NowAlbertoMiguelCarlosSperanzahadnotbeenaccustomedtothissortoftreatmentfromyoungpersonsoftheothersex，andhewalkedawayinahuff。Buttheunusualisalwaysattractive，andthenexttimeheandMissKendallmethewasasgraciousandcordialasever。Butitwasnotlongbeforehelearnedthatthegraciousnesswas，inhercase，amistake。Wheneverhegrewlofty，shetookhimdown，laughedathimwithcompletefrankness，andrefusedtotreathimasanythingbutaboy。Sotheygraduallygrewfriendly，andwhentheymetatpartiesorchurchsocialshespentmostofthetimeinhercompany，or，rather，hewouldhavesospentithadshepermitted。ButshewasprovokinglyimpartialandwasquiteaslikelytorefuseadancewithhimtositoutonewithSamThatcherorBenHammondoranyothervillageyouthofheracquaintance。However，althoughshepiquedandirritatedhim，hewasobligedtoadmittohisinnerconsciousnessthatshewasthemostinterestingpersonhehadyetdiscoveredinSouthHarniss，alsothatevenintheeyesofsuchconnoisseursashisfellowmembersoftheseniorclassatschoolshewouldhavebeenjudgedagoodlooker，inspiteofhercountryclothes。
Hemetherfather，ofcourse。TheReverendMr。Kendallwasadreamylittleoldgentlemanwithwhitehairandthestoopedshouldersofastudent。Everybodylikedhim，anditwasforthatreasonprincipallythathewasstilltheoccupantoftheCongregationalpulpit，fortoquoteCaptainZelotes，hissermonswereinclinedtobelikethesandyroaddowntoSetuckitPoint，tenmilelonganddryalltheway。Hewasawidowerandhisdaughterwashiscompanionandmanaginghousekeeper。Therewasahalf-growngirl，oneofthenumerousPricefamily，acousinofIssachar’s，whohelpedoutwiththesweeping，dish-washingandcooking，butHelenwastherealheadofthehousehold。
Andshe’sacapableone，too，declaredMrs。Snow，whenatsupperoneeveningHelen’snamehadcomeintotheconversation。I
declarewhenIwasthereyesterdaytoseetheministeraboutreadin’poetrytousatsewin’-circlenextMondaythatparlorwasasneataswax。And’twasallHelen’sworkthatkeptitso，thatwasplainenough。Youcouldseeherwayofsettin’avaseorputtin’onatableclothwhereveryoulooked。Nobodyelsehasjustthatway。Andshedoesitafterschoolorbeforeschoolor’mostanyoddtime。Andwhatever’tisisdoneright。
Thehousekeeperputinaword。There’snodoubtaboutthat，shesaid，andthereain’tanymoredoubtthatshedon’tgetmuchhelpfromherpaorthatMariaB。ThereweresomanyPriceswithinthetownshiplimitsthatindividualswereusuallydistinguishedbytheirmiddleinitial。AsforMr。Kendall，wentonRachel，hemoveswithhisheadinthecloudsandhisfeetcruisin’withnobodyatthewheeltwo-thirdsofthetime。EmmaSmithsaystomeyesterday，saysshe，’Mr。Kendallisasaintonearth，ain’the，’
saysshe。’Yes，’saysI，’andhe’llbeoneinheavenanyminuteifhegoesstumblin’acrosttheroadinfrontofDoctorHolliday’sautomobilethewayIseehimyesterday。’Thedoctorputonthebrakeswithaslamandayell。TheministerstoppedrightthereinthemiddleoftheroadwiththefrontwheelsofthatautonotMORE’Ntwofootfromhisoldbaggytrousers’knees，andsayshe，’Eh？Didyouwantme，Doctor？’Thedoctorfetchedalongbreath。
’Why，no，Mr。Kendall，’hesays，’Ididn’t，butIcomedarnnighgettin’you。’Idon’tknowwhatWOULDbecomeofhimifhedidn’thaveHelentolookoutforhim。
Astheycametoknoweachotherbettertheirconversationdealtwithmattersmorepersonal。Theysometimesspokeofplansforthefuture。Albert’splansandambitionswerelofty，butrathervague。
Helen’swerepracticalanddefinite。Shewastograduatefromhighschoolthatspring。Thenshewashopingtoteachintheprimaryschoolthereinthevillage。theselectmenhadpromisedhertheopportunity。
But，ofcourse，shesaid，Idon’tmeantostayherealways。
WhenIcan，afterIhavesavedsomemoneyandifFatherdoesn’tneedmetoobadly，Ishallgoawaysomewhere，toBridgewater，orperhapstoRadcliffe，andstudy。Iwanttospecializeinmyteaching，youknow。
Albertregardedherwithamusedsuperiority。
Idon’tseewhyonearthyouaresoanxioustobeaschool-marm，
hesaid。That’sthelastjobI’dwant。
Heranswerwasgivenpromptly，butwithouttheleasttraceoftemper。Thatwasoneofthemostprovokingthingsaboutthisgirl，shewouldnotlosehertemper。Heusuallylosthistryingtomakeher。Shespokenow，pleasantly，anddeliberately，butasifshewerestatinganundesirablefact。
Ithinkitwouldbethelastoneyouwouldget，shesaid。
Why？GreatScott！IguessIcouldteachschoolifIwantedto。
ButyoubetIwouldn’twantto！……NOWwhatareyoulaughingat？
I’mnotlaughing。
Yes，youare。Icanalwaystellwhenyou’relaughing。yougetthatlookinyoureyes，thatsortof——of——Oh，Ican’ttellyouwhatkindoflookitis，butitmakesmemad。It’sthesamekindoflookmygrandfatherhas，andIcouldpunchhimforitsometimes。
WhyshouldyouandhethinkI’mnotgoingtoamounttoanything？
Idon’tthinkso。AndI’msurehedoesn’teither。AndIwasn’tlaughingatyou。Or，ifIwas，it——itwasonlybecause——
Well，becausewhat？
Oh，becauseyouaresoAWFULLYsureyouknow——well，knowmorethanmostpeople。
MeaningI’mstuckonmyself，Isuppose。Well，nowItellyouI’mnotgoingtohangaroundinthisone-horsetownallmylifetopleasegrandfatheroranyoneelse。
Whenhementionedhisdeterminationtowinliterarygloryshewasalwaysgreatlyinterested。Dreamsofhistrionicachievementweremorecoldlyreceived。ThedaughterofaNewEnglandcountryclergyman，eveninthesedaysofbroadeninghorizons，couldscarcelybeexpectedtolookwithfavoruponanactor’scareer。
Junecameandwithitthefirstofthesummervisitors。ForthenextthreemonthsAlbertwashappywithanewsetofacquaintances。
TheywereHISkind，theseyoungfolksfromthecity，andhissparemomentswereforthemostpartspentintheirsociety。Hewaspopularwiththem，too。SomeofthemthoughtitqueerthatheshouldbelivingalltheyearinthevillageandkeepingbooksforaconcernlikeZ。SnowandCo。，butjuvenilesocietyistolerantandayouthwhocouldsingpassably，dancewonderfullyand，aboveall，wasasbeautifullypicturesqueasAlbertSperanza，waswelcomed，especiallybythegirls。SotheSaturdaysandSundaysandeveningsofthatsummerwerepleasantforhim。HesawlittleofHelenorGertieKendrickwhilethehotelorthecottagesremainedopen。
