The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 4, 1906, Page 5

_THE SAN FRANCISCO 'SUNDAY CALL. \—w A'S rheumajism twinged at his k e io take an 2 om the pile 1 'he wi 1d blew about the Beneath ears to his ed as he the neat an- k. He avoided e eves. it had been almost . talk to her with- back to her > window ked pas sere cornstalks, balf ed snov ttle bro - e smoke seeme rise =t g ir e dead There was a red barn near the se, a fro in the yard r 8 red c ap ed toward ber daugh year-old Jimmj Th s great-grandfs at he himself neve e -had wanted Molly T T TS s little pie. Each year she continued to do this, her husband's con- tempt notwithstanding. This time she it ostentatiously, holding it high on er hand as she trimmed the crust off around the cdge. She intended to attract his attention bad removed his mittens and had 7 down his old gun from the rack: cer—Molly's he sat cleaning the with his feet on the hearth, and his teeth set. He was in torture from rheumatism, and o weak he could scarcely get 1¥rough with what work must pe done out of doors, but he carefully his conditions from his wife; ma wouid put him to bed and oseé him and tell him he had to fargive Molly and have Richard over to relieve him of lhw heavy work. Richard wanted @o th's, too. Ma wouid be scared and he was too old to be alone, and too to be unforgiving. He was only 6. 1 he never had forziven any one, and dig not intend to begin now. And he id he would never see Molly's baby i he never would either! Then he looked up and saw Molly's little pie balanced on her mother's hand It was the last straw Ma,” he sald re a worse very year. Qu that little ol pie! Molly'll come over here to t you « up your mind at—you've had time enough! And I bid you to be everlastin’ly meetin' her u do! I'I—L'li lock ) . if you can’t have T don't want to have to say ’in next year! You throw that ple the slop-bucket this minute or Tl come over there and do it myself.” He e, but his rheumatism made him pa then ma dld what she had not done any sense! once before in the forty years of, their marriage. She faced him with blazing eves and dared him to touch her or the ple, and he stood speechless beneath the torrent ‘of her words. He had not seen ma roused before! John Davis,” she finished, a‘ter she had talked awhile, “the Lord can take down vour wicked pride if I ca You know Moliy ard and you your onls ing over please—I'm going n it's. baked 1 ve zent it o long—I'm tired or sneakin’! I've knuckled had a right to marry h- know you're as wild to see ows ref and their tween them passenger here,” said tc hip and l & master's HCXQA re- E‘Je on that. y I of the cattle-boat flushed He jerked his head toward the “Get down off this bridge,” he ted of this He was de- somehow or other be did o have a scene befére her. of this strange new feel- b l’ad come over him. gripped his other impulses tight and nd sat beside her. 3he welcomed lly. She made no secret of her| his presence. But her talk jarred upon him. k who see the ocean and m the amateur's view, she was ance beneath her pres- she was pouring into for making it me ick of language, ses. He point- itute her talent e cc mise,” he would “with butter- w s of red popples, t all round. You n as I know you can and farmers, and farm atched roofs, and you'll (like all these ix some day) and find And becauee why, you Well, miss, it's because country and all that o hear about, and got handy to their own y're so peaceful, so zke it from me, Do one want to read four words begstly cruel sea, and the who make their living by ross it. No, by Ja— No, you take it from a man who they'd just despise it.” And so essly at the point, each ged opinion. | the human freight t carried, Mr. McTodd one person entirely happy. watch to keep, no work to the mess-room was warm, stuffy, Tely 1o his taste; liquor was . the official engineers of the ip were Scotch and argumentative. He never came on deék for a whiff of fresh &ir. never knew a moment’s tedium; he, mor atmpsphere of broad co, 'qnd toasting oil, leasant though and his gles were wanted for the man life, he kly showed ua had in sapped had, as has € weather across the Atlantic as though it were the cruelty of her command was feeble there is no doubt y slac supreme cided, and lance was dangerou A fog, too, whi me down the sea, stopped out all view of the sun, compelled them for three days to a dead reckoning; and (after that d. to cover vigi- depend « the event) it was said ng current set the steamer unduly to the westward. Anyway, be the cause what it may, Kettle was pushed violently out of his bunk in the deep of one night, just af- ter two bells, and from the symptoms which doudly