The Captain's Free-Use Wife at Sea

Aboard the Merrily, Captain Elias Harlan gives his devotion to the ocean while his wife Mara is given to the crew.

He stays at the wheel, talking to the heading, as the first mate, the engineer, and the deckhands use her behind him and never ask him to turn.

When the boat takes on fuel, the gangway remains open, and repairmen, stevedores, and a welder who already knows her name take the same liberties.

Mara wanted this free-use life at sea and is required to admit it out loud; the women on board make sure the words are spoken, and the men decide when she may clean up.

Elias walks into town for gaskets, returns pleased with the bill, and pins a cheap tin fish to her dress, content that his luck is still his wife and the sea.