pper.

"Me an' Dan, sir," said Joe very respectfully, "would like to go ashore
for a little shopping. Dan has very kindly offered to lend that pore
chap the money for some clothes, and he wants me to go with him to help
carry them."

"Ay, ay," said the skipper, with a benevolent smile at the aged
philanthropist. "You'd better go at once, afore the shops shut."

"We'll run, sir," said Joe, and taking Dan by the arm, dragged him into
the street at a trot.

Nearly a couple of hours passed before they returned, and no child
watched with greater eagerness the opening of a birthday present than
Smith watched the undoing of the numerous parcels with which they were
laden.

"He's a reg'lar fairy godmother, ain't he?" said Joe, as Smith joyously
dressed himself in a very presentable tweed suit, serviceable boots, and
a bowler hat. "We had a dreadful job to get a suit big enough, an' the
only one we could get was rather more money than we wanted to give,
wasn't it, Dan?"

The fairy godmother strove manfully with his feelings.

"You'll do now," said Joe. "I ain't got much, but what I have you're
welcome to." He put his hand into his pocket and pulled out some loose
coin. "What have you got, mates?"

With decent good will the other men turned out their pockets, and,
adding to the store, heartily pressed it upon the reluctant Smith, who,
after shaking hands gratefully, followed Joe on deck.

"You've got enough to pay your fare," said the latter; "an' I've told
the skipper you are going ashore to send off telegrams. If you send the
money back to Dan, I'll never forgive you."

"I won't, then," said Smith firmly; "but I'll send theirs back to the
other chaps. Good-bye."

Joe shook him by the hand again, and bade him go while the coast was
clear, advice which Smith hastened to follow, though he turned and
looked back to wave his hand to the crew, who had come up on deck
silently to see him off; all but the philanthropist, who was down below
with a stump of lead-pencil and a piece of paper doing sums.

A BLACK AFFAIR

"I didn't want to bring it," said Captain Gubson, regarding somewhat
unfavourably a grey parrot whose cage was hanging against the mainmast,
"but my old uncle was so set on it I had to. He said a sea-voyage would
set its 'elth up."

"It seems to be all right at present," said the mate, who was tenderly
sucking his forefinger; "best of spirits, I should say."

"It's playful," assented the skipper.