advertised themselves it required no expert knowledge to tell that the vessel ting her bot- accompani T tom out on rocks, ment of a murderously 3 engines stopped, steam began to blow off noisily from the escapes, and what with that, and the cries of dthe men and the crashing of seas and the beat- ing of iron, and the beast cries from the cattle docks, the din was almost enough to split the ear. . And then the steam syren burst out into ome vast bellow of pain, ch drowned all the other noises as though they had -been children’s whispers. Kettle slid on coat and trousers over his pajamas and went and thumped at e door on the other side of the alley- way. “Miss Carnegle?” “Yes." “Dress quickly.” “I am dressing, captain “Get finished with it and then walit, T'll come for you when it's time.” It is all very well to be cool on these occasions, but sometimes the race is to the prompt. Captain Kettle made his way up on deck against a green ava- lanche of water, which was cascading down the companion way. No shore was in sight. The ship had backed off after she had struck, and was now rolling heavily in the dee> trough. She was BY MARTHA McCULLOCH-WILLIAMS. “ VERYBODY else is Belina said with a sigh. dear! I wonder why we have to skip all the good times!" “It is in punishment for our uncommitted sins,” Bess answered, with a toss of the head. “All of our gins must be uncommitted—I'm sure we've been brought up more strictly than ever nuns were. Sometimes, when [ think over it all, ,§1 get fairly afraid for us two—we've been S0 proper from our cradles—we must break out after a while.” “Hush, Aunt Wilton would have a fit it she heard you,” Selina said. “Do you think sle was ever young, Bess? 1 can't fancy her Jess than sixty and severe. Yet I do believe she means only to be kind, and really wants us to be happy.” “Yes—in her ‘way—which isn't mine— nor anybody else’s,” Bess broke out pas- sionately. “Her way is to have every- thing just so, three hundred and sixty- five days in the year. We have all sorts of material good things—we eat well, sleep well, dress well—but no liberty to get the good of them. How many times did we wear our best frocks last summer? Not once. And it's going to be the same this season. People never ask us to things any more because they know we won't come.” “I don’t mind that so much as the flow- ers—shoudn’t you like, just once, to rum riot in the garden, pulling whatever you Iiked?" “You heretic! Aunt Wilton would have serious doubts as to your sanity if she heard that. I think she loves flowers, not because they are flowers and beautiful— but because they are her own—"" “The #ame as her nleces,” a deeper voice sald, from an ambush of lilac hedge. Next minute the hedge shook violently— it was old and gnarly, being a party hedge and ‘'ore beyond Wilton con- trol. The of the shaking was a young man, sliim and merry-eyed, who bowed very low to the two young women, then sald deprecatingly: “Don’t freeze me be- cause 1 eavesdropped. I know how bad it is, but really this e the end justifies it. I'm a committee of one. self-appoint- under to your whim as long as ever I in- tend to. You're too oid to be so hard. Yoqu better just stop tempting Providence with the hardness 0f your heart, and go and fetch home Molly an’ Richard an’ Jimmy—I'm cookin' the best in the land, like 1 always do. You do what I say an’ see how good it feels to be decent once. This will be New Year's eve, an’ a good G D LD SO0 RO D ORGS0 RNG000000%: WWWWWWWMW ¥ THE WRECH OF THE CATTLE BOAT ¢ low in the water and second wave swept over her. No one seemed to be in command. e dim 1¥ht showed Kettle one life- boat wrecked in davits and a disorderly mob of men trying to lower the othef. But some one let go the stern fall so that the boat shot down perpendicular- ly, and the next wave smashed the lower half of it into splinters.. The frenzied crowd left it to try the port quarterboat, and Kettle raced them across the streaming decks and got first to the davits. He plucked a green- heart belaying pin from the rail, and laid gbout him viciously. “Back. you scum!” he shouted. “Get back or I'll smash In every face among you. Good Lord, isn’t there a mate or a man left on this stinking farmyard? Am I to keep off all this two-legged cattle by myself?" They fought on, the black water swirl- ing waist deep amtong them with every roll, the siren bellowing for help over- head, and the ship sinking under their feet; and gradually with the frenzy of Gespair the men drove Kettle back against the rail, while others of them cast off the falls of the quarterboat's tackles prepara- tory to letting her drop. But then, out of the darkness, up came McTodd and