Captain Stitt paused long enough to enjoy a chuckle all by himself.  Before he had quite finished his laugh, slow and reluctant steps were heard on the back platform and Issy appeared on the threshold.  He was without the package, but did not look happy.

“Well, Is,” inquired the depot master, “did you give the remains to the Major?”

“Yes, sir,” answered Issy.

“Did you tell him how the shockin’ fatality happened?  How the thing got broken?”

“Yes, sir, I told him.”

“What did he say?  Didn’t let his angry passions rise, did he?”

“No-o; no, sir, he didn’t rise nothin’.  He didn’t get mad neither.  But you could see he felt pretty bad.  Talked about ‘old family glass’ and ‘priceless airloons’ or some such.  Said much as he regretted to, he should feel it no more’n justice to have somebody pay damages.”

“Humph!” Captain Sol looked very grave.  “Issy, I can see your finish.  You’ll have to pay for somethin’ that’s priceless, and how are you goin’ to do that?  ‘Old family glass,’ hey?  Hum!  And I thought I saw the label of a Boston store on that package.”

Obed Gott leaned forward eagerly.

“Is that Major Hardee you’re talkin’ about?” he asked.

“Yes, sir.  He’s the only Major we’ve got.  Cap’ns are plenty as June bugs, but Majors and Gen’rals are scarce.  Why?”

“Oh, nothin’.  Only—­” Mr. Gott muttered the remainder of the sentence under his breath.  However, the depot master heard it and his eye twinkled.

“You’re glad of it!” he exclaimed.  “Why, Obed!  Major Cuthbertson Scott Hardee!  I’m surprised.  Better not let the women folks hear you say that.”

“Look here!” cried Captain Stitt, rather tartly, “am I goin’ to finish that yarn of mine or don’t you want to hear it?”

“Beg your pardon, Bailey.  Go on.  The last thing you said was what Stingy Gabe said, and that was—­”

CHAPTER III

“Stingy Gabe”

“And that,” said Captain Bailey, mollified by the renewed interest of his listeners, “was, ‘Bully!  I’ll do it!’

“So he calls a meetin’ of everybody interested, at his new house.  About every respectable man in town was there, includin’ me.  Most of the billiard-room gang was there, likewise.  Jotham, of course, wa’n’t invited.

“Gabe calls the meetin’ to order and the minister makes a speech tellin’ about the scheme.  ’Our generous and public-spirited citizen, Honorable Atkinson Holway,’ had offered to build a suitable clubhouse, fix it up, and donate it to the club, them and their heirs forever, Amen.  ’Twas to belong to the members to do what they pleased with—­no strings tied to it at all.  Dues would be merely nominal, a dollar a year or some such matter.  Now, who favored such a club as that?