States Representative--could
change him. But Darius Ellis 'll be for Heman's way and so 'll Lemuel
Myrick.

"Lemuel Myrick? Lem Myrick, the painter?"

"Sartin. There ain't but one Myrick in town."

"Hum!" murmured the captain and was silent for some minutes.

The school committee met on the following Wednesday evening. On Thursday
morning a startling rumor spread throughout Bayport. Phoebe Dawes had
been called, by a vote of two to one, to teach the downstairs school.
Asaph, aghast, rushed out of Simmons's store and up to the hill to the
Cy Whittaker place. He found Captain Cy in the front yard. Mr. Myrick,
school committeeman and house painter, was with him.

"Hello, Ase!" hailed the captain. "What's the matter? Hasn't the tide
come in this mornin'?"

Asaph, somewhat embarrassed by the presence of Mr. Myrick, hesitated
over his news. Lemuel came to his rescue.

"Ase has just heard that we called Phoebe," he said. "What of it? I
voted for her, and I ain't ashamed of it."

"But--but Mr. Atkins, he--"

"Well, Heman ain't on the committee, is he? I vote the way I think
right, and no one in this town can change me. Anyway," he added, "I'm
going to resign next spring. Yes, Cap'n Whittaker, I think three coats
of white 'll do on the sides here."

"Lem's goin' to do my paintin' jobs," explained Captain Cy. "His price
was a little higher than some of the other fellers, but I like his
work."

Mr. Tidditt pondered deeply until dinner time. Then he cornered the
captain behind the Bangs barn and spoke with conviction.

"Whit," he said, "you're the one responsible for the committee's hirin'
Phoebe Dawes. You offered Lem the paintin' job if he'd vote for her.
What did you do it for? You don't know her, do you?"

"Never set eyes on her in my life."

"Then--then--You heard Heman say he wanted the other one. What made you
do it?"

Captain Cy grinned.

"Ase," he said, "I've always been a great hand for tryin' experiments.
Had one of my cooks aboard put raisins in the flapjacks once, just to
see what they tasted like. I judged Heman had had his own way in this
town for thirty odd year. I kind of wanted to see what would happen if
he didn't have it."

CHAPTER IV

BAILEY BANGS'S EXPERIMENT

Lemuel Myrick's painting jobs have the quality so prized by our village
small boys in the species of candy called "jaw breakers," namely, that
of "lasting long." But even Lem must finish sometime or other and, late
in Ju