soI
luggedthatboxintothesettin’roomandleftitthere。Prettynighbrokemyback；andthateverlastin’JobholleredsoIthoughtthewholetownwouldhearhimandcomerunnin’tostopthemurderin’
thatthey’dcal’latewasbein’done。Butthereain’tnonighneighbors，andthosethatarenighestain’tonspeakin’termswithHenry；rutherhavehimmurderedthannot，Ishouldn’twonder。SoI
leftJobinhisboxinthesettin’roomandclearedout。\"
Thesubstituteassistantsmileddelightedly。
\"Goodenough！\"heexclaimed。\"WhatapleasantsurpriseforfriendHenryorhishousekeeper。\"
\"Ho，ho！ain’tit！Iratherguess’twillbeHenryhimselfthat’ssurprisedfust。AuntOliveneverleavessewin’circletillthelastbitofsupper’seatup——she’sgotsomeofherbrother’sstinginessinhermake-up——soIcal’lateHenry’llgethomeaforeshedoes。I
shouldn’twonder，\"withanexuberantchuckle，\"ifthatsettin’room’
wassomestirredupwhenheseesit。ThepuphadloosenedtheboxcoveraforeIleft。Ho，ho！\"
\"Butwon’thesendthedogbackhereagain？\"
\"No，hewon’t。Ileftanoteforhimonthetable。Therewasconsider’blegingerineverylineofit。No，Jobwon’tbesenthere，nomatterwhatbecomesofhim。AndifanythingSHOULDbebrokeinthatsettin’room——well，therewasSOMEdamagedonetoourkitchen。No，IguessHenryG。andmearesquare。Hewon’tmakeanyfuss；hewantstokeepourtrade，yousee。\"
Itwasatrueprophecy。Thestorekeepermadenotrouble，andJobremainedatEastborountilaforayonaneighbor’schickensresultedinhisremovalfromthisvaleoftears。Neitherthelightkeepernorhishelpereversawhimagain，andwhenSethnextvisitedthestoreandsolicitouslyinquiredconcerningthepup’shealth，HenryG。
merelylookedfoolishandchangedthesubject。
Butthedog’sshortsojournattheTwin-Lightshadservedtosolveonemystery，thatofAtkins’sdailyexcursionstoPounddugSlough。
Hewenttheretoworkontheoldschooner，theDaisyM。Sethmadenomoredisclosuresconcerninghispastlife——thatremainedasecret——buthedidsuggesthishelper’sgoingtoinspecttheschooner。\"Justwalkacrossandlookherover，\"hesaid。\"I’dliketoknowwhatyouthinkofher。SeeifIain’tmakin’aprettygoodjoboutofnothin’。FORnothin’，ofcourse，\"headded，gloomily；
\"butitkeepsmefromthinkin’toomuch。Goandseeher，that’sagoodfeller。\"
Sotheyoungmandidgo。Heclimbedaboardthestrandedcraft——aforlornpictureshemade，lyingonhersideinthemud——andwassurprisedtofindhowmuchhadbeenmanufactured\"outofnothing。\"
Herseams，thosewhichthesunhadopened，werecaulkedneatly；herdeckwascleanandwhite；shewaspartiallyrigged，withnewandoldcanvasandropes；andtohislandsman’seyesshelookedalmostfitforsea。ButwhenhesaidasmuchtoSeth，thelatterlaughedscornfully。
\"Fitfornothin’，\"scoffedthelightkeeper。\"Icouldmakeherfit，maybe，ifIwantedtospendmoneyenough，butIdon’t。Ican’tgetatherstarboardside，that’sdowninthemud，andIcal’lateshe’dleaklikeaskimmer。She’sonlygotafores’landajib，andthejib’sonlyalittleonethatusedtobelongtoathirty-footsloop。
Heranchor’sgone，andIwouldn’ttrusthermaintopmasttocarryanythingbigger’nahandkerchief，northatinabreezenomorepowerfulthanacanarybird’sbreath。And，asItoldyou，itwouldtakeatidelikeafloodtofloather。No，she’snogood，andneverwillbe；but，\"withasigh，\"Igetalittlefunfussin’overher。\"
