the idea, girls?"

"Oh, it's just too glorious for anything," cried Margery, now awakened
to the possibilities of having a sailboat of their very own. Tommy
regarded her quizzically, opened her mouth to speak, then closed her
lips.

"What is it, dear?" questioned Miss Elting.

"It ith nothing now. Maybe I'll thay it when we get to thea, provided
Buthter doeth not thay it for me."

"See here! We have forgotten all about that buried treasure,"
exclaimed Mr. McCarthy, at his ease once more after having escaped
from the table. "Will you show me, Tommy?"

"No, thir. That ith a dark thecret."

"What, girls keep a secret?" scoffed the visitor.

"Don't you think they can?" demanded Tommy, squinting at him with one
eye tightly closed.

"Never saw one that could."

"Then pleathe look at me."

"By the way, Mr. McCarthy," called Mrs. Livingston, "did you mention
the name of our new captain, the one who owns and sails the boat?"

"That's so. I reckon I forgot that. He is known as Captain Bill. His
real name, I believe, is Cummings."

"You are quite sure that he is all right, are you, Mr. McCarthy?"

"Has a reputation second to none among the Portsmouth skippers. I took
care of that, knowing you were a lot of lone women and girls down
here. I didn't see him personally. Took my friend Lawyer Roberts's
word for it, and what else I could pick up about the docks," added Mr.
McCarthy. "But I must be thinking about getting back."

"Surely, Daddy, you are never going to think of walking back, are
you?"

"Not I. I hear an automobile coming. I'm just going to get out to the
road and beg a ride. They'll be keeping along on this road for at
least ten miles and I can walk the rest of the way in, if I have to.
In case I do not see you again, Mrs. Livingston, here's good-bye and
good luck. I hope you all have a fine time with the boat. If that
skipper doesn't obey orders, day or night, get a telegram to me
instantly, and I'll bounce him right off. But don't let Jane send any
telegrams. She'll break me, she's so long-winded--"

"Which I inherited," finished Crazy Jane. "Come on, girls; let's go
out to the highway and see Dad off. We may have to watch him start off
on foot."

They met the men who were coming to pull the automobile out of the ice
pond. Mr. McCarthy gave them the additional job of towing the wrecked
car to the nearest garage.

Mr. McCarthy was in luck. The automobile that they had heard
approaching was a big p