Blow the Man Down - A Romance of the Coast

"I think you're a good judge of what you see, Captain Downs."

"I reckon that you and I as gents and master mariners are going to keep

mum about her being aboard the Alden?"

"Certainly, sir."

"The coast-guard crew don't know who she is, and they can't find out.

So she can go home and mind her business from this time out. 'Most every

woman does one infernal fool thing in her life--and then is all right

ever after. But now a word on some subject that's sensible! What are you

going to do?"

"Stick my head into the noose. It's about the only thing I can do."

"But you'll talk up to 'em, of course?"

"I'll play what few cards I hold as best I know, sir. The most I can

hope for is to make 'em drop that manslaughter case. Perhaps I can say

enough so that they'll be afraid to bring me to trial. As to getting my

papers back, I'm afraid that's out of the question. I'll have to start

life over in something else."

"Mayo, why don't you go to the captain's office?" He promptly answered

the young man's glance of inquiry. "Julius Marston himself is the

supreme boss of that steamship-consolidation business. Bradish gave all

that part away, telling about those checks; though, of course, we all

knew about Marston before. It is probably likely that Marston gives true

courses to his understrappers. If they take fisherman's cuts between

buoys in order to get there quick, I'll bet he doesn't know about it. Go

to him and tell him, man to man, what has happened to you."

"There are two reasons why I shall probably never see Mr. Marston,"

returned Mayo, grimly. "First, I'll be arrested before I can get across

New York to his office; second, I'll never get farther than the outer

office. He's guarded like the Czar of Russia, so they tell me."

"Does his girl know anything about your case?"

"I blabbed it to her--like a fool--when we were in the boat. Why is it

that when a man is drunk or excited or in trouble, he'll blow the whole

story of his life to a woman?" growled Mayo.

"I've thought that over some, myself," admitted Captain Downs.

"Especially on occasions when I've come to and realized what I've let

out. I suppose it's this--more or less: A man don't tell his troubles to

another man, for he knows that the other man is usually in'ardly glad

of it because any friend is in trouble. But a woman's sympathy is like a

flaxseed poultice--it soothes the ache and draws at the same time."