The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1911-02-21

might find the reason"
"But you still believe that you might
help if you went to Washington"
Eyes, | guess | do. Anyhow. I'd
ask some pretty p'inted questions.
You see, amt lived here in Bay
port all my life. and | don't swaller
all the bait Heman heaves overheard
"Then why don't you go?"
Hey? Why don't go? And leave
Bos'n and
Emily would be all right and per-
fectly safe Georgianna thinks the
world of her. And. Captain Whit
taker, don't like to hear these people
talk of you as they do. | don't like
to read such things in the paper-that
you were only Dragging in order to be
popular and meant to shirk when the
time came for action. / know they're
not true. / knew it."
Captain Cy was gratifed. and his
qualification showed in his voice.
''Thank you, Phoebe" he said II
am much obliged to you. But, you
see, don't take any interest in such
things any more. When realize that
pretty soon I've got to give up that
little girl for good / can't bear to be
away from her a minute hardly. l
don't like to leave her here alone with
Georgianna and
81 will keep an eye on her. You
trust me. don't your
''Trust you? By the big dipper.
you're about the only one can trust
these days. 1 don't know how I'd
have pulled through this if you hadn't
helped You're different from Ase and
Bailey and their kind. not meanin'
anything against them, either. But
you're broad minded and cool headed
and-and- Do you know, if I'd had
a woman like you to advise me all
these years and keep me from goin' off
the course / might have been some
body by now"
81 think you're somebody as it is"
"Don't talk that way. | own up
like to hear you, but Pm 'fraid it amt
true. You say 1 amount to somethin'
Well, what? I come back home here
with some money in my pocket, think
in that was all that was necessary
to make me a good deal Of a Teller.
The old Cy Whitaker place, I said
to myself, was goin' to be real Cy
Whitaker place again. And I'd be a
real Whitaker, man who should
stand for somethin', as my dad and
granddad did afore me. The town
should respect me. and I'd do things
to help 1t along. And what's 1t all
come to? Why. every young one on
the street is told to be good for fear
he'll grow up like me. Amt that SO?
Course it's so. Pm
you shall not speak so! Do you
imagine that you're not respected by
every one whose respect counts for
anything? Yes. and by others too.
Don't you suppose Mr.. Atkins respects
you down In his HEARTH he has one?
Doesn't your housekeeper. who sees
you every day. respect and like you?
And little Emily-doesn't she love you
more than she does all the rest Of us
together"
"Well. | guess Bos'n does care for
the old man some. that's fact. She
says she likes you next best. though.
Did you know that?'
But Miss Dawes was indignant.
Captain Whitaker" she declared.
lone would think you were Il hundred
years old to hear you. You are always
calling yourself an old man. Does Mr.
Atkins call himself old? And he H.
older than you"
well. I'm over fifty. Phoebe" III
spite Of the habit for whi;h he had
just been reproached. the capita n
found this difficult statement 10
make
Il know. But you're younger than
most Of us at thirty-five. You see. I'm
confessing. TOO" she added. with Il
laugh and little blush.
Captain Cy made mental calculI
ton
Twenty years." he said musingly
Twenty years Is a long time. No;
I'm DID, And. worse than that. I'm
an old fool. | guess IL hadn't been
I'd have stayed In South America in
stead Of comm here to be booted Out
of the town | was born in
The teacher stamped her foot.
"Oh, what shall l do with you!' she
exclaimed. 1T Is wicked for you to
say such things. Do you suppose that
Mr.. Atkins would find it necessary to
work as he is doing to beat a fool?
And, besides, you're not compliment
tary to. me. Should /, do you think.
take such an interest in one who was
an imbecileY'
well, It's mighty good of you. Your
comm here 50 to help Bos'n's fight
along is
How do you know it is Bos'n alto
gether? r. She stopped suddenly.
and the color rushed to her face. She
rose from the rocker. "I-really
don't see how we came to be dis
cussing such nonsense" she said