t, we can appeal to another, and so
on up the line. And meantime we'll do a little investigating of
friend Thomas's 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 will try to find out what the fellow did in
his years out West. It's our best chance, as I told you. Keep your pluck
up and wait and see."

The captain repeated this conversation 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 Whittaker," 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 it?"

Captain Cy smiled.

"Why?" he repeated. "Why, to down me, of course. I was gettin' too
everlastin' prominent in politics to suit him. I'd got you in as
teacher, and I had 'Lonzo Snow as good as licked for school committee.
Goodness knows what I might have run for next, 'cordin' to Heman's
reasonin', and I simply had to be smashed. It worked all right. I'm so
unhealthy now in the sight of most folks in this town, that I cal'late
they go home and sulphur-smoke their clothes after they meet me, so's
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 openly advocated anything in town meeting
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
Whittaker, Mr. Tidditt says that, the night of Emily's birthday party,
you and he told who she was, by accident, and that Mr. Atkins seemed
very much surprised and upset. Is that so?"

Captain Cy laughed.

"His lemonade was upset; that's all I noticed special. Oh! yes, and he
lost his hat off, goin' home. But what of it? What are you drivin' at?"

"I was wondering if--if 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."

"Fear? Fear Bos'n? Oh, my, that's f