the steamer’s mate, both shrewd hitters, and men not afraid to use their skill, and once more the tables were turned. The other quarterboat had been lowered and swamped; this boat was the only one remaining. “Now, Mac,” sald Kettle, “help the mate take charge, and murder every one that interferes. Get the boat In the water and fend off. I'll be off below and fetcH up Miss Carnegie. We must put some hurry in it. The old box hasn't much longer to swim. Take the lady ashore and see !32 comes to mo harm.” “Oh, aye” sald McTodd, “and we'll keep a scat for verself, skipper.” “You needn’t bother,” said Kettle. “I take no man's place in this sort of tea- party.” He splashed off across the streaming decks and found the cattle- boat’s captain sheltering under the lee of the companion, wringing his hands. “out, you blitherer,” he shouted, “and sav your mangy life. Your ship's gone now; you can’t play hash with her any more. After which pleasant speech he worked his way below, half swimming. half wad- ing, and once more beat against Miss Carnegie's door. Even in this moment of extremity he did not dream of going in unasked. She came out to him in the half- swamped alleyway, fully dressed. “Is every there any hope?” she asked. ed, to find out just why the nicest girls in town siay out of everylhing."” “Will vou listen?’ Bess adjured Se- iina, whose eyes were dancing, though her face was preternaturally grave as she answered: “Everybody overlooks Joe Hartwell's fibs’ because he fibs s nicely.” Hartwell laughed. His father being Aunt Wilten's lawyer, he knew the Ford girls, Aunt Wilton’s nieces, bet- ter than anybody in Caswell town. It was a knowledge that ran back to the mudpie period, although_ the Fords knew no more of mud ples and their making than could be gathered from watching him enviously through cran- nies of the hedge. Now for two years he had been won- dering how they had escaped their time to begin. This is the last word I'm goin’ to say about it.” She closed her mouth and slammed the oven door on the ple. < Pa stood in the middle of the room holding his gun. too dumfounded to _At last he started for the e called him: in her usual “We'll get you ashore, don’t you fear.” He clapped an arm around her waist and drew her strongly on through the dark and the swirling water toward the fuot of the companio ixcase me, misx,” he said. ‘“This is wot familiarity. But.1 have got the firmer sea legs, and we must hurry.” They pressed up the stair, battling with great green cascades of water, and gained the dreadful turmoil on deck. A few weak stars gleamed out above the wind and showed the black wavé tops dimly. Already some of the cattie had been. swept overboa: and ‘were swimming about like the horned beasts of a night- mare. The din of surf came to them among the other noi but no shore was visible. The steas d backed off the reef on whichest “stguck, and was foundering in @ deep awater; It was indeed a time for hurrys . It was plain she had very few more minuies to swim. Each sea now made @ clean breach over her, and a passage abeut the decks was a thing of infinite danger. But Kettle was resourceful and strong, and be had a grip round Miss Car- negie and a hold on something solid when the waters drenched on him, and he contrived never to be wrenched en- tirely from his hold. But when he had worked his way aft a disappointment was there ready for him. The quarterboat was gone. Me- Todd stood against one of the davits, cool and philosophical as ever. “You infernal Scotchman, you've let them take away the boat from you,” Kettle gnarled. I should have thought you could have kept your end up with a mangy crowd like that.” “Use your eyes,” sald the engineer. “The boat's in the wash below there at the end of the tackles with her side stove in. She drowned the three men that were lowered in her because they'd no' sense enough to fend her off.” “That comes of setting a lot of farm- ers to work a steamboat.” “Awell,” said McTodd, “steamers have been lost before and I have it in mind, captain, that you've helped * “By James, if you don’t carry a civil tongue, you drunken Geordie, I'll knock you some teeth down to cover it.” “Oh, 1 owe you that” said McTodd, “but now we're quits. I bided here, Captain Kettle, because I thought you'd maybe like to swim the leddy off to the and at that I can bear a useful “Mac,” said Kettle, “T take back what 1 said about your being Scotch. You're a good soul” He turned to the girl, still shouting te make his voice carry discussing the most spectacular of them, the lawn party at the old Ver- non place. It was to come off by moon- light, aided and abetted by Japanese lanterns; there would be