The Appeal., 1890-12-20

C1e, you OugnC not 10 Calk ike CnaG.
Don't say ought to me. Pm tired
of doing what ought to do.''
Ethel was twenty-six and her skin
was growing yellow under her eyes.
$50 down into the cabin and keep
Der Alte Chaperon awake" suggested
Sybil.
'Do it yourself"
''Not such bad idea," said Sybil,
slipping down the companionway
Collie Beattie was not asleep yet He
sat up and stared as the tall, white girl
came below.
lawfully good of you, you know" he
murmured.
''Oh, it's not so very good; but what
do you mean?"
Il mean your coming down here to
keep me awake" Sybil turned just
trlf1e pink under the ears. Had he been
listening to their conversation on deck?
It must have edited him, she thought.
Il came down to keep myself awake"
she said, hastily, and then added, in
consistently: "Why don't you 60 on
deck and enjoy the breeze?"
because l can't enjoy the breeze" he
answered.
ITS too strong for you, I suppose"
said Sybil, with touch of scorn.
eyes much too strong"
''Makes you chilly"
'Yes, makes me chilly"
''Might spoil your complexion.
my what?'
''Your complexion"
"Didn't know I had any,"
''You're as white and pink as a baby"
''That's true, but don't think that's
much of complexion for a man, you
know"
Neither do /. should think you'd
get a little sunburn on you just from
shame"
Collie laughed. He seemed to be i'm
mensely amused. He had funny way
of being amused at things that didn't
amuse other people. 1t was jolly for
him, but it made tho other people an
CRY.
''lf you're going to laugh at my con-
versation I'm going back to the-the
glrls," exclaimed Sybil, springing up
the steps.
Collie laughed some more. Then he
stretched himself on the cabin locker
and laughed again. Next he closed his
eyes and smiled. A minute later he
was sound asleep. All the women came
down and looked at him half an hour
later. He didn't seem much to look at.
He had deep lines under his eyes when
he slept, and worn appearance. Yet
they all looked at him and despised
him. He just slept on and didn't mind
it.
valuable person to have on a yacht
ing excursion, isn't he?'' whispered
Ethel, with genuine growl in her
pretty voice. IF had a thing like
that for husband I'd-but I'd never
have one.''
''Let's 60 on deck. I do believe it's
fallen dead calm," said Mrs. Bisbee.
So it had. The Clover's mast was
plumb perpendicular. So were her
mainsail and her jib. The water
looked like molasses. And it was
seething hot. The skipper said there
was going to be a squall and sent the
one sailor, a boy, aloft to furl the top
sail. The skipper was right. There
was going to be squalL Big blue
black clouds were piling up in the
northwest Ligh thing played around
their lower edges. The skipper said it
would not be bad squall. The Clover
would stand it under jib and mainsail.
1t came along in a few minutes. You
could see it strike the water over near
the Connecticut shore. 1t made the sur
face six shades darker. The girls had
their rubber goods on, but the skipper
said it would not rain. However, they
had heard shippers say that before.
The s1uall came bounding over the
sound.
Then they never knew how it hap
pened, but the boom gave terrific
jump right across the yacht. 1t hit the
skipper on the head and knocked him
senseless. The next moment he was
halfway over the lee rail with seven
shrieking women pulling at him. The
yacht was pretty nearly on her beam
ends, and the sailor boy was paralyzed.
Then Collie Beattie walked up out of
the cabin rubbing his eyes.
Did some one scream"' he asked.
"Oh, look at that useless thing!"
cried Ethel. tugging at the leg of the
shippers trousers.
Whereupon Collie woke up
He brushed the women aside like so
many flies and pulled the skipper into
the cockpit. Then he let go the jib-
sheet and the yacht righted partly.
Here, my lad," he called to the boy,
stake the wheel" The boy obeyed,
and Collie pulled off his coat. There
! was a red spot in each of his cheeks.