n."

"The funny part of it is that I bought it in foreign lands, thinking
that some day I might get married, and I'd give it to my wife--and now
I'm givin' it to her."

Bettina sparkled. "Oh," she said, "I believe you're in love with her,
captain."

The captain sat down in a chair by the fire. "Well," he said earnestly,
"it's like this. I ain't ever thought of her that way, exactly. It
always seemed to me that she knew so much, and that I was such a rough
old fellow. But lately--well, she's been lonely, and she ain't been
well. And all of a sudden it has kind o' seemed to me that, if I ain't
smart, I've got a tender heart, and I'd know how to make a soft nest for
her to live in, and it seems to me that maybe, after all, she might
throw me in along with all the rest of the reasons for getting married.
I guess most men are sort of thrown in. Of course the wimmen don't know
it, but what they get married for is to have a parlor of their own, and
a kitchen of their own, and somebody to fuss over, and it don't make
much difference what man they hang their tender affections on, just so
he provides the kitchen and parlor. Now here's Letty Matthews, all tired
out with teaching, and this is my time to step in. If she'll ever take
me she'll take me now, and as soon as she's well enough to hear me say
it, I'm going to ask her."

"If Letty marries you, it will be because she loves you--she's that
kind. She'd die sooner than take a man for what he could give her."

The captain's face fell. "Oh, Lord," he groaned, "she won't take me just
for--myself----"

"You try and see."

"If you can put in a good word for me," the captain urged anxiously,
"you do it."

"When a man wants to marry a woman," said his young adviser, "there's
just one way to get her. He must just keep at it, captain."

The captain stood up. "Well, what I want to say is this--I shan't ever
look at my garden without thinking of her sittin' some day among the
flowers, I shan't ever eat a meal without thinking how nice she'd look
pourin' out my coffee in a nice bright dress, and I shan't ever go for a
day's fishin' without seein' her in the other end of the boat. And every
time I shut my eyes, I'll think of her wearin' pretty things like my
mother used to wear. Why, I've got money, that I can't ever use, just
lying in the bank and waitin' for somebody to come and spend it. And
while I like my own way of doin' things, I can get a likely man to help
around the ho