He hoisted himself to his accustomed seat on the edge of the workbench and sat there, swinging his feet and watching his companion turn out the heads and trunks of a batch of wooden sailors.

He was unusually silent, for him, merely nodding in response to Jed's cheerful "Hello!" and speaking but a few words in reply to a question concerning the weather.

Jed, absorbed in his work and droning a hymn, apparently forgot all about his caller.
Suddenly the latter spoke.
"Jed," he said, "when you are undecided about doing or not doing a thing, how do you settle it ?" Jed looked up over his spectacles.
"Eh ?" he asked.

"What's that ?" "I say when you have a decision to make and your mind is about fifty-fifty on the subject, how do you decide ?" Jed's answer was absently given.

"W-e-e-ll," he drawled, "I generally--er--don't." "But suppose the time comes when you have to, what then ?" "Eh?
.