Year: 1879

But why did you pay 0 much fol
a shawl? 1t was sheer nonsense,
said my old friend. Captain Morton
as he mixed his third glass of grOg
aad stirred in multiplicity of spices
before drinking it-after the manner
of sailors when they can get it,
why on earth did you pay SO much
money for 8 shawl, when you could
buy one much cheaper. Nine hun.
dred dollNrs-by the blood of a
shark--it would buy a house,
That was his oath-'by the blood
Of a shark; : he never swore any
other; and the most abusive epithet
he could apply to mao. one that
to him embodied the quintessence Of
meanness, was to call him shark


4 will tell you, Captain, said 1 !;
but then you must acknowledge that
the shawl is q beauty-if it did cost
a small fortune to a posr man. Last
year, when came home with a car.
go of tea from China, 1 left my ship
in good hands and hurried to my
home in the little village of Twicea.
week 1--WE called it that. because our
mail came twice q week. where all
my hopes and affections were inves.
ted ia wife and two children. l
was in joyous spirits, and as happy
a man as ever stepped on terra frma.
My handsome wife was we'll and
young as ever, my boy as much like
me as when l left him many months
before, and my gentle six.year.old
Nellie lovlier than l had dreamed
she could be. My welcome was all
1 could have wished, and oh what
bright days those were that followed
my immediate arrival.


The third day my boxes were
brought out. Now the opening of a
sailors boxes is always a moment.
Gus affair to his family. and l had
brought mine all the presents | could
possibly procure fer them. Two
pieces of rich silk for dresses for my
wife, beautiful Chinese table linen,
carved chessmen, and so on. saw
look Of disappointment on my
wife's face, but she said nothing and
the matter passed off.


My old friends came to see me-
my wife gave me my favorite dishes
and the week so happily spent was
gone before I knew it. Sunday
morning came, bright and beautiful.
To my surprise, my wife came to
breakfast with rumpled hair, and
looking decidedly cross after awhile
she declared she would not go TO
church, though she was regular rs
the sexton, for she had nothing fit
to wear. l thought it very odd, but
said nothing, having long since found
out that arguing with a woman is
about as, effectual as dipping the
ocean with q teaspoon.





when Nellie and I got back,
there stood my wife-her hair still
uucombed, and ready to scold the
child for muddying her shoes, her
blue Chinese boots with the little
bronze bird on the side Of them. I
interferred with good deal Of arm.
ness, and went in to dinner. Moth.
ing on the table was cooked decent.
ly. And SO it was all the next week /;
my coffee was thick aud muddy, nv
meat done to q crust, and l well
knew the demon of mischief was
about to be let loose, but why,
could not guess.


In the meanwhile, my wife's sis
ter, who had been a kind of ship's-
cousin quartered on me ever since
my marriage. locked as demure rs a
Connecticut deacon, and gave me no
hint what it was all about. On the
next Saturday afternoon, was sit
ting with my wife and children when
there came knock at the door ADD
in came fret mate William Bendoin
and his wife, she in all the cplendsr
Of new rig. He had returned the
week before me from Calcutta, and
we we're the sea fariDg men of the
place, and our wives we're neighbors,
and had always been professedly
great friends.


i was delighted ts see them, and
thought at the time that my wife
Was very cool, though SO exoeeding
ly polite. / soon forgot all about
her manner, though. in the pleasure
Of talking over old times, and they