\"Er——bytheway，\"headded，alittlelater，\"ofcourseyouwon’tmentiontonobodywhatItoldyouabout——aboutmybein’afishin’
skipperonce。Notthatanybodyevercomeshereforyoutomentionitto，butIwouldn’twant……Yousee，nobodyinEastborooranywheresontheCapeknowswhereIcomefrom，andso……Oh，allright，allright。Iknowyouain’tthekindtotalk。Mindourownbusiness，that’sthemottoyouandmecruiseunder，hey？\"
Yet，althoughtheconversationinthesubstituteassistant’sroomwasnotagainreferredtobyeither，ithadtheeffectofmakingtheoddlyassortedpairabitcloserintheircompanionship。Themutualtrustwasstrengthenedbythelightkeeper’shalfconfidenceandBrown’ssympatheticreceptionofit。Eachwaslonely，eachhadmomentswhenhefelthemustexpresshishiddenfeelingstosomeone，and，thoughneitherrecognizedthefact，itwascertainthatthetimewascomingwhenallmysterieswouldbemysteriesnolonger。
Andonedayoccurredaseriesofridiculoushappeningswhich，biddingfairatfirsttoendinaquarreltherelationshipbetweenthetwo，insteadrevealedinbothakindredtraitthatremovedthelastbarrier。
Atalittlebeforetenonthisparticularmorning，Brown，busyinthekitchen，heardvigorouslanguageoutside。ItwasAtkinswhowasspeaking，andtheassistantwonderedwhoonearthhecouldbetalkingto。Aglancearoundthedoorpostshowedthathewas，apparently，talkingtohimself——atleast，therewasnootherhumanbeingtobeseen。Heheldinhishandabatteredpairofmarineglassesandoccasionallyhepeeredthroughthem。Eachtimehedidsohissoliloquybecamemoreanimatedandprofane。
\"What’sthematter？\"demandedBrown，emergingfromthehouse。
\"Matter？\"repeatedSeth。\"Matterenough！Here！takeasquintthroughthemglassesandtellmewho’sinthatbuggycomin’yonder？\"
Thebuggy，ablackdotfardownthesandyroadleadingfromthevillage，wasrockinganddippingoverthedunes。Theassistanttooktheglasses，adjustedthem，andlookedasdirected。
\"Why！\"hesaidslowly，\"therearethreepeopleinthatbuggy。A
man——and——\"
\"Andtwowomen；that’swhatIthought。Dumidiotscomin’overtopicnicandspendtheday，sure’staxes。Andthey’llwanttobeshowedroundthelightsandeverywheres，andthey’llaskmore’nfortymillionquestions。Consarntheluck！\"
Brownlookedtroubled。Hehadnodesiretomeetstrangers。
\"Howdoyouknowthey’recominghere？\"heasked。Theanswerwasconclusive。
\"Because，\"snarledSeth，\"asIshouldthinkyou’dknowbythistime，thereain’tnootherplaceroundheretheyCOULDcometo。\"
Amomentlater，headded，\"Well，you’llhavetoshow’emround。\"
\"Iwill？\"
\"Sartin。That’spartoftheassistantkeeper’sjob。\"
Hechuckledashesaidit。Thatchucklegratedontheyoungman’snerves。
\"I’mnottheassistant，\"hedeclaredcheerfully。
\"Youain’t？Whatareyouthen？\"
\"Oh，justahelper。Idon’tgetanywages。You’vetoldmeyourself，overandover，thatIhavenoregularstandinghere。And，accordingtothegovernmentrules，thoseyou’vegotpostedinthekitchen，thelightkeeperisobligedtoshowvisitorsabout。I
wouldn’tbreaktherulesfortheworld。Goodmorning。ThinkI’llgodowntothebeach。\"
Hestalkedawaywhistling。Atkins，hisfaceflaming，roaredafterhimaprofaneopinionconcerninghisactions。Thenhewentintothekitchen，slammingthedoorwithabang。
Sometwentyminuteslaterthehelperheardhisnameshoutedfromthetopofthebluff。
