t her say somethin' fust?"

"That WOULD be nice, wouldn't it? She's that kind of a woman, ain't
she?" sputtered Perez. "No, you bet she ain't! What she'd say would be
to give her opinion of us and our manners, and walk out of the house bag
and baggage, and I wouldn't blame her for doin' it."

"P'raps she wouldn't have me. She never said she would."

"Never said she would! Have you ever asked her? She's had all this time
to l'arn to know you in, and I cal'late if she was willin' to think
'bout it 'fore she ever see you, she'd be more willin' now. Ain't that
so, Eri?"

And again Captain Eri said shortly, "Yes."

"I wish you'd mind your own consarns, and give me time," protested
Captain Jerry.

"Time! How much time do you want? Land of Goshen! I should think you'd
had time enough. Why--"

"Oh, let up!" snorted the persecuted. "Why don't you git married
yourself, and bring Pashy over to keep house? What we started to git
in the fust place was jest a wife for one of us that would keep things
shipshape, and now--"

The withering look of scorn that Perez bent upon him caused him to
hesitate and stop. Captain Perez haughtily marched to the door.

"Eri," he said, "I ain't goin' to waste my time talkin' to a--a dogfish
like him. He ain't wuth it."

"Hold on, now, Perez!" pleaded the discomfited sacrifice, alarmed at his
comrade's threatened desertion. "I was only foolin'. Can't you take a
joke? I haven't said I wouldn't do it. I think a heap of Mrs. Snow; it's
only that I ain't got the spunk to ask her, that's all."

"Humph! it don't take much spunk," replied the successful wooer,
forgetful of his own past trepidation.

"Well," Captain Jerry wriggled and twisted, but saw no loophole. "Well,
give me a month to git up my courage in and--"

"A month! A month's ridic'lous; ain't it, Eri"

"Yes."

"Well, three weeks, then."

This offer, too, was rejected. Then Captain Jerry held out for a
fortnight--for ten days. Finally, it was settled that within one week
from that very night he was to offer his heart and hand to the lady from
Nantucket. He pledged his solemn word to do it.

"There!" exclaimed the gratified Captain Perez. "That's a good job done.
He won't never be sorry for it, will he, Eri?"

And Captain Eri made his fourth contribution to the conversation.

"No," he said.

Josiah went up to the post-office late in the afternoon of the next day.
The "able seaman" was behaving himself remarkably well. He