Thencamethefallandanotherlong，drearywinter。Albertploddedonathisdeskorintheyard，followingMr。Keeler’ssuggestions，obeyinghisgrandfather’sorders，tormentingIssy，doinghisdailystintbecausehehadto，notbecausehelikedit。Foramusementhereadagooddeal，wenttotheusualnumberofsociablesandentertainments，andoncetookpartinamateurtheatricals，aplaygivenbythechurchsocietyinthetownhall。Therewaswhereheshone。Asthedashingyoungherohewasresplendent。GertieKendrickgazeduponhimfromthethirdsetteecenterwithshiningeyes。WhenhereturnedhomeafteritwasoverhisgrandmotherandMrs。Ellisoverwhelmedhimwithpraises。
Ideclareyouwasperfectlysplendid，Albert！exclaimedOlive。
IwassoproudofyouIdidn’tknowwhattodo。
RachellookeduponhimasonemightlookuponagodfromOlympus。
AllIcouldthinkofwasRobertPenfold，shesaid。IsayssotoLaban：’Laban，’saysI，ain’theRobertPenfoldandnobodyelse？’
Thereyouwas，tellin’thatHannibalEllisthatyouwasinnocentandsomedaytheworldwouldknowyouwas，justthewayRobertPenfolddoneinthebook。IneverdidlikethatHannieEllis！
Mrs。Snowsmiled。Mercy，Rachel，shesaid，Ihopeyou’renotblamin’Hanniebecauseofwhathedidinthatplay。Thatwashispart，hehadtodoit。
ButRachelwasnotconvinced。Hedidn’thavetobesoeverlastin’
meanandspitefulaboutit，anyhow，shedeclared。Butthere，thatfamilyofEllisesneverdidamounttonothin’much。But，asI
saidtoLaban，Albert，youwasRobertPenfoldallover。
WhatdidLabesaytothat？askedAlbert，laughing。
Heneverhadachancetosaynothin’。Aforehecouldanswer，thatMariaB。Price——shewassettin’rightbackofmeandeatin’
molassescandyoutofarattlypaperbagtillIthoughtISHOULD
die——sheleanedforwardandshewhispered：’HelooksmoretomelikethatStevieD。thatusedtoworkforCap’nCrowellovertotheCenter。StevieD。hadcurlyhairlikethatandHEwaspartPortygee，youremember。thoughtherewasalittleniggerbloodinhim，too，’shesays。Icouldhaveshookher！Andthenshewenttorattlin’thatbagagain。
EvenMr。Keelercongratulatedhimattheofficenextmorning。Youdonewell，Al，hesaid。Yes——yes——yes。Youdonefust-rate，fust-rate。
Hisgrandfatherwastheonlyonewhorefusedtoenthuse。
Well，inquiredCaptainZelotes，sittingdownathisdeskandglancingathisgrandsonoverhisspectacles，doyoucal’latetobeabletogetdowntoearththismornin’farenoughtofiggerupthepayroll？Youcanputwhatyoumadefromplay-actin’onaseparatesheet。It’saboutasmuchastheaveragepersonmakesatthatjob，headded。
Albert’sfaceflushed。Thereweretimeswhenhehatedhisgrandfather。Mr。Keeler，amomentlater，putahandonhisshoulder。
Youmustn’tmindtheoldman，Al，hewhispered。Iexpectthatseein’youlastnightbroughtyourdad’sjobbacktohimstrong。
Hecan’tbearplay-actin’，youknow，onyourdad’saccount。Yes——
yes。Thatwasit。Yes——yes——yes。
Itmayhavebeenatruthfulexplanation，butasanapologyitwasalimitedsuccess。
Myfatherwasagentleman，atanyrate，snappedAlbert。Labanopenedhismouthtoreply，butcloseditagainandwalkedbacktohisbooks。
InMay，whichwasanunusuallybalmymonth，theCongregationalSundaySchoolgaveanautomobileexcursionandbox-luncheonpartyatHighPointLightdownatTrumet。AsRachelEllissaid，itwasprettyearlyforpicnickin’，butiftheAlmighty’sseasonwasaheadoftimetheredidn’tseemtobeanyrealgoodreasonwhyoneofhisSundayschoolsshouldn’tbe。And，whichwastheprincipalexcuseforthehurry，thehotelbussescouldbesecured，whichwouldnotbethecaseaftertheseasonopened。
Albertwenttothepicnic。Hewasnotverykeenongoing，buthisgrandfatherhadofferedhimaholidayforthepurpose，anditwasoneofhisprinciplesnevertorefuseachancetogetawayfromthatoffice。Besides，anumberoftheyoungpeopleofhisageweregoing，andGertieKendrickhadbeenparticularlyinsistent。
YoujustMUSTcome，Al，shesaid。Itwon’tbeanyfunatallifyoudon’tcome。
ItispossiblethatGertiefounditalmostaslittlefunwhenhedidcome。Hehappenedtobeinoneofhismoodsthatday。
Portygeestreaks，hisgrandfathertermedthesemoods，andtoldOlivethattheywerethatplay-actorbreakin’outinhim。Hetalkedbutlittleduringtheridedowninthebus，refusedtosingwhencalledupon，and，afterdinner，whenthedancinginthepavilionwasgoingon，steppedquietlyoutofthesidedoorandwenttrampingalongtheedgeofthebluff，lookingoutovertheseaordowntothebeach，where，onehundredandfiftyfeetbelow，thebigwaveswerecurlingovertocrashintoacreamymassoffrothandedgethestrandwithlacyripples。
ThehighclaybluffsofTrumetareunique。NootherpartoftheCapeshowsanythingjustlikethem。HighPointLightcrownstheirhighestandsteepestpointandistheflashingbeacontheraysofwhichspellAmericatotheincominglinerBostonbound。
AlongthepathskirtingtheedgeofthebluffAlbertstrolled，hishandsinhispocketsandhisthoughtsalmostanywhereexceptonthepicnicandthepicnickersoftheSouthHarnissCongregationalChurch。Hisparticularmoodonthisdaywasoneofdiscontentandrebellionagainstthefatewhichhadsentencedhimtotheassistantbookkeeper’spositionintheofficeofZ。SnowandCo。Atnotimehadhereconciledhimselftotheideaofthatpositionasapermanentone。someday，somehowhewasgoingtobreakawayanddo——marvelousthings。Butoccasionally，andusuallyafteradisagreeablehappeningintheoffice，heawokefromhisyouthfuldaydreamsofgloriousfuturestoarealizationofthedismalto-
day。
Thehappeningwhichhadbroughtaboutrealizationinthisinstancewashumorousintheeyesoftwo-thirdsofSouthHarniss’spopulation。Theywerechucklingoverityet。Themajorityoftheremainingthirdwereshocked。Albert，whowasprimarilyresponsibleforthewholeaffair，wasneitheramusednorshocked。
hewasangryandhumiliated。
TheReverendSeaburyCalvin，ofProvidence，R。I。，hadarrivedintownandopenedhissummercottageunusuallyearlyintheseason。
