St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-02-01

Atkins urns were draggled and beaten
down. Only the iron dogs Slistened
undaunted as the wet ran off their
newly painted backs. The air was
heavy, and the salty favor of the fats
might almost be tasted in it.
Captain Cy was in the sitting room,
as usual. His spirits We're as gray as
the weather He was actually lone
some for the first time since his return
home He had kindled a wood fire in
the stove just for the sociability of it,
and the crackle and glow behind the
isinglass panes only served to remind
him of other days and other fires. The
sitting room had not been lonesome
| then.
He heard the depot wagon rattle by
and, peering from the window, saw
that except for Mr. Lumley it was
empty Not even a summer boarder
had come to brighten our ways and
lawns with reckless raiment and the
newest slang. Summer boarding sea-
son was almost over Row. Bayport
would soon be as dull as dishwater.
And the captain admitted to himself
that it was dull He had half a 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! Jingw
Captain Cy bounced in his chair.
That was the front door bell. Who on
earth, or rather, who in Bayport, would
come 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 its coil of wire.
The dust shaken from it still hung in
the air. The captain unbolted and I'M
locked the big front door.
A girl was standing on the steps be-
tween the ligHs Of box hedge-a little
girl under 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 a stranger Portu-
guese children from ''up Harniss way"
sometimes called to peddle hucklebef-
ries. but this child was no "Portugee."
'Hello!' exclaimed the captain, Won
Geringly. did you ring the bell?'
Eyes, SIR replied the girl.
"Humph! Did, hey? WhyY
"Why? Why, l thought Isn't it
truly bell? Didn't it ought to ring? Is
ANYBODY sick or dead? There isn't any
Grape.
Dead? Crape?" Captain Cy gasped.
'What in the world put that in your
head?''
"Well, didn't know but maybe that
was why you thought I hadn't ought
to have rung it. When mamma was
sick they didn't let people ring our bell.
And when she died they tied it up
with Grape"
did, hey? Hunt" The captain
scratched his chin and gazed at the
small figure before him. 1t was a self
poised, matter of fact figure for such
a little one and out there in the rain
under the tent roof of the umbrella it
was rather pitiful.
please, sir" said the child, "are
you Captain Cyrus Whitaker"
''Yup! That's me. You've guessed
it the first time"
Eyes, sir. I've got letter for you. It's
pinned inside my dress. If you could
hold this umbrella maybe could get
it OUT
She extended the big umbrella at
arms length. holding it with both
hands. Captain Cy woke up.
Good land!" he exclaimed. "What
am thinkin' of? You're soakin' wet
through, amt youY
81 guess I'm pretty wet. It's long
ways from the depot. ana 1 tried to