\"Mr。Brown！Isay！Ahoythere，Mr。Brown！Comeuphereaminute，won’tye？\"
Brownclamberedupthepath。Alittleman，withgreythroatwhiskers，andwearinganantiquatedstrawhat，theedgeofthebrimtrimmedwithblackbraid，wasstandingwaitingforhim。
\"Sorrytotroubleyou，Mr。Brown，\"stammeredthelittleman，\"butyoubeMr。Brown，ain’tyou？\"
\"Iam。Yes。\"
\"Well，Ical’latedyouwas。Myname’sStover，AbijahStover。I
liveovertoTrumet。Meandmywifedroveoverforasortofpicniclike。We’vegothercousin，Mrs。SophiaHains，along。Sophi’sawidowfromBoston，andsheain’tneverseenalighthouseafore。I
knowSethAtkinsslightly，andIwascal’latin’he’dshowusaround，butbein’ashe’ssosick——\"
\"Sick？IsMr。Atkinssick？\"
\"Why，yes。Didn’tyouknowit？He’sinthebedroomtheregroanin’
somethin’terrible。Hetoldmenottosaynothin’tothewomenfolks，buttohailyou，andyou’dlookoutforus。Didn’tyouknowhewaslaidup？Why，he——\"
Browndidnotwaittohearmore。Hestrodetothehouse，withMr。
Stoverathisheels。Onhiswayhecaughtaglimpseofthebuggy，thehorsedozingbetweentheshafts。Ontheseatofthebuggyweretwowomen，oneplumpandround-faced，theotherthinandgaunt。
Mr。Stoverpantedbehindhim。
\"Say，Mr。Brown，\"hewhispered，astheyenteredthekitchen；\"don’ttellmywifenorSophiaboutSeth’sbein’sick。Betternotsayawordtothemaboutit。\"
Thetoneinwhichthiswasspokenmadethesubstituteassistantcurious。
\"Whynot？\"heasked。
\"’Cause——well，’causeHannah’shobbyissickfolks，asyoumightsay。Ifthere’sacatintheneighborhoodthat’sailin’she’salwaysdosin’ofitupandfixin’medicineforit，andthelikeofthat。AndSophi’soneofthem’NewThoughters’anddon’tbelieveanybody’sgotanyrighttobesick。Thetwoof’emain’tdonenothin’butargueandrowoverdiseasesandimaginationandmedicineseversinceSophigothere。IftheyknewSethwaslaidup，Ihonestlybelievethey’ddroppicnicandeverythin’andstartfightin’overwhetherhewasreallysickorjustthoughthewas。
AndIsortoffiggeredonhavin’aquietdayoff。\"
Brownfoundthelightkeeperstretchedonthebedinhisroom。Hewasdressed，withtheexceptionofcoatandboots，andwhentheyoungmanenteredhegroanedfeebly。
\"What’sthematter？\"demandedthealarmedhelper。
\"Oh，my！\"groanedSeth。\"Oh，my！\"
\"Areyouinpain？Whatisit？ShallI’phoneforthedoctor？\"
\"No，no。Nousegettin’thedoctor。I’llbeallrightbyandby。
It’soneofmyattacks。Ihave’emeveryonceinawhile。Justletmealone，andletmelayherewithoutbein’disturbed；thenI’llgetbetter，Iguess。\"
\"Butit’ssosudden！\"
\"Iknow。Theyalwayscomeonthatway。Nowrunalong，likeagoodfeller，andleavemetomysuff’rin’s。O-oh，dear！\"
Muchtroubled，Brownturnedtothedoor。Ashewasgoingouthehappenedtolookback。Thedresserstoodagainstthewallbeyondthebed，andinitsmirrorhecaughtaglimpseofthefaceofthesickman。Onthatface，whichshouldhavebeendistortedwithagony，wasabroadgrin。
BrownfoundthelittleStovermanwaitingforhiminthekitchen。
\"Beyouready？\"heasked。
\"Ready？\"repeatedBrown，absently。\"Readyforwhat？\"
\"Why，toshowusroundthelights。Sophi，sheain’tneverseenoneafore。Atkinssaidthat，bein’ashewasn’tabletoleavehisbed，you’dshowusaround。\"
\"Hedid，hey？\"
\"Yes。Hesaidyou’dbegladto。\"
\"Hum！\"Mr。Brown’stonewasthatofoneuponwhom，outofdarkness，alighthassuddenlyburst。\"Isee，\"hemused，thoughtfully。\"Yes，yes。Isee。\"
