with it, and she began to formulate vague ideas as to what she might
like to do. She kept these ideas to herself, but she spoke to Emily
Howes concerning the possibilities of a journey to East Wellmouth.

Emily was Mrs. Barnes' favorite cousin, although only a second cousin.
Her mother, Sarah Cahoon, Thankful's own cousin, had married a man named
Howes. Emily was the only child by this marriage. But later there was
another marriage, this time to a person named Hobbs, and there were five
little Hobbses. Papa Hobbs worked occasionally, but not often. His wife
and Emily worked all the time. The latter had been teaching school
in Middleboro, but now it was spring vacation. So when Aunt Thankful
suggested the Cape Cod tour of inspection Emily gladly agreed to go.
The Hobbs house was not a haven of joy, especially to Mr. Hobbs'
stepdaughter, and almost any change was likely to be an agreeable one.

They had left South Middleboro that afternoon. The rain began when
the train reached West Ostable. At Bayport it had become a storm. At
Wellmouth Centre it was a gale and a miniature flood. And now, shut
up in the back part of the depot-wagon, with the roaring wind and
splashing, beating rain outside, Thankful's references to fish and ducks
and mermaids, even to Mount Ararat, seemed to Emily quite appropriate.
They had planned to spend the night at the East Wellmouth hotel and
visit the Barnes' property in the morning. But it was five long miles to
that hotel from the Wellmouth Centre station. Their progress so far had
been slow enough. Now they had stopped altogether.

A flash of light showed above the top of the carriage boot.

"Mercy on us!" cried Aunt Thankful. "Is that lightnin'? All we need to
make this complete is to be struck by lightnin'. No, 'tain't lightnin',