not held, to
join the other, the boy seemed in the gloom to be praying for mercy to
the big, rough man.

"Why, matey, I didn't know you were on your beam ends like this here,"
he growled, softly. "Here, I'll help yer. Let me lift yer on to this
'ere bank. That's the way. Steady, now, while I turn round. Give's
t'other fin. There you are. Heave ho! and you're up and on my back.
Now, then, I'll tow you into port where I'm going, and you an' me'll
have a bit o' supper together, and after that--well, look at that now!"

As he spoke the sailor had got the boy up on his shoulders, pig-a-back
fashion, and began to tramp steadily along the road, not feeling the
light weight, and talking pleasantly to the little fellow all the while,
till, in his surprise, he uttered the last words in a low tone, and
followed them up by exclaiming:

"Tired out, poor bairn. I'm blessed if he ain't fast asleep!"

The sailor stood in the middle of the road thinking and talking aloud to
himself as if he were someone else.

"This here's a pretty set-out, Jack Jeens," he growled softly, so as not
to awaken his load. "Here you are, my lad, just finished your holiday,
spent half your arnings along with your friends, and give t'other half
to yer old mother to help her along till you come back from sea again--
bless her old heart! On'y I wish when she kisses yer and says,
`good-bye, and bless you, my dear boy!' she wouldn't cry quite all over
yer. But as I was a-saying, Jack, here you're going back quite comfy to
join the _Sairy Ann_ schooner, lad, with nothing to do but join your
ship, when down upon you comes this here boy, tired and hungry, and
crying as bad as your old mother, my lad. You didn't want a boy, Jack,
and now you've got him you don't know what to do with him, nor who he
is, nor where he's going, nor where he comes from. Strikes me he don't
know himself. Take him aboard the _Sairy Ann_, my lad, and show him to
the skipper. `Now, then,' says you, `here's a boy.' `So I see,' says
the skipper. `Well, what's to be done with him?' says you, and he turns
it over in his mind, and 'fore you know where you are he's settled it
all and told you what to do and where to put him.

"That's the way to do it," said Jack Jeens, with a low, soft chuckle.
"Poor little bairn! The skipper has got a wife and little uns of his
own, and understands these sort o' things. Shouldn't wonder if he finds
a new father and mother for him."

Jack