Captain Eli's Best Ear

by Frank Stockton

　　The little seaside village of Sponkannis lies so quietly upon aprotected spot on our Atlantic coast that it makes no more stirin the world than would a pebble which, held between one's fingerand thumb, should be dipped below the surface of a millpond andthen dropped. About the post-office and the store--both underthe same roof--the greater number of the houses cluster, as ifthey had come for their week's groceries, or were waiting for themail, while toward the west the dwellings become fewer and fewer,until at last the village blends into a long stretch of sandycoast and scrubby pine-woods. Eastward the village ends abruptlyat the foot of a windswept bluff, on which no one cares to build.Among the last houses in the western end of the village stoodtwo neat, substantial dwellings, one belonging to Captain EliBunker, and the other to Captain Cephas Dyer. These householderswere two very respectable retired mariners, the first a widowerabout fifty, and the other a bachelor of perhaps the same age, afew years more or less making but little difference in thisregion of weather-beaten youth and seasoned age.Each of these good captains lived alone, and each tookentire charge of his own domestic affairs, not because he waspoor, but because it pleased him to do so. When Captain Eliretired from the sea he was the owner of a good vessel, which hesold at a fair profit; and Captain Cephas had made money in manya voyage before he built his house in Sponkannis and settledthere.When Captain Eli's wife was living she was his householdmanager. But Captain Cephas had never had a woman in his house,except during the first few months of his occupancy, when certainfemale neighbors came in occasionally to attend to little mattersof cleaning which, according to popular notions, properly belongto the sphere of woman.But Captain Cephas soon put an end to this sort of thing. Hedid not like a woman's ways, especially her ways of attending todomestic affairs. He liked to live in sailor fashion, and tokeep house in sailor fashion. In his establishment everythingwas shipshape, and everything which could be stowed away wasstowed away, and, if possible, in a bunker. The floors wereholystoned nearly every day, and the whole house was repaintedabout twice a year, a little at a time, when the weather wassuitable for this marine recreation. Things not in frequent usewere lashed securely to the walls, or perhaps put out of the wayby being hauled up to the ceiling by means of blocks and tackle.His cooking was done sailor fashion, like everything else, and henever failed to have plum-duff on Sunday. His well was near hishouse, and every morning he dropped into it a lead and line, andnoted down the depth of water. Three times a day he entered in alittle note-book the state of the weather, the height of themercury in barometer and thermometer, the direction of the wind,and special weather points when necessary.Captain Eli managed his domestic affairs in an entirelydifferent way. He kept house woman fashion--not, however, in themanner of an ordinary woman, but after the manner of his latewife, Miranda Bunker, now dead some seven years. Like hisfriend, Captain Cephas, he had had the assistance of his femaleneighbors during the earlier days of his widowerhood. But hesoon found that these women did not do things as Miranda used todo them, and, although he frequently suggested that they shouldendeavor to imitate the methods of his late consort, they did noteven try to do things as she used to do them, preferring theirown ways. Therefore it was that Captain Eli determined to keephouse by himself, and to do it, as nearly as his nature wouldallow, as Miranda used to do it. He swept his doors and he shookhis door-mats; he washed his paint with soap and hot water; hedusted his furniture with a soft cloth, which he afterwards stuckbehind a chest of drawers. He made his bed very neatly, turningdown the sheet at the top, and setting the pillow upon edge,smoothing it carefully after he had done so. His cooking wasbased on the methods of the late Miranda. He had never been ableto make bread rise properly, but he had always liked ship-biscuit, and he now greatly preferred them to the risen breadmade by his neighbors. And as to coffee and the plainer articlesof food with which he furnished his table, even Miranda herselfwould not have objected to them had she been alive and veryhungry.The houses of the two captains were not very far apart,and they were good neighbors, often smoking their pipes togetherand talking of the sea. But this was always on the little porchin front of Captain Cephas's house, or by his kitchen fire in thewinter. Captain Eli did not like the smell of tobacco smoke inhis house, or even in front of it in summer-time, when the doorswere open. He had no objection himself to the odor of tobacco,but it was contrary to the principles of woman housekeeping thatrooms should smell of it, and he was always true to thoseprinciples.It was late in a certain December, and through the villagethere was a pleasant little flutter of Christmas preparations.Captain Eli had been up to the store, and he had stayed there agood while, warming himself by the stove, and watching the womencoming in to buy things for Christmas. It was strange how manythings they bought for presents or for holiday use--fancy soapand candy, handkerchiefs and little woollen shawls for oldpeople, and a lot of pretty little things which he knew the useof, but which Captain Cephas would never have