show her she MUST marry him or
he'll die; see? Call on me to back you up in any fairy yarn you spin.
You prove to her it's her duty to marry him. You'll have to stay, here
and help nurse, of course, and that's easy because his disease isn't
contagious. You convince her and I'll take care of the congregation.
He'll live to be minister here for the rest of his life, if he wants to,
and she'll be a minister's wife and sit in the front pew. I'll guarantee
the church if you'll guarantee the girl. Why, it's your duty! Come, now,
what do you say?"

Keziah's hesitation was at an end. Her face lit up.

"I say good!" she cried. "And I'll be thankful to you all the rest of
my life. But for the dear mercy sakes, don't say 'duty' to me again. Oh,
doctor, if you only knew what it means to me to be fightin' at last for
somethin' that ain't just duty, but what I really want! I do honestly
believe we can win. Glory, hallelujah! And now I want to give you a
piece of advice, your course for the first leg, as you might say: you
see Cap'n Zebedee Mayo."

"Humph! Cap'n Zeb is the first man I mean to see."

Captain Zeb listened with his mouth and eyes and ears open. Mrs. Mayo
was with him when the doctor called, and she, too, listened.

"Well!" exclaimed the captain, when the plea for support was ended.
"Well, by the flukes of Jonah's whale! Talk about surprises! Old lady,
what do you say?"

"I say go ahead, Zebedee. Go ahead! If Mr. Ellery wanted to marry
Jezebel's sister, and I knew he really wanted to, I'd--I do believe I'd
help him get her. And Grace Van Horne is a good girl. Go ahead."

"Of course," put in Parker, profiting by a hint of Mrs. Coffin's,
"of course Daniels will fight tooth and nail against us. He'll be for
discharging Ellery at once. And he really runs the parish committee."

"He does, hey? Well, I cal'late he don't. Not if I'm on deck, he don't.
All right, doctor, I'm with you. He, he, he!" he chuckled. "Say, doc, do
you know I sort of love a good lively row. That's been the only trouble
with our society sence Mr. Ellery took command of it--there ain't been
any rows. He, he, he! Well, there'll be one now."

There was, and it was lively enough to suit even Captain Zeb. Dr.
Parker, on his calls that day, was assailed with a multitude of
questions concerning Grace's presence at the shanty. He answered them
cheerfully, dilating upon the girl's bravery, her good sense, and the
fact that she had saved Mr. Ellery's lif