l you by and by. But
now I want to think. To think, by time!"

Ten minutes later the telephone bell rang.

"Hello! Here is your Boston call," announced Central.

"All right! all right! Is this Saunders, Griffin and Company? ... Hey?
... Is Mr. Doane there?... What? I want to know! Is that you, John?
... This is Dott, speakin'.... Yes, Dan Dott.... No, no, of Trumet,
not Scarford.... Yes.... YES.... Here! you let me do the talkin'; you
listen."

Captain Dan ate scarcely any luncheon that day. He seemed to have lost
his appetite. This was a good deal of a loss and his wife commented upon
it.

"What does ail you, Daniel?" she asked anxiously. "Why don't you eat?"

"Hey? Oh, I don't know, Serena. Don't feel hungry, somehow."

"Well, it's the first time you haven't been hungry since you came back
to Trumet. I was beginning to think Azuba and I couldn't get enough for
you TO eat. And now, all at once, you're not hungry. What does ail you?"

"Ail me? Nothin' ails me."

"Don't you feel well?"

"Never felt better in my life. Don't believe I ever felt quite so good."

"You act awfully queer."

"Do I? Don't you worry about me, Serena. My appetite'll be back all
right by dinner time. You want to lay in an extra stock for dinner. I'll
probably eat you out of house and home then. Better figure on as much as
if you was goin' to have company. Ain't that so, Zuba?"

He winked at the housekeeper. His wife noticed the wink.

"What is it?" she demanded. "There's something going on that I don't
know about. Are you and Azuba planning some sort of surprise?"

"Surprise! What sort of surprise would Zuba and I plan? She's had one
surprise in the last six weeks and that ought to be enough. Laban's
droppin' in unexpected was surprise enough to keep you satisfied, wasn't
it, Zuba? I never saw anybody more surprised than you was that night in
the kitchen. Ho! ho!"

Azuba smiled grimly. "A few more surprises like that," she observed,
"and I'll be surprised to death. Don't talk to ME about surprises."

"_I_ wasn't talkin' about 'em, 'twas Serena that started it."

Mrs. Dott was still suspicious. She turned to her daughter.

"Gertie," she asked, "do YOU know what your father is acting so
ridiculous about? Is there a secret between you three?"

Gertrude had been very quiet and grave during the meal.

"No," she said. "There is no secret that I know of. Father is happy
because we are back here in his beloved Trumet, I suppose