Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1934-08-17
CHAPTER VI

know" said Seymour, when ectasy
paused for breath, there were times,
when the Minotaur was binding
through fog you could carve with an
axe, and reefs under her bow, that
thought I'd been making sacrifices.
And you're throwing up the family
mansion and all it means just for me.
I'll be the sunniest, most completely
satisfied seaman using white water
from now on, and that's promise. At
the end of this next voyage, them"
1t suited Dawn, though even this
stretch of waiting appeared unneces-
sary. She confessed that she had
visited some of her associates of the
business college, and what she had
seen in their homes had taught her a
lot. She had further coaxed the fam
lily cook into teaching her that ex-
cellent art.
They're happier, those other girls,
than ever l was-until you hit that
stevedore, anyway" she stated.
"You, that might be society
queen."
"Me-that am bigger and better"
81 wish it had been any other Of
flee than Creaking's, though. That's
one firm that no decent sailorman
will ever work for if he can get off
the beach any other way. There are
rumors going about even to this day."
She wanted details and Seymour
gave them. More than one of the
Cracking ships had been lost under
unusual circumstances; there never
was anything more than suspicion of
course, but
"Hes a dear, and he'd never be
party to such thing" holly denied
Dawn who, thanks to loving a sailor,
had also learned to love ships for
something else than dividend earning.
"Shore-angel, ship-devil!" quoted
the captain of the Minotaur. cts be-
cause he's such psalm-singing hypo-
crit that he gets away with it."
"That's one of your wrong guesses,"
Dawn was certain. "He's thinking of
building bigger and better ships; I've
seen some correspondence. Better than
your old Minotaur. And it's no harm
to an ambitious young sea captain to
have his wife secretary to firm like
that. There might be fine big COM
mand going before you're bald-head-
ed"
Thompson was limiting that he
might be thinking of retiring, if it
comes to that" limited Seymour. "No
reason for him to hint it to me-un-
less he finds the exposure on the docks
too much for him at his age. I've heard
ners before this-if they start young
enough"
1t was impossible to be anything but
elated while with Dawn; but there was
lot of serious planning to be done,
too. The choice between a house of
their own and rented rooms had to be
debated. Dawn wanted the house, even
if it meant extra work. She painted
picture of the welcome home that
would await Jack after every voy-
age.
"And I'm sharing expenses, don't
forget that" she added.
But even so, when away from her,
aboard the Minotaur, Seymour felt
qualms. The future she outlined so
picturesquely wasn't what she deserv-
ed. There was that business about
her own private fortune, moreover, to
which she succeeded on coming of age,
it was nothing to what Old Ben could
leave her, but still it was a fortune
and a man of independent spirit dis
likes the thought of his wife being
weather. than his own efforts make
himself. Seymour knew men who had
married women of means. They SEEM
ed to lose some quality by the act.
But since the age Of miracles was
over, there seemed nothing remaining
save to abide by Dawn's decision.
He sailed that voyage in a tumble
of citation and omnibus gloom. He had
wild, morose ideas of shanghai-ing
Old Ben and holding him to ransom
his consent to the nuptials as a re-
deemng price. But the man who could
trap Ben Rcktt had to arise before
dawn, and then he would be too late.
Anyway, old sea gave him bolster
Gus welcome to her mysteries on this
occasion. The Minotaur sailed in a
shrieking cyclone from the west that
promised to develop into anything.
Sevmour's main comfort was that the