y yards wide and
that the little man only lit three times from bush to wharf. And he
didn't stop there. He fired the carpetbag at the schooner's stern and
then spread out his wings and flew after it. His fingers just hooked
over the rail and he managed to haul himself aboard. Then he curled up
on the deck and breathed short but spirited. The Kanaka woman danced to
the stringpiece and whistled distress signals.

"Cap'n George Simmons looked down at the wrecked flying machine and
grunted.

"'Umph!' says he. 'You don't look like a man the girls would run after.
Lady your wife?'

"The little feller bobbed his specs up and down.

"'So?' says George. ''Ow can I bear to leave thee, 'ey? Well, ain't
you ashamed of yourself to be running off and leaving a nice, 'andsome,
able-bodied wife that like? Look at 'er now, over there on 'er knees a
praying for you to come back.'

"There was a little p'int making out from the beach close by the edge of
the channel and the woman was out on the end of it, down on all fours.
Her husband raised up and looked over the rail.

"'She ain't praying,' he pants, ducking down again quick. 'She's
a-picking up stones.'

"And so she was. Julius said he thought sure she'd cave in the Emily's
ribs afore she got through with her broadsides. The rocks flew like
hail. Everybody got their share, but Cap'n George got a big one in the
middle of the back. That took his breath so all the way he could express
his feelings was to reach out and give his new passenger half a dozen
kicks. But just as soon as he could he spoke, all right enough.

"'You mis'rable four-eyed shrimp!' he says. ''Twould serve you right if
I 'ove to and made you swim back to 'er. Blow me if I don't believe I
will!'

"'Aw, don't, Cap'n; PLEASE don't!' begs the feller. 'I'll be awful
grateful to you if you won't. And I'll make it right with you, too. I've
got a good thing in that bag of mine. Yes, sir! A beautiful good thing.'

"'Oh, well,' says the skipper, bracing up and smiling sweet as he could
for the ache in his back. 'I'll 'elp you out. You trust your Uncle
George. Not on account of what you're going to give me, you understand,'
says he. 'It would be a pity if THAT was the reason for 'elpin' a feller
creat--Sparrow, if you touch that bag I'll break your blooming 'ead.
'Ere! you 'and it to me. I'll take care of it for the gentleman.'

"All the rest of that day the Cap'n couldn't do enough for the
passenger. Give him a big