Whatwasquiteasimportant，Mrs。SeaburyCalvinhadarrivedwithhim。TheReverendCalvin，whosestaywasinthiscasemerelytemporary，wasplanningtobuildanadditiontohiscottageporch。
Mrs。Calvin，whowastheheadofthesummerWelfareWorkers，
whatevertheywere，hadcalledameetingattheCalvinhousetomakeWelfareplansfortheseason。
ThelumberforthenewporchwasorderedofZ。SnowandCo。TheReverendCalvinorderedithimselfinperson。Albertreceivedtheorder。
Iwishthisdeliveredto-morrowwithoutfail，saidMr。Calvin。
Albertpromised。
Butpromisesarenotalwayseasytokeep。OneofZ。SnowandCo。’steamswasbusyhaulinglumberforthenewschoolhouseatBayport。
TheotherIssacharhadcommandeeredfordeliveriesatHarnissCenterandrefusedtogiveuphisclaim。AndLabanKeeler，asithappened，wasabsentononeofhisvacations。CaptainZeloteswasattendingadirectors’meetingatOshamandfromtherewasgoingtoBostonforaday’sstay。
Theship’sinyourhands，Al，hehadsaidtohisgrandson。Letmeseehowyouhandleher。
So，inspiteofAlbert’spromise，theCalvinlumberwasnotdeliveredontime。TheReverendgentlemancalledtoaskwhy。Hismannerwasanythingbutreceptivesofarasexcuseswereconcerned。
Youngman，hesaidloftily，Iamaccustomedtodobusinesswithbusinesspeople。Didyouordidyounotpromisetodelivermyorderyesterday？
Why，yessir，Ipromised，butwecouldn’tdoit。We——
Idon’tcaretoknowwhyyoudidn’tdoit。Thefactthatyoudidnotissufficient。Willthatorderofminebedeliveredto-day？
Ifitisapossiblething，Mr。Calvin，it——
Pardonme。Willitbedelivered？
TheSperanzatemperwasrising。Yes，saidtheownerofthattemper，succinctly。
Doesyesmeanyes，inthiscase。ordoesitmeanwhatitmeantbefore？
Ihavetoldyouwhy——
Nevermind。Youngman，ifthatlumberisnotdeliveredto-dayI
shallcanceltheorder。Doyouunderstand？
Albertswallowedhard。Itellyou，Mr。Calvin，thatitshallbedelivered，hesaid。Anditwillbe。
Butdeliveringitwasnotsoeasy。TheteamsimplycouldNOTbetakenofftheschoolhousejob，fulfillmentofacontractwasinvolvedthere。AndtheotherhorsehadgonelameandIssacharsworebyallthatwassolemnthattheanimalmustnotbeused。
LetoldCalvinwaittillto-morrow，saidIssy。Youcanusethebigteamthen。AndCap’nLote’llbehome，besides。
ButAlbertwasnotgoingtoletoldCalvinwait。Thatlumberwasgoingtobedelivered，ifhehadtocarryithimself，stickbystick。HeaskedMr。Priceifanextrateammightnotbehired。
Ain’tnone，saidIssy。Besides，where’dyourgranddad’sprofitsbeifyouspentmoneyhirin’extryteamstohaulthatlittlemiteofstuff？I’vebeeninthisbusinessagoodlongspell，andItellyou——
Hedidnotgetachancetotellit，forAlbertwalkedoffandlefthim。Athalf-pasttwelvethatafternoonheengagedVessieYoung——
christenedSylvesterYoungandabrothertothedriverofthedepotwagon——tohaultheCalvinlumberinhisrickety，fragrantoldwagon。SimpsonMullen——commonlycalledSimp——wastohelpinthedelivery。
AgainstviolentprotestsfromIssy，whodeclaredthatVesYoung’srattle-trapwan’tfittodonothin’buthaulfishheadstothefertilizerfactory，theCalvinbeamsandboardswerepiledhighonthewagonandwithVesonthedriver’sseatandSimpperched，likeadisreputablecarrioncrowontopoftheload，theequipagestarted。
There！exclaimedAlbert，withsatisfaction。Hecan’tsayitwasn’tdeliveredthistimeaccordingtopromise。
Godfreys！snortedIssy，gazingafterthedepartingwagon。Hewon’tbeabletosaynothin’whenheseesthatgit-up——andsmellsit。Vescartseverythinginthatcartfromdeadcowstogurrybarrels。Whew！I’dhatetohavetosetonthatporchwhen’twasbuiltofthatlumber。And，unlessI’mmistook，VesandSimphadbeenhavin’alittlesomethin’strongtotake，too。
Mr。Price，asithappened，wasnotmistook。Mr。Younghad，astheSouthHarnisssayingusedtobe，hadajugcomedownonthetrainfromBostonthatverymorning。ThejugwasundertheseatofhiswagonanditscontentshadalreadybeensampledbyhimandbySimp。ThejourneytotheCalvincottagewasenlivenedbyfrequentstopsforrefreshment。
Consequentlyithappenedthat，justasMrs。Calvin’sgatheringofWelfareWorkershadreachedthecakeandchocolatestageintheirproceedingsandjustastheReverendMr。Calvinhadrisenbyinvitationtosayafewwordsofencouragement，thewesterlywindblowinginattheopenwindowsboretothenosesandearsoftheassembledfaithfulaperfumeandasoundneitherofwhichwassweet。
AbovetherattleandsqueakoftheYoungwagonturninginattheCalvingatearosethevoicesofVessieandSimpupliftedinsong。
’Here’stothegoodoldwhiskey，drink’erdaown，’sangMr。
Young。
’Here’stothegoodoldwhiskey，Drink’erdaown！
Here’stothegoodoldwhiskey，Itmakesyoufeelsofrisky，Drink’er——’
Gitupthere，blankblankye！Whattheblanketyblankyoustoppin’
herefor？Gitup！
Thehorsewasnottheonlycreaturethatgotup。Mrs。Calvinrosefromherchairandgazedinhorroratthewindow。Herhusband，beingalreadyonhisfeet，couldnotrisebuthebrokeoffshorttheopeningsentenceofhisfewwordsandstaredandlistened。
EachWelfareWorkerstaredandlistenedalso。
Gitup，youblanketyblankblank，repeatedVesYoung，withcheerfulenthusiasm。Mr。Mullen，fromthetopoftheloadoflumber，caroleddreamilyon：
’Here’stothegoodoldrum，Drink’erdaown！
Here’stothegoodoldrum，Drink’erdaown！
Here’stothegoodoldrum，Ain’tyougladthatyou’vegotsome？
Drink’erdaown！Drink’erdaown！
Drink’erdaown！’
Andfloating，asitwere，uponthewavesofmelodycametheodoroftheYoungwagon，anodorcombiningdeceasedfishandlatelamentedcowandgoodnessknowswhatbeside。
ThedissipatedvehiclestoppedbeneaththeparlorwindowsoftheCalvincottage。Mr。Youngcalledtohisassistant。
Herewebe，Simp！heyelled。A-a-llashorethat’sgoin’ashore！
Wakeupthere，youunmentionablydescribedoldrumbarrelandhelpunloadthiseverlastinglycondemnedlumber。
Mr。Calvinrushedtothewindow。Whatdoesthismean？hedemanded，infrothingindignation。
Vessiewavedathimreassuringly。’Sallright，Mr。Calvin，heshouted。Here’syourlumberfromZe-lotesSnowandCo。，SouthHarniss，Mass。，U。S。A。’Sallright。Let’ergo，Simp！Let’erblankety-blankgo！
