He frowned heavily and added, in a tone of gloomy doubt:  “I presume likely I’ve been neglectin’ things—­things like that, lately, and that’s why punishments are laid onto me.  I suppose likely that’s it.”

Galusha, of course, did not understand, but as the captain seemed to expect him to make some remark, he said:  “Oh—­ah—­dear me!  Indeed?  Ah—­punishments?”

“Yes.  I don’t know what else they are.  When your own flesh and blood—­” He stopped in the middle of his sentence, sighed, and added:  “Well, never mind.  But I need counsel, Mr. Bangs, counsel.”

Again Galusha scarcely knew what to say.

“Why—­ah—­Captain Hallett,” he stammered, “I doubt if my advice would be worth much, really, but such as it is I assure you it—­”

Captain Jethro interrupted.

“Counsel from this earth won’t help me any, Mr. Bangs,” he declared.  “It’s higher counsel that I need.  Um-hm, higher.”

He walked away without saying more.  Galusha wondered what had set him off upon that tack.  That afternoon, while in the village, he met Nelson Howard and the latter furnished an explanation.  It seemed that the young man had been to see Captain Jethro, had dared to call at the light with the deliberate intention of seeing and interviewing him on the subject of his daughter.  The interview had not been long, nor as stormy as Nelson anticipated; but neither had it been satisfactory.

“It’s those confounded ‘spirits’ that are rocking the boat,” declared Nelson.  “The old man practically said just that.  He seems to have gotten over some of his bitterness against me—­ perhaps it is, as you say, Mr. Bangs, because I have a better position now and good prospects.  Perhaps it is that, I don’t know.  But he still won’t consider my marrying Lulie.  He seems to realize that we could marry and that he couldn’t stop us, but I think he realizes, too, that neither Lulie nor I would think of doing it against his will.  ‘But why, Cap’n Hallett?’ I kept saying.  ’Why?  What is the reason you are so down on me?’ And all I could get out of him was the old stuff about ‘revelations’ and ‘word from above’ and all that.  We didn’t get much of anywhere.  Oh, pshaw!  Wouldn’t it make you tired?  Say, Mr. Bangs, the last time you and I talked you said you were going to ‘consider’ those Marietta Hoag spirits.  I don’t know what you meant, but if you could consider some sense into them and into Cap’n Jeth’s stubborn old head, I wish you would.”

Galusha smiled and said he would try.  “I don’t exactly know what I meant, myself, by considering them,” he admitted.  “However, I—­ah—­ doubtless meant something and I’ll try and—­ah—­consider what it was.  It seems to me that I had a vague thought—­not an idea, exactly, but—­ Well, perhaps it will come back.  I have had a number of—­ah—­distractions of late.  They have caused me to forget the spirits.  I’m very sorry, really.  I must try now and reconsider the considering.  Dear me, how involved I am getting!  Never mind, we are going to win yet.  Oh, I am sure of it.”