to come
to such an out-o'-the-way part o' the city; and, to tell you the truth,
it _is_ rather inconvenient, but your letter was so urgent, Miss Ruth,
that I knew you must have some good reason, and as your dear father's
daughter has a right to command me, I obeyed, as you know, without
question."

"You are a good old man," returned Ruth, laying her hand on the brown
fist of the captain and looking up in his face with the same loving
girlish look that she had bestowed on him many a time in years past on
his frequent visits with foreign toys, "and I shall test your goodness a
good deal before I have done with you."

"Test away, Miss Ruth. You'll find I can stand a good deal of testin'.
I haven't sailed the salt sea for forty years for nothing."

"Well then," said Ruth, looking slightly perplexed again. "What would
you do, Captain Bream, if you knew of two ladies who were unable to
work, or to find suitable work, and so poor as to be literally
starving--what would you do?"

"Give 'em money, of course."

"But suppose that, owing to some delicacy of feeling, or, perhaps, some
sort of mistaken pride, they would not accept money, and flushed very
much and felt hurt, if you ventured to offer it to them?"

"Why, then, I'd send 'em victuals."

"But suppose," continued Ruth, "that there were great difficulties in
the way of doing that, and they felt as much objection to receive
gratuitous victuals as money, what would you do then? you would not let
them starve, would you?"

"Of course not," returned the captain, promptly. "If it fairly came to
that I'd be apt to treat 'em as nurses do obstinate infants and castor
oil. I'd take 'em on my knee, force open their mouths, and shove the
victuals down their throats."

Ruth burst into a merry little laugh at this.

"But," said she, "don't you think that before proceeding to such
forcible treatment you might scheme a little to get them to take it
willingly, as nurses sometimes disguise the taste of the oil with coffee
or milk?"

"Well, you _might_ scheme a little on that sort of principle, Miss Ruth;
but in ordinary cases I prefer straightforward plans myself."

"Then why, let me ask," said Ruth with some severity in her look, "do
you dare to scheme with the wind as you and all sailors do when it is
dead against you?"

"You're becomin' too deep for me now, my dear; what d'ee mean?"

"When the wind blows dead against you, say from the north," replied
Ruth, "don't you