Mr。Mullenrespondedwithalacrityandawhoop。Ahalfdozenboardscrashedtothegroundbeneaththeparlorwindows。Mrs。
Calvinrushedtoherhusband’sside。
ThisisDREADFUL，Seabury！shecried。Sendthosecreaturesand——
andthathorriblewagonawayatonce。
TheReverendCalvintriedtoobeyorders。HecommandedMr。Youngtogoawayfromtherethatverymoment。Vessiewassurprised。
Ain’tthisyourlumber？hedemanded。
Itdoesn’tmakeanydifferencewhetheritisornot，I——
Didn’tyoutellZ。SnowandCo。thatthislumber’dgottobedeliveredto-dayoryou’dcanceltheorder？
Nevermind。Thatismybusiness，sir。You——
Holdon！Ho-o-ldon！_I_gotabusiness，too。Mybusinessisdeliverin’whatI’mpaidtodeliver。AlSperanzyhesaystome：
’Ves，’hesays，’ifyoudon’tdeliverthatlumbertooldmanCalvinto-dayyoudon’tgetnomoney，see。Willyoudeliverit？’SaysI，’Youbetyourcrashety-blanklifeI’llhicd’liverit！WhatI
sayI’lldo，I’lldo！’AndI’mdeliverin’it，ain’tI？Hey？
Ain’tI？Well，then，whatthe——Andsoforthandatlength，whileMrs。Calvincollapsedhalffaintinginaneasy-chair，andhorrifiedWelfareWorkerscoveredtheirears——andlongedtocovertheirnoses。
Thelumberwasdeliveredthatday。Itsdeliverywas，fromtheviewpointofMessrs。YoungandMullen，asuccess。ThespringmeetingoftheWelfareWorkerswasnotasuccess。
ThefollowingdayMr。CalvincalledattheofficeofZ。SnowandCo。Hehadthingstosayandsaidthem。CaptainZelotes，whohadreturnedfromBoston，listened。Thenhecalledhisgrandson。
Tellhimwhatyou’vejusttoldme，Mr。Calvin，hesaid。
Thereverendgentlemantoldit，withaddeddetails。
Andinmyopinion，ifyou’llexcuseme，CaptainSnow，hesaid，inconclusion，thisyoungmanknewwhathewasdoingwhenhesentthosedrunkenscoundrelstomyhouse。Hediditpurposely，Iamconvinced。
CaptainZeloteslookedathim。
Why？heasked。
Why，because——becauseof——ofwhatIsaidtohim——er——er——whenI
calledhereyesterdaymorning。He——Ipresumehetookoffenseand——
andthisoutrageistheresult。Iamconvincedthat——
Waitaminute。Whatdidyousayforhimtotakeoffenseat？
Idemandedthatordershouldbedeliveredaspromised。Iamaccustomedtodobusinesswithbusinessmenand——
Holdonjustaminutemore，Mr。Calvin。Wedon’tseemtobegettin’attheclaminthisshellasfastaswe’doughtto。Al，whathaveyougottosayaboutallthisbusiness？
Albertwaswhite，almostaswhiteaswhenhefoughtSamThatcher，butashestooduptoSamsoalsodidhefacetheirateclergyman。
Hetoldofthelatter’svisittotheoffice，ofthethreattocanceltheorderunlessdeliverywaspromisedthatday，ofhowhispromisetodeliverwasexacted，ofhisefforttokeepthatpromise。
IHADtodeliverit，Grandfather，hesaidhotly。Hehadallbutcalledmealiarand——andbyGeorge，Iwasn’tgoingto——
Hisgrandfatherheldupawarninghand。
Sshh！Ssh！hesaid。Goonwithyouryarn，boy。
Alberttoldofthelamehorse，ofhisefforttohireanotherteam，andfinallyhowindesperationhehadengagedVesYoungasalastresort。Thecaptain’sfacewasseriousbuttherewasthetwinkleunderhisheavybrows。Hepulledathisbeard。
Humph！hegrunted。DidyouknowVesandSimphadbeendrinkin’
whenyouhired’em？
OfcourseIdidn’t。AftertheyhadgoneIssysaidhesuspectedthattheyhadbeendrinkingalittle，but_I_didn’tknowit。AllIwantedwastoprovetoHIM，withamotiontowardMr。Calvin，thatIkeptmyword。
CaptainZelotespulledathisbeard。Allright，Al，hesaid，afteramoment。youcango。
Albertwentoutoftheprivateoffice。Afterhehadgonethecaptainturnedtohisiratecustomer。
I’msorrythishappened，Mr。Calvin，hesaid，andifKeelerorI
hadbeenhereitprobablywouldn’t。But，headded，asfarasI
cansee，theboydidwhathethoughtwasthebestthingtodo。
And，thetwinklereappearedinthegrayeyes，yousartinlydidgetyourlumberwhen’twaspromised。
Mr。Calvinstiffened。Hehadhisgoodpoints，buthesufferedfromwhatLabanKeeleroncecalledingrowin’importance，andthisailmentoftenaffectedhisjudgment。AlsohehadtofaceMrs。
Calvinuponhisreturnhome。
DoIunderstand，hedemanded，thatyouareexcusingthatyoungmanforputtingthatoutrageuponme？
We-ll，asIsay，I’msorryithappened。But，honest，Mr。Calvin，Idon’tknow’stheboy’stoblamesoverymuch，afterall。Hedeliveredyourlumber，andthat’ssomethin’。
Isthatallyouhavetosay，CaptainSnow？Isthat——thatimpudentyoungclerkofyourstogounpunished？
Why，yes，Iguesslikelyheis。
ThenIshallNEVERbuyanotherdollar’sworthofyourhouseagain，sir。
CaptainZelotesbowed。I’msorrytoloseyourtrade，Mr。Calvin，
hesaid。Goodmornin’。
Albert，athisdeskintheouteroffice，waswaitingrebelliouslytobecalledbeforehisgrandfatherandupbraided。Andwhensocalledhewasinamoodtospeakhismind。Hewouldsayafewthings，nomatterwhathappenedinconsequence。Buthehadnochancetosaythem。CaptainZelotesdidnotmentiontheCalvinaffairtohim，eitherthatdayorafterward。Albertwaitedandwaited，expectingtrouble，butthetrouble，sofarashisgrandfatherwasconcerned，didnotmaterialize。Hecouldnotunderstandit。
ButifinthatofficetherewassilenceconcerningtheunusualdeliveryofthelumberfortheCalvinporch，outsidetherewastalkenoughandtospare。EachWelfareWorkertalkedwhenshereachedhomeandthestoryspread。SmallboysshoutedafterAlbertwhenhewalkeddownthemainstreet，demandingtoknowhowVesYoung’scartwassmellin’thesedays。Whenheenteredthepostofficesomeoneinthecrowdwasalmostsuretohum，Here’stothegoodoldwhiskey，drinkherdown。Onthetrainonthewaytothepicnic，girlsandyoungfellowshadslylynaggedhimaboutit。Theaffairanditsconsequenceweretheprincipalcausesofhismoodthatday。
thisparticularPortygeestreakwasduetoit。
