say good-by to most of all?"

Each name given by the child was surreptitiously penciled by Bailey on
a scrap of paper. The list was a long one and, when the great afternoon
came, the Whittaker house was crowded.

The supper was a brilliant success. So was the cake, brought in with
candles ablaze, by the grinning Georgianna. Beside the children there
were some older people present, Bailey and Asaph, of course, and the
"regulars" from the perfect boarding house, who had been invited because
it was fairly certain that Mr. Bangs wouldn't be allowed to attend
if his wife did not. Miss Dawes had also been asked, at Bos'n's
well-understood partiality, but she had declined.

Toward the end of the meal, when the hilarity at the long table was at
its height, an unexpected guest made his appearance. There was a knock
at the dining-room door, and Georgianna, opening it, was petrified to
behold, standing upon the step, no less a personage than the Honorable
Heman Atkins, supposed by most of us to be then somewhere in that wide
stretch of territory vaguely termed "the South."

"Good evening, all," said the illustrious one, removing his silk hat
and stepping into the room. "What a charming scene! I trust I do not
intrude."

Georgianna was still speechless, in which unwonted condition she was not
alone, Messrs. Bangs and Tidditt being also stricken dumb. But Captain
Cy rose to the occasion grandly.

"Intrude?" he repeated. "Not a mite of it! Mighty glad to see you,
Heman. Here, give us your hat. Pull up to the table. When did you get
back? Thought you was in the orange groves somewheres."

"Ahem! I was. Yes, I was in that neighborhood. But it is hard to stay
away from dear old Bayport. Home ties, you know, home ties. I came down
on the morning train, but I stopped over at Harniss on business and
drove across. Ahem! Yes. The housekeeper informed me that my daughter
was here, and, seeing the lights and hearing the laughter, I couldn't
resist making this impromptu call. I'm sure as an old friend and
neighbor, Cyrus, you will pardon me. Alicia, darling, come and kiss
papa."

Darling Alicia accepted the invitation with a rustle of silk and an
ecstatic squeal of delight. During this affecting scene Asaph whispered
to Bailey that he "cal'lated" Heman had had a hurry-up distress signal
from Simpson; to which sage observation Mr. Bangs replied with a
vigorous nod, showing that Captain Cy's example had had its effect,
in that they no l