Early in May Captain Shadrach came up to the city to buy summer goods
for the store. He positively refused to make his headquarters at Mrs.
Wyeth's, although that lady sent an urgent invitation to him to do so.
And, even when Mary added her own plea to that of her landlady, the
Captain still refused.


Don't ask me, Mary-'Gusta [he wrote]. For the dear land sakes don't ask
me to come to that place and stay. I'd do 'most anything for you, and I
will do that if you are dead sot on it, but I do hope you ain't. I will
come up there and see you of course and I'll even stay to supper if I
get asked, but DON'T ask me to drop anchor and stay there night and day.
I couldn't stand it. My backbone's sprung backwards now from settin' up
so straight last time I was there.


So Mary had pity upon him and he took a room at the Quincy House where,
as he said, he didn't have to keep his nose dead on the course every
minute, but could "lay to and be comf'table" if he wanted to. He was
invited to supper at the Wyeth house, however, and while there Mrs.
Wyeth found an opportunity to take him aside and talk with him on a
subject which he found interesting and a trifle disquieting.

"Now mind," said the lady, "I am by no means convinced that the affair
is anything but a mere boy and girl friendship, or that it is ever
likely to be more than that. But I did think I ought to tell you about
it and that you should meet the young man. You have met him, you say?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Shadrach, "I've met him. 'Twan't much more'n that--he
just came into our store down home, that's all. But I did meet him and I