Thepathalongtheedgeofthehighbluffenteredagroveofscraggypitchpinesaboutamilefromthelighthouseandthepicnicground。Albertstalkedgloomilythroughtheshadowsofthelittlegroveandemergedontheotherside。Therehesawanotherpersonaheadofhimonthepath。Thisotherpersonwasagirl。Herecognizedherevenatthisdistance。ShewasHelenKendall，Sheandhehadnotbeenquiteasfriendlyoflate。Notthattherewasanyunfriendlinessbetweenthem，butshewasteachingintheprimaryschooland，asherfatherhadnotbeenwell，spentmostofhereveningsathome。Duringtheearlypartofthewinterhehadcalledoccasionallybut，somehow，ithadseemedtohimthatshewasnotquiteascordial，orasinterestedinhissocietyandconversationassheusedtobe。Itwasbutaslightindifferenceonherpart，perhaps，butAlbertSperanzawasnotaccustomedtoindifferenceonthepartofhisfeminineacquaintances。Sohedidnotcallagain。Hehadseenheratthepicnicgroundandtheyhadspoken，butnotatanylength。
Andhedidnotcaretospeakwithhernow。Hehadleftthepavilionbecauseofhisdesiretobealone，andthatdesirestillpersisted。However，shewassomelittledistanceaheadofhimandhewaitedintheedgeofthegroveuntilsheshouldgooverthecrestofthelittlehillatthenextpoint。
Butshedidnotgooverthecrest。Instead，whenshereachedit，shewalkedtotheveryedgeofthebluffandstoodtherelookingoffattheocean。Theseabreezeruffledherhairandblewherskirtsaboutherandshemadeaprettypicture。ButtoAlbertitseemedthatshewasstandingmuchtooneartheedge。Shecouldnotseeit，ofcourse，butfromwherehestoodhecouldseethatthebankatthatpointwasmuchundercutbythewinterrainsandwinds，andalthoughthesodlookedfirmenoughfromabove，inrealitytherewaslittletosupportit。Herstandingtheremadehimatrifleuneasyandhehadamindtoshoutandwarnher。Hehesitated，however，andashewatchedshesteppedbackofherownaccord。Heturned，re-enteredthegroveandstartedtowalkbacktothepavilion。
Hehadscarcelydonesowhenheheardashortscreamfollowedbyathumpandarumbling，rattlingsound。Heturnedlikeaflash，hisheartpoundingviolently。
Thebluffedgewasuntenanted。Asemi-circularsectionofthesodwhereHelenhadstoodwasmissing。Fromthetornopeningwhereithadbeenroseayellowcloudofdust。
CHAPTERVI
AgoodlynumberoftheSouthHarnissnatives，thosewhohadnotseenhimplaytennis，wouldhavebeenwillingtoswearthatrunningwas，forAlbertSperanza，animpossibility。Hisusualgaitwasaratherlanguidsaunter。Theywouldhavechangedtheirmindshadtheyseenhimnow。
Heranalongthatpathashehadruninschoolatthelasttrackmeet，wherehehadbeensecondinthehundred-yarddash。Hereachedthespotwherethesodhadbrokenand，droppingonhisknees，lookedfearfullyover。Thedustwasstillrising，thesandandpebbleswerestillrattlinginadiminishingshowerdowntothebeachsofarbelow。Buthedidnotseewhathehadsofearedtosee。
Whathedidsee，however，wasneitherpleasantnoraltogetherreassuring。Thebluffbelowthesodatitstopdroppedsheerandundercutforperhapstenfeet。Thenthesandandclayslopedoutwardandtheslopeextendeddownforanotherfiftyfeet，itssurfacebrokenbyoccasionalclingingchunksofbeachgrass。Thenitbrokesharplyagain，astraightdropofeightyfeettothemoundsanddunesborderingthebeach。
Helenhadofcoursefallenstraighttotheupperedgeoftheslope，whereshehadstruckfeetfirst，andfromtherehadslidandrolledtotheveryedgeofthelongdroptothebeach。Herskirthadcaughtinthebranchesofanenterprisingbayberrybushwhichhadmanagedtofindrootholdthere，andtothisbushandaclumpofbeachgrassshewasclinging，herhandsoutstretchedandherbodyextendedalongtheedgeoftheclayprecipice。
Albertgasped。
Helen！hecalledbreathlessly。
Sheturnedherheadandlookedupathim。Herfacewaswhite，butshedidnotscream。
Helen！criedAlbert，again。Helen，doyouhearme？
Yes。
Areyoubadlyhurt？
No。No，Idon’tthinkso。
Canyouholdonjustasyouareforafewminutes？
Yes，I——Ithinkso。
You’vegotto，youknow。Here！You’renotgoingtofaint，areyou？
No，I——Idon’tthinkIam。
Youcan’t！Youmustn’t！Here！Don’tyoudoit！Stop！
Therewasjustatraceofhisgrandfatherinthewayheshoutedtheorder。Whetherornotthevigorofthecommandproducedtheresultisaquestion，butatanyrateshedidnotfaint。
Nowyoustayrightwhereyouare，heorderedagain。Andhangonastightasyoucan。I’mcomingdown。
Comedownhedid，swingingoverthebrinkwithhisfacetothebank，droppingonhistoestotheupperedgeoftheslopeanddiggingbootsandfingersintotheclaytopreventslidingfurther。
Hangon！hecautioned，overhisshoulder。I’llbethereinasecond。There！NowwaituntilIgetmyfeetbraced。Nowgivemeyourhand——yourlefthand。Holdonwithyourright。
Slowlyandcautiously，clingingtohishand，hepulledherawayfromtheedgeoftheprecipiceandhelpedhertoscrambleuptowhereheclung。Thereshelayandpanted。Helookedatherapprehensively。
Don’tgoandfaintnow，oranyfoolishnesslikethat，heorderedsharply。
No，no，Iwon’t。I’lltrynotto。Buthowareweevergoingtoclimbup——upthere？
Abovethemandatleastfourfeetoutofreach，eveniftheystoodup，andthatwouldbeafrightfullyriskyproceeding，thesodprojectedovertheirheadsliketheeavesofahouse。
Helenglancedupatitandshuddered。
Oh，howCANwe？shegasped。
Wecan’t。Andwewon’ttry。
Shallwecallforhelp？
Notmuchuse。Nobodytohearus。Besides，wecanalwaysdothatifwehaveto。IthinkIseeawayoutofthemess。Ifwecan’tgetup，perhapswecangetdown。
GetDOWN？
Yes，itisn’tallassteepasitishere。Ibelievewemightsortofzig-zagdownifwewerecareful。Youholdonherejustasyouare。I’mgoingtoseewhatitlookslikearoundthisnextpoint。
Thepointwasmerelyaprojectionofthebluffabouttwentyfeetaway。Hecrawfishedalongthefaceoftheslope，untilhecouldseebeyondit。Helenkepturginghimtobecareful——oh，becareful！
OfcourseI’llbecareful，hesaidcurtly。Idon’twanttobreakmyneck。Yes——yes，byGeorge，itISeasieraroundthere！Wecouldgetdownagoodway。Here，here。don’tstartuntilyoutakemyhand。Andbesureyourfeetarebracedbeforeyoumove。Comeon，now。
I——Idon’tbelieveIcan。
Ofcourseyoucan。You’veGOTto。Comeon。Don’tlookdown。
Lookatthesandrightinfrontofyou。
Gettingaroundthatpointwasadecidedlyticklishoperation，buttheymanagedit，heleadingtheway，makingsureofhisfootholdbeforemovingandthensettingherfootintheprinthisownhadmade。Ontheothersideoftheprojectiontheslopewaslessabruptandextendedmuchnearertothegroundbelow。Theyzigzaggeddownuntilnearlytotheedgeofthesteepdrop。ThenAlbertlookedaboutforanewpathtosafety。Hefounditstillfartheron。
