The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-12-24
A CHRISTMAS GlFTFROM THE SEA
CONTINUED FIR ON PAGE ONE.)

Turned away. for he knew the ache at
her heart: it companioned the void
at his own.
To hide his emotion he threw
Sruffness into his voice. I'm think
ing ] made q mistake IN brlnglng you
to sea. lass" he said. 1T isn't a place
for women, least Of all soft-hearted
women such as o are. But you
begged and prayed, II the owners
seemed Wiling
1T rot to be lonely waiting there
ashore. Hiram" h said simply. 1t
was at nights, When-whcn the wind
howled and the snoW fell everywhere
i saw other women happy and COM
p~anionable, with their men about
them; and lit was more thai l
could stand. 1t would have been
easier Tiff thcre'd-if Amos had
lived He understood, and his
rough, Snarled hand crept out along
the rail until it rested on hers with
the pressure of sympathy.
I'm glad to be here, Hiram" she
said. Don't go for to think other
wise. But seeing that Tm-happy.
Id like to have those around me hap
py, too. 1t isn't much to ask: just
give the sailors u bit of a rest on
Christmas Day-let them have that
pig for a Christmas dinner; they'll
work all the better for it a~fterward."
We'll get no more fresh meat Tor
months" said Hiram HapShOtt. And
YOU don't take to salt stuff very kind
ly, Maria"
you needn't think of me- she told
him. ITS Il little thing for me to
do: sacrifice one single luxury for
the sake of making twenty men
happy"
I'll think it over said her hus-
band noncommittally. Its such an
idea as I've never heard Of, mind
YOU. Christmas might be kept al sea
on liners and steamers and that sort
of thing, where they don care :;
toss about the weather and where
they've got nothing much to do at
the best Of times. But in q wind
jammer-it's different somehow.
There's always something to be
dome
For one day things can be left
undone," she said. 1T isn't often !
ask YOU for Il favor, Hiram; but
somehow, with Christmas drawing
near, J feel as if | want to see it kept
as it should be kept. There's a some
thin" within me tells me that this
Christmas isn't going To be like 9TH
"rs-and yeti can only be differ
rnt if / make it different. That's why
want YOU to do as I ask"
Well, We might stop work. he
Sdlu NAN OnSTaciouS1S. UaTtO
look Jones in the face and tell him
so; but if YOU like to tell him your
sclf-Well, it goes. Wen cut out the
ti.t.n- work, the painting and chipping
and so on, you know. They'll have
TO trim sail as usual. so ] don't eX.
pect they'll gain much. Wen have
ralmS and NariableS on Christmas
Day. if I'm any weather Judge; an(
their armsll ache q pretty deal by
the time the days over
Then il wouldn't be anything of {
holiday. Let them have q proper one
Hiram. Don't let them do this fixin
work, as O call it He stared a
her as at some curious animal which
the sea had disgorged under hi,
~tstOniShed nose.
"Not-not work the braces" he eN
claimed. Why, la~ss-What'ud hap
pen to the ship if we didn't? she''
he in irons and out of EN- a scor'
of time; we'd feel ourselves lucky i
she didn't urn turtle"
1t won't be SO bad as that. Hiram
I've heard You talk about what 70
do at sea when there's anything spe
cial to be done when you can't eve
spare Il hand to the wheel. Don
YOU shorten sail or do something Xix
that 50 that the shipll take care 0
hersclf?"
Yes, We brazil up and brace abacl
II mat 5 What YOU re driving al. III
it's never done except In cases Z
great emergency. And if we wer
To do il here aboard, n if it ever &c
out, why, I'd be the laughing stock {
the seven seas. They'd never forge
THEY'D invent q nickname for m,
and it'ud stick foreSer. $ IN
something reasonable, Maria, and
might see my way to doing it. but
hcaVe TO down here-Why, it's ridicl
lous."
1t isn't as ridiculous as robbin
these poor men Of one days rest
the year wOuld be- she asSeyerate,
Hiram IIapshott walked aft to tt
wheel and stood there at the co,
his head sunk on his breast, tingerir