tn't when Zelotes is around. We
women, we--well, times like these women HAVE to keep up. What would
become of the men if we didn't?"

So she and Rachel "kept up" in public and when the captain was present,
and he for his part made no show of grief nor asked for pity. He was
silent, talked little and to the callers who came either at the house or
office was uncomplaining.

"He died like a man," he told the Reverend Mr. Kendall when the latter
called. "He took his chance, knowin' what that meant--"

"He was glad to take it," interrupted the minister. "Proud and glad to
take it."

"Sartin. Why not? Wouldn't you or I have been glad to take ours, if we
could?"

"Well, Captain Snow, I am glad to find you so resigned."

Captain Zelotes looked at him. "Resigned?" he repeated. "What do you
mean by resigned? Not to sit around and whimper is one thing--any decent
man or woman ought to be able to do that in these days; but if by bein'
resigned you mean I'm contented to have it so--well, you're mistaken,
that's all."

Only on one occasion, and then to Laban Keeler, did he open his shell
sufficiently to give a glimpse of what was inside. Laban entered the
inner office that morning to find his employer sitting in the desk
chair, both hands jammed in his trousers' pockets and his gaze fixed,
apparently, upon the row of pigeon-holes. When the bookkeeper spoke to
him he seemed to wake from a dream, for he started and looked up.

"Cap'n Lote," began Keeler, "I'm sorry to bother you, but that last
carload of pine was--"

Captain Zelotes waved his hand, brushing the carload of pine out of the
conversation.

"Labe," he said, slowly, "did it seem to you that I was too hard on
him?"

Laban did not understand. "Hard on him?" he repeated. "I don't know's I
just get--"

"Hard on Al. Did it seem to you as if I was a little too much of the
bucko mate to the boy? Did I drive him too hard? Was I unreasonable?"

The answer was prompt. "No, Cap'n Lote," replied Keeler.

"You mean that? . . . Um-hm. . . . Well, sometimes seems as if I might
have been. You see, Labe, when he first come I--Well, I cal'late I
was consider'ble prejudiced against him. Account of his father, you
understand."

"Sartin. Sure. I understand."

"It took me a good while to get reconciled to the Portygee streak in
him. It chafed me consider'ble to think there was a foreign streak in
our family. The Snows have been straight Yankee for a good long while.
. . . F