understood at allhad he been there.As Captain Eli came out of the store he saw a cart in whichwere two good-sized Christmas trees, which had been cut in thewoods, and were going, one to Captain Holmes's house, and theother to Mother Nelson's. Captain Holmes had grandchildren, andMother Nelson, with never a child of her own, good old soul, hadthree little orphan nieces who never wanted for anything needfulat Christmas-time or any other time.Captain Eli walked home very slowly, taking observations inhis mind. It was more than seven years since he had hadanything to do with Christmas, except that on that day he hadalways made himself a mince-pie, the construction and theconsumption of which were equally difficult. It is true thatneighbors had invited him, and they had invited Captain Cephas,to their Christmas dinners, but neither of these worthy seamenhad ever accepted any of these invitations. Even holiday food,when not cooked in sailor fashion, did not agree with CaptainCephas, and it would have pained the good heart of Captain Eli ifhe had been forced to make believe to enjoy a Christmas dinner sovery inferior to those which Miranda used to set before him.But now the heart of Captain Eli was gently moved by aChristmas flutter. It had been foolish, perhaps, for him to goup to the store at such a time as this, but the mischief had beendone. Old feelings had come back to him, and he would be glad tocelebrate Christmas this year if he could think of any good wayto do it. And the result of his mental observations was that hewent over to Captain Cephas's house to talk to him about it.Captain Cephas was in his kitchen, smoking his third morningpipe. Captain Eli filled his pipe, lighted it, and sat down bythe fire."Cap'n," said he, "what do you say to our keepin Christmasthis year? A Christmas dinner is no good if it's got to be eatalone, and you and me might eat ourn together. It might be in myhouse, or it might be in your house--it won't make no greatdifference to me which. Of course, I like woman housekeepin', asis laid down in the rules of service fer my house. But next bestto that I like sailor housekeepin', so I don't mind whichhouse the dinner is in, Cap'n Cephas, so it suits you."Captain Cephas took his pipe from his mouth. "You're prettylate thinkin' about it," said he, "fer day after to-morrow'sChristmas.""That don't make no difference," said Captain Eli. "Whatthings we want that are not in my house or your house we caneasily get either up at the store or else in the woods.""In the woods!" exclaimed Captain Cephas. "What in the nameof thunder do you expect to get in the woods for Christmas?""A Christmas tree," said Captain Eli. "I thought it might bea nice thing to have a Christmas tree fer Christmas. Cap'nHolmes has got one, and Mother Nelson's got another. I guessnearly everybody's got one. It won't cost anything--I can go andcut it."Captain Cephas grinned a grin, as if a great leak had beensprung in the side of a vessel, stretching nearly from stem tostern."A Christmas tree!" he exclaimed. "Well, I am blessed! Butlook here, Cap'n Eli. You don't know what a Christmas tree'sfer. It's fer children, and not fer grown-ups. Nobody ever doeshave a Christmas tree in any house where there ain't nochildren."Captain Eli rose and stood with his back to the fire. "Ididn't think of that," he said, "but I guess it's so. And when Icome to think of it, a Christmas isn't much of a Christmas,anyway, without children.""You never had none," said Captain Cephas, "and you've keptChristmas.""Yes," replied Captain Eli, reflectively, "we did do it,but there was always a lackment--Miranda has said so, and I havesaid so.""You didn't have no Christmas tree," said Captain Cephas."No, we didn't. But I don't think that folks was as much seton Christmas trees then as they 'pear to be now. I wonder," hecontinued, thoughtfully gazing at the ceiling, "if we was to fixup a Christmas tree--and you and me's got a lot of pretty thingsthat we've picked up all over the world, that would go milesahead of anything that could be bought at the store fer Christmastrees--if we was to fix up a tree real nice, if we couldn't getsome child or other that wasn't likely to have a tree to come inand look at it, and stay awhile, and make Christmas more likeChristmas. And then, when it went away, it could take along thethings that was hangin' on the tree, and keep 'em fer its own.""That wouldn't work," said Captain Cephas. "If you get achild into this business, you must let it hang up its stockin'before it goes to bed, and find it full in the mornin', and thentell it an all-fired lie about Santa Claus if it asks anyquestions. Most children think more of stockin's than they do oftrees--so I've heard, at least.""I've got no objections to stockin's," said Captain Eli. "Ifit wanted to hang one up, it could hang one up either here or inmy house, wherever we kept Christmas.""You couldn't keep a child all night," sardonically remarkedCaptain Cephas, "and no more could I. Fer if it was to get up acroup in the night, it would be as if we was on a lee shore withanchors draggin' and a gale a-blowin'.""That's so," said Captain Eli. "You've put it fair. Isuppose if we did keep a child all night, we'd have to have somesort of a woman within hail in case of a sudden blow."Captain Cephas sniffed. "What's the good of talkin'?" saidhe. "There ain't no child, and there ain't no woman that youcould hire to sit all night on my front step or on your frontstep, a-waitin' to be piped on deck in case of croup.""No," said Captain