Barnes to
give up her home I told you what I thought of that, too."

East Wellmouth's wealthiest summer resident expressed an opinion.

"You're a fool!" he snarled. "A d--d impractical fool!"

The door slammed behind him. John laughed quietly.

"As a judge of character, Captain Bangs," he observed, "my respected
cousin should rank high."

Captain Obed's first act after E. Holliday's departure was to rush
over, seize the young man's hand with one of his own, and thump him
enthusiastically upon the back with the other.

"I said it!" he crowed. "I knew it! I knew you was all right and square
as a brick all the time, John Kendrick! NOW let me meet some of those
folks that have been talkin' against you! You never did a better day's
work in your life. HE'S down on you, but every decent man in Ostable
County'll be for you through thick and thin after this. Hooray for our
side! John, shake hands with me again."

They shook, heartily. The captain was so excited and jubilant that he
was incoherent. At last, however, he managed to recover sufficiently to
ask a question.

"But how did you do it," he demanded. "How did you get on the track of
it? You must have had some suspicions."

John smiled. His friend's joy evidently pleased him, but he, himself,
was rather sober and not in the least triumphant.

"I did have a suspicion, Captain," he said. "In fact, I had been told
that I had a claim to a piece of land somewhere along the shore here
in East Wellmouth. My father told me years ago, when he was in his last
sickness. He said that he owned a strip of land here, but that it was
probably worth little or nothing. When I came here I intended looking
into the matter, but I did not do so. Where the original deed may be, I
don't know even now. It may be among some of my father's papers, which
are stored in New York. But the record of the transfers I found
in Ostable; and that is sufficient. My claim may not be quite as
impregnable as I gave my late client to understand, but it will be hard
to upset. I am the only possible claimant and I have transferred
my claim to Mrs. Barnes. The land belongs to her now; she can't be
dispossessed."

"But--but, John, why didn't you say so sooner? What made you let
everyone think--what they did think?"

Before John could reply there came an interruption. The door opened and
Thankful Barnes entered. She paid no attention to Captain Obed, but,
walking straight to the desk, laid upon it the lon