Foraminutehestoodstill，evidentlypondering。Then，withatwinkleinhiseye，hestrodeoutofthehouseandwalkedbrisklyacrosstothebuggy。
\"Goodmorning，ladies，\"hesaid，removingthenewcapwhichSethhadrecentlypurchasedforhiminEastboro。\"Mr。Stovertellsmeyouwishtobeshownthelights。\"
Theplumpwomananswered。\"Yes，\"shesaid，briskly，\"wedo。Areyouanewkeeper？Where’sMr。Atkins？\"
\"Mr。Atkins，Iregrettosay，\"beganBrown，\"isill。He——\"
Stover，standingathiselbow，interruptednervously。
\"Mr。Brownhere’llshowusaround，\"hesaidquickly。\"Sethsaidhewould。\"
\"Ishallbehappy，\"concurredthatyounggentleman。\"YoumustexcusemeifIseemratherworried。Mr。Atkins，mychief——Ibelieveyouknowhim，Mrs。Stover——hasbeentakensuddenlyill，andis，apparently，sufferingmuchpain。Theattackwasverysudden，andI——\"
\"Sick？\"Theplumpwomanseemedactuallytoprickupherears，likeasleepycatatthesoundofthedinnerbell。\"IsSethsick？Andyouallalonewithhimhere？Can’tIdoanythingtohelp？\"
\"Allhewantsistobeleftalone，\"putinherhusbandanxiously。
\"Hesaidsohimself。\"
\"Doyouknowwhat’sthematter？Haveyougotanymedicineforhim？\"
Mrs。Stoverwasalreadyclimbingoutofthebuggy。
\"No，\"repliedBrown。\"Ihaven’t。Thatis，Ihaven’tgivenhimanyyet。\"
Theslimwoman，Mrs。HainsofBoston，nowbrokeintotheconversation。
\"Goodthing！\"shesnapped。\"Mostmedicine’snothingbutopiumandalcohol。Fillthepoorcreaturefullofdrugsand——\"
\"Is’poseyou’dsetandpreachNewThoughtathim！\"snappedMrs。
Stover。\"Asifabodycouldbecuredbyhotair！IbelieveI’llgorightinandseehim。Don’tyous’poseIcouldhelp，Mr。Brown？\"
Mr。Brownseemedpleased，butreluctant。\"It’sawfullygoodofyou，\"hesaid。\"Icouldn’tthinkoftroublingyouwhenyou’vecomesofaronapleasureexcursion。ButIamatmywitsend。\"
\"Don’tsayanotherword！\"Mrs。Stover’sbulkyfigurewasalreadyonthewaytothedoorofthehouse。\"I’monlytoogladtodowhatI
can。And，ifIdosayit，thatshouldn’t，I’malwaysrealhandyinasickroom。’Bijah，bequiet；Idon’tcareifweAREonapicnic；
nohumanbein’shallsufferwhileIsetaroundanddonothin’。\"
Mrs。Hainswasathercousin’sheels。
\"You’llworryhimtodeath，\"shedeclared。\"You’lltellhimhowsickheis，andthathe’sgoin’todie，andsuchstuff。Whatheneedsischeerfulconversationandmentaluplift。It’stoobad！
Well，yousha’n’thaveyourownwaywithhim，anyhow。Mr。Brown，whereishe？\"
\"Youtwogoin’tomarchrightintohisBEDROOM？\"screamedtheirateAbijah。Thewomenanswerednot。Theywerealreadyinthekitchen。
Brownhastenedafterthem。
\"It’sallright，ladies，\"hesaid。\"Rightthisway，please。\"
Heledthewaytothechamberofthesickman。Mr。Atkinsturnedonhisbedofpain，caughtaglimpseofthevisitors，andsatup。
\"Whatintime？\"heroared。
\"Seth，\"saidBrown，benignly，\"thisisMrs。StoverofEastboro。I
thinkyouknowher。AndMrs。HainsofBoston。Theseladieshaveheardofyoursickness，and，havinghadexperienceinsuchcases，havekindlyofferedtostaywithyouandhelpinanywaytheycan。
Mrs。Stover，Iwillleavehiminyourhands。PleasecallmeifI
canbeofanyassistance。\"
Withoutwaitingforfurthercommentfromthepatient，whosefacewasapicture，hehastenedtothekitchen，chokingashewent。Mr。
Stovermethimattheouterdoor。
\"Nowyou’vedoneit！\"wailedthelittleman。\"NOWyou’vedoneit！