Eli. "I don't suppose there's any childin this village that ain't goin' to be provided with a Christmastree or a Christmas stockin', or perhaps both--except, now I cometo think of it, that little gal that was brought down here withher mother last summer, and has been kept by Mrs. Crumley senceher mother died.""And won't be kept much longer," said Captain Cephas, "ferI've hearn Mrs. Crumley say she couldn't afford it.""That's so," said Captain Eli. "If she can't afford to keepthe little gal, she can't afford to give no Christmas trees norstockin's, and so it seems to me, cap'n, that that little galwould be a pretty good child to help us keep Christmas.""You're all the time forgettin'," said the other, "thatnuther of us can keep a child all night."Captain Eli seated himself, and looked ponderingly into thefire. "You're right, cap'n," said he. "We'd have to ship somewoman to take care of her. Of course, it wouldn't be no use toask Mrs. Crumley?"Captain Cephas laughed. "I should say not.""And there doesn't seem to be anybody else," said hiscompanion. "Can you think of anybody, cap'n?""There ain't anybody to think of," replied Captain Cephas,"unless it might be Eliza Trimmer. She's generally ready enoughto do anything that turns up. But she wouldn't be no good--herhouse is too far away for either you or me to hail her in case acroup came up suddint.""That's so," said Captain Eli. "She does live a long way off.""So that settles the whole business," said Captain Cephas."She's too far away to come if wanted, and nuther of us couldn'tkeep no child without somebody to come if they was wanted, andit's no use to have a Christmas tree without a child. AChristmas without a Christmas tree don't seem agreeable to you,cap'n, so I guess we'd better get along just the same as we'vebeen in the habit of doin', and eat our Christmas dinner, as wedo our other meals in our own houses."Captain Eli looked into the fire. "I don't like to give upthings if I can help it. That was always my way. If wind andtide's ag'in' me, I can wait till one or the other, or both ofthem, serve.""Yes," said Captain Cephas, "you was always that kind of aman.""That's so. But it does 'pear to me as if I'd have to giveup this time, though it's a pity to do it, on account of thelittle gal, fer she ain't likely to have any Christmas this year.She's a nice little gal, and takes as natural to navigation as ifshe'd been born at sea. I've given her two or three thingsbecause she's so pretty, but there's nothing she likes so much asa little ship I gave her.""Perhaps she was born at sea," remarked Captain Cephas."Perhaps she was," said the other; "and that makes it thebigger pity."For a few moments nothing was said. Then Captain Elisuddenly exclaimed, "I'll tell you what we might do, cap'n! Wemight ask Mrs. Trimmer to lend a hand in givin' the little gal aChristmas. She ain't got nobody in her house but herself, and Iguess she'd be glad enough to help give that little gal a regularChristmas. She could go and get the child, and bring her to yourhouse or to my house, or wherever we're goin' to keep Christmas,and--""Well," said Captain Cephas, with an air of scrutinizinginquiry, "what?""Well," replied the other, a little hesitatingly, "so far asI'm concerned,--that is, I don't mind one way or the other,--shemight take her Christmas dinner along with us and the little gal,and then she could fix her stockin' to be hung up, and help withthe Christmas tree, and--""Well," demanded Captain Cephas, "what?""Well," said Captain Eli, "she could--that is, it doesn'tmake any difference to me one way or the other--she might stayall night at whatever house we kept Christmas in, and then youand me might spend the night in the other house, and then shecould be ready there to help the child in the mornin', when shecame to look at her stockin'."Captain Cephas fixed upon his friend an earnest glare."That's pretty considerable of an idea to come upon you sosuddint," said he. "But I can tell you one thing: there ain't a-goin' to be any such doin's in my house. If you choose to comeover here to sleep, and give up your house to any woman you canfind to take care of the little gal, all right. But thething can't be done here."There was a certain severity in these remarks, but theyappeared to affect Captain Eli very pleasantly."Well," said he, "if you're satisfied, I am. I'll agree toany plan you choose to make. It doesn't matter to me which houseit's in, and if you say my house, I say my house. All I want isto make the business agreeable to all concerned. Now it's timefer me to go to my dinner, and this afternoon we'd better go andtry to get things straightened out, because the little gal, andwhatever woman comes with her, ought to be at my house to-morrowbefore dark. S'posin' we divide up this business: I'll go andsee Mrs. Crumley about the little gal, and you can go and seeMrs. Trimmer.""No, sir," promptly replied Captain Cephas, "I don't go tosee no Mrs. Trimmer. You can see both of them just the same asyou can see one--they're all along the same way. I'll go cut theChristmas tree.""All right," said Captain Eli. "It don't make no differenceto me which does which. But if I was you, cap'n, I'd cut a goodbig tree, because we might as well have a good one while we'reabout it."When he had eaten his dinner, and washed up his dishes, andhad put everything away in neat, housewifely order, Captain Eliwent to Mrs. Crumley's house, and very soon finished his businessthere. Mrs. Crumley kept the only house which might beconsidered a boarding-house