o home."

"Well, who has?"

"But--" Harty took the spare pack which he had been riffling and slammed
it down on the table--"there's men who've got homes--good homes--who're
going to their death to sea to-night."

"What's the matter, Bud? Sit down. Sure there are. They're there every
night, goin' to their death somewhere out to sea, but how c'n we help
it?"

"We _can_ help it." Harty stood up "Fine men we are, all of us."

Ting-a-ling-a-ling-a-tump-ti--
Ting-a-ling-a-ling-a-tump-ti--

came from the piano.

Harty whirled around. "And as for _you_!" He picked up the spare pack
and hurled them at the fat piano-player. "Blast you! Yes, _you_--I said
_you_, didn't I--shut up! It's petticoats you ought to be wearing."

The piano-player's lower lip fell away from his teeth. His wall eyes
opened abnormally. "Why, what did I do to you?" he gasped.

"Nothing. You couldn't do anything to anybody. You haven't the gimp.
Shut up."

Harty faced Baldwin. "The hell we can't help it. The light-ship to South
Shoal could be going to her death with all hands, and we're sitting here
and guzzling rum."

Baldwin was holding his cards up in front of his eyes. He riffled the
close-set edges with a dexterous thumb, took another squint, pursed his
lips, said softly--"M-m--yes, I'm in," dropped two white chips onto the
little pile in the centre, then, looking up, laughed tolerantly at
Harty.

"Rum? Mine's rye, Bud, when there's any choice, but what's wrong with
you to-night? Sit down. Maybe you've got it right, Bud, but what's the
use of gettin' highsterics over it? Maybe some of us could be a lot
better than we are, but I don't know's any of us ever pretended to be
anything great, did we?"

"Great? I didn't say anything about _great_ men. We're not half men,
Baldy--the light-ship is going with all hands."

"One card," Baldwin scaled his discard to the table and stuck the new
card in with his others before he answered. His voice was now less
patient. "Say, Bud, maybe we're not half men, but don't rub it
in--don't. If anything's wrong with the light-ship, how'd you know?"

"I know."

"But how?"

"Wireless."

"Wireless?" Baldwin was peering at his cards. Suddenly he looked up.
"Hah--wireless? Eheu-u--" he whistled softly, gently laid his cards
face-down on the table. "You got word, Bud?" He half-turned to the man
on his right. "Do I see you, Bo, did you say?" He picked up his cards.
"Sure I'll see you--and two more red lo