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4 "Clever |acky!" he screamed, wildly excited. "Clever lad' My partner, my little partner!" Hut the wind earned the cry away. Jacky 'lid no! hear — did not know, even, that hi- partner had been a spectator of his brave faithfulness. He was beating out, to make sea-room for the run with the wind to harbor; and the boat was dipping her gunwale in a way that kept every faculty alert to keep her afloat. EG watched him until he rounded and stood m for the tickle. Then the man sighed happily and went home. "L's'll grapple for that net the morrow," he said, when |ai ky came in, larky opened his eves. "Aye"-" he said.. " 'Tis safe on tile bottom, I thought I'd besi CUt it adrift t' save it." "I seed you." said Xli, "from the Kttob Twas Well dour, lad! You're a true partner." "Tin- knife come in handy," said Jacky, smiling. '"Tis a g io,l knife." "Aye," said Kli. with a shake of the head. "I bought mi' for a good one." And that was all. Eli set about rearing young Jacky in a fashion as wise as he knew. He exposed the lad to wet and weather, as judii i' tusly as in 1 could, to make him hardy. In- took him to sea in high winds, to fix his courage and teach him to sail; In- taught him thr weather signs, tin- :. li lore of tin- coast, thi 1 "marks" for the fishing grounds, the whereabouts of shallows and reefs and currents; In- took turn to church and lent him ti > Sunday school. Anil he taught him to swim. ( >:i the tine days of that summer, when there were no fish to be caught, the man and the lad went together to the Wash-tub— a deep, little c. • ■•■ i >f th>- sea. clear, quiet, hot tome .1 with suv >■ >th n » k and shel tered from the wind by high cliffs; but cold— almost as told as i,e water Here Ja- ky de : 1 to w.t', h Eli t\].<-. leap from the cliff, float on his back, far out to sea; here he gazed wit h "ad niratti >n not unmixed with a >ye " on the man's i* !.'.■• • I body broad shoulders, bulging muscles, great arms and legs. And here, too, he learned to swim. When the warme sts t sun. 1:;'1 :;' r day were g< me, Jacky could paddle about the Wash-tub in promis ing fashion. He was con fident when Eli was at hand —sure, then, that he could keep afloat. But he was not yet sure enough of his power when Xli had gone on the long swim to sea. II 1 1 said that he had done well; and Jacky, himself, often said that lie i • tuld swim a deal 1«t •■ r than a stone. In an emerge nc y , both agreed, Jacky s new accomplishment would be sure to serve him will. "Sure, if the punt tamed over,* 1 Jack; innocently boasted, "I'd be able f swim 'til you righted her." That was to be proved. "EX, l-'y." said old James Blunt, one day in the fall <.t the year, "<l<> you tak<- my new dory t' the grounds t'-day. Sure. IM lik.- t'know how you iikes it." old James had built his boat aft i >uth-coast modeL She was a dory, a ll.it ■]>■ <■;■. d craft, as distinguished from a punt, which has a round bottom and keel. He was proud "I her; but somewhat timid; and he wanted EX's opinion <■! her quality. "Ti- a queer looldn' thing!" said EH. "Bui me an' my partner**] try she, James, just for luck." That afternoon a tall gale caught the dory on the Farthest Grounds— far out beyond the Wolf's Teeth Reef. It came from the shore so suddenly thai Eli could not escape it. S<> it was a beat to harbor, w ii li tlu- wind and sea rising fast. < >!t the Valley, which is SUNDAY MAGAZINE for JULY 10, 1904 half a mile from the narrows, a gust cam ■ out between the hills — came strong and switt. It heeled the d-rv over — still over — down - down until the watei potwed iii over the gunwale. Kh let go the main-sheet, expecting the sail to fall away from the wind, and thus ease the 1 mat. Hut tin line caught in the Mock. I•■ went the dory — still down. And of a sudden it capsized. When |acky came to the surface, he began frantic ally to splash the water, momentarily losing Strei -:' : i. breath and self-possession. Kh was waiting for him. with head and shoulders out of the water, like an eager dog as he waits for tin -tick his master is about to throw. He swam close, hut bung ofl for a moment — until, indeed, he perceived that Jacky would never of himself regain his self-possessioa -for he did not want the boy to he too soon beholden to ban foj aid. Then he slipped his hand under Ja. ky- hflMl and bta tyed him up. "Partner!" he said, quietly. "Partner!" l.uky'. panic-Stricken struggles at once ceased; for he had been u>ed to giving instant oliedience to Eli's commands. He looked in KIT- dripping face. "Easy, partner." said Kh, still quietly. "Strike out. now." l.uky smiled, and struck out. as directed. In a For tH»- Third Turn- th«- Little P.irtntr W..> Hrlpcd Aboard "Take it easy, lad." Kh continued. "Just take it easy while I rights the boat. It's all right. I'll have you aboard m a jiffy. Is you — is you — all right. |ack\ "Aye," Jacky gasped. Eli waited tor a moment longer. He was loath to leave the boy to take .are of himself. Until then he had not known how large a place mi hi-- heart his little partner tilled, how mn h he had come to depend upon him for all those things which make bfc worth while. He h.ul not known, indeed, how far away from the old. lonely life the lad had led him So he waited tor a moment longer, watching Jacky. Then he swam to the overturned dory, when?, alter an anxious glance toward the lad. he «hvcd t.