Page:McClure's Magazine v9 n3 to v10 no2.djvu/228

954 less damask and heaved an artless sigh. With twinkling eyes the other young man regarded him in ungrudging envy.

"You'd better put me on land now as soon as you can, young feller," said MacDowell, as his own world and his duty in it came back to him resentingly, "I'm all right now. That little crack on the head ain't nothin'. I'd thinned down and weakened up more'n I knew, or I wouldn't have giv'n out like that. You've put new life into me, you 'nd that little smilin' girl o' yours. I never tasted anything like that sizzling stuff before, 'nd the food was mighty good. Thank you for your kindness. I must get home."

A short sigh escaped him at the thought—Home!

"Oh, you'd better take a little spin first and get yourself full of sea air and well rested," said the young man, with animated cordiality. "You can get up and dress if you feel up to it, and come out on deck, and sit in a good, comfortable chair. It's too late to do anything to-day. Do you live in New York? I can put a man ashore anywhere with word for your people, you know."

"There's nobody to get it but my little girls," said John. "My wife's dead, and laid out to be buried, and there's nobody with 'em except her 'nd Mrs. Murphy. I wouldn't have left 'em only that I had to. All they've got is me, 'nd God knows that don't seem much help to 'em," said the workman bitterly. "But there's got to be the funeral, 'nd then we can all be thrown out together. If it wasn't for them, 'twould have been better to have left me in the river. Though, the Lord knows, I ain't complainin' of you, young feller. You're a white man. If there was more of your kind, there'd be less of mine."

"Suppose you tell me a little more about yourself," said the "young feller," quietly. "I don't think there will be any throwing out. Nothing worse than a moving out, perhaps, to something better."

MacDowell did tell him, simply, truly, the facts in the case.

"I'm glad I came up here, if I didn't get what I wanted," he added in conclusion. "You don't know how that little girl yours made me feel when she looked up and smiled so sweet, and she all dressed up, 'nd me with a 'jumper' on and a-lookin' like something to be shy of; 'nd though I don't think my gettin' after her when she fell in the river was much, for a big dog would ha' done that 'nd made a better fist of it than I did, yet it makes me feel good to have been round to do it; 'nd I