in the village of Sponkannis; andwhen she had consented to take charge of the little girl who hadbeen left on her hands she had hoped it would not be very longbefore she would hear from some of her relatives in regard toher maintenance. But she had heard nothing, and had now ceasedto expect to hear anything, and in consequence had frequentlyremarked that she must dispose of the child some way or other,for she couldn't afford to keep her any longer. Even an absenceof a day or two at the house of the good captain would be somerelief, and Mrs. Crumley readily consented to the Christmasscheme. As to the little girl, she was delighted. She alreadylooked upon Captain Eli as her best friend in the world.It was not so easy to go to Mrs. Trimmer's house and put thebusiness before her. "It ought to be plain sailin' enough,"Captain Eli said to himself, over and over again, "but, fer allthat, it don't seem to be plain sailin'."But he was not a man to be deterred by difficult navigation,and he walked straight to Eliza Trimmer's house.Mrs. Trimmer was a comely woman about thirty-five, who hadcome to the village a year before, and had maintained herself, orat least had tried to, by dressmaking and plain sewing. She hadlived at Stetford, a seaport about twenty miles away, and fromthere, three years before, her husband, Captain Trimmer, hadsailed away in a good-sized schooner, and had never returned.She had come to Sponkannis because she thought that there shecould live cheaper and get more work than in her former home.She had found the first quite possible, but her success in regardto the work had not been very great.When Captain Eli entered Mrs. Trimmer's little room, he foundher busy mending a sail. Here fortune favored him. "Youturn your hand to 'most anything, Mrs. Trimmer," said he, afterhe had greeted her."Oh, yes," she answered, with a smile, "I am obliged to dothat. Mending sails is pretty heavy work, but it's better thannothing.""I had a notion," said he, "that you was ready to turn yourhand to any good kind of business, so I thought I would step inand ask you if you'd turn your hand to a little bit of businessI've got on the stocks."She stopped sewing on the sail, and listened while CaptainEli laid his plan before her. "It's very kind in you and CaptainCephas to think of all that," said she. "I have often noticedthat poor little girl, and pitied her. Certainly I'll come, andyou needn't say anything about paying me for it. I wouldn'tthink of asking to be paid for doing a thing like that. Andbesides,"--she smiled again as she spoke,--"if you are going togive me a Christmas dinner, as you say, that will make thingsmore than square."Captain Eli did not exactly agree with her, but he was invery good humor, and she was in good humor, and the matter wassoon settled, and Mrs. Trimmer promised to come to the captain'shouse in the morning and help about the Christmas tree, and inthe afternoon to go to get the little girl from Mrs. Crumley'sand bring her to the house.Captain Eli was delighted with the arrangements. "Things nowseem to be goin' along before a spankin' breeze,"said he. "But Idon't know about the dinner. I guess you will have to leave thatto me. I don't believe Captain Cephas could eat a woman-cooked dinner. He's accustomed to livin sailor fashion, youknow, and he has declared over and over again to me that woman-cookin' doesn't agree with him.""But I can cook sailor fashion," said Mrs. Trimmer,--"just asmuch sailor fashion as you or Captain Cephas, and if he don'tbelieve it, I'll prove it to him; so you needn't worry aboutthat."When the captain had gone, Mrs. Trimmer gayly put away thesail. There was no need to finish it in a hurry, and no knowingwhen she would get her money for it when it was done. No one hadasked her to a Christmas dinner that year, and she had expectedto have a lonely time of it. But it would be very pleasant tospend Christmas with the little girl and the two good captains.Instead of sewing any more on the sail, she got out some of herown clothes to see if they needed anything done to them.The next morning Mrs. Trimmer went to Captain Eli's house,and finding Captain Cephas there, they all set to work at theChristmas tree, which was a very fine one, and had been plantedin a box. Captain Cephas had brought over a bundle of thingsfrom his house, and Captain Eli kept running here and there,bringing, each time that he returned, some new object, wonderfulor pretty, which he had brought from China or Japan or Corea, orsome spicy island of the Eastern seas; and nearly every time hecame with these treasures Mrs. Trimmer declared that such thingswere too good to put upon a Christmas tree, even for such a nicelittle girl as the one for which that tree was intended. Thepresents which Captain Cephas brought were much more suitable forthe purpose; they were odd and funny, and some of them pretty,but not expensive, as were the fans and bits of shellwork andcarved ivories which Captain Eli wished to tie upon the twigs ofthe tree.There was a good deal of talk about all this, but Captain Elihad his own way."I don't suppose, after all," said he, "that the little galought to have all the things. This is such a big tree that it'smore like a family tree. Cap'n Cephas can take some of mythings, and I can take some of his things, and, Mrs. Trimmer, ifthere's anything you like, you can call it your present and takeit for your own, so that will be fair and comfortable all round.What I want is to make everybody satisfied.""I'm sure I think they ought to be," said