undress yourself, can't you?"

"Oh, yes, sir! Course I can! I'm most eight."

"Sure you are! Don't act a mite babyish. All right, you set still till I
shake up that bunk."

He entered the chamber, his own, opening from the sitting room, and
proceeded, literally, to "shake up" the bed. It was not a lengthy
process and, when it was completed, he returned to find his visitor
already divested of the coat and standing before the stove.

"I guess perhaps you'll have to help undo me behind," observed the young
lady. "This is my best dress and I can't reach the buttons in the middle
of the back."

Captain Cy scratched his head. Then he clumsily unbuttoned the wet
waist, glancing rather sheepishly at the window to see if anyone was
coming.

"So this is your best dress, hey?" he asked, to cover his confusion.
It was obviously not very new, for it was neatly mended in one or two
places.

"Yes, sir."

"So. Where'd you buy it--up to Concord?"

"No, sir. Mamma made it, a year ago."

There was a little choke in the child's voice. The captain was mightily
taken back.

"Hum! Yes, yes," he muttered hurriedly. "Well, there you are. Now you
can get along, can't you?"

"Yes, sir. Shall I go in that room?"

"Trot right in. You might--er--maybe you might sing out when you're
tucked up. I--I'll want to know if you're got bedclothes enough."

Emily disappeared in the bedroom. The door closed. Captain Cy, his hands
in his pockets, walked up and down the length of the sitting room. The
expression on his face was a queer one.

"I haven't got any nightgown," called a voice from the other room. The
captain gasped.

"Good land! so you ain't," he exclaimed. "What in the world--Humph! I
wonder--"

He went to the lower drawer of a tall "highboy" and, from the tumbled
mass of apparel therein took one of his own night garments.

"Here's one," he said, coming back with it in his hand. "I guess you'll
have to make this do for now. It'll fit you enough for three times to
once, but it's all I've got."

A small hand reached 'round the edge of the door and the nightshirt
disappeared. Captain Cy chuckled and resumed his pacing.

"I'm tucked up," called Miss Thomas. The captain entered and found her
in bed, the patchwork points and diamonds of the "Rising Sun" quilt
covering her to the chin and her head denting the uppermost of the two
big pillows. Captain Cy liked to "sleep high."

"Got enough over you?" he asked.

"Yes, sir, thank