"It has been lying in an old trunk for years," he exulted, as he shook it out before her delighted eyes. "When I saw her," he nodded toward the door of the inner room, "when I saw her with that pink ribbon in her hair, it just came to me how nice it would be if she had a wrapper or somethin' to go with it. And after I got home I went rummagin' around until I found this." "It's lovely," said Bettina; "she'll be simply crazy over it, captain." "The funny part of it is that I bought it in foreign lands, thinking that some day I might get married, and I'd give it to my wife--and now I'm givin' it to her." Bettina sparkled. "Oh," she said, "I believe you're in love with her, captain." The captain sat down in a chair by the fire. "Well," he said earnestly, "it's like this. I ain't ever thought of her that way, exactly. It always seemed to me that she knew so much, and that I was such a rough old fellow. But lately--well, she's been lonely, and she ain't been well. And all of a sudden it has kind o' seemed to me that, if I ain't smart, I've got a tender heart, and I'd know how to make a soft nest for her to live in, and it seems to me that maybe, after all, she might throw me in along with all the rest of the reasons for getting married. I guess most men are sort of thrown in. Of course the wimmen don't know it, but what they get married for is to have a parlor of their own, and a kitchen of their own, and somebody to fuss over, and it don't make much difference what man they hang their tender affections on, just so he provides the kitchen and parlor. Now here's Letty Matthews, all tired out with teaching, and this is my time to step in. If she'll ever take me she'll take me now, and as soon as she's well enough to hear me say it, I'm going to ask her." "If Letty marries you, it will be because she loves you--she's that kind. She'd die sooner than take a man for what he could give her." The captain's face fell. "Oh, Lord," he groaned, "she won't take me just for--myself----" "You try and see." "If you can put in a good word for me," the captain urged anxiously, "you do it." "When a man wants to marry a woman," said his young adviser, "there's just one way to get her. He must just keep at it, captain." The captain stood up. "Well, what I want to say is this--I shan't ever look at my garden without thinking of her sittin' some day among the flowers, I shan't ever eat a meal without thinking how nice she'd look pourin' out my coffee in a nice bright dress, and I shan't ever go for a day's fishin' without seein' her in the other end of the boat. And every time I shut my eyes, I'll think of her wearin' pretty things like my mother used to wear. Why, I've got money, that I can't ever use, just lying in the bank and waitin' for somebody to come and spend it. And while I like my own way of doin' things, I can get a likely man to help around the house." "A man?"