"All right," said Captain Eri calmly. "I will. I'll tell her you're
bashful, but jest dyin' to be married, and that she can have you if she
only waits long enough."

With this he turned on his heel and walked out.

"Hold on, Eri!" shouted the frantic Jerry. "Don't you do it! Don't you
tell her that! Land of love, Perez, do you s'pose he will?"

"I don't know," was the answer in a disgusted tone. "You hadn't ought to
have been so pig-headed, Jerry."

Captain Eri, with set teeth and determination written on his face,
walked straight to the dining-room door. Drawing a long breath, he
opened it and stepped inside. A woman, who had been sitting in Captain
Perez' rocker, rose as he entered.

The woman looked at the Captain and the Captain looked at her. She was
of middle age, inclined to stoutness, with a pair of keen eyes behind
brass-rimmed spectacles, and was dressed in a black "alpaca" gown that
was faded a little in places and had been neatly mended in others. She
spoke first.

"You're not Cap'n Burgess?" she said.

"No, ma'am," said the Captain uneasily. "My name is Hedge. I'm a sort of
messmate of his. You're Miss Snow?"

"Mrs. Snow. I'm a widow."