Zoeth Hamilton stepped forward and held out his hands.

"Come here, dearie," he said, gently; "come here and tell me all about
it. Neither me nor the Cap'n's goin' to hurt you a mite. We like little
girls, both of us do. Now you come and tell me about it."

Mary-'Gusta's sobs ceased. She looked at the speaker doubtfully.

"Come, don't be scared," begged Zoeth. "We're goin' to be good friends
to you. We knew your father and he thought everything of us. You ain't
goin' to be afraid of folks that was your Pa's chums. You come here and
let's talk it over."

Slowly Mary-'Gusta crossed the room. Zoeth sat down upon an empty box
near the door and lifted the girl to his knee.

"Now you ain't afraid of me, be you?" he asked quietly.

Mary-'Gusta shook her head, but her big eyes were fixed upon Captain
Shadrach's face.

"No-o," she faltered. "I--I guess I ain't. But you wasn't the one I did
it to. It was him."

Judging by the Captain's expression his conviction that all hands,
himself included, had lost their reason was momentarily growing firmer.

"ME?" he gasped. "You done somethin' to me and I--well, by Judas, this
is--"