; only the beautiful Basin unconsciousness. "Christ
never said where to stop, did He?"

XX

SOCIAL DIVERSIONS AT THE "POST-OFFICE"

Leafless and brown are the trees, but the Basin has diviner glories
than at midsummer, in colors unspeakable of sea and sky, of
wild-sailing cloud, of sunset and of moon.

There come great news of Notely. In pursuance of which, "Did ye ever
notice," said Captain Leezur, sitting on the log in the late sunshine,
ambrosially sucking a nervine lozenge; "did ye ever notice, major, how
't all the great folks, or them 't 's risin' tew be great--how 't they
all comes from a squantum place like this?"

"Yes," I said, "I've heard it as a remarkable fact."

"I don't mean t' say 't _everybody_ in a squantum place is beound and
destined tew be great or die!" said Captain Leezur, with whole-souled
disparagement of such a thought: "no, no; they can't carry it on us so
fur as that. 'Forced-to-go,' ye know."

"No, indeed!" I consented.

I accepted a nervine lozenge, and we braced ourselves firmly on the
log, placid, but set, against all resistance, not to be great!

"What is this rewmer abeout Notely, major? I heered how 't you took a
lot o' noos-sheets."

"It is fine. He is making for himself a name in your politics, and at
the same time there 's the old fire in him, flashing out over
conventions; one can almost hear him laugh. He rings out, clear, amid
any false notes; it is a grand satire; sometimes the dry bones quake."

"Lord sakes!" said Captain Leezur, turning on me with deep-smitten
dismay; "I heered how't he was bein' successful!"

"His financial speculations seem touched with magic, they say; he is
courted, feared, praised, maligned; he laughs and rings out, the true
note! His health is not strong, never since that fall. There; you
have all I know, Captain Leezur."

Captain Leezur meditated. "There _be_ times--I sh'd never want this
said except between you an' me, major--when I'm glad 't Notely Garrison
didn't marry Vesty, after all! Notely 'n' me was great mates, all'as.
But I'll tell ye this, when Notely got everythin' he wanted he'd carry
sail enough to sink the boat, all'as; couldn't never jump rough enough
or fast enough on a high sea; kept the rest on us bailin' water: that
was Note, when he had all the wind he wanted; that was Note,
all'as--but I all'as loved him better 'n them 't was more keerful
sailors."

The sun saw itself globed in a tear that fell on