Mrs. Trimmer,looking very kindly at Captain Eli.Mrs. Trimmer went home to her own house to dinner, and in theafternoon she brought the little girl. She had said there oughtto be an early supper, so that the child would have time to enjoythe Christmas tree before she became sleepy.This meal was prepared entirely by Captain Eli, and in sailorfashion, not woman fashion, so that Captain Cephas could make noexcuse for eating his supper at home. Of course they all oughtto be together the whole of that Christmas eve. As for the bigdinner on the morrow, that was another affair, for Mrs. Trimmerundertook to make Captain Cephas understand that she had alwayscooked for Captain Trimmer in sailor fashion, and if he objectedto her plum-duff, or if anybody else objected to her mince-pie,she was going to be very much surprised.Captain Cephas ate his supper with a good relish, and wasstill eating when the rest had finished. As to the Christmastree, it was the most valuable, if not the most beautiful, thathad ever been set up in that region. It had no candles upon it,but was lighted by three lamps and a ship's lantern placed in thefour corners of the room, and the little girl was as happy as ifthe tree were decorated with little dolls and glass balls. Mrs.Trimmer was intensely pleased and interested to see the child sohappy, and Captain Eli was much pleased and interested to see thechild and Mrs. Trimmer so happy, and Captain Cephas wasinterested, and perhaps a little amused in a superior fashion, tosee Captain Eli and Mrs. Trimmer and the little child so happy.Then the distribution of the presents began. Captain Eliasked Captain Cephas if he might have the wooden pipe that thelatter had brought for his present. Captain Cephas said he mighttake it, for all he cared, and be welcome to it. Then CaptainEli gave Captain Cephas a red bandanna handkerchief of a verycurious pattern, and Captain Cephas thanked him kindly. Afterwhich Captain Eli bestowed upon Mrs. Trimmer a most beautifultortoise-shell comb, carved and cut and polished in a wonderfulway, and with it he gave a tortoise-shell fan, carved in the samefashion, because he said the two things seemed to belong to eachother and ought to go together; and he would not listen to oneword of what Mrs. Trimmer said about the gifts being too good forher, and that she was not likely ever to use them."It seems to me," said Captain Cephas, "that you might begiving something to the little gal."Then Captain Eli remembered that the child ought not to beforgotten, and her soul was lifted into ecstasy by manygifts, some of which Mrs. Trimmer declared were too good for anychild in this wide, wide world. But Captain Eli answered thatthey could be taken care of by somebody until the little girl wasold enough to know their value.Then it was discovered that, unbeknown to anybody else, Mrs.Trimmer had put some presents on the tree, which were thingswhich had been brought by Captain Trimmer from somewhere in thefar East or the distant West. These she bestowed upon CaptainCephas and Captain Eli. And the end of all this was that in thewhole of Sponkannis, from the foot of the bluff to the east, tothe very last house on the shore to the west, there was not oneChristmas eve party so happy as this one.Captain Cephas was not quite so happy as the three otherswere, but he was very much interested. About nine o'clock theparty broke up, and the two captains put on their caps andbuttoned up their pea-jackets, and started for Captain Cephas'shouse, but not before Captain Eli had carefully fastened everywindow and every door except the front door, and had told Mrs.Trimmer how to fasten that when they had gone, and had given hera boatswain's whistle, which she might blow out of the window ifthere should be a sudden croup and it should be necessary for anyone to go anywhere. He was sure he could hear it, for the windwas exactly right for him to hear a whistle from his house. Whenthey had gone Mrs. Trimmer put the little girl to bed, and wasdelighted to find in what a wonderfully neat and womanlikefashion that house was kept.It was nearly twelve o'clock that night when Captain Eli,sleeping in his bunk opposite that of Captain Cephas, was arousedby hearing a sound. He had been lying with his best earuppermost, so that he should hear anything if there happened tobe anything to hear. He did hear something, but it was not aboatswain's whistle; it was a prolonged cry, and it seemed tocome from the sea.In a moment Captain Eli was sitting on the side of his bunk,listening intently. Again came the cry. The window toward thesea was slightly open, and he heard it plainly."Cap'n! " said he, and at the word Captain Cephas was sittingon the side of his bunk, listening. He knew from his companion'sattitude, plainly visible in the light of a lantern which hung ona hook at the other end of the room, that he had been awakened tolisten. Again came the cry."That's distress at sea," said Captain Cephas. "Harken!"They listened again for nearly a minute, when the cry wasrepeated."Bounce on deck, boys!" said Captain Cephas, getting out onthe floor. "There's some one in distress off shore."Captain Eli jumped to the floor, and began to dress quickly."It couldn't be a call from land?" he asked hurriedly. "Itdon't sound a bit to you like a boatswain's whistle, does it?""No," said Captain Cephas, disdainfully. "It's a call fromsea." Then, seizing a lantern, he rushed down the companionway.As soon as he was convinced that it was a call from sea,Captain Eli was one in feeling and action with