No, I did not want to talk with Jedediah Dean. However, he wanted to talk to me, and what he wanted he usually got. Captain Dean was one of Denboro's leading citizens. His parents had been as poor as Job's turkey, but Jedediah had determined to get money and now he had it. He was reputed to be worth “upwards of thirty thousand,” owned acres and acres of cranberry swamps, and the new house he had just built was almost as big as it was ugly, which is saying considerable. He had wanted to be a deacon in the church and, though the church was by no means so eager, deacon he became. He was an uncompromising Democrat, but he had forced himself into the Board of Selectmen, every other member a Republican. He was director in the Denboro bank, and it was town talk that his most ardent desire at the present time was to see his daughter Helen--Nellie, we all called her--married to George Taylor, cashier of that bank. As George and Nellie were “keeping company” it seemed likely that Captain Jed would be gratified in this, as in all other desires. He was a born boss, and did his best to run the town according to his ideas. Captain Elisha Warren, who lived over in South Denboro and was also a director in the bank, covered the situation when he said: “Jed Dean is one of those fellers who ought to have a big family to order around. The Almighty gave him only one child and so he adopted Denboro and is bossin' that.” “I want to talk to you, Ros,” repeated Captain Jed. “Come here.” He led the way to the settee by the calico and dress goods counter. I put the unread letter in my pocket and followed him. “Set down,” he ordered. “Come to anchor alongside.” I came to anchor. “How's your mother?” he asked. “Matilda was cal'latin' to go down and set with her a spell this afternoon, if she didn't have anything else to do--if Matilda didn't, I mean.” Matilda was his wife. In her husband's company she was as dumb as a broken phonograph; when he was not with her she talked continuously, as if to get even. A call from Matilda Dean was one of the additional trials which made Mother's invalid state harder to bear. “Course she may not come,” Jedediah hastened to say. “She's pretty busy these days. But if she don't have anything else to do she will. I told her she'd better.” “Mother will be charmed,” I said. Captain Jed was no fool and he looked at me sharply. “Um; yes,” he grunted. “I presume likely. You're charmed, too, ain't you?” I was not expecting this. I murmured something to the effect that I was delighted, of course. “Sartin. Well, that's all right. I didn't get you on this settee to charm you. I want to talk business with you a minute.” “Business! With me?” “Yup. Or it may be business later on. I've been thinkin' about that Shore Lane, the one that runs through your land. Us town folks use that a whole lot. I cal'late most everybody's come to look at it as a reg'lar public road to the beach.”