“That the next thing you knowed you had an awful headache, and not enough money to pay for your ticket back to Gloucester.” “Didn’t I, though! Trust me--me, Wise Aleck, goin’ to Boston ’thout a return ticket. But Sam didn’t.” “No, trust Sam to go the whole hog. How much does he want?” “Twenty, or twenty-five, he thought would do.” “Only twenty-five, hah? Mod’rate, ain’t he? Well, give me his address and I’ll telegraph it to him. And how much do you want for yourself?” “Oh, about fifteen cents for a drink’ll do me, unless----” “Unless what?” “‘Less you’d lend me ten on the next trip.” “No, I won’t lend you ten on the next trip. I’ll _give_ you ten dollars, if that’ll do you.” “And why not lend me the ten on the next trip, Skipper?” “Because there ain’t goin’ to be no next trip this winter. I’m cal’latin’ to stay ashore a while. This salvage business is good enough for me this winter. A couple of months ashore won’t hurt any of us. And then there’s the _Buccaneer_ needs calkin’ where steerin’ that bark racked her, and new rail, and a few things around deck. And that’ll give that streak of hard luck a chance to run itself out. So here y’are. I s’pose you’ll go and blow that now as fast as you can?” “I guess that’s right, too, Skipper,” and up the street rolled Gillis, blithely singing. Crump gazed after him. “There’s a man oughter be glad he’s alive to-day. But no, he must try and keep up with men like Sam Leary that gets fat on excitement. Where’s that card o’ Sam’s he give me? H’m-m--Élite Hotel, Canal Street. And twenty-five dollars, eh? He must be cal’latin’ to come home in a automobile. Well, after all, I dunno but he’s entitled to automobiles at that.” On Georges Shoals Oh, but Dannie Keating was the happy man that night! Under the light of the winter stars he drew her to him, and, with her head all but resting on his shoulder and his arm about her waist, they came down the shady side of the street together, and cared no more for the whistling wind than for whatever curious eyes might, from behind drawn blinds, be peeping. “If anybody’s rubbering, they’re all sore,” said Dannie when she protested, and again broke the night air with--he simply couldn’t help it-- “O sweetheart mine, I love thee, And in all the sky above--see! No heart like thine, no love like mine-- O sweetheart, but I love thee!” Oh, but the blood was running riot within him. “Don’t I love you, Katie? Don’t I? And don’t you? And don’t we both?” and in the shadow of the steps of her home he drew her yet closer to him and kissed her--kissed her--a thousand times he kissed her before she could draw a free breath again.