Harrigan | Page 9

and relinquished a long, black, fragrant cigar.
"Don't stop smoking," she said. "I want you in a pleasant mood to hear
what I have to say."
Without reply he placed the cigar in his mouth and the bright black
eyes fastened upon her. That suddenly intent regard was startling, as if
he had leaned over and spoken a word in her ear. She shrugged her
shoulders as if trying to shake off a compelling hand and then settled
into a chair.
"I've come to say something that's disagreeable for you to hear and for
me to speak."
Still he would not talk. He was as silent as Harrigan. She clenched her
hands and drove bravely ahead. She told how she had called the
red-headed sailor up to the after-cabin and dressed his hurts, and she
described succinctly, but with rising anger the raw and swollen
condition of his fingers. The captain listened with apparent enjoyment;
she could not tell whether he was relishing her story or his slowly
puffed cigar. In the end she waited for his answer, but evidently none
was forthcoming.
"Now," she said at last, "I know something about ships and sailors, and
I know that if this fellow was to appeal against you after you touch port,
a judge would weigh a single word of yours against a whole sentence of
Harrigan's. It would be a different matter if a disinterested person
pressed a charge of cruelty against you. I am such a person; I would
press such a charge; I have the money, the time, and the inclination to

do it."
She read the slight hesitation in his manner, not as if he were impressed
by what she had to say, but as though he was questioning himself as to
whether he should give her any answer at all. It made her wish
fervently that she were a man--and a big one. He spoke then, as if an
illuminating thought had occurred to him.
"You know Harrigan's record?"
"No," she admitted grudgingly.
McTee sighed as if with deep relief and leaned back in his chair. His
smile was sympathetic and it altered his face so marvelously that she
caught her breath.
"Of course that explains it, Miss Malone. I don't doubt that he was
clever enough to make you think him abused."
"He didn't say a word of accusation against anyone."
"Naturally not. When a man is bad enough to seem honest--"
He drew a long, slow puff on his cigar by way of finishing his sentence
and his eyes smiled kindly upon her.
"I knew that he would do his worst to start mutiny among the crew; I
didn't think he could get as far as the passengers."
Her confidence was shaken to the ground. Then a new suspicion came
to her.
"If he is such a terrible character, why did you let him come aboard
your ship?"
Instead of answering, he pulled a cord. The bos'n appeared in a
moment.
"Tell this lady how Harrigan came aboard," ordered the captain, and he

fastened a keen eye upon the bos'n.
"Made it on the jump while we was pullin' out of dock," said the sailor.
"Just managed to get his feet on the gangplank--came within an ace of
falling into the sea."
"That's all."
The bos'n retreated and McTee turned back to Kate Malone.
"He had asked me to sign him up for this trip," he explained. "If I'd set
him ashore, he'd probably have been in the police court the next
morning. So I let him stay. To be perfectly frank with you, I had a
vague hope that gratitude might make a decent sailor out of him for a
few days. But the very first night he started his work he began to talk
discontent among the men in the forecastle, and such fellows are
always ready to listen. Of course I could throw Harrigan in irons and
feed him on bread and water; my authority is absolute at sea. But I
don't want to do that if I can help it. Instead, I have been trying to
discipline him with hard work. He knows that he can come to me at any
time and speak three words which will release him from his troubles.
But he won't say them--yet!"
"Really?" she breathed.
She began to feel deeply honored that such a man as McTee would
make so long an explanation to her.
"Shall I call him up here and ask him to say them now?"
"Would you do that? Captain McTee, I'm afraid that I've been very
foolish to bother you in this matter, but--"
He silenced her with a wave of the hand, and pulled the cord.
"Bring up Harrigan," he said, when the bos'n appeared again.
"I've considered myself a judge