Ittakesusdownfarther，hesaid，andtherearebushestoholdontoafterwegetthere。Comeon，Helen！Braceupnow，beasport！
Shewastryingherbesttoobeyorders，butbeingasportwasnoslightundertakingunderthecircumstances。Whentheyreachedtheclumpofbushesherguideorderedhertorest。
Juststopandcatchyourbreath，hesaid。Therestisgoingtobeeasier，Ithink。Andwehaven’tsoveryfartogo。
Hewastoooptimistic。Itwasanythingbuteasy。infact，thelastthirtyfeetwasalmostatumble，owingtotheclaygivingwaybeneaththeirfeet。Buttherewassoftsandtotumbleintoandtheyreachedthebeachsafe，thoughinadishevelled，scratchedandthoroughlysmearedcondition。ThenHelensatdownandcoveredherfacewithherhands。Herrescuergazedtriumphantlyupatthedistantrimofbrokensodandgrinned。
There，byGeorge！heexclaimed。Wedidit，didn’twe？Say，thatwasfun！
Sheremovedherhandsandlookedathim。
WHATdidyousayitwas？shefaltered。
Isaiditwasfun。Itwasgreat！Likesomethingoutofabook，eh？
Shebegantolaughhysterically。Heturnedtoherinindignantsurprise。Whatareyoulaughingat？hedemanded。
Oh——oh，don’t，please！Justletmelaugh。IfIdon’tlaughI
shallcry，andIdon’twanttodothat。Justdon’ttalktomeforafewminutes，that’sall。
Whenthefewminuteswereoversherosetoherfeet。
Nowwemustgetbacktothepavilion，Isuppose，shesaid。My，butwearesights，though！Dolet’sseeifwecan’tmakeourselvesalittlemorepresentable。
Shedidherbesttowipeoffthethickestoftheclaysmearswithherhandkerchief，buttheexperimentwasratherafailure。Astheystartedtowalkbackalongthebeachshesuddenlyturnedtohimandsaid：
Ihaven’ttoldyouhow——howmuchobligedIamfor——forwhatyoudid。Ifyouhadn’tcome，Idon’tknowwhatwouldhavehappenedtome。
Oh，that’sallright，heansweredlightly。Hewasrevelinginthedramaticqualitiesofthesituation。Shedidnotspeakagainforsometimeandhe，too，walkedoninsilenceenjoyinghisdaydream。Suddenlyhebecameawarethatshewaslookingathimsteadilyandwithanoddexpressiononherface。
Whatisit？heasked。Whydoyoulookatmethatway？
Heranswerwas，asusual，directandfrank。
Iwasthinkingaboutyou，shesaid。IwasthinkingthatImusthavebeenmistaken，partlymistaken，atleast。
Mistaken？Aboutme，doyoumean？
Yes。Ihadmadeupmymindthatyouwere——well，onesortoffellow，andnowIseethatyouareanentirelydifferentsort。
Thatis，you’veshownthatyoucanbedifferent。
Whatonearthdoyoumeanbythat？
Why，Imean——Imean——Oh，I’msureIhadbetternotsayit。Youwon’tlikeit，andwillthinkIhadbettermindmyownaffairs——
whichIshoulddo，ofcourse。
Goon。sayit。
Shelookedathimagain，evidentlydeliberatingwhetherornottospeakherthought。Thenshesaid：
Well，Iwillsayit。Notthatitisreallymybusiness，butbecauseinawayitisbeggingyourpardon，andIoughttodothat。
Yousee，Ihadbeguntobelievethatyouwere——thatyouwere——well，thatyouwerenotvery——veryactive，youknow。
Active？Say，lookhere，Helen！What——
Oh，Idon’twonderyoudon’tunderstand。Imeanthatyouwererather——ratherfondofnotdoingmuch——of——of——
Eh？Notdoingmuch？ThatIwaslazy，doyoumean？
Why，notexactlylazy，perhaps，but——but——Oh，howCANIsayjustwhatImean！Imeanthatyouwerealwayssayingthatyoudidn’tliketheworkinyourgrandfather’soffice。
WhichIdon’t。
Andthatsomedayyouweregoingtodosomethingelse。
WhichIam。
Writeoractordosomething——
Yes，andthat’strue，too。
Butyoudon’t，youknow。Youdon’tdoanything。You’vebeentalkingthatwayeversinceIknewyou，callingthisaone-horsetownandsayinghowyouhatedit，andthatyouweren’tgoingtowasteyourlifehere，andallthat，butyoukeepstayinghereanddoingjustthesamethings。Thelastlongtalkwehadtogetheryoutoldmeyouknewyoucouldwritepoemsandplaysandallsortsofthings，youjustfeltthatyoucould。Youweregoingtobeginrightaway。Yousaidthatsomemonthsago，andyouhaven’tdoneanywritingatall。Now，haveyou？
No-o。No，butthatdoesn’tmeanIshan’tbyandby。
Butyoudidn’tbeginasyousaidyouwould。Thatwaslastspring，morethanayearago，andIdon’tbelieveyouhavetriedtowriteasinglepoem。Haveyou？
Hewasbeginningtoberuffled。Itwasquiteunusualforanyone，mostofallforagirl，totalktohiminthisway。
Idon’tknowthatIhave，hesaidloftily。And，anyway，Idon’tseethatitis——is——
Mybusinesswhetheryouhaveornot。Iknowitisn’t。I’msorryIspoke。But，yousee，I——Oh，well，nevermind。AndIdowantyoutoknowhowmuchIappreciateyourhelpingmeasyoudidjustnow。Idon’tknowhowtothankyouforthat。
Butthankswerenotexactlywhathewantedatthatmoment。
Goaheadandsaytherest，heordered，afterashortpause。
You’vesaidsomuchthatyouhadbetterfinishit，seemstome。
I’mlazy，youthink。WhatelseamI？
You’rebrave，awfullybrave，andyouaresostrongandquick——yes，and——and——masterful。Ithinkthatistherightword。YouorderedmeaboutasifIwerealittlegirl。Ididn’twanttokeepstill，asyoutoldmeto。Iwantedtoscream。AndIwantedtofaint，too，butyouwouldn’tletme。Ihadneverseenyouthatwaybefore。I
didn’tknowyoucouldbelikethat。Thatiswhatsurprisesmeso。
ThatiswhyIsaidyouweresodifferent。
Herewasbalmforwoundedpride。Albert’schinlifted。Oh，thatwasnothing，hesaid。Whateverhadtobedonemustbedonerightoff，Icouldseethat。Youcouldn’thangonwhereyouwereverylong。
Sheshuddered。No，shereplied，Icouldnot。But_I_couldn’tthinkWHATtodo，andyoucould。Yes，anddidit，andmademedoit。
ThechinliftedstillmoreandtheSperanzachestbegantoexpand。
Helen’snextremarkwasinthenaturesofareducerforthesaidexpansion。
Ifyoucouldbesopromptandstrongand——andenergeticthen，shesaid，Ican’thelpwonderingwhyyouaren’tlikethatallthetime。Ihadbeguntothinkyouwerejust——just——
Lazy，eh？hesuggested。
Why——why，no-o，butcarelessandindifferentandwithnotmuchambition，certainly。Youhadtalkedsomuchaboutwritingandyetyounevertriedtowriteanything，that——that——
ThatyouthoughtIwasallbluff。Thanks！Anymorecompliments？
