f the Minot spare stateroom and
when the discussion adjourned there, of the little back yard. The old
white horse, left to himself and quite forgotten, placidly meandered on
until he reached a point where he could reach the tender foliage of a
young pear tree which leaned over the wall toward him. Then, with a sigh
of content, he proceeded to devour the tree. No one paid the least
attention to him. Captain Kendrick, now seated upon the bench beneath
the locust, was quietly but persistently explaining why he desired to
become a boarder and lodger at Mr. Cahoon's quarters on the after lower
deck of the General Minot house, and Judah was vociferously and
profanely expostulating against such an idea.

"It ain't fittin', I tell you," he declared, over and over again. "It
ain't fittin', it's the craziest notion ever I heard tell of. What'll
folks think if they know you're here--you, Cap'n Sears Kendrick, that
all hands knows is the smartest cap'n that ever sailed out of Boston
harbor? What'll they say if they know you've hove anchor along of me,
stayin' here in the--in the fo'castle of this house; eatin' the grub I
cook--"

"I've eaten your cookin' for a good many months at a stretch, Judah. You
never heard me find any fault with it, did you?"

"Don't make no odds. That's different, Cap'n Sears, and you know 'tis.
It's ridiculous, stark, ravin' ridiculous."

"So you don't care for my company?"

"Don't tuk so! Wouldn't I be proud to have ye? Wouldn't I ruther have
you aboard here than anybody else on earth? Course I would!"

"All right. And you're goin' to have me. So that's all settled."

"Settled! Who said 'twas settled? Course 'tain't settled. You don't
understand, Cap'n Sears. 'Tain't how I feel about it. 'Tain't even maybe
how you feel about it. But how'll your sister feel about it? How'll Joel
feel? How'll the doctor feel? How'll the folks in town feel? How'll--"

"Oh, shh! shh! Avast, Judah! How'll the cat feel? And the pig? What do I
care? How'll your old horse feel if he eats the other half of that pear
tree? That's considerably more important."

Judah turned, saw the combination of ancient equine and youthful tree
and rushed bellowing to the rescue of the latter. When he returned,
empty of profanity and copiously perspiring, his former skipper was
ready for him.

"Listen, Judah," he said. "Listen, and keep your main hatch closed for
five minutes, if you can. I want to come here to board with you for a
whi