t see that those two are just made
for each other."

"I'm not blind, of course," returned the captain, who now that the ice
was broken seemed not averse to talking the matter over with his old
comrade. "I know of course that I can't keep Ruth forever and that
some time some fellow will lay me aboard and carry her off right from
under my guns. And I'm not denying that up to a few days ago, I'd
rather it would have been young Drew than any one else. But now--"
here he paused.

"Well, but now," repeated Tyke.

"You know just as well as I do what I'm meaning," blurted out Captain
Hamilton. "This matter of Parmalee's death has got to be cleared up
before I'd even consider him in connection with Ruth. You can't blame
me for that, Tyke."

The old man's face clouded.

"I ain't exactly blaming you, Rufe," he conceded, for despite his
ardent partisanship of Allen, he could realize how Captain Hamilton as
a parent must feel; "but I'm mortal sure that thing will be cleared up
before long. You know just as well as I do that Allen didn't kill
Parmalee any more than you or I did."

"That's what I want to believe," returned the captain. "I mean," he
corrected, as he saw the choleric flash in Tyke's eyes, "that's what I
do believe."

"It's that scoundrel, Ditty, that did it himself," growled Tyke
savagely. "He cooked up the whole thing and then shoved it off on
Allen. You've seen enough of him since then to know that he's capable
of anything."

"Yes," admitted the captain, "he's a dirty dog. But don't you see,
Tyke, that even allowing that Allen is innocent, he's been _charged_
with doing it. And to lots of people, that's just about the same as
though he were actually guilty. Then, too, the matter will have to be
tried out in the courts. Allen will have to stand trial and even if he
gets off, as I hope he will, there'll be a cloud on his name as long as
he lives. How could I let Ruth marry a man who had been charged with
murder and who got off because there wasn't evidence enough to convict?"

"Mebbe Ruth would be willing to take the chance," persisted Tyke
stubbornly.

"Maybe she would," agreed the captain, "but she'd never do it with my
consent. She's too good and sweet and pretty a girl to link her life
with a man whose name was smirched. I wouldn't stand for it for a
minute."

Tyke was framing a reply when suddenly the earthquake which wrought
such dire results to the two of whom they were speaking sh