Sheturnedonhimimpulsively。Oh，don’t！sheexclaimed。
Pleasedon’t！IknowwhatIamsayingsoundsperfectlyhorrid，andespeciallynowwhenyouhavejustsavedmefrombeingbadlyhurt，ifnotkilled。Butdon’tyouseethat——thatIamsayingitbecauseIaminterestedinyouandsureyouCOULDdosomuchifyouonlywould？Ifyouwouldonlytry。
Thisspeechwasacompoundofsweetandbitter。Albertcharacteristicallyselectedthesweet。
Helen，heasked，inhismostconfidentialtone，wouldyouliketohavemetryandwritesomething？Say，wouldyou？
OfcourseIwould。Oh，willyou？
Well，ifYOUaskedmeImight。Foryoursake，youknow。
Shestoppedandstampedherfootimpatiently。
Oh，DON’Tbesilly！sheexclaimed。Idon’twantyoutodoitformysake。Iwantyoutodoitforyourownsake。Yes，andforyourgrandfather’ssake。
Mygrandfather’ssake！GreatScott，whydoyoudraghimin？HE
doesn’twantmetowritepoetry。
Hewantsyoutodosomething，tosucceed。Iknowthat。
HewantsmetostayhereandhelpLabeKeelerandIssyPrice。Hewantsmetospendallmylifeinthatofficeofhis。that’swhatHE
wants。Nowholdon，Helen！I’mnotsayinganythingagainsttheoldfellow。Hedoesn’tlikeme，Iknow，but——
YouDON’Tknow。Hedoeslikeyou。Orhewantstolikeyouverymuchindeed。HewouldliketohaveyoucarryontheSnowCompany’sbusinessafterhehasgone，butifyoucan’t——orwon’t——dothat，I
knowhewouldbeveryhappytoseeyousucceedatanything——
anything。
Albertlaughedscornfully。Evenatwritingpoetry？heasked。
Why，yes，atwriting。althoughofcoursehedoesn’tknowathingaboutitandcan’tunderstandhowanyonecanpossiblyearnalivingthatway。Hehasreadorheardaboutpoetsandauthorsstarvingingarretsandhethinksthey’realllikethat。Butifyoucouldonlyshowhimandprovetohimthatyoucouldsucceedbywriting，hewouldbeprouderofyouthananyoneelsewouldbe。I
knowit。
Heregardedhercuriously。Youseemtoknowalotaboutmygrandfather，heobserved。
Idoknowsomethingabouthim。HeandIhavebeenfriendseversinceIwasalittlegirl，andIlikehimverymuchindeed。IfheweremygrandfatherIshouldbeproudofhim。AndIthinkyououghttobe。
Sheflashedthelastsentenceathiminasuddenheatofenthusiasm。
Hewassurprisedathermanner。
Gee！YouAREstrongfortheoldchap，aren’tyou？hesaid。
Well，admittingthatheisallright，justwhyshouldIbeproudofhim？IAMproudofmyfather，ofcourse。hewassomebodyintheworld。
Youmeanhewassomebodyjustbecausehewascelebratedandlotsofpeopleknewabouthim。Celebratedpeoplearen’ttheonlyoneswhodoworthwhilethings。IfIwereyou，IshouldbeproudofCaptainZelotesbecauseheiswhathehasmadehimself。Nobodyhelpedhim。hediditall。Hewasaseacaptainandagoodone。
Hehasbeenabusinessmanandagoodone，evenifthebusinessisn’tsoverybig。EverybodyhereinSouthHarniss——yes，andallupanddowntheCape——knowsofhimandrespectshim。MyfathersaysinalltheyearshehaspreachedinhischurchhehasneverheardasinglepersonasmuchashintthatCaptainSnowwasn’tabsolutelyhonest，absolutelybrave，andthesametoeverybody，richorpoor。Andallhislifehehasworkedandworkedhard。
WhatHEhasbelongstohim。hehasearnedit。That’swhyIshouldbeproudofhimifheweremygrandfather。
Herenthusiasmhadcontinuedallthroughthislongspeech。Albertwhistled。
Whew！heexclaimed。RegularcheerforZelotes，fellows！One——
two——！Grandfather’sgotonepersontostandupforhim，I’llsaythat。Butwhythissuddenoutbreakabouthim，anyhow？Itwasmeyouweretalkingaboutinthebeginning——thoughIdidn’tnoticeanyloudcallsforcheersinthatdirection，headded。
Sheignoredthelastpartofthespeech。Ithinkyouyourselfmademethinkofhim，shereplied。Sometimesyouremindmeofhim。Notoften，butonceinawhile。Justnow，whenwewereclimbingdownthatawfulplaceyouseemedalmostexactlylikehim。
Thewayyouknewjustwhattodoallthetime，andyournothesitatingaminute，andthewayyoutookcommandofthesituationand，withasuddenlaugh，bossedmearound。everybitofthatwaslikehim，andnotlikeyouatall。Oh，Idon’tmeanthat，sheaddedhurriedly。Imeanitwasn’tlikeyouasyouusuallyare。
Itwasdifferent。
Humph！Well，Imustsay——Seehere，HelenKendall，whatisityouexpectmetodo。sailinandwritetwoorthreesonnetsanda’ComeIntotheGarden，Maud，’sometimenextweek？You’reterriblykeenaboutGrandfather，buthehasrathergottheedgeonmesofarasagegoes。He’sinthesixties，andI’mjustaboutnineteen。
Whenhewasnineteenhewasfirstmateofaship。
Yes，soI’veheardhimsay。Maybefirst-matingisalittlebiteasierthanwritingpoetry。
Andmaybeitisn’t。Atanyrate，hedidn’tknowwhetheritwaseasyornotuntilhetried。Oh，THAT’SwhatIwouldliketoseeyoudo——TRYtodosomething。Youcoulddoit，too，almostanythingyoutried，Idobelieve。Iamconfidentyoucould。But——Oh，well，asyousaidatthebeginning，itisn’tmybusinessatall，andI’vesaideverandeversomuchmorethanImeantto。Pleaseforgiveme，ifyoucan。Ithinkmytumbleandalltherestmusthavemademesilly。I’msorry，Albert。Therearethestepsuptothepavilion。Seethem！
Hewastrampingonbesideher，hishandsinhispockets。Hedidnotlookatthelongflightofstepswhichhadsuddenlycomeintoviewaroundthecurveofthebluff。Whenhedidlookupandspeakitwasinadifferenttone，somesuchtoneasshehadheardhimuseduringherrescue。
Allright，hesaid，withdecision，I’llshowyouwhetherIcantryornot。IknowyouthinkIwon’t，butIwill。I’mgoinguptomyroomto-nightandI’mgoingtotrytowritesomethingorother。
Itmaybetherottenestpoemthateverwasgroundout，butI’llgrinditifitkillsme。
Shewaspleased，thatwasplain，butsheshookherhead。
Notto-night，Albert，shesaid。To-night，afterthepicnic，isFather’sreceptionatthechurch。Ofcourseyou’llcometothat。
OfcourseIwon’t。Lookhere，you’vecalledmelazyandindifferentandahundredotherpetnamesthisafternoon。Well，thiseveningI’llmakeyoutakesomeof’emback。Receptionbehanged！I’mgoingtowriteto-night。
