een to, and no remarks made. Pennel knows that ar. Why, now, Mis'
Kittridge thinks our boys turned out so well all along of her bringin'
up, and I let her think so; keeps her sort o' in spirits, you see. But
Lord bless ye, child, there's been times with Job, and Sam, and Pass,
and Dass, and Dile, and all on 'em finally, when, if I hadn't jest
pulled a rope here and turned a screw there, and said nothin' to nobody,
they'd a-been all gone to smash. I never told Mis' Kittridge none o'
their didos; bless you, 'twouldn't been o' no use. I never told _them_,
neither; but I jest kind o' worked 'em off, you know; and they's all
putty 'spectable men now, as men go, you know; not like Parson Sewell,
but good, honest mates and ship-masters,--kind o' middlin' people, you
know. It takes a good many o' sich to make up a world, d'ye see."

"But oh, Captain Kittridge, did any of them use to swear?" said Mara, in
a faltering voice.

"Wal', they did, consid'able," said the Captain;--then seeing the
trembling of Mara's lip, he added,--

"Ef you could a-found this 'ere out any other way, it's most a pity
you'd a-heard him; 'cause he wouldn't never have let out afore you. It
don't do for gals to hear the fellers talk when they's alone, 'cause
fellers,--wal', you see, fellers will be fellers, partic'larly when
they're young. Some on 'em, they never gits over it all their lives
finally."

"But oh! Captain Kittridge, that talk last night was so dreadfully
wicked! and Moses!--oh, it was dreadful to hear him!"

"Wal', yes, it was," said the Captain, consolingly; "but don't you cry,
and don't you break your little heart. I expect he'll come all right,
and jine the church one of these days; 'cause there's old Pennel, he
prays,--fact now, I think there's consid'able in some people's prayers,
and he's one of the sort. And you pray, too; and I'm quite sure the good
Lord _must_ hear you. I declare sometimes I wish you'd jest say a good
word to Him for me; I should like to get the hang o' things a little
better than I do, somehow, I reely should. I've gi'n up swearing years
ago. Mis' Kittridge, she broke me o' that, and now I don't never go
further than 'I vum' or 'I swow,' or somethin' o' that sort; but you see
I'm old;--Moses is young; but then he's got eddication and friends, and
he'll come all right. Now you jest see ef he don't!"

This miscellaneous budget of personal experiences and friendly
consolation which the good Captain conveyed to Ma