cap on again and went home, taking Allie's
bilge-pump with me, for I couldn't stop to unship the hose. The tide was
coming in fast.

"At nine o'clock that night I was in my skiff, rowing off to where my
power-boat laid in deep water back of the bar. When I reached her I made
the skiff fast astern, lit a lantern, which I put in a locker under a
thwart, and set still in the pitch-dark, smoking and waiting.

"'Twas a long, wearisome wait. There was a no'thwest wind coming up, and
the waves were running pretty choppy on the bar. All I could think of
was that gasoline. Was there enough in the pipes and the feed cup on
that launch to carry her out to where I was? Or was there too much, and
would she make the yacht, after all?

"It got to be eleven o'clock. Tide was full at twelve. I was a pretty
good candidate for the crazy house by this time. I'd listened till my
ear-drums felt slack, like they needed reefing. And then at last I heard
her coming--CHUFF-chuff! CHUFF-chuff! CHUFF-chuff!

"And HOW she did come! She walked up abreast of me, went past me, a
hundred yards or so off. Thinks I: 'It's all up. He's going to make it.'

"And then, all at once, the 'chuff-chuff-ing' stopped. Started up
and stopped again. I gave a hurrah, in my mind, pulled the skiff up
alongside and jumped into her, taking the lantern with me, under my
coat. Then I set the light between my feet, picked up the oars and
started rowing.

"I rowed quiet as I could, but he heard me 'fore I got to him. I heard
a scrambling noise off ahead, and then a shaky voice hollers: 'Hello!
who's that?'

"'It's me,' says I, rowing harder'n ever. 'Who are you? What's the row?'

"There was more scrambling and a slam, like a door shutting. In another
two minutes I was alongside the launch and held up my lantern. Allie was
there, fussing with his engine. And he was all alone.

"Alone he was, I say, fur's a body could see, but he was mighty shaky
and frightened. Also, 'side of him, on the cushions, was a girl's
jacket, and I thought I'd seen that jacket afore.

"'Hello!' says I. 'Is that you, Mr. Davidson? Thought you'd gone to
Boston?'

"'Changed my mind,' he says. 'Got any gasoline?'

"'What you doing off here this time of night?' I says.

"'Going out to my--' He stopped. I s'pose the truth choked him. 'I was
going to Provincetown,' he went on. 'Got any gasoline?'

"'What in the nation you starting to Provincetown in the middle of the
night for?' I asks, inn