"Maud," he said, "you'd better not tease Jed too much about that
good-lookin' tenant of his. He's so queer and so bashful that I'm
afraid if you do he'll take a notion to turn the Armstrongs out
when this month's up."
Miss Hunniwell glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
"Suppose he does?" she asked. "What of it? She isn't a GREAT
friend of yours, is she, Father?"
It was the captain's turn to look embarrassed.
"No, no, course she ain't," he declared, hastily. "All I've been
thinkin' is that Jed ought to have a tenant in that house of his,
because he needs the money. And from what I've been able to find
out about this Mrs. Armstrong she's a real nice genteel sort of
body, and--and--er--"
"And she's very sweet and very pretty and so, of course, naturally,
all the men, especially the middle-aged men--"
Captain Sam interrupted explosively. "Don't be so foolish!" he
ordered. "If you don't stop talkin' such nonsense I'll--I don't
know what I'll do to you. What do you suppose her bein' sweet and
good-lookin' has got to do with me? Gracious king! I've got one
good-lookin'--er--that is to say, I've got one young female to take
care of now and that's enough, in all conscience."
His daughter pinched his arm.
"Oh, ho!" she observed. "You were going to say she was good-
looking and then you changed your mind.
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