dancing, of course and supper in the big hall of the deserted mansion. Everybody was to go in costume and masked. ‘Exeept for that Selina and Bess might have had faint hopes—but Aunt Wilton's face was flint toward masking—it sa- vored to her so much of acting and the theater. If Hartwell had’ known that—but spec- ulation is idle. He looked blank indeed when Selina let him gee how the land lay. “And 1 got it ‘'up mostly so you might dance your fill”" he said sorrow- fully, “How I wish I could wash the slate clean and -begin all over! Such a Jtivs * to keep a grip on the girl. “It's most 11 an” dinner’ll be ready at 12. What you want with the gun, pa?” He answered dully: “Saw some-fat rabbits over in the corn- stalks—thought I'd like to t: one—we ain’t had any this winter.” He marched out of the house, and from the window ma watched him plow through the snow and cornstalks till he above the cldsh of the seas and the beliow of n and the noises of the dyin 2 n Miss—swimming. the bridge are all gone—I"looked. The hands will have taken them. There'il be a lot of timber floating about when she goes down, and we'll be best clear of that. 'Will you trust to us?”’ “I trust you in everything.” she said. Deeper and deeper the steamer sank in her wallow. The lower decks were swamped by this, and the miserable cattle were either drowned in their stalls or washed out of her. There was no need for the three to jump—they just let go their hold. and the next In- ceming wave swept them clear of the steamer's spar deck and sptrned them 100 yards frem her side. They found themselves among a herd of fleating tle, some drowned. some swinmming frenziediv: and with the in- spiration ‘of the moment laid hold of a couple of the beasts which were tangled together by a halter, and so supported themselyes without further exertion. It wak no use swimming for the present. They could not tell which way the shdre lay.. And it behooved them to reserve all their energies for the morning. so well as the pumbing cold of the water would let them. Of.a sudden the bellow of the steamer's siren ceased, and a pang went through them es though they had lost a friend. Then came a duil. muffied explosion. And then a huge. raggell shape loomed up through the hight iike some vast monu- ment and sank swiftly straight downward out of *sight beneath the black, tumbled sea “Poor old girl!” said McTodd, spitting out the sea water, “they’d a fine keg of whisky @own in her messroom.™ “Poor devil of a skipper!” sald Kettle, s« to be hoped he drowned out of hiarm's way, or il take lying to keep him any rags of his ticket.” The talk died out of them after that, and the miseries of the situation closed In. The water was cold, but the air was piereing, und so they kept theilr bodies submerged, each holding on to the bo- vine raft, each man sparing a few fingers One of the beasts they clung to quickly drowned; the other, strange to say, kept its nos- trils above water, swimming strongly. &nd in the end came alive to the shore, the only four-footed occupant of the steamer to be saved. At the end of each minute it seemed to them that they were too bruised and ‘numbed to hang another sixty seconds: and yet the next minute found them age, fading and falling at last ke with- ered roses, there in the family mansion. They had been dead twenty years with none but good words to follow them. If they did mot sleep peacefully in thetr sunny graves, then! were pure lives and good deeds were vain. Notwithstanding there was the talk—now one, now another, glimpsed them walking hand in hand up the broad stalrway, or flitting at dusk through the overgrown rose garden. Dennison heard all this avidly. He liked whatever was old-world and un- uspal. Perhaps that was why, when the raln -at’ last sent everybody scurrying within, he drew a little apart from the merrymakers and stood staring up the dim vista of the great stalrway. And thus he was the first to see twin wnlthl. bringing up. Selina, he was sure; was full of mad longings for life and free- dom. About Bess he was not so sure— she sang and laughed like a human sunbeam, sang and laughed herseif into the deepest depths of his heart. There- fore he resented bitterly her isolation. The sisters would some day Inherit Aunt Wilton's more than comfortable fortune. It galled him to think that people would say Bess had married him through lack of other lovers: maybe also that his father had encouraged his client to keep her heiresses so seclud- ed out of regard for the interests of his son. Beyond all that, though, was the rebellion against thus winning by default, How could Bess be sure she really loved him when she had had no chance of measuring him against other lovers? It was with a hope of giving her that chance he had asked his chum, Denni- son, for a month’s visit. Dennison was handsome, Wwitty and winning. His coming, éuly advertised, had set loeh.