hetic gaze. He replied kindly:

"Eadie, you've always held a purty tight rein over that husband of
yours, about the best I ever see drawn over a prancing colt. You'd best
tighten up a mite on them reins, right sudden-like."

"But I haven't any power over him now. He's that worked up that I can't
even talk to him. He shuts me right up."

"What's that? You can't handle that little shrimp?"

She uttered a cry, and looked past the Captain, through the dining-room
door, into the hall. The seaman turned in the direction of her wild and
distracted gaze. Mr. Beaver, more wild and distracted than his spouse,
stood in the door, the incarnation of burning passion and pent up fury.

"W-What are you d-doing in this m-man's house?" he shouted, his shrill
voice breaking into a ferocious shriek, as he blinked and pointed at his
frightened wife.

Captain Pott was so surprised that he merely gaped at the infuriated
little man.

"Harry, please don't!" pleaded Mrs. Beaver, drawing back against the
wainscoting.

"C-Come out of h-here!" hissed her husband. He brought his heel down
with such vehemence that he chipped off a splinter from the threshold.

"Best stand back, Eadie, and be careful not to touch him," advised the
Captain, eyeing the human cyclone with amusement and amazement. "Looks
mighty dangerous, and sort as if he might go off."

Harry met these words with a blazing glare.

"Cal'late you'd best come in and cool off a mite, Harry. You seem sort
of het up."

"W-Woman, c-come w-with m-me!" spluttered Mr. Beaver.

He strutted round the room, well out of the Captain's reach, and back
again toward the door, looking for the world like a young barnyard fowl.
But his wife did not follow.

"She ain't going just yet. We was having a quiet-like chat when you
busted in here, and I cal'late we'd best make it three-sided, that is,
if you ain't got no reasonable objection to raise. Come, you ain't in
that rush."

Harry bounded toward the door. So, also, did the Captain. A heavy hand
fell on the shoulder of the little man and spun him about.

"It's real nice of you to come in like this for a friendly conflab,"
said the seaman, dangerously pleasant.

"M-Man, t-take your h-hand off m-me! H-How dare y-you a-assault m-me!
I'll h-have the law on y-you!"

"That's all right, Harry." The expression on the Captain's face
contrasted sharply with his quiet words. "There'll be plenty of time for
that. I've been feeling real slighted be