- Returning to the village of Bayport after twenty-two years, retired sea captain Cyrus Whittaker finds the community under the power of political boss Herman Atkins. Cy opposes Atkin's choice for the position of teacher and helps to elect Miss Daws instead, thus earning the enmity of the politician. One day, a young girl named Emily Thomas arrives with a note from Sarah Oliver, a relative of Cy, explaining that the girl is the daughter of his old sweetheart and that her father is in jail and her mother dead. Cy develops a deep attachment to the girl and all goes well until Richard Thomas, Emily's father, leaves prison and arrives in Bayport looking for his daughter. When Cy begins to search for the man who defrauded Emily's grandfather, Thomas and Atkins form an alliance against the sea captain and demand that he drop the suit or lose custody of Emily. Fearful of losing Emily, Cy concedes to their demands until Sarah arrives and recognizes Atkins as the man who robbed Emily's grandfather.
- When Captain Cyrus Whittaker returned to Bayport after an absence of twenty-five years, during which he had accumulated a fortune, he found the home of his boyhood about to be sold for taxes. Atkins, political boss of the town, has induced the selectman to sell the house because he is desirous of acquiring the property. Knowing the taxes have been paid, Cy proceeds to tear the "For Sale" sign off his home. He takes a dislike to Atkins. When the School Committee disagrees over the appointment of a teacher, Cy finds the majority favor a new teacher because Atkins wants her. He goes to work for Miss Dawes, the old teacher, and Miss Dawes is appointed. Cy has an unexpected guest in the person of Emily Thomas, who arrives with a note from Sarah Oliver, a relative of his. Sarah tells him Emily is the daughter of his old sweetheart, that her father is in jail and her mother dead. Cy is disconcerted, but Emily makes herself so useful and so endears herself to the old captain that he postpones sending her back. One day when Emily and her adopted father are taking a walk, the child is saved from a vicious cow by Miss Dawes, and Cy is upbraided for not taking better care of his charge. Shortly afterwards he is again worsted when he tries to interfere with the teacher's discipline of Emily. Cy resolves to defeat Miss Dawes when the committee meets to decide on a new teacher for the next term. In the meantime, Thomas, Emily's father, leaves prison and goes in search of his wife and child. He goes to Bayport to extort money from Cy by pretending he wants his daughter. Emily entreats her guardian not to allow Thomas to take her. Atkins and Thomas unite in their enmity against Cy, but Atkins is greatly alarmed when he learns Whittaker is looking for the man who defrauded Emily's grandfather, and he concocts a plan to rid himself of Cy. He and Thomas know that they can reach the old sea captain through the child he loves and it is only when a sheriff comes to take Emily that Cy agrees to drop out of the suit and to turn over his home to Atkins if they will only let him keep Emily. While they are preparing to leave Sarah arrives and recognizes Atkins as the man who has robbed Emily's grandfather, and Atkins confesses. Cy marries the schoolteacher and with Emily they settle down in the old home.
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