\ Caswell all a-flutter. There ready things plumul for all the 'flr-t' d Bess had been fortnight. Selina an ¢ great lark I hoped we might have, and now to think—" “Such a great lark we will have!” Bess cried, springing up, and whirling about in front of the garden bench. Hartwell stared at her. Selina looked puzzled. Bess stopped 'short in her dancing to put her finger on her lip, -nd say, . sagely between words not to falnt when you see us, Joc I we're coming—though we have just the ghost of a chanee.”” e . - The lawn party had to take its full moon on trust—so many clouds sailed the sky the lantern lights shone all un- dimmed. The thick lowery night kept the crowd close about the house. : It was big and substantial, and if the worst oOn came in shape of rain, dancing could go on inside. True, a few nervous persons slim and girlish, floating ther than walking, glide out of the upper dusk, ang, linking arms, fall into the swing of a waltz. They were all in vaporous white—swirls of it covered them from head to foot. They kept perfect time and moved so in unison was like the rhythm of one soul rather than two. Dennison felt his heart beat faster. ‘the rest had accepted the velled icers as but new-come maskers. He ‘nodded toward them, saying in Hart- well's ear: “Don’t you hate monopoly? Let's break that one up.” Then, in hurried whispers, he told when he had seen. Hdrtwell suppressed a whistle, then sald with a quick breath: “I'll go you. Take the taller one “No! TI'm going to dance with the tercept the whirling visions. In a wink he had his chosen one fast and Hart- well .perforce took the other. “How did you think of it? How myndnnf'mrnnuux‘(nh \ passed out of sight behind some old sheds and haystacks back of Molly’s barn. She put Jinner on the table at 12 and calied loudly to the barn. She walted a ‘while, then put tkings in the oven to keep warm. In the pantry-the pies stood in Qeliclous brown crispness beside the fruit cake and crdnberry jeily and all the deli- eacies the farm afforded. At 1 o'clock he had not yet come and she grew impatient. She had heard the 8un once or twice, but that was some time back. At 2 she was openly anxious ahd went out to search the barn. Then she dared to hope that he had taken her at her word and had gone to Moily's. but looking over she saw nothing going on except Jimmy still in the yard. Then she thought he might have been asked In to dinner at a neighbor’s, and she ate a little herself and fleared the things away. Perhaps he was So angry that he would never forgive her, either. Her courage fled and her heart sank be- cause of the truths she had flung at him. It grew Qusk—time for the chores—and when he did not come she began to be alarmed. She flung her shaw! over her head and taking tha little ple started for Molly’s, forgetting everything except that she must find Richard and get him to look for pd. She was sure something must be done. As she went down the road she saw little Jimmy run wildly up from the barn and rush wildly into the house, leaving the door open. He ran out again with Richard and Molly, who followed him to the barn. They disappeared back of the old sheds behind the barn. Ma's limbs almost falled her; she seemed to be making no pro- gress, though she was not twenty rods from the gate. Then Molly ran back to the house and re-émerged with a blanket on her arm. Ma's heart was oppressed with a vague fear, but at last she managed to reach the porch and sink upon the steps. She rested there a moment till around the corner of the barn wame a sight that made her sick and dizzy—pa, limp and seemingly lifeless in the blanket, with Richard carrying his head and Molly his feet, and the little boy erying! Ma top- pled over.and fell senseless in the snow. ‘When she opened her eyes she was on the sofa in her own room. The lights were -bright and little Jimmy stood beside her patting her cheek. Molly stood over her, smiling, and still alive and dreading its successor. The sea moaned arournd them, mourning the dead; and the fleet of drowned cattle surged nelplessly to this way and to that bruising them th ruse collisions; and the chiil bit them to the bone, mercifully numbing their pain add anxiety. Long before the dawn the girl had sunken Into a stupor dnd was only held from sinking by the nervcus fingers of the men; and the men themselves were merely auto- mata. completing their task with a legacy of will When from somewhere out of the morn- ing mists