Chapter Twenty Six (Captain Gregg's Whiz Bang)
Carolyn is being very noisy in the kitchen the next morning. When Captain asks why she says we have no water and need money to fix the pipes. But she says she doesn't have any money and doesn't know what to write. I am sure Captain will help her write, because he always wants to help her with everything. They are spending a lot of time in her room, he is telling stories again. I don't know what they mean, but his voice carries, and she seems happy to work with him.
She is ready to send the story away but Captain decides to read it first. He brings it up to their room. I push the door open to see what he is doing. He is unhappy with what he sees on the paper and throws it in the trash.
"Oh, she's watered it down so it's lost all flavor." He puts misses the wastepaper basket, so I help out and drop it in the trash.
"That's right, scruffy, that's where it belongs. "
I bark. What's wrong, Captain?
"No, I don't know, this story just isn't the way I told it to her; she's taken the wind out of its sails. Now let's see if we can help her, hmm?" He looks at me and I give a puzzled look. "If I change one or two little things, it will be more accurate."
I bark. Are you sure she won't be mad? Don't you like any of her words?
"Now let's see, now the first word is "the"; well that can stay the same…
He looks at me as he begins to use the typewriter, when he is done he puts the new papers back downstairs to the table. I follow him and bark at him but Carolyn doesn't notice as she is busy with laundry.
In a few days Carolyn calls to Captain saying she has a surprise for him, she gives him something called cigars which he seems to like. He smokes it but try as I might I don't see any smoke coming out of him except for his mouth. It can only work this way if he is solid, right? She talks to him about working together, and I wonder if that means they are a team now?
Later when Martha reads the story I can tell she is impressed as well. The Captain must have done good.
When Carolyn comes home, she says the men in town are acting very strange towards her, and asks the Captain if he knows why. He says he doesn't.
A stranger shows up the next day and tries to lure Carolyn to him. Captain is having none of that and actually appears to the man and chases him out of the house. There are times that I am genuinely fond of Captain. I think he is actually a good man though he hides it behind all his yelling. He relaxes on the couch now and apologizes to Carolyn. She teases him, I can tell by her tone. He looks disappointed somehow that she can't do what she says. Why does it matter who takes off his boots?