the grammar grade of the school--and the question of
her probable successor. In fact, this question of who the new teacher
was to be was the prevailing subject of surmise and conjecture in the
village just then.

When Captain Jerry came back to the house he went out to the barn to
feed Lorenzo and the hens, and attend to Daniel's toilet. He was busy
with the curry-comb when Elsie came in. She seated herself on a box, and
watched the performance for a while without speaking. The Captain, who
took this part of his duties very seriously, was too intent on crimping
Daniel's rather scraggy forelock to talk much. At length Miss Preston
broke the silence.

"Captain Jerry," she said, "you have never told me just where you found
grandfather that night when he was taken sick. On the hill back of the
post-office, wasn't it?"

"Yes, jest on the top. You see, he'd fell down when he was runnin' to
the fire."

"Captain Eri found him, didn't he?"

"Yep. Whoa there, Dan'l; stand still, can't you? Yes, Eri found him."

"How was he dressed?"

"Who? John? Oh, he was bareheaded and in his shirtsleeves, jest as he
run outdoors when he heard the bell. Queer, he didn't put on that
old white hat of his. I never knew him to be without it afore; but a
feller's li'ble to forgit 'most anything a night like that was. Did Eri
tell you how Perez forgot his shoes? Funniest thing I ever see, that
was."

He began the story of his friend's absent-mindedness, but his companion
did not seem to pay much attention to it. In fact, it was evident that
her thoughts were somewhere else, for when the Captain asked her a
question that plainly called for a negative, she replied "Yes," very
calmly, and didn't seem to know that she had said it. She went into
the house soon after and Captain Jerry, after considering the matter,
decided that she was probably thinking of Hazeltine. He derived much
comfort from the idea.

When he, too, entered the dining room, Elsie said to him:

"Oh, Captain Jerry! Please don't tell the others that I asked about
grandfather. They would think that I was worrying, and I'm not, a bit.
You won't mention it, will you? Just promise, to please me."

So the Captain promised, although he did not understand why it was asked
of him.

When Captain Eri came home that afternoon, and was cleaning his catch at
the shanty, he was surprised to receive a call from Miss Preston.

"Hello!" he exclaimed. "Come to l'arn the trade?"

Elsie s