But melancholy as he looked, Elmer had evidently had his moments of struggle against dejection.One of these moments had been when he bought the clothes he was wearing.His hat had a bright, red and black band around it; his tweed suit was of a startling light gray, marked off into checks with stripes of green; his waistcoat was of lavender, and his hose were likewise of lavender, but red predominated in both his shirt and his necktie.His collar was too high for his short neck, and seemed to cause him discomfort.But this attempt at gayety of dress was of no avail; one felt at once that it was a surface thing and had no connection with Elmer's soul; it stood out in front of the background of his sorrowful personality, accentuating the gloom, as a blossom may grow upon a bleak rock.As Elmer carefully dropped ice, piece by piece, into the oblong box, progressing slowly from hole to hole, Cleggett thought he had never seen a more depressed young man.
Captain Abernethy approached Cleggett.There was hesitation in the brown old man's feet, there was doubt upon his wrinkled brow, but there was the consciousness of duty in the poise of his shoulders, there was determination in his eyes.
The blonde lady laughed softly as the sailing-master of the Jasper B.saluted the owner of the vessel.
"He is going to tell you," she said to Cleggett, including the Captain himself in her flashing look and her remark, "he is going to tell you that you really should get rid of me and my boxes at once--I can see it in his face!"Captain Abernethy stopped short at this, and stared.It was precisely what he HAD planned to say after drawing Cleggett discreetly aside.But it is rather startling to have one's thoughts read in this manner.
He frowned at the lady.She smiled at him.The smile seemed to say to the Cap'n: "You ridiculous old dear, you! You KNOW that's what you were going to advise, so why deny it? I've found you out, but we both might just as well be good-humored about it, mightn't we?""Ma'am," said the Cap'n, evidently struggling between a suddenly borndesire to quit frowning and a sense that he had a perfect right to frown as much as he wished, "Ma'am, if you was to ask me, I'd say ridin' on steamships and ridin' on sailin' vessels is two different matters entirely.""Cap'n Abernethy," said Cleggett, attempting to indicate that his sailing master's advice was not absolutely required, "if you have something to say to me, perhaps later will do just as well.""As fur as the Jasper B.is concerned," said the Cap'n, ignoring Cleggett's remark, and still addressing the lady, "I dunno as you could call her EITHER a sailin' vessel, OR a steamship, as at present constituted.""You want to get me off your boat at once," said the lady."You know you do." And her manner added: "CAN'T you act like a good- natured old dear? You really are one, you know!"The Cap'n became embarrassed.He began to fuss with his necktie, as if tying it tighter would assist him to hold on to his frown.He felt the frown slipping, but it was a point of honor with him to retain it.
"She WILL be a sailin' vessel when she gets her sticks into her," said the Cap'n, fumbling with his neckwear.
"Let me fix that for you," said the lady.And before the Cap'n could protest she was arranging his tie for him."You old sea captains!--" she said, untying the scarf and making the ends even."As if anyone could possibly be afraid to sail in anything one of YOU had charge of!" She gave the necktie a little final pat."There, now!"The Captain's frown was gone past replacement.But he still felt that he owed something to himself.
"If you was to ask me," he said, turning to Cleggett, "whether what I'd got to say to you would do later, or whether it wouldn't do later, I'd answer you it would, or it wouldn't, all accordin' to whether you wanted to hear it now, or whether you wanted to hear it later.And as far as SAILIN' her is concerned, Mr.Cleggett, I'll SAIL her, whether you turn her into a battleship or into one of these here yachts.I come of a seafarin' fambly."And then he said to the lady, indicating the tie and bobbing his head forward with a prim little bow: "Thank ye, ma'am.""Isn't he a duck!" said the lady, following him with her eyes, as he went behind the cabin.There the Cap'n chewed, smoked, and fished, earnestly and simultaneously, for ten minutes.
