The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1911-02-23
Cy Whitaker
Place
By JOSEPH c. LINCOLN
Copyright. 1908. by D. Appleton
e Co.
IcoNTINUED.l


other hour. Then, his mind being
made up, he pulled down the desk lid
of the old fashioned secretary, resur-
rected from pile of papers the note
he had begun to Mrs. Thomas, dipped
a sputtering pen into the ink bottle
and proceeded to write.
His letter was short one and rather
noncommittal AS Mrs. Thomas no
doubt knew, he had come back to live
In his fathers house at Bayport. He
might possibly need some one to keep
house for him. He understood that she,
Mary Thayer that was, was good
housekeeper and that she was open
to- an engagement if everything was
mutually satisfactory. He had known
her mother slightly when the latter
lived in Orham. He thought an inter-
view might be pleasant, for they could
talk over old times if nothing more.
Perhaps, on the whole, she might care
to risk trip to Rapport; therefore he
Enclosed money for her railroad fare.
"You understand, of course" so he
wrote in conclusion, ''that nothing may
come of our meeting at all. So please
don't say word to anybody when you
strike town. You've lived here your
self, and you know that three words
hove overheard in Bayport will dredge
up CAB enough to sink a dictionary.
So just keep mum till the business is
settled one way or the other"
A week passed, and he heard moth
ing; then three more days and still
no word from the New Hampshire
widow. Meanwhile fresh layers Of
dust spread themselves over the Whit
taker furniture, and the gaudy pat
terms Of the carpets blushed dimly be-
meath grimy fog.
The eleventh day began with pour
ing rain that changed later, on to a
dismal drizzle The silver leaf tree in
the front yard dripped, and the over
flowing cutters gurgled and splashed.
The bay was gray and lonely, and the
fish weirs along the outer bar were
lost In the mist. The flowers In the
Atkins urns were draggled and beaten
down. Only the iron dogs glistened
undaunted as the wet ran off their
newly painted backs. The air was
heavy, and the salty flavor Of the fats
might almost be tasted in it.
Captain Cy was in the sitting room,
as usual. His spirits were as gray as
TIE weather. He was actually lone
some for the first time since his return
home He had kindled wood ire in
the stove just for the sociability Of it,
and the crackle aud glow behind the
isinglass panes only served to remind
him of other days and other fires. The
sitting room had not been lonesome
then.
2 He heard the depot wagon rattle by
and, peering from the window, saw
that except for Mr.. Lumley it was
empty. Not even summer boarder
had come to brighten our ways and
lawns with reckless raiment and the
newest slang. Summer boarding sea-
son was almost over now. Bayport
would soon be as dull as dishwater.
And the captain admitted to himself
that 1t was dull. He had half mind
to take flying trip to Boston, make
the round of the wharfs and see If
any Of the old shipowners and ship
captains whom he had once known
were still alive and in harness.
Jingle! Jingle! Jingle! Jingle!
Jingle! Jing. Jing! Jing!"
Captain Cy bounced in his chair.
That was the front door bell. Who on
earth, or rather. who in Bayport, would
com, to the front door?
He hurried through the grim gran
deur of the best parlor and entered the
little dark front hall. The bell was still
swinging at the end of it's coil of wire.
The dust shaken from it still hung in
the air. The captain unbolted and IN
locked the big front door.
A girl was standing on the steps be-
tween the lines of box hedge-a little
girl under a big "grownup" umbrella.
The wet dripped from the umbrella top
and from the hem Of the little girls
dress.
Captain Cy stared hard at his visitor.
He knew most of the children in Bay
port, but he didn't know this one. OBJ
viously she was stranger. Portu-
guese children from ''up Harniss way"
sometimes called to peddle huckleber-
ries, but this child was no "Portugee."
"Hello!' exclaimed the captain. won
6eringly. did you ring the bellf'
Eyes, SIR" replied the girl
''Humph! Did. hey? Why7"
why? Why, / thought Isn't It a
truly bell? Didn't it ought to ring? Is
anybody sick or dead? There isn't any
Grape"
dead? Crapew Captain Cy gasped.
What in the world put that in your
headY'
well. didn't know but maybe that
was why you thought / hadn't ought
to have rung 1t. When mamma was
sick they didn't let people ring our bell.
And when she died they tied 1t up
with Grape
ibid. hey7 Hum! The captain
scratched his chin and gazed at the
small figure before him. It was a self
poised, matter Of fact figure for such
q little one. and out there in the rain