never in one
spot for long. We cruised from Vladivostok to Manila and back again,
never more than a week in any one place. Even so, as soon as I'd saved
enough out of my ensign's pay, she was to come--and she would have--to
meet me; but before enough months of saving had passed she wrote me.
There was a baby coming, and then I wouldn't let her come. I did not
want her jumping from port to port in foreign waters before the baby was
born, and she would soon be needing every cent of my ensign's pay that I
could save.

"And the months rolled around and the cable came which told that the
baby had come, and that Doris and everything was fine; and I was as
happy as a man could be with a wife and boy he was crazy to see, but
couldn't. She wanted to come out and join me right away, but I said no.

"Well, when the baby was big enough to stand travel she was coming,
anyway, she wrote; but I reminded her that before a great while now I
ought to be on my way home. And one day in the China Seas I saw the sun
between us and the shore setting under a thousand golden lakes and pools
and purple pillars, and a home-bound pennant of a full cable's length
whipping the breeze in our smoke astern."

Wickett paused, and resumed: "That was a great night. It was two years
and three months since I'd left Bayport. The first thing I did in the
morning after turning out, and for every morning thereafter, was to step
to the calendar on the wall of my room and block out that day's date
with a fat blue-leaded pencil I'd got from the paymaster for that
purpose alone, and then, estimating the run on the chief engineer's
dope, count how many days were left."

Wickett was silent. He remained silent so long that Carlin thought that
that must be the end, abrupt though it was, to the story. But it was not
that. Wickett was pointing across the bay.

"See, Carlin--the flag-ship of the second squadron has just sent out an
order for its first division to prepare for an emergency signal drill.
And the first division are to have a torpedo drill at the same time.
Wait--in half a minute it will be on. There--look!"

From the mastheads the red and white Ardois lights were winking even as
the illuminated arms of the semaphores were wigwagging jerky messages
from bridge to bridge; on shore, on the water, on the clouds, the great
search-lights swept and crossed endlessly. It was dazzling. Suddenly it
ceased. "Oh-h!" protested Carlin.

"Life is just like that, isn