> cut away th.- -ear and dived again, and yet again; watching Jacky all the time he w a- at the stirtace foi breath. Tin- •.■ear nil away, the mast pulled from its socket, Kh righted the boat. It take- a strong man and clever swimmer to do that, but Eli was clever in the water, and strong anywhere. Moreover, ii was a trick he had learn.-.!. Come, Jacky, by! " he called. Jacky swan toward the boat. Eli swam to meet ' him. and helped him ■•■:■•'.• last few yards oi chop] v sea. tor the lad was almost exhausted. Jacky laid a hand on the bow of the dory. The* Xii palled o-f; one of his long hoots, and swam to the stern, whcx he began cautiously to bail the boat. When she v ;<..-, light enough in the water, he helped Jacky aboard and larky bailed her dry. " Ha. lad!" Eli ejaculated, with a grin that made h:.~" face shine. " You is safe aboard. How is you, by?" "Tire.l. Kli." Jacky answered. "You bide quiet where you is," said Eli. "I find the paddles; an' I'll soon have you home." Eli's great concern had been to gel the hoy out of the water. He had cared for little else than that — • to get him out of the reach of the sea. And now he was confronted by the problem of making harbor. The boat was slowly drifting out with the wind; the dusk was approaching: and every moment it ..is growing more difficult to swim in the choppy sea. It took him a long time to rind the paddles. "Steady the boat. Jacky." he -aid. when the boy had taken the paddles into the dory. "I'm com:!:' aboar !." Eli attempted to board the dory over the b v. She was tossing about in a choppy sea; and he was $ not used to her ways. Had -lie Uen a punt — h:.s punt — he would have been aboard in a trice. Bat -he was not his punt — not a punt, at all; she was a new boat, a dory, a flat-bottomed craft; he was not used to her ways. Jacky tried desperately to steadj her while Eli lifted him elf out of the water. "Take care. Eli!" he reamed. "She'll be ov-r!" Eli got his knee on the gunwale— :io more • .:: that. A wave tipped the boat; she lurched: she capsized. And again Eli waited for (a kv to . .me to the surface of the water; again buoyed hitr. ::p; again gave him courage; again helped him to the - boat; again bailed the boat — this — with one of Jacky 's boots — and again helped I ; kv aboard. "I'm wonderful tired, EH." said Jacky. when tht} 1 paddles were handed over the side for the sec "l BO 'air' done i : " 'T' •"'•■•■ soon, lad. I'll have you h ">• ! y the kitchen tire ml . ■ an hour. Come, now, ; . ■ r.' Steady the bo..- I'll try again." Even more cautiously El attempted to cl bet aboard. Inch by inch he raised himself or.: he water. When the greater waves ran under the he paused; when she rode on an even keel, he c:ina» faster. Inch by inch, hum:- the cranky !■ • all the time, he lifted his right leg. But he coi:'. : not a get aboard. Again, when his knee was on the gunv. ale, the .lory capsized. For the third time the little partner was h. led'; aboard and given a boot with which to bail. His strength was then near gone. He threw water over the side until he could no longer lift his arms. "Eli." he gasped. " I can do no more!" « Eli put his hand on the bow. as though al>out :o attempt to clamber aboard again. But he withdrew ir. "Jacky, by." he said, "could you not manage t' pull a bit with the paddles. I'll swim alongside." Jacky stared stupidly at him. Again Eli put h:s hand on the bow. He wa in terror if losing Jacky's life. Never before had he known such dread and fear. 11 did not dare ri.sk overturning the boa- again; for he knew that Pack] would not survive for the fourth time. What could he do? He could not get aboard, and Jackv could not row. How was he to get the boy ashore; His hand touched the painter — the long rope by which the boat was moored to the stage. That gave him an idea: he would tow the boat ashore! S. > be took the rope in his teeth. and struck out for the tickle to the harbor. "Twas a close call, by." said Eli, when he and Jack} sat by the kitchen tire. "An' 'twas too bad. " said i ... ky, ":' lose the gear." 1 ■ laughed " Wh.i: you laughin' at?" Jacky asked "1 brought ashore something better than the ear ' "The dorr?" "No. by!* 1 *- 1 1 roared. "M\ '■•■■. i>artner'** Bands' SeliF-IPyoftecfcaoia THE ingenuity of many birds in building nests iti such a way as to protect them from the attacks ol rivals and enemies is wonderful. The long, hanging nest of the oriole and the dome-shaped nest of the wren are remarkable for their place and manner of construction, perhaps the oriole of Central America is not surpassed in this respect by any other bird It builds its nest in the banana "tree." Selecting a large banana leaf, and with its bill for a needle and some strong grass for thread, it sews the two edges together, following the grain oi the leaf dose by one ■ of the veins. it does its work so deftly and neatly thai it takes a close examination to detect the stitches. In this cunningly devised pocket the itttl- bird mak ; a nest of soft grass or of hair. and there lavs her eggs and raises her little family without fear ot inscoverr. moment he was swimming a t Elis si. l.-.