om being a beautiful woman. From all appearances
she had never been pretty, or even good-looking. Her form had a few too
many sharp angles where it should have been curved. Her face was long
and thin, and now age and worry had dug deeply into the homely features,
obliterating the last trace of middle life. She always dressed in
black, and to-day the Captain saw that her clothes were worn and faded.
He moved uneasily as his quick eye took in the meaning of these signs.

"I cal'late they're working you too hard here, Clemmie," he said
tenderly. "You'd best get away for a spell."

"I'd like to have a rest, but I can't leave. There's no one to take my
place."

"Pshaw! There's plenty who'd be glad for the place."

"Anyhow, I ain't got no place to go."

"That's what I've come to see you about, Clemmie."

Miss Pipkin straightened with cold dignity, and her eyes flashed fires
of warning.

"Josiah Pott! Be you proposing to me _again_?"

"Now, don't get mad, Clemmie. I ain't proposing to you," he explained as
calmly as possible. "But as I've said afore----"

"I know what you've said, learnt it like a book. And you know what I've
said, too. My no means NO."

"I cal'late you ain't left no room for me to doubt that. You've made
that purty tolerable plain. I reckon we're getting too old for that now,
anyway. Leastwise, I be," he finished hurriedly, noting a rising color
in her thin cheeks.

"Huh!" she grunted indignantly. "A body'd think you was the grandfather
of Methuselah to hear you talk."

"I am getting on purty well, Clemmie."

"Josiah Pott! If you come over here to talk that nonsense you can go
right back."

"I really come on another matter. I want you to come over and keep house
for me and another man. We're living on the old place, and it ain't what
you'd call hum sweet hum for two males to live alone in a big house like
mine. Thought maybe you wouldn't mind keeping the decks swabbed and the
galley full of pervisions if I'd only pay you the same as you're getting
here. I'd----"

"That will be enough!"

"Thought maybe 'twould."

"I'll not listen to another word from you!" exclaimed the shocked Miss
Pipkin. The expression on her face gave the Captain the feeling that he
had dived into icy water, and had come up suddenly against a hidden
beam.

"Two of you! And you want me to do your work! Well, of all the nerve!"

"I ain't told you yet who the other feller is," suggested the Captain.

"I don't care i