"Captain, are you really afraid of your wife and daughter?" the girl asked. "Wouldn't it be very easy to explain how I came on this boat, and that it wasn't your fault at all?"
"I wouldn't git a chance to explain, Miss. Ye see, Martha an' Flo are fine women when it comes to cookin', lookin' after the house, an' sich things. But when it comes to the question of other women, an' 'specially one who has run away from home, an' can't give a reasonable account of herself, well, that's different."
"Oh, I see!" The girl caught her breath, and her face flushed. "They might think I'm not exactly straight; is that it?"
"Mebbe they might, an' that would make it hard fer me an' Eben."
"But won't they listen to reason, Captain? Surely they will believe you and your son."
"They might, Miss, but I do