a fisher boat sailed up, manned by ragged, kindly Irish, all three were equally lost to comscicusness, and all three were hauled over the gunwale in one continuous dripping string. The grip of the men’s fingers had endured too long to be loosened for a sudden eall such as that. They were taken ashore and tended with all the care poor homes could give: and the men, used to hardships, recovered with a dose of warmth and sleep. Miss Carnegle tock longer to recover, and. In fact, for a week lay very near to death. Kettle stayed on in the village, making almest hourly inquiries for her. He ought to have gone away to seek fresh employment. Heweught to have gone back to his wife and children, and he upbrald- ed-himself bitterly for his neglect of these duties. But still he could not tear him- Belf away. For the future—well, he dread- ed to think what might hagpen In the future. But at last the girl was able to sit up and see him, and he vistted her, showing all the deference an embassador might offer to a Queen. I may go so far as to say that he went into the cottage quite infatuated. - He came,out of it disillu- sioned. She listened to his tale of the wreck with interest and surprise. She was al- most startled to hear that others, includ- ing the captain and two of his mates, were saved from the disaster besides themselves, but at the same time unfeign- edly pleased. Aund she was pleased also to hear that Kettle was subpenaed to give evidence before the forthcoming in- quiry. “I am glad of that,”” she said, “because I know you will speak with a free mind. You have told me so many times how in- compstent the captain was, and now you will be able to tell it to the proper au- thorities.” Kettle looked at her blankly. “But that was gdifferent,” he sald. "I camn't say to them what I sald to you.” “Why not? Look what misery and suf- fering and loss of Iife the man has his arms answered evenly: the big gate, but she never have had the courage to do It if I had not egged hér on. She wouldn't dare be here to-night If I had let her think. We have always gone home before 9 o'clock and climbed in by the lbrary window. This time we shall have to be ghosts until morning—we can get in on the heels of the milkman. And of course we shall run away before un- masking tima. What been here?” “Probably disinherit you. like that” liartwell returned. “Then you wouldn’t think. you couldn’t—I am fortune hunting when I say I lové, you—-"" ‘What more he:might have said no- body knows—just then th cries of fire and after them general panic. Despite the pouring rain, helped by a raging wind, the old house burned like . Hartwell had for a moment left Bess, When he looked for her he saw two. vapory creaturés fleeing up the stalrway. Bess and Selina, madly bent on avoid- Ing discovery, meant to vanish that way and escape up the back stairs by {l“.kl: ‘down half 2 minute later, thfough cking 8, mte ‘:% crushed against le tl)'r. was settled the question double wedding. Even Aunt Wilton on it—her nieces, she said, of mach so - Hartwell and Dennison &#mp&mflw gained such happiness by barely the ghost of a. (Copyright, 1905. by P. C. Eastment) . whirled and wheeled. The wraith in e've been doing it this long time —It was a sort of outlet. Selina first thought of it, after we had found the lost key to ‘would would Aunt ‘Wilton say if anybedy told her we had I should e came wild .each with a girl's inani-. she saw pa propped Smith was just go- She tried to get aeross the room up in bed. Old Dr ing frem the room. up to go to pa, he called out to her to stay where she was. Richard was standing near him and he looked kind- Iy up at the tall young fellow. Tell ma I'm ail right, Richard. I only fell and hurt my les. and the Theumatism was so bad that T fainted and when I come to I couldn’t get up. If Jimmy hadn't come chasin’ out there an’ found me I'd froze to death, though. Iain't to say hurt at all—01l be up in a day or two. Aln't nothin' broke, ma. but my hard old heart, and ‘twas high time it was' I had over fc hours out there in the sno fighting off freezin' to death and tryin’ to make some one hear. I bad plenty of time to think, an’ I was afraid I'd die an you'd never know I wasn't as mean as 1 acted.” M began to ery softly, but Molly soothed and petted her “Never mind, ma. it's all right now, and Richard and Jimmy and I'll come over every day and look after you." But pa had another word to say Jimmy wag sitting In a dark corner, very busy at something. -He rose and came to his grandmother with his blue apron gathered In his two hands. “You'll il ¢ome right over here,” pa was saying: “that house ain't over com- fortable, an’ ma an’ me have room here for a dozen. Aln't we, ma?’ She as- sented and Jimmy put up his hands to pat her face again. “Law sakes!” she ejaculated. “You're all sticky, Jimmy! Molly, what in time 1s he holding in his apron? Together she and Molly doaxed him to let them look. A yellow saucer rolled to the flcor. “Molly’s pi sald ma. “Wherever did he get it! I must have dropped it on your steps and he's picked it up and eat it most all but the chunk in his hand! He'll be sick, Molly!” But Molly laughed. “Jimmy, give mamma a bite—it's mamma’s ple, and she wants grandpa to taste it. We always used to divide up, pa, didn’t we?’ She went over to him with a broken bit in her hln-i “Open your mouth, pa,” she said ror\n-uy Pa obeyed and then he sald “It humble pie, Molly—but it's good? (Copyright, 1906, by McClure, Phillips & Co.) caused. He isn't fit to command a ship.” “But. Miss,” said Kettle, “It's his liv- ing. He's been brought up to seafaring. and he isn’'t fit for anything eise. You wouldn't have me send out the man tc starve? Besides, I'm a shipmaster my- self, and you wouldn't have me try to take away another master's ticket? The cleverest captain afloat might meet with misfortune, and he's always got to think of that when he’s put up to give evi- dence against his fellows,” ““Well, what are you going to do, then? “‘Oh, we've got together a tale, and when the old man is put up on his trial the mates and I will stick to it through thick and thin. You can bet that we are not golng to swear away his ticket.” ““His ticket?” “Yes; his master's means of livelihood." “I think it's wrong,” she said excitedly; “criminally wrong. And, besides, you sald you didn’t like the man.” “I don't; I disifke him cordially. But that’s nothing to do with the case. I've my own honor to think of, Miss. How'd 1 feel if I went about knowing I'd done my best to ruin a brother captain for good and always’ “You are wrong.” she repeated ve- hemently. “The man is incompetent by your own saying, amd, therefore, he should suffer.” Kettle’s heart chilled. “Miss Carnegie,” he said. “I am dis- appointed in you. I thSught from your poetry that you had feelings:; I *hought you had charity: but I find you are cold.”" “And you!" she retorted, “you, that I have set up for myseif as an ideal of most of the manly virtues, do you think I feel no disappointment when I hear that you are deliberately propoesing to be a lar?" “I am no liar,”: he sald sullenly. “I have most faults, but not that. This is different; you do not understand. It is not lying to defend one's fellow ship- master before an Inquiry board.” The girl turned to the pillow in her chair and hid her face. “Oh, go!” she said, “go! 1 wish I had never met you I thought you were so good. and so brave and so honést, and when it comes to the plinch, you are just like the rest! Go, go! I wish I thought I could ever forget you."” “You say you don’t understand,” said Kettle. “I think you deliberately won't understand, Miss. You remember that 1 sald 1 was disappointed In you, and I stick to that now. You make me re- mgmber that I have got a wife and fam- ily I am fond of. You make me ashamed I have not gone to them before.” He went to the door-and opened ft. “But I do not think I shall ever forget,™ he said. “how much I cared for you once. Good-by, Hlfl “‘Good-by."” she sobbed from her pillow. “I wish I could think you are right, buf perhaps It is best as it 1s.” In the village street outside was Mr. M¢Todd. clothed In rasping serge and in- ciined to be sententious. ““They've whis- ky here.,” he sald with a jerk of the thumb, “Irish whisky. that's got a smoky taste that's rather alluring when you've got over the first dislike. I'm out o' siller mysel’ or I'd stand ye a glass, but if ye're In funds I could guide ye to the place Kettle was half tempted. But with a wrench he said, “No." adding that if he once started, he might not know when to stop. “Quite right,”” said the engineer, “you're Quite (hic) right, skipper. A man with an inelination to level himself with the beasts that perish should always be abstemious. He sat against a wayside fence and pre- pared for sleep. “Like me,” Ite added solemniy, and shut his eyes. “No.” said Kettle to himself, “T won't forget it that way. [ guess [ can man- age without. She pretty well cured me herself. But a sight of the missis will do the rest.” And so Captain Owen Kettle wen: home to where Mrs. Kettle kept house in the by-street South Shields, that unlovely town on Ty : and a worrying time he had of it with that estimable woman, certificate—his he was not quite forgiven for his escapade with Miss Car- or for that other involuntary excur- with Donna Clotilde La Touche tili