Didn’tItellyou？Oh，this’llbeahellofapicnic！\"
Hestalkedaway，righteousindignationovercominghim。Brownsatdowninarockingchairandshookwithemotion。Fromthedirectionofthesickroomcamethesoundsofthreevoices，eachtryingtooutscreamtheother。Thesubstituteassistantlistenedtothisforawhile，and，ashedidso，anewthoughtstruckhim。Herememberedastoryhehadreadinamagazineyearsbefore。Hecrossedtothepantry，foundanemptybottle，rinseditatthesink，steppedagaintothepantry，and，enteringit，closedthedoorbehindhim。Therehebusiedhimselfwiththemolassesjug，thesoft-soapbucket，theoilcan，thepeppershaker，andafewotherutensilsandtheircontents。Footstepsinthekitchencausedhimtohurriedlyreenterthatapartment。Mrs。Stoverwasstandingbytherange，herfacered。
\"Oh，thereyouare，Mr。Brown！\"sheexclaimed。\"Iwonderedwhereyou’dgoneto。\"
\"Howishe？\"inquiredBrown，thekeenestanxietyinhisutterance。
\"H’m！he’ddowellenoughifhehadtherighttreatment。Ical’latehe’sbetternow，evenas’tis；but，whenapersonhastolayandhearoverandoveragainthatwhatails’emisnothin’butimagination，itain’ttobewonderedatthattheygetmad。Whatheneedsissomesortofsoothin’medicine，andIonlywish’twan’tsofurovertohome。I’vegotjustwhatheneedsthere。\"
\"Iwasthinking——\"beganBrown。
\"Whatwasyouthinkin’？\"
\"Iwaswonderingifsomeofmy’StomachBalm’wouldn’thelphim。
It’sanoldfamilyreceipt，handeddownfromtheIndians，Ibelieve。
Ialwayshaveabottlewithmeand……Still，Iwouldn’tprescribe，notknowingthedisease。\"
Mrs。Stover’seyessparkled。Patentmedicineswereherhobby。
\"Hum！\"shesaid。\"’StomachBalm’soundsgood。Andhesayshistroubleisprincipallystomach。SomeofthemIndianmedicinesaremightypowerful。Haveyou——didyousayyouhadabottlewithyou，Mr。Brown？\"
Theyoungmanwentagaintothepantryandreturnedwiththebottlehehadsorecentlyfoundthere。Now，however，itwastwothirdsfullofablackstickymixture。Mrs。Stoverremovedthecorkandtookaninvestigatingsniff。
\"Itsmellspowerful，\"shesaid，hopefully。
\"Itis。Wouldyouliketotasteit？\"handingheratablespoon。Hewatchedassheswallowedaspoonful。
\"Ugh！oh！\"shegasped；evenherlongsufferingpalaterebelledatTHATtaste。\"It——IshouldthinkthatOUGHTtohelphim。\"
\"Ishouldthinkso。Itmaybetheverythingheneeds。Atanyrate，itcan’thurthim。It’squiteharmless。\"
Mrs。Stover’sfacewasstilltwisted，undertheinfluenceofthe\"Balm\"；buthermindwasmadeup。
\"I’mgoin’totryit，\"shedeclared。\"Idon’tcareifeveryNewThoughterincreationsaysno。Heneedsmedicineandneedsitrightaway。\"
\"Thedose，\"saidMr。Brown，gravely，\"istwotablespoonfulseveryfifteenminutes。Idohopeitwillhelphim。Givehimmysympathy——
mydeepestsympathy，Mrs。Stover，please。\"
Theplumpladydisappearedinthedirectionofthesickroom。Thesubstituteassistantlingeredandlistened。Heheardashrillpow-
wowoffemininevoices。Evidently\"NewThought\"andthepracticeofmedicinehadoncemoreclashed。Theargumentwaxedandwaned。
Followedtheclickofaspoonagainstglass。Andthencameagasp，agurgle，achokingyell；andhighuponthesaltyairenvelopingEastboroTwin-LightsrosethevoiceofMr。SethAtkins，expressinghisopinionofthe\"StomachBalm\"andthosewhoadministeredit。
