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     sea, thinking the man would go away.  Jim had stood there,     ignoring him for a long time.  He didn’t go away, so Jim     finally turned to look at him.            Jim could remember the feeling that gripped his heart     as he took in the image of the stranger.  He had dark hair     and brown eyes, and, for a minute, Jim thought he could     see Mary’s image in him.            The young man introduced himself as Eli Whittier,     and Jim couldn’t help but imagine that Eli looked much     like Jimmy would have had he been alive on that very day     that would have been his thirty-second birthday.  Eli     seemed to be slightly younger, but Jim thought no one     could have looked more like what he had imagined his son     would have - at least, what he imagined, when he had dared     let his heart think of such things.            He had taken Eli to his own home.  Together they ate     the meal he had left earlier.  Eli had wolfed down the meal     like he hadn’t eaten in days.  Jim was surprised at how     much there was.  He always only made just enough for     himself, yet, with the two of them eating, they both had     plenty and there was still some left over.  Jim thought the     food had especially tasted good that night.            He cleared out Jimmy’s room that night and let Eli     sleep there.  Eli had gone to bed almost immediately,     exhausted from his experience and all that his ship had     been through.  Jim had taken the lamp and peeked into his     room.  There, with Eli sleeping in Jimmy’s bed, he sensed     he could hear Mary say, “God let me send you another son.     Take good care of him.”            Jim had since thought about all the things that had     brought Eli to Newfoundland.  He wasn’t supposed to be                                       61
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