ry, Aunt Lucretia gazed upon him so
fixedly, so intently, that the captain of the _Seamew_ was
disturbed. He could not understand her expression.

Perhaps he told the story haltingly of how Ida May had been turned
out and he had taken her back to the port and housed her with Mrs.
Pauling. He made few comments, however; he left Aunt Lucretia to
draw her own conclusions. It was not until he had quite finished
that she spoke again.

"That crazy girl, is she--"

"I don't know that she's crazy," said Tunis gruffly.

"It would seem so. Does she look like Ida May?"

Tunis started. The question seemed to probe into a matter that he
had not before considered. But he shook his head negatively.

"Nothing like her," he said. "Reddish hair. Brown eyes--or kind of
brown. When she's maddest there are green lights in 'em. Not nice
eyes at all."

Aunt Lucretia nodded and said no more upon that point. What her
question had dealt with in her own mind, Tunis could not guess. She
watched his face, now pale and sadly drawn. Then she placed a firm
hand upon his arm to arouse his attention.

"Tunis! This--this girl at Cap'n Ira's is something to you?"

"My God! Aunt 'Cretia, she's _everything_ to me," he groaned, his
reticence breaking down.

"Is she a good girl, Tunis?"

"As good as gold. On my honor, there was never a nobler or better
girl. I--I love her!" The words burst from him now in a great gush
of emotion. These Lathams, when they did break up, often ran over.
"I can't tell you the hold she has on me. If I lose her through this
or any other cause, I'm done for!

"She thinks she isn't good enough for me. She is afraid of this girl
who claims her place. She fears that I am going to be looked down on
if I have anything more to do with her. And I tell you, if she was
not the girl I know her to be, I would still cling to her. I must
have her. I tell you, I must!"

Tears came to his eyes. His voice, hoarse and broken, carried to the
woman's heart the knowledge that the one and overpowering passion of
the man's life was rampant within him. What or whoever the girl at
the Ball homestead might be, Tunis Latham was bound to her by ties
which could not be broken.

She did the thing most generous; quite in accordance with her
unselfish disposition. She stepped nearer to her nephew and put her
arms about his neck. She kissed him. She gave no further evidence of
doubt or disapproval. Indeed, when he left her to go to his room, he