His eyes had a gentle look and
were pale blue in color, and his round face was rugged
and bronzed. Cap'n Bill's left leg was missing, from
the knee down, and that was why the sailor no longer
sailed the seas. The wooden leg he wore was good
enough to stump around with on land, or even to take
Trot out for a row or a sail on the ocean, but when it
came to "runnin' up aloft" or performing active
duties on shipboard, the old sailor was not equal to
the task. The loss of his leg had ruined his career
and the old sailor found comfort in devoting himself
to the education and companionship of the little girl.
The accident to Cap'n Bill's leg bad happened at
about the time Trot was born, and ever since that he
had lived with Trot's mother as "a star boarder,"
having enough money saved up to pay for his weekly
"keep." He loved the baby and often held her on
his lap; her first ride was on Cap'n Bill's shoulders,
for she had no baby-carriage; and when she began
to toddle around, the child and the sailor became
close comrades and enjoyed many strange adventures
together.
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