Captain Cephas.The latter hastily opened the draughts of the kitchen stove, andput on some wood, and by the time this was done Captain Eli hadthe kettle filled and on the stove. Then they clapped on theircaps and their pea-jackets, each took an oar from a corner in theback hall, and together they ran down to the beach.The night was dark, but not very cold, and Captain Cephas hadbeen to the store that morning in his boat.Whenever he went to the store, and the weather permitted, herowed there in his boat rather than walk. At the bow of theboat, which was now drawn up on the sand, the two men stood andlistened. Again came the cry from the sea."It's something ashore on the Turtle-back Shoal," saidCaptain Cephas."Yes," said Captain Eli, "and it's some small craft, fer thatcry is down pretty nigh to the water.""Yes," said Captain Cephas. "And there's only one manaboard, or else they'd take turns a-hollerin'.""He's a stranger," said Captain Eli, "or he wouldn't havetried, even with a cat-boat, to get in over that shoal on ebb-tide."As they spoke they ran the boat out into the water and jumpedin, each with an oar. Then they pulled for the Turtle-backShoal.Although these two captains were men of fifty or thereabout,they were as strong and tough as any young fellows in thevillage, and they pulled with steady strokes, and sent the heavyboat skimming over the water, not in a straight line toward theTurtle-back Shoal, but now a few points in the darkness thisway, and now a few points in the darkness that way, then with agreat curve to the south through the dark night, keeping alwaysnear the middle of the only good channel out of the bay when thetide was ebbing.Now the cries from seaward had ceased, but the two captainswere not discouraged."He's heard the thumpin' of our oars," said Captain Cephas."He's listenin', and he'll sing out again if he thinks we'regoin' wrong," said Captain Eli. "Of course he doesn't knowanything about that."And so when they made the sweep to the south the cry cameagain, and Captain Eli grinned. "We needn't to spend no breathhollerin'," said he. "He'll hear us makin' fer him in a minute."When they came to head for the shoal they lay on their oarsfor a moment, while Captain Cephas turned the lantern in the bow,so that its light shone out ahead. He had not wanted theshipwrecked person to see the light when it would seem as if theboat were rowing away from him. He had heard of castaway peoplewho became so wild when they imagined that a ship or boat wasgoing away from them that they jumped overboard.When the two captains reached the shoal, they found there acat-boat aground, with one man aboard. His tale was quicklytold. He had expected to run into the little bay that afternoon,but the wind had fallen, and in trying to get in after dark, andbeing a stranger, he had run aground. If he had not been socold, he said, he would have been willing to stay there till thetide rose; but he was getting chilled, and seeing a light notfar away, he concluded to call for help as long as his voice heldout.The two captains did not ask many questions. They helpedanchor the cat-boat, and then they took the man on their boat androwed him to shore. He was getting chilled sitting out theredoing nothing, and so when they reached the house they made himsome hot grog, and promised in the morning, when the tide rose,they would go out and help him bring his boat in. Then CaptainCephas showed the stranger to a bunk, and they all went to bed.Such experiences had not enough of novelty to the good captainsto keep them awake five minutes.In the morning they were all up very early, and the stranger,who proved to be a seafaring man with bright blue eyes, saidthat, as his cat-boat seemed to be riding all right at itsanchorage, he did not care to go out after her just yet. Anytime during flood-tide would do for him, and he had some businessthat he wanted to attend to as soon as possible.This suited the two captains very well, for they wished to beon hand when the little girl discovered her stocking."Can you tell me," said the stranger, as he put on his cap,"where I can find a Mrs. Trimmer, who lives in this village?"At these words all the sturdy stiffness which, from his youthup, had characterized the legs of Captain Eli entirely went outof them, and he sat suddenly upon a bench. For a few momentsthere was silence.Then Captain Cephas, who thought some answer should be madeto the question, nodded his head."I want to see her as soon as I can," said the stranger. "I havecome to see her on particular business that will be a surprise toher. I wanted to be here before Christmas began, and that's thereason I took that cat-boat from Stetford, because I thought I'dcome quicker that way than by land. But the wind fell, as I toldyou. If either one of you would be good enough to pilot me towhere Mrs. Trimmer lives, or to any point where I can get a sightof the place, I'd be obliged."Captain Eli rose and with hurried but unsteady steps wentinto the house (for they had been upon the little piazza), andbeckoned to his friend to follow. The two men stood in thekitchen and looked at each other. The face of Captain Eli was ofthe hue of a clam-shell."Go with him, cap'n," he said in a hoarse whisper. "I can'tdo it.""To your house?" inquired the other."Of course. Take him to my house. There ain't no otherplace where she is. Take him along."Captain Cephas's countenance wore an air of the deepestconcern, but he thought that the best thing to do was toget the stranger away.As they walked rapidly toward