St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-04-05
WHITTAkER'S
PLACE
By JOSEPH C. LINCOLN


HOW does she reel aDour 1t ner-
Self?" asked Peabody.
Her? Bos'n? Why, that's the
hardest of all Some of the children
at school poster her about her father.
| don't knows you can blame 'em-
young ones are made that way, guess
but she comes home to me cryin'.
anG it's oh. Uncle Cy, he amt my
truly father. is hep and You won't
let him take me away from you, will
your till it seems as if should fly
out of the window. The poor little
thing! And that pulled up humbug
Atkins BLOWN about his Christianity
and all! I've. seen heather Injuns,
who never heard of Christ, with more
of His spirit inside 'em. There! I've
shocked you, guess. Sometimes
cramped for me- I've been around,
you know. and my New England
bringin' up has wore thin in spots.
Seems if / must get somewheres and
spread out or I'll bust"
He threw himself into chair The
lawyer clapped him on the shoulder.
There, there, captain" he said.
Don't bust yet awhile. Don't give
up the ship. If we lose in one court
we can appeal to another. and so on
up the line. And meantime we'll do a
little investigating of friend Thomas
career since he left Concord I've
written to a legal acquaintance of
mine in Butte, giving him the facts
as we know them and a description
of Thomas. He win try to find out
what the fellow did in his years out
west. It's our best chance, as l told
you. Keep your pluck up and wait
and see.''
The captain repeated this CONVEX
sation to the board of strategy when
he returned to Bayport. Miss Dawes
had walked home from school with
Bos'n and had stopped at the house
to hear the report. She listened, but
it was evident that something else
was on her mind.
Captain Whitaker" she asked, "has
it ever struck you as queer that Mr..
Atkins should take such an interest in
this matter? He is giving time and
counsel and money to help this man
Thomas, who is a perfect stranger to
him. Why does he do itY'
Captain Cy smiled.
''Why?' he repeated. "Why, to down
me, Of course. 1 was gettin' too ever
lastin' prominent in politics to suit
him. I'd got you in as teacher, and
had Lonzo Snow as good as licked for
school committee. Goodness knows
what I might have run for next, cord
in to Heman's reasonin', and 1 simply
had to be smashed. 1t worked all
right. I'm SO unhealthy now in the
sight of most folks in this town that /
caPlate they go home and sulphur
smoke their clothes after they meet
me, SOS not to catch my wickedness."
But the teacher shook her head.
'"That doesn't seem reason enough to
me-" she declared. "Just see what
Mr.. Atkins has done. He never open
ly advocated anything in town meet
ing before You said so yourself
Even when he must have realized that
you had the votes for committeeman
he kept still. He might have taken
many of them from you by simply
coming out and declaring for Mr..
Snow, but he didn't. And then all at
once he takes this astonishing stand.
Captain Whitaker, Mr. Tidditt says
that the night of Emily's birthday par
ty you and he told who she was by ac-
cident and that Mr.. Atkins seemed
very much surprised and upset Is
that so?''
Captain Cy laughed.
"His lemonade was upset. That's
all l noticed special Oh, yes! And
he lost his hat off goin' home But
what of it? What are you drivin' at
now?'
ST was wondering Tiff it could be
that for some reason Mr.. Atkins had a
spite against Emily or her people or if
he had any reason to fear her."
''Feari Fear Bos'n? Oh, my, that's
funny! You've been readin' novels,
I'm afraid, teacher, though 1 didn't
suspect it of you"
He laughed heartily. Miss Dawes
smiled, too, but she still persisted.
"Wel1," she said, 81 don't know. Per
haps it is because I'm woman and
politics doesn't mean as much to me as
to you men, but to me political reasons
don't seem strong enough to account
for such actions as those Of Mr.. At
kins. Emily's mother was a Thayer,
wasn't she? And the Thayers once
lived In Orham. wish we could find
but more about them while they lived
there"
Asaph Tfdditt pulled his beard
thoughtfully.
We'll" he observed, 1T was kind Of
cal'iatin' to &c to Orham next week on
q little visit. Seth Wingate over there
-Barzilla Wingate's cousin, Whit-is
sort of relation Of mine. Seth's been
Orham town clerk about as long as
I've been the Bayport one, and he's
lived there all his Life. What he don't
know about Orham folks amt wuth
Known. II you say SO I'll pump him
about the Thayers and the Richards"
So 1t was settled that Mr.. Wingate
should be subjected to the pumping"