rry the
fust mate to the cabin. But the skipper jest sent the cook for a pail
of bilin' hot coffee, drunk the whole of it, put on dry clothes over his
wet flannels, and stayed on deck and worked that schooner into Portland
harbor, the men pumpin' clear green water out of the hold every minute
of the way.

"Now, that always seemed to me to be the reel thing. 'Twa'n't a question
of savin' life--we could have took to the boats and, nine chances out
of ten, got ashore all right, for 'twa'n't very fur. But no, the skipper
said he'd never lost a vessel for an owner yit and he wa'n't goin' to
lose this one. And he didn't either, by Judas! No, sir!"

"That was splendid!" exclaimed Elsie. "I should like to have known that
captain. Who was he, Captain Davis?"

"Well, the fust mate was Obed Simmons--he's dead now--but he used to
live over on the road towards East Harniss. The skipper--well, he was a
feller you know."

"'Twas Cap'n Eri," said Mrs. Snow with conviction.

"That's right, ma'am. Perez told you, I s'pose."

"No, nobody told me. I jest guessed it. I've seen a good many folks in
my time, and I cal'late I've got so I can tell what kind a man is after
I've known him a little while. I jedged Cap'n Eri was that kind, and,
when you said we knew that skipper, I was almost sartin 'twas him."

"Well!" exclaimed Ralph, "I don't believe I should have guessed it.
I've always liked the Captain, but he has seemed so full of fun and
so easy-going that I never thought of his doing anything quite so
strenuous."

Captain Davis laughed. "I've seen fo'mast hands try to take advantage
of that easy-goin' way 'fore now," he said, "but they never did it but
once. Cap'n Eri is one of the finest fellers that ever stepped, but you
can't stomp on his toes much, and he's clear grit inside. And say," he
added, "don't you tell anybody I told that story, for he'd skin me alive
if he knew it."

As they walked back toward the station Ralph and Elsie lingered a little
behind the others, and then stopped to watch a big four-master that,
under full sail, was spinning along a mile or two from the beach. They
watched it for a moment or two without speaking. Elsie's cheeks were
brown from the sun, stray wisps of her hair fluttered in the wind, and
her trim, healthy figure stood out against the white sandhill behind
them as if cut from cardboard. The electrician looked at her, and again
the thought of that disgraceful "'Gusty" Black episode was force