le and I've got the best reasons on earth. Keep still and I'll tell
you again what they are."

He proceeded to give those reasons. They were that he had little money
and must therefore live inexpensively. He would not remain at his
sister's because she had more than enough care and work in her own
family. George Kent boarded with her and one boarder was sufficient.
Then--and this was the principal reason for selecting the General Minot
spare stateroom--he wished to live somewhere away from observation,
where he could be alone, or nearly alone, where he would not be plagued
with questions.

"You see, Judah," he said, "I've had a bump in more ways than one. My
pride was knocked flat as well as my pocket book. The doctor says I've
got to stay ashore for a good while. He says it will be months before
I'm ready for sea--if I'm ever ready--"

"Hold on, hold on! Cap'n Sears, you mustn't talk so. Course you'll be
ready."

"All right, we'll hope I will. But while I'm gettin' ready to be ready I
want to lie snug. I don't want to see a whole lot of people and have to
listen to--to sympathy and all that. I've made a fool of myself, and
that kind of a fool doesn't deserve sympathy. And I don't want it,
anyhow. Give me a pair of sound spars and my health once more and you
won't find me beggin' for sympathy--no, nor anything else.... But
there," he added, straightening and throwing back his shoulders in the
way Judah had seen him do so often on shipboard and which his mates had
learned to recognize as a sign that the old man's mind was made up,
"that's enough of that. Let's stick to the course. I like this place of
yours, Judah, and I'm comin' here to live. I'm weak yet and you can
throw me out, of course," he added, "but I tell you plainly you can't
_talk_ me out, so it's no use to try."

Nevertheless, Mr. Cahoon kept on trying and, when he did give in only
gave in halfway. If Captain Sears was bound to do such a fool thing he
didn't know how he was going to stop him, but at least he did insist
that the captain should take a trial cruise before signing on for the
whole voyage.

"I tell you what you do, Cap'n Sears," he said. "You make me a little
visit of--of two, three days, say. Then, if you cal'late you can stand
the grub--and me--and if the way Bayport folks'll be talkin' ain't
enough to send you back to Sary's again, why--why, then I suppose you
can stay right along, if you want to. _'Twould_ be fine to have you
aboard!