een the outer beach and the mainland.

And Captain Perez was much interested in Miss patience--very much so,
indeed. His frequent visits to the Mayo homestead furnished no end of
amusement to Captain Eri, and also to Captain Jerry, who found poking
fun at his friend an agreeable change from the old programme of being
the butt himself. He wasn't entirely free from this persecution,
however, for Eri more than once asked him, in tones the sarcasm of which
was elaborately veiled, if his match-making scheme had gotten tired and
was sitting down to rest. To which the sacrifice would reply stoutly,
"Oh, it's comin' out all right; you wait and see."

But in his heart Captain Jerry knew better. He had been wise enough
to say nothing to his friends concerning his interviews with Elsie
and Ralph, but apparently the breaking-off between the pair was final.
Hazeltine called occasionally, it is true, but his stays were short
and, at the slightest inclination shown by the older people to leave the
room, he left the house. There was some comment by Eri and Mrs. Snow on
this sudden change, but they were far from suspecting the real reason.
Elsie continued to be as reticent as she had been of late; her school
work was easier now that Josiah was no longer a pupil.

Christmas was rather a failure. There were presents, of course, but
the planned festivities were omitted owing to a change in John Baxter's
condition. From growing gradually better, he now grew slowly, but
surely, worse. Dr. Palmer's calls were more frequent, and he did not
conceal from Mrs. Snow or the captains his anxiety. They hid much of
this from Elsie, but she, too, noticed the change, and was evidently
worried by it. Strange to say, as his strength ebbed, the patient's mind
grew clearer. His speech, that in his intervals of consciousness had
heretofore dealt with events of the past, was now more concerned with
recent happenings. But Captain Eri had never heard him mention the fire.

One afternoon in January Mrs. Snow and Captain Eri were together in
the sick room. The rest of the household was absent on various errands;
Captain Perez paying a visit to the life-saver's sister and Elsie
staying after school to go over some examination papers. There was snow
on the ground, and a "Jinooary thaw" was causing the eaves to drip, and
the puddles in the road to grow larger. The door of the big stove was
open, and the coals within showed red-hot. Captain Baxter was apparently
a