Captain Eli's house there wasvery little said by either Captain Cephas or the stranger. Thelatter seemed anxious to give Mrs. Trimmer a surprise, and not tosay anything which might enable another person to interfere withhis project.The two men had scarcely stepped upon the piazza when Mrs.Trimmer, who had been expecting early visitors, opened the door.She was about to call out "Merry Christmas!" but, her eyesfalling upon a stranger, the words stopped at her lips.First she turned red, then she turned pale, and Captain Cephasthought she was about to fall. But before she could do this thestranger had her in his arms. She opened her eyes, which for amoment she had closed, and, gazing into his face, she put herarms around his neck. Then Captain Cephas came away, withoutthinking of the little girl and the pleasure she would have indiscovering her Christmas stocking.When he had been left alone, Captain Eli sat down near thekitchen stove, close to the very kettle which he had filled withwater to heat for the benefit of the man he had helped bring infrom the sea, and, with his elbows on his knees and his fingersin his hair, he darkly pondered."If I'd only slept with my hard-o'-hearin' ear up," he saidto himself, "I'd never have heard it."In a few moments his better nature condemned this thought."That's next to murder," he muttered, "fer he couldn't havekept himself from fallin' asleep out there in the cold, and whenthe tide riz held have been blowed out to sea with this wind. IfI hadn't heard him, Captain Cephas never would, fer he wasn'tprimed up to wake, as I was."But, notwithstanding his better nature, Captain Eli was againsaying to himself, when his friend returned, "If I'd only sleptwith my other ear up!"Like the honest, straightforward mariner he was, CaptainCephas made an exact report of the facts. "They was huggin' whenI left them," he said, "and I expect they went indoors prettysoon, fer it was too cold outside. It's an all-fired shame shehappened to be in your house, cap'n, that's all I've got tosay about it. It's a thunderin' shame."Captain Eli made no answer. He still sat with his elbows onhis knees and his hands in his hair."A better course than you laid down fer these Christmas timeswas never dotted on a chart," continued Captain Cephas. "Fromport of sailin' to port of entry you laid it down clear and fine.But it seems there was rocks that wasn't marked on the chart.""Yes," groaned Captain Eli, "there was rocks."Captain Cephas made no attempt to comfort his friend, butwent to work to get breakfast.When that meal--a rather silent one--was over, Captain Elifelt better. "There was rocks," he said, "and not a breaker toshow where they lay, and I struck 'em bow on. So that's the endof that voyage. But I've tuk to my boats, cap'n, I've tuk to myboats.""I'm glad to hear you've tuk to your boats," said CaptainCephas, with an approving glance upon his friend.About ten minutes afterwards Captain Eli said, "I'm goin' upto my house.""By yourself?" said the other."Yes, by myself. I'd rather go alone. I don't intend tomind anything, and I'm goin' to tell her that she can stay thereand spend Christmas,--the place she lives in ain't no place tospend Christmas,--and she can make the little gal have a goodtime, and go 'long just as we intended to go 'long--plum-duff andmince-pie all the same. I can stay here, and you and me can haveour Christmas dinner together, if we choose to give it that name.And if she ain't ready to go to-morrow, she can stay a day ortwo longer. It's all the same to me, if it's the same to you,cap'n."Captain Cephas having said that it was the same to him,Captain Eli put on his cap and buttoned up his pea-jacket,declaring that the sooner he got to his house the better, as shemight be thinking that she would have to move out of it now thatthings were different.Before Captain Eli reached his house he saw something whichpleased him. He saw the sea-going stranger, with his back towardhim, walking rapidly in the direction of the village store.Captain Eli quickly entered his house, and in the doorway ofthe room where the tree was he met Mrs. Trimmer, beaming brighterthan any morning sun that ever rose."Merry Christmas!" she exclaimed, holding out both her hands."I've been wondering and wondering when you'd come to bid me`Merry Christmas'--the merriest Christmas I've ever had."Captain Eli took her hands and bid her "Merry Christmas" verygravely.She looked a little surprised. "What's the matter, Captain Eli?"she exclaimed. "You don't seem to say that as if you meant it.""Oh, yes, I do," he answered. "This must be an all-fired--Imean a thunderin' happy Christmas fer you, Mrs. Trimmer.""Yes," said she, her face beaming again. "And to think thatit should happen on Christmas day--that this blessed morning,before anything else happened, my Bob, my only brother, should--""Your what!" roared Captain Eli, as if he had been shoutingorders in a raging storm.Mrs. Trimmer stepped back almost frightened. "My brother,"said she. "Didn't he tell you he was my brother--my brother Bob,who sailed away a year before I was married, and who has been inAfrica and China and I don't know where? It's so long since Iheard that he'd gone into trading at Singapore that I'd given himup as married and settled in foreign parts. And here he has cometo me as if he'd tumbled from the sky on this blessed Christmasmorning."Captain Eli made a step forward, his face very much flushed."Your brother, Mrs. Trimmer--did you really say it was yourbrother?""Of course it is," said she. "Who else could