Mrs. Bascom rose once more. "Seth Bascom," she declared, "if all you
wanted me to stay here for is to be one of a pair of katydids, hollerin'
at each other, I'm goin'. I'm no bug; I'm a woman."

"Emeline, you set down. You've hove out a whole lot of hints about my
not bein' a man because I run away from your house. Do you think I'd
have been more of a man if I'd stayed in it? Stayed there and been
a yaller dog to be kicked out of one corner and into another by you
and--and that brother-in-law of yours. That's all I was--a dog."

"Humph! if a dog's the right breed--and big enough--it's his own fault
if he's kicked twice."

"Not if he cares more for his master than he does for himself--'taint."

"Why, yes, it is. He can make his master respect him by provin' he ain't
the kind of dog to kick. And maybe one of his masters--his real master,
for he hadn't ought to have but one--might be needin' the right kind of
watchdog around the house. Might be in trouble her--himself, I mean; and
be hopin' and prayin' for the dog to protect her--him, I should say. And
then the--"

"Emeline, what are you talkin' about?"

"Oh, nothin', nothin'. Seth, what's the use of us two settin' here at
twelve o'clock at night and quarrelin' over what's past and settled? I
sha'n't do it, for one. I don't want to quarrel with you."

Seth sighed. "And I don't want to quarrel with you, Emeline," he agreed.
"As you say, there's no sense in it. Dear! dear! this, when you come
to think of it, is the queerest thing altogether that ever was in the
world, I guess. Us two had all creation to roam 'round in, and we landed
at Eastboro Twin-Lights. It seems almost as if Providence done it, for
some purpose or other."

"Yes; or the other critter, for HIS purposes. How did you ever come to
be keeper of a light, Seth?"

"Why--why--I don't know. I used to be in the service, 'fore I went to
sea much. You remember I told you I did. And I sort of drifted down
here. I didn't care much what became of me, and I wanted a lonesome
hole to hide in, and this filled the bill. I've been here ever since I
left--left--where I used to be. But, Emeline, how did YOU come here? You
answered an advertisement, you told me; but why?"

"'Cause I wanted to do somethin' to earn my livin'. I was alone, and I
rented my house and boarded. But boardin' ain't much comfort, 'specially
when you board where everybody knows you, and knows your story. So I--"

"Wait a minute. You was alo