The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-12-13

We'll. We might stop work." he said
half ungraciously. IL daren't look Jones
In the face and tell him so: but IL you
like to tell him yourself-well, II goes
Wen cut out the fixin' work. the paint
ing and chipping and so on. you know
They'll have to trim sail as usual so /
don't expect they'll gain much. Wen
have Gains and variables on Christmas
Day. IL I'm any weather judge; and
their armsll ache pretty deal by the
time the days over"
Then it wouldn't he anything Of a
holiday. Let them have "A proper one.
Hiram. Don't let them do this fixin'
work. as you call it," lie stared at her
as at some curious animal which the
sea had .disgorged under his astonished
nose.
"Not-not work the braces" he en-
claimed. why. lass--what ii happen
to the ship If we didn't? She'd he in
irons and out of 'em a score of times:
we'd feel ourselves lucky II she didn't
turn turtle"
1T wont be so bad as that Hiram.
I've heard you talk about what you do
at sea when there's anything special To
be done when you can't even spare a
hand To the wheel Don't you shorten
sail or do something like that 50 that the
ship'll take care of herself?"
Yes. we brazil up and brace aback If
that's what you're driving at. But it's
never done except in cases of great
emergency. And If we were 10 do ii
here aboard, and If it ever got out. why,
I'd be the laughing stock of the seven
seas. They'd never forget it-thcy'd IN
vent nickname for me. and IL ii stick
forever. Ask me something reasonable.
Maria, ana might see my way To doing
it, but To heave TO down here-why. it's
ridiculous"
1T isn't as ridiculous as robbing these
poor men of one days rest in the year
would be-" she asseverated.
Hiram Hapshott walked aft To the
wheel and stood there at the con. his
head sunk on his breast. lingering his
beard. AS his wife said, she had ask "a
him but few favors In the course of
their married life. What she proposed
now, while utterly without precedent,
was not entirely out of reason.
/ D it," he exploded So suddenly
that the helmsman shrank against the
spokes and tremhled. why not? I
don't pretend to say whose fault il is
that she hasn't n child-if there'd been
one she might have been more reason
able, but why shouldn't l make her
happy a bit? After all. it's Christmas
time. though man sort of loses the
hang of these things at sea. Why not
do it?"
The mate appeared On deck and the
skipper was unable to meet his eye.
for he knew that he was softeninE. But
! Mrs. Hapshott was no coward, and she
/ boldly went toward Jones.
| Mr.. Jones'" she said, 1--WE been talk
/ ing it over with capt. Hapshott, asking
HIM to give the men Christmas Day
for holiday. Would you hav, any
serious objections To his doing so?'
Jones. porp,cNcd slid his cap over
his eyes and scratched the back of his
bullet head. Then he looked to the skip
per for a lead. but found Hapshott
sternly regarding the motionlcss COM
pass card.
~ holiday" he said. What the
what do they want holiday for?
Lazy scum Hnlldays-I ike that,
ma am. Why why" words failed
him.
"A holiday would do them lot of
good; besides. it's Christmas Day. and
its shameful that they shouldn't have IA
rest then" Mrs. Hapshott was "A woman
who could assert herself when necessary
and now she talked for the good Of
Jones's soul. He realized that it was
one thing to haze crew of foreign
salormen and another thing to beat
down a determined woman's arguments
"Well, ma'am.' he said lamcly nj the