y of it, was delighted with
the new teacher. Lemuel Myrick boasted loudly of his good judgment
in voting for her. But Tad Simpson and Darius Ellis and others of the
Atkins following still scoffed and hinted at trouble in the future.

"A new broom sweeps fine," quoted Mr. Simpson. "She's doin' all
right now, maybe. Anyway, the young ones are behavin' themselves, but
disCIPline ain't the whole thing. Heman told me that the teacher he
wanted could talk French language and play music and all kinds
of accomplishments. Phoebe--not findin' any fault with her, you
understand--don't know no more about music than a hen; my wife says she
don't even sing in church loud enough for anybody to hear her. And as
for French! why everybody knows she uses the commonest sort of United
States, just as easy to understand as what I'm sayin' now."

Miss Dawes boarded at the perfect boarding house. There opinion was
divided concerning her. Bailey and Mr. Tidditt liked her, but the
feminine boarders were not so favorably impressed.

"I think she's altogether too pert about what don't concern her,"
commented Angeline Phinney. "Sarah Emma Simpson dropped in t'other
day to dinner, and we church folks got to talkin' about the minister's
preachin' such 'advanced' sermons. And Sarah Emma told how she'd heard
he said he'd known some real moral Universalists in his time, or some
such unreligious foolishness. And I said I wondered he didn't get a new
tail coat; the one he preached in Sundays was old as the hills and so
outgrown it wouldn't scurcely button acrost him. 'A man bein' paid
nine hundred a year,' I says, 'ought to dress decent, anyhow.' And that
Phoebe Dawes speaks up, without bein' asked, and says for her part she'd
ruther hear a broad man in a narrer coat than t'other way about. 'Twas a
regular slap in the face for me, and Sarah Emma and I ain't got over it
yet."

Captain Cy heard the gossip concerning the new teacher and it rather
pleased him. She appeared to be independent, and he liked independence.
He met her once or twice on the street, but she merely bowed and passed
on. Once he tried to thank her again for her part in the cow episode,
but she would not listen to him.

Bos'n was making good progress with her studies. She was naturally a
bright child--not the marvel the captain and the "Board of Strategy"
considered her, but quick to learn. She was not a saint, however, and
occasionally misbehaved in school and was punished for it. O