child almost beyond endurance, gobbled
hoarsely in my ear in the night watches that if one died the other would
follow, and leave him desolate.

"Well, the child didn't die. I have sometimes wondered whether it was
anything more than a sore throat. It doesn't matter. When we came home,
Angelina was on the mend, and the cable companies must have noticed a
falling off in their receipts. I was relieved. I mean in mind. Jack tore
off home for a night to see for himself. He told me afterward 'he nearly
cracked Madeline's ribs,' he was so glad to see her. Mind, he'd only
been away six weeks! Think of it, in the light of the recent years. Not
that I believed him. Women like Mrs. Evans don't get their ribs cracked.
No matter. My relief was speedily changed to grave apprehension when he
came back to the ship accompanied by wife, child, and a nurse, and
announced that he had obtained permission to take them a voyage. It was
one of the unusual points of old Gannet's employ--he allowed each
skipper and chief to take their wives one voyage per year. I had been
through it before, and disliked the prospect. I have sometimes wondered
whether old Gannet had a secret and sinister intention, for it is a fact
that you can't honestly say you know a woman until you have been to sea
with her. No woman looks her best, either physically or mentally, at
sea. Oh, of course if you are married to her as well, the case is
different. I offer no opinion. But I know of one young man at least who
broke it off after enduring a voyage with a hen-pecked captain.

"I misjudged Jack, however. Jack was his wife's slave, but he remained
in command of his ship. You see he also had been at sea with skippers'
wives in the past. 'One word, Madeline, and home you go,' came up the
ventilator as I was sitting on the bridge after tea. I was astounded. It
was a new Jack, or rather, the old fiery, original Jack. The next
sentence, in reply to some inaudible remark of Madeline's, explained
what I had thought was a quarrel. 'Well, we must have an understanding
before we sail. I know what I'm talking about, dear. I've been Mate many
a year and I never would stand the Skipper's missus interfering with the
ship's discipline.'

"I was admiring Jack for this sagacious warning when there came a squawl
from his bathroom, where the nurse-girl was washing Angelina. Mrs. Evans
rustled across, crying out instructions concerning Babs, as they called
the youngster. And then came Ja