it be?" Thenshe paused for a moment and looked steadfastly at the captain."You don't mean to say, Captain Eli," she asked, "that youthought it was--""Yes, I did," said Captain Eli, promptly.Mrs. Trimmer looked straight in the captain's eyes, then shelooked on the ground. Then she changed color and changed backagain."I don't understand," she said hesitatingly, "why--I mean whatdifference it made.""Difference!" exclaimed Captain Eli. "It was all thedifference between a man on deck and a man overboard--that's thedifference it was to me. I didn't expect to be talkin' to you soearly this Christmas mornin', but things has been sprung on me,and I can't help it I just want to ask you one thing: Did youthink I was gettin' up this Christmas tree and the Christmasdinner and the whole business fer the good of the little gal, andfer the good of you, and fer the good of Captain Cephas?"Mrs. Trimmer had now recovered a very fair possession ofherself. "Of course I did," she answered, looking up at him asshe spoke. "Who else could it have been for!""Well," said he, "you were mistaken. It wasn't fer any oneof you. It was all fer me--fer my own self.""You yourself?" said she. "I don't see how.""But I see how," he answered. "It's been a long time since Iwanted to speak my mind to you, Mrs. Trimmer, but I didn't everhave no chance. And all these Christmas doin's was got up togive me the chance not only of speakin' to you, but of showin' mycolors better than I could show them in any other way.Everything went on a-skimmin' till this mornin', when thatstranger that we brought in from the shoal piped up and asked feryou. Then I went overboard--at least, I thought I did--and sunkdown, down, clean out of soundin's.""That was too bad, captain," said she, speaking very gently,"after all your trouble and kindness.""But I don't know now," he continued, "whether I wentoverboard or whether I am on deck. Can you tell me, Mrs.Trimmer?"She looked up at him. Her eyes were very soft, and her lipstrembled just a little. "It seems to me, captain," she said,"that you are on deck--if you want to be."The captain stepped closer to her. "Mrs. Trimmer," said he,"is that brother of yours comin' back?""Yes," she answered, surprised at the sudden question. "He'sjust gone up to the store to buy a shirt and some things. He gothimself splashed trying to push his boat off last night.""Well, then," said Captain Eli, "would you mind tellin' himwhen he comes back that you and me's engaged to be married? Idon't know whether I've made a mistake in the lights or not, butwould you mind tellin' him that?"Mrs. Trimmer looked at him. Her eyes were not so soft asthey had been, but they were brighter. "I'd rather you'd tellhim that yourself," said she.The little girl sat on the floor near the Christmas tree,just finishing a large piece of red-and-white candy which she hadtaken out of her stocking. "People do hug a lot at Christmas-time," said she to herself. Then she drew out a piece of blue-and-white candy and began on that.Captain Cephas waited a long time for his friend to return,and at last he thought it would be well to go and look for him.When he entered the house he found Mrs. Trimmer sitting on thesofa in the parlor, with Captain Eli on one side of her and herbrother on the other, and each of them holding one of her hands."It looks as if I was in port, don't it?" said Captain Eli tohis astonished friend. "Well, here I am, and here's my fustmate," inclining his head toward Mrs. Trimmer. "And she's inport too, safe and sound. And that strange captain on the otherside of her, he's her brother Bob, who's been away for years andyears, and is just home from Madagascar.""Singapore," amended Brother Bob.Captain Cephas looked from one to the other of the threeoccupants of the sofa, but made no immediate remark. Presently asmile of genial maliciousness stole over his face, and he asked,"How about the poor little gal? Have you sent her back to Mrs.Crumley's?"The little girl came out from behind the Christmas tree, herstocking, now but half filled, in her hand. "Here I am," shesaid. "Don't you want to give me a Christmas hug, CaptainCephas? You and me's the only ones that hasn't had any."The Christmas dinner was as truly and perfectly a sailor-cooked meal as ever was served on board a ship or off it.Captain Cephas had said that, and when he had so spoken there wasno need of further words.It was nearly dark that afternoon, and they were all sittingaround the kitchen fire, the three seafaring men smoking, andMrs. Trimmer greatly enjoying it. There could be no objection tothe smell of tobacco in this house so long as its future mistressenjoyed it. The little girl sat on the floor nursing a Chineseidol which had been one of her presents."After all," said Captain Eli, meditatively, "this wholebusiness come out of my sleepin' with my best ear up. Fer if I'dslept with my hard-o'-hearin' ear up--" Mrs. Trimmer put onefinger on his lips. "All right," said Captain Eli, "I won't sayno more. But it would have been different."Even now, several years after that Christmas, when there isno Mrs. Trimmer, and the little girl, who has been regularlyadopted by Captain Eli and his wife, is studying geography, andknows more about latitude and longitude than her teacher atschool, Captain Eli has still a slight superstitious dread ofsleeping with his best ear uppermost."Of course it's the most all-fired nonsense," he says tohimself over and over again. Nevertheless, he feels safer whenit is his "hard-o'-hearin' ear" that is not upon the pillow.