"It's silly, I know," he said, panting a little, "but I've always been used to doin' about as I pleased and it--somehow it plagues me to think I can't go it alone still. Just stubborn foolishness." She shook her head. "No, it isn't," she said, quickly. "I understand. And I do hope you will be better soon. Of course you will." "Will I?... Well, maybe. Good mornin', Miss Berry. Be sure and tell your mother she's to be just as much cap'n as she ever was." He hobbled along the walk to the gate. As he passed beneath the sign he looked back. She was still standing in the doorway and when he limped in at the entrance of the General Minot place she was there yet, watching him. He said no word to Judah of his acceptance of the post of commander of the Fair Harbor. He felt that Judge Knowles should be the first to know of it and that he, himself, should be the one to tell him. So, after dinner was over, and Judah had harnessed the old horse to go to the Minot wood lot for a load of pine boughs and brush for kindling, he asked his ex-cook to take him across to the judge's in the wagon, leave him there, and come for him later. Mr. Cahoon, of course, was delighted to be of service but, of course also, he was tremendously curious. "Hum," he observed, "goin' to see the judge again, be you, Cap'n Sears?" "Yes." "Hum.... Ain't heard that he's any sicker, nor nothin' like that, have you?" "No." "I see.... Yus, yus.... Just goin' to make a--er--sort of--what you might call a--er--a call, I presume likely." "I shouldn't wonder." "Um-hm.... I see.... Yus, yus, I see.... Um-hm.... Well, I suppose we might as well--er--start now as any time, eh?" "Better, I should say, Judah. Whenever you and the Foam Flake are ready, I am." The Foam Flake was the name with which Judah had rechristened the old horse. The animal's name up to the time of the rechristening had been Pet, but this, Mr. Cahoon explained, he could _not_ stand. "'Whatever else he is,' says I to young Minot, 'he ain't no pet--not of mine. The only way I ever feel like pettin' that oat barrel,' I says, 'is with a rope's end.' 'Well, why don't you give him a new name?' says he. 'What'll I call him?' says I. 'Anything you can think of,' he says. 'By Henry,' says I. 'I have called him about everything I can think of, already.' Haw, haw! That was a pretty good one, wan't it Cap'n Sears?" "But where did you get 'Foam Flake' from?" the captain had wanted to know. "Oh, it just come to me, as you might say, same as them things do come sometimes. I was tellin' the Methodist minister about it one day and he said 'twas a--er--one of them--er--inflammations. Eh? Don't seem as if it could have been 'inflammation,' but 'twas somethin' like it." "Inspiration, maybe."