ThateveningbothMrs。SnowandRachelEllisweremuchdisturbedbecauseAlbert，pleadingaheadache，beggedofffromattendanceatthereceptiontotheReverendMr。Kendall。Either，orbothladieswouldhavebeenonlytoowillingtoremainathomeandnursethesuffererthroughhisattack，butherefusedtopermitthesacrificeontheirpart。Aftertheyhadgonehisheadachedisappearedand，suppliedwithanabundanceofpaper，pensandink，hesatdownatthetableinhisroomtoinvoketheMuse。TheinvocationlasteduntilthreeA。M。Atthathour，withagenuineheadache，butasenseoftriumphwhichconqueredpain，Albertclimbedintobed。
Uponthetablelayapoem，asixstanzapoem，havingthesewordsatitshead：
TOMYLADY’SSPRINGHAT
ByA。M。Speranza。
ThefollowingforenoonhepostedthatpoemtotheeditorofTheCapeCodItem。Andthreeweekslateritappearedinthepagesofthatjournal。Ofcoursetherewasnopecuniaryrecompenseforitsauthor，andthefactwasindisputablethattheItemwasgenerallyonlytoogladtopublishcontributionswhichhelpedtofillitscolumns。But，nevertheless，AlbertSperanzahadwrittenapoemandthatpoemhadbeenpublished。
CHAPTERVII
ItwasRachelwhofirstdiscoveredToMyLady’sSpringHatintheItemthreeweekslater。Shecamerushingintothesittingroombrandishingthepaper。
Mysoul！Mysoul！Mysoul！shecried。
Olive，sittingsewingbythewindow，was，naturally，somewhatstartled。Mercyonus，Rachel！sheexclaimed。WhatISit？
Look！criedthehousekeeper，pointingtothecontributioninthePoets’CornerasQueenIsabellamayhavepointedattheevidenceofherprotegesdiscoveryofanewworld。LOOK！
Mrs。Snowlooked，readtheversestoherself，andthenaloud。
Why，Ideclare，they’rerealsortofpretty，ain’tthey？sheexclaimed，inastonishedadmiration。
Pretty！They’reperfectlyelegant！Andrighthereinthepaperforallhandstosee。Ain’tyouPROUDofhim，Mrs。Snow？
Olivehadbeengrowingmoreandmoreproudofherhandsomegrandsoneversincehisarrival。Shewasprouderstillnowandsaidso。
Rachelnodded，triumphantly。
He’llbeaRobertPenfoldaforehedies，orImissMYguess！shedeclared。
Sheshowedittofeminineacquaintancesallovertown，andOlive，whencallerscame，tookpainstoseethatacopyoftheItem，foldedwiththePoets’Corneruppermost，layonthecentertable。
Customers，droppinginattheoffice，occasionallymentionedthepoemtoitsauthor。
SeeyouhadapieceintheItem，Al，wastheirusualwayofreferringtoit。Prettycutepiece’twas，too，seemedtome。
Say，thatgirlofyoursmusthaveSOMEspringbunnit。Ho，ho！
Issachardeignedtoexpressapproval，approvalqualifiedwithdiscerningcriticismofcourse，butapprovalnevertheless。
Prettygoodpiece，Al，heobserved。Prettygood。Gladtoseeyoudonesowell。Courseyoumadeonelittlemistake，but’twan’taverybigone。Thatpartwhereyousaid——Whatwasit，now？
Where’dIputthatpieceofpoetry？Oh，yes，here’tis！Whereyousaid——er——er——
’ItfloatsuponhergoldencurlsAsfrothuponthewave。’
Nowofcoursenothin’——ahatornothin’else——isgoin’tofloatontopofaperson’shead。Frothfloatin’，that’sallright，youunderstand。butevenifyoutookfrothrightoutofthewaterandslappeditupontoanybody’shair’twouldn’tFLOATupthere。Ifyou’dsaid，’ItSETSupontohergoldencurls，Sameasfrothsetsontopofawave。’
thatwouldhavebeenallrightandtrue。Butthere，don’tfeelbadaboutit。It’sonlyalittlemistake，sameasanybody’sliabletomake。Ninepersonsoutoftenwouldn’thavenoticedit。I’mextrypartic’lar，Ipresumelikely。I’mfindin’mistakeslikethatallthetime。
Laban’scommentwaslesscritical，perhaps，butmorereserved。
It’sprettygood，Al，hesaid。Yes——er——yes，sir，it’sprettygood。Itain’tallnew，there’ssomeofitthat’sbeenwrittenbefore，butIratherguessthatmighthavebeensaidaboutShakespeare’spoetrywhenhefustcommenced。It’sprettygood，Al。
Yes——yes，yes。Itisso。
Albertwasinclinedtoresentthequalifiedstraininthebookkeeper’spraise。Hewastemptedtobesarcastic。
Well，heobserved，ofcourseyou’vereadsomuchrealpoetrythatyououghttoknow。
Labannodded，slowly。I’vereadagooddeal，hesaidquietly。
Readin’isoneofthefewthingsIain’tmadeafailureofinthislife。Um-hm。Oneofthefew。Yesyes——yes。
Hedippedhispenintheinkwellandcarefullymadeanentryintheledger。Hisassistantfeltasuddenpangofcompunction。
Ibegyourpardon，Mr。Keeler，hesaid。Thatwasprettyfreshofme。I’msorry。
Labanlookedupinmildsurprise。Sorry？herepeated。Whatfor？……Oh，that’sallright，Al，that’sallright。LordknowsI’mthelastoneonearthwho’doughttocriticizeanybody。AllI
hadinmindinsayin’whatIdidwasto——well，tokindofkeepyoufrombein’toowellsatisfiedandnottryharderonthenextone。
Itdon’tpaytobetoowellsatisfied……Yearsago，Icanremember，_I_wasprettywellsatisfied——withmyselfandmywork。
Soundslikeajoke，Iknow，but’twasso……Well，I’vehadanicelongchancetogetoverit。Um-hm。Yes——yes。SoIhave，soIhave。
OnlyCaptainZelotesatfirstsaidnothingaboutthepoem。Hereadit，hiswifesawtothat，buthiscommenteventoherwasanon-
committalgrunt。
Butdon’tyouthinkit’srealsortofpretty，Zelotes？sheasked。
Thecaptaingruntedagain。Why，Iguesslikely’tisifyousayso，Mother。Idon’tknowmuchaboutsuchthings。
Buteverybodysaysitis。
Wanttoknow！Well，then’twon’tmakemuchdifferencewhetherI
sayitornot。
Butain’tyougoin’tosayawordtoAlbertaboutit，Zelotes？
Humph！Idon’tknow’sIknowwhattosay。
Why，sayyoulikeit。
Ye-es，andifIdohe’llkeeponwritin’more。That’sexactlywhatIdon’twanthimtodo。Comenow，Mother，besensible。Thispieceofhismaybegoodoritmaynot，_I_wouldn’tundertaketosay。ButthisIdoknow：Idon’twanttheboytospendhistimewritin’poetryslushforthat’Poets’Corner。’LetitiaMakepeacedidthat——shehadapieceinthereabouteveryweek——andshediedintheTauntonasylum。
But，Zelotes，itwasn’therpoetrygotherintotheasylum。
Wan’tit？Well，shewasinthepoorhouseaforethat。Idon’tknowwhether’twasherpoetryin’thatgotherinthere，butIknowdarnedwellitdidn’tgetherout。
Butain’tyougoin’tosayoneword？’Twouldencouragehimso。
GoodLord！Wedon’twanttoencouragehim，dowe？Ifhewastakin’tothievin’youwouldn’tencouragehiminthat，wouldyou？
Thievin’！ZelotesSnow，youdon’tmeantosayyoucompareapoettoaTHIEF！