lomon Bangs,
Attorney-at-Law, Real Estate and Insurance." Here the Captain turned to
his companion and asked, "Sure you haven't changed your mind, Elsie? You
want that school-teachin' job?"

"I haven't changed my mind, Captain Eri."

"Well, I wanted to be sure. I should hate to ask Sol Bangs for anything
and then have to back out afterwards. Come on, now."

Mr. Soloman Bangs was the chairman of the Orham school-committee. He was
a short, stout man with sandy side-whiskers and a bald head. He received
them with becoming condescension, and asked if they wouldn't sit down.

"Why, I've got a little bus'ness I want to talk with you 'bout,
Sol," said the Captain. "Elsie, you set down here, and make yourself
comf'table, and Sol and me 'll go inside for a minute."

As he led the way into the little private office at the back of the
building, and seemed to take it for granted that Mr. Bangs would follow,
the latter gentleman couldn't well refuse. The private office was
usually reserved for interviews with widows whose homestead mortgages
were to be foreclosed, guileless individuals who had indorsed notes
for friends, or others whose business was unpleasant and likely to
be accompanied with weeping or profanity. Mr. Bangs didn't object to
foreclosing a mortgage, but he disliked to have a prospective customer
hear the dialogue that preceded the operation.

On this occasion the door of the sanctum was left ajar so that Elsie,
although she did not try to listen, could not very well help hearing
what was said.

She heard the Captain commenting on the late cranberry crop, the
exceptionally pleasant weather of the past month, and other irrelevant
subjects. Then the perfumes of the campaign cigars floated out through
the doorway.

"Let's see," said Captain Eri, "when's town meetin' day?"

"First Tuesday in December," replied Mr. Bangs.

"Why, so 'tis, so 'tis. Gittin' pretty nigh, ain't it? What are you
goin' to git off the school-committee for?"

"Me? Get off the committee? Who told you that?"

"Why, I don't know. You are, ain't you? Seems to me I heard Seth Wingate
was goin' to run and he's from your district, so I thought, of course--"

"Is Seth going to try for the committee?"

"Seth's a good man," was the equivocal answer.

"A good man! He ain't any better man than I am. What's he know about
schools, or how to run 'em?"

"Well, he's pretty popular. Folks like him. See here, Sol; what's this
'bout your turnin' Be