n investments
and deals and shrewd trades. It was plain that the old man prided
himself upon them, however. On one occasion Mr. Bangs happened to
mention Martha Phipps and hinted at his own fear that his lodging at
the Phipps' home was in the nature of an imposition upon the lady's good
nature. The light keeper shook his shaggy head impatiently.

"No, no, no," he growled, "'tain't any such thing. Your boardin' there's
a good thing for Martha. She needs the money."

Galusha was troubled.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said. "She is not--ah--not pinched for
means, I hope. Not that that is my business, of course," he added,
hastily.

Captain Jeth's reply was gruff and rather testy.

"She'll come out all right," he said, "if she's willin' to do as I do
and wait. I know I'll come out right. Julia told me so, herself."

Galusha had forgotten, momentarily.

"Julia?" he repeated.

"My WIFE."

"Oh--oh, yes, yes, of course."

In these conversations Bangs learned to steer the talk as far as
possible from the subjects of life beyond the grave or of spirit
communications. The slightest touch here and the captain was off,
his eyes shining beneath his heavy brows, and his face working with
belligerent emotion. A hint of doubt or contradiction and trouble
followed immediately.

"Don't argue with me," roared Cap'n Jethro. "I KNOW."

Lulie and Galusha had many chats together. He had liked her at first
sight and soon she came to like him.

"He's as funny and odd as can he," she told Martha, "and you never can
tell what he may say or do next. But he's awfully nice, just the same."

Little by little she confided to him her hopes and doubts and fears,
the hopes of her own love story and the doubts and fears concerning her
father.

"He isn't well," she said, referring to the latter. "He pretends he is,
but he isn't. And all this consulting with mediums and getting messages
and so on is very bad for him, I know it is. Do you believe in it at
all, Mr. Bangs?"

Galusha looked doubtful.

"Well," he replied, "it would be presumptuous for one like me to say it
is all nonsense. Men like Conan Doyle and Lodge and Doctor Hyslop are
not easy dupes and their opinions are entitled to great respect. But it
seems--ah--well, I am afraid that a majority of the so-called mediums
are frauds."

"ALL of father's mediums are that kind," declared Lulie, emphatically.
"I know it. Most of them are frauds for money, but there are some, like
t