other man's money, but--"

"Then why didn't he keep it? If you're going to steal, steal like a man,
I say!"

"Steve, Steve! steady now!" The captain's tone was sterner. "Don't speak
that way. You'll be sorry for it later. I tell you I don't condemn your
father ha'f so much as I pity him."

"Oh, shut up! You make me sick. You talk just as Caro does. I'll never
forgive him, no matter how much she preaches, and I told her so. Pity!
Pity him! How about pity for _me_? I--I--"

His over-wrought nerves gave way, and, throwing himself into the chair,
he broke down completely and, forgetting the manhood of which he was so
fond of boasting, cried like a baby. Captain Elisha turned away, to hide
his own emotion.

"It's hard," he said slowly. "It's awfully hard for you, my boy. I hate
to see you suffer this way." Then, in a lower tone, he added doubtfully.
"I wonder if--if--I wonder--"

His nephew heard the word and interrupted.

"You wonder?" he demanded, hysterically; "you wonder what? What are you
going to do about it? It's up to you, isn't it? You're our guardian,
aren't you?"

"Yes, Stevie, I'm your guardian."

"Yes, you are! But no one would guess it. When we didn't want you, you
wouldn't leave us for a minute. Now, when we need you, when there isn't
a soul for us to turn to, you stay away. You haven't been near us. It's
up to you, I say! and what are you going to do about it? What are you
going to _do_?"

His uncle held up his hand.

"S-shh!" he said. "Don't raise your voice like that, son! I can hear you
without that, and we don't want anybody else to hear. What am I goin' to
do? Stevie, I don't know exactly. I ain't made up my mind yet."

"Well, it's time you did!"

"Yes, I guess likely 'tis. As for my not comin' to see you, you know the
reason for that. I'd have come quick enough, but I wa'n't sure I'd
be welcome. And I told your sister only 'tother day that--by the way,
Steve, how is she? How is Caroline?"

"She's a fool!" The boy sprang up again and shook his fist. "She's the
one I've come here to speak about. If we don't stop her she'll ruin us
altogether. She--she's a damned fool, I tell you!"

"There! there!" the captain's tone was sharp and emphatic. "That's
enough of that," he said. "I don't want to hear you call your sister
names. What do you mean by it?"

"I mean what I say. She _is_ a fool. Do you know what she's done? She's
written Mal Dunn all about it! I'd have stopped her, but I didn't k