?"

"Go back there. You are better suited to country than the city. I
daresay you would make a very good hand on a farm. We need different
sort of boys here."

This was discouraging. James didn't know why he would not do for a city
store or office. He was strong enough, and he thought he knew enough,
for he had not at present much idea of what was taught at seminaries of
a higher grade than the district schools he had been accustomed to
attend.

"Well," he said to himself, "I've done what mother asked me to do. I've
tried to get a place here, and there doesn't seem to be a place for me.
After all, I don't know but I'd better go to Ohio."

Cleveland was not of course a sea-port, but it had considerable lake
trade, and had a line of piers.

James found his way to the wharves, and his eye lighted up as he saw the
sloops and schooners which were engaged in inland trade. He had never
seen a real ship, or those schooners and sloops would have had less
attraction for him.

In particular his attention was drawn to one schooner, not over-clean or
attractive, but with a sea-faring look, as if it had been storm-tossed
and buffeted. Half a dozen sailors were on board, but they were grimed
and dirty, and looked like habitual drinkers--probably James would not
have fancied becoming like one of these, but he gave little thought to
their appearance. He only thought how delightful it would be to have
such a floating home.

"Is the captain on board?" the boy ventured to ask.

"He's down below," growled the sailor whom he addressed.

"Will he soon come up?"

He was answered in the affirmative.

So James lingered until the man he inquired for came up.

He was a brutal-looking man, as common in appearance as any of the
sailors whom he commanded, and the boy was amazed at his bearing. Surely
that man was not his ideal of a ship-captain. He thought of him as a
sort of prince, but there was nothing princely about the miserable,
bloated wretch before him.

Still he preferred his application.

"Do you want a new hand?" asked James.

His answer was a volley of oaths and curses that made James turn pale,
for he had never uttered an oath in his life, and had never listened to
anything so disgusting as the tirade to which he was forced to listen.

[Illustration: THE CANAL BOY]

He sensibly concluded that nothing was to be gained by continuing the
conversation with such a man. He left the schooner's deck with a feeling
of disco