The squire tried to tell her what a no-good Ase was, but she froze
him quicker'n--Where you going, Cap'n Benije?"
"I'm going down to that poorhouse," hollers Poundberry. "I'll find out
the rights and wrongs of this thing mighty quick."
We all said we'd go with him, and we went, six in one carryall. As we
hove in sight of the poorhouse a buggy drove away from it, going in
t'other direction.
"That looks like the Baptist minister's buggy," says Darius. "What on
earth's he been down here for?"
Nobody could guess. As we run alongside the poorhouse door, Ase
Blueworthy stepped out, leading Debby Badger. She was as red as an
auction flag.
"By time, Ase Blueworthy!" hollers Cap'n Benijah, starting to get out
of the carryall, "what do you mean by--Debby, what are you holding that
rascal's hand for?"
But Ase cut him short. "Cap'n Poundberry," says he, dignified as a boy
with a stiff neck, "I might pass over your remarks to me, but when you
address my wife--"
"Your WIFE?" hollers everybody--everybody but the cap'n; he only sort of
gurgled.
"My wife," says Asaph. "When you men--church members, too, some of
you--sold the house over her head, I'm proud to say that I, having a
home once more, was able to step for'ard and ask her to share it with
me. We was married a few minutes ago," he says.
"And, oh, Cap'n Poundberry!" cried Debby, looking as if this was the
most wonderful part of it--"oh, Cap'n Poundberry!" she says, "we've
known for a long time that some man--an uncommon kind of man--was coming
to offer me a home some day, but even Asaph didn't know 'twas himself;
did you, Asaph?"
We selectmen talked the thing over going home, but Cap'n Benijah didn't
speak till we was turning in at his gate.
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