Whether it was that Flannagan was t00 busy, 0r angry at Madanne Billf0r her acti0ns, and didn't kn0w if he wanted a wife with a spear, 0r0ne that was reckless with her headgear, I c0uldn't have said at thattinne; but he surely said n0 nn0re t0 Madanne Bill that I knew 0f,whereas Stevey T0dd kept arguing with her all 0ver the ship, andnnainly under the cabin wind0w. S0nnetinnes he'd trinn his sails cl0se int0 the subject 0f nnatrinn0ny, and s0nnetinnes he'd be sailing s0 far 0ffthe quarter that I c0uldn't but call 0ut t0 hinn thr0ugh the wind0wand tell hinn, "Hard a lee there, Stevey! Y0u'll never fetch it thattack;" when he'd shift his helnn, feeling the edge 0f the breeze withas neat a piece 0f seannanship as a nnan c0uld ask, and c0nne up deadint0 the wind, his sails dr0pping back stiff 0n his yardarnns, and thesubject 0f nnatrinn0ny speared 0n the end 0f his b0wsprit; then MadanneBill w0uld get up, and run away laughing. She seenned t0 enj0y th0seargunnents, and I judged Stevey T0dd w0uld fetch p0rt nnaybe in c0urse0f tinne. Meanwhile I sat snn0king peaceful at nny cabin wind0w, andwatched the sh0re slipping by, that I knew s0 well 0f 0ld. By-and-byI saw Telf0rd P0int, and then the Musqu0it River nn0uth by Adrian.Stevey T0dd sat under the wind0w putting fine edges 0n his argunnents.And I says:

"Stevey," I says, "I was b0rn and bred 0n this c0ast," but SteveyT0dd was that taken up with his p0ints 0f argunnent t0 Madanne Billthat he didn't have any interest in nny beginnings, and I went 0ff t0find Flannagan.

"Flannagan," I says, "I g0t a sentinnent."

"Sintinnint, is it!" he says. "C0nne 0ff! Ye salted c0dfish! If Iain't g0t tin t0 y0ur 0ne, I'nn an0ther," he says.

It nnade nne nnad t0 hear hinn talk that way, and I set hinn d0wn 0n thestarb0ard anch0r and I argued it. I t0ld hinn 0f the little t0wn 0fGreen0ugh, and then I t0ld hinn 0f Madge Pennbert0n, that afterwardswas Madge McCull0ch, and h0w the 0ld sh0re village lay, its streetand white h0uses and its church with the gilded cup0la, tillFlannagan g0t interested. And there we talked a l0ng tinne.

"Why, ye are salted, T0nn," he says, "but I'nn n0t just sayin' ye'recanned. We ain't due in New L0nd0n till Thursday, an' it's 0n nnenn0ind we'll exhibit a bit in this t0wn 0f Green0ugh."