kerchief of red silk matched the sash at his
waist: "California," eight years older and out of the West again despite
his "never" to Hayle's twins.

"I like to change my mind sometimes," he explained. "It shows me I've
got one."

A towering, massive, grizzly man several years older than the
Californian, with a short, stiff, throat-latch beard and a great bush of
dense, short curls, stood by the forward guards, a picture of rude force
and high efficiency. At every moment, from some direction among the
deck's loungers a light scrutiny ventured to rest on him, to which he
seemed habituated, and the lightest was enough to reveal in him a
striking union of traits coarse and fine. He wore a big cluster diamond
pin, a sort of hen-and-chickens of his own, secured by a minute
guard-chain on a ruffled shirt-front of snowiest linen, where clung dry
crumbs of the "fine-cut" which puffed the lower side pockets of his gray
alpaca sack coat. His gold-headed cane was almost a bludgeon. He had
come aboard at Memphis, having reached that city but a few hours earlier
by rail-way train from White Sulphur Springs, Va., where he had had the
good fortune to find great relief from rheumatism. The young lady in his
company, now back in the ladies' cabin, was his daughter, they said,
beautiful and all of twenty-two, yet unmarried! This man the pilot and
the Californian approached and waited for his attention. When he gave it
the pilot spoke.

"Commodore," he said, "welcome back to the river."

The big man grew bigger and his shaggy brows more severe.

"I feel welcome," he said. "Only place under God's canopy where I can
breathe down into my boots."

"And you want the roof for it here, don't you? I do. Roof or wheel.
Commodore Hayle, my friend Mr. So-and-so, from California. He's your
brand; Kentuck' born and raised."

The two shook hands, scanning each other's countenances. The eyes of
both were equally blue, equally intrepid.

"Are you the man--?" Hayle began to ask with grim humor.

"I think so."

"Well, my boy, I've been wanting to see you for better than eight
years." The speaker glanced around for privacy.

"Come up," said the pilot; "I'm just going on watch." They followed him.
On the roof he continued:

"Seen Captain Hugh yet, commodore? He's sure enough captain now, you
know; youngest on the river. He was looking for you a bit ago. This is a
beautiful boat he's going to have, eh?"

"Humph, yes. _Votaress_ over again." Th