JohnBrowndartedoutofthekitchen，dodgedaroundthecornerofthehouse，tiptoedpastthebenchbythebluff，whereMr。Stoversatgloomilymeditating，andranlightlydownthepathtothecreekandthewharf。Theboathouseattheendofthewharfofferedaconvenientrefuge。Intothebuildinghedarted，closedthedoorbehindhim，andcollapseduponaheapoffishnets。
Atthree-thirtythatafternoon，Mr。Atkins，apparentlyquiterecovered，wassittinginthekitchenrocker，readingalastweek’snewspaper，oneofanumberprocuredonhismostrecenttriptothevillage。TheStoversandtheirguesthaddeparted。Theirbuggywasoutofsightbeyondthedunes。Aslightnoisestartledthelightkeeper，andhelookedup。Hishelperwasstandinginthedoorway，uponhisfaceanexpressionofintenseanddelightedsurprise。
\"What？\"exclaimedMr。Brown。\"What？Isitreallyyou？\"
Sethputdownthepaperandnodded。
\"Um-hm，\"heobserveddrily，\"it’sreallyme。\"
\"Up？andWELL？\"queriedBrown。
\"Um-hm。Prettywell，considerin’，thankyou。BeenforastrollupWashin’tonStreet，haveyou？OralittlewalkontheCommon，maybe？\"
Theelaboratesarcasmofthesequestionswasintendedtobewithering。Mr。Brown，however，didnotwither。Neitherdidheblush。
\"Ihavebeen，\"hesaid，\"downattheboathouse。Iknewyouwereinsafehandsandwelllookedafter，soIwentaway。Icouldn’tremainhereandhearyousuffer。\"
\"Hum！HEARmesuffer，hey？Muchobliged，I’msure。Whathaveyoubeendoin’thereallthistime？Ihopedyouwas——thatis，Ibeguntobeafraidyouwasdead。Thoughtyoursympathyformehadbeentoomuchforyou，maybe。\"
Brownmournfullyshookhishead。\"Itwas——almost，\"hesaid，solemnly。\"IthinkIdroppedasleep。Iwasquiteovercome。\"
\"Hum！Bettertakeadoseofthat’StomachBalm，’hadn’tyou？
That’lllivenyouup，I’llguarantee。\"
\"No，thankyou。Thesightofyou，wellandstrongagain，isallthemedicineIneed。Wemustkeepthe’Balm’incaseyouhaveanotherattack。Bytheway，Inoticethedinnerdisheshaven’tbeenwashed。
I’lldothematonce。Iknowyoumustbetired，afteryourillness——
andtheexertionofshowingyourguestsaboutthelights。\"
Atkinsdidnotanswer，althoughheseemedtowanttoverymuch。
However，hemadenoobjectionwhenhishelper，rollinguphissleeves，turnedtothesinkandthedishwashing。
Sethwassilentalltherestoftheafternoonandduringsupper。
Butthatevening，asBrownsatonthebenchoutside，Atkinsjoinedhim。
\"Hello！\"saidSeth，ascheerfullyasifnothinghadhappened。
\"Hello！\"repliedtheassistant，shortly。Hehadbeenthinkingoncemore，andhisthoughtswerenotpleasant。
\"Is’poseyoucal’late，\"beganAtkins，\"thatmaybeI’vegotagrudgeagainstyouonaccountofthismornin’andthat’Balm’andsuch。I
ain’t。\"
\"That’sgood。I’mgladtohearit。\"
\"Yes。Afterthefustdoseofthatstuff——forthundersakesWHATdidyouputinit？——Iwasaboutreadytomurderyou，butI’vegotoverthat。Idon’tblameyouforgettin’even。Weareeven，youknow。\"
\"I’msatisfied，ifyouare。\"
\"Ibe。ButwhatIdon’tunderstandiswhyyoudidn’twanttoshowthemfolksaround。\"
\"Oh，Idon’tknow。Ihadmyreasons，suchastheywere。Whydidn’tyouwanttodoityourself？\"
Sethcrossedhislegsandwassilentforamomentortwo。Thenhespokefirmlyandasifhismindwasmadeup。
\"Youngfeller，\"hesaid，\"Idon’tknowwhetheryourealizeitornot，andperhapsIshouldn’tbetheonetomentionit——butyou’reundersomeobligationstome。\"
Hiscompanionnodded。\"Irealizethat，\"hesaid。
