ry muscular and vicious
specimen of his quarrelsome race.

The first consequence of that vigorous nip was a momentary dance up and
down in the punt, accompanied by exclamatory howls from Dick, but not by
a word of any sort from the crab.

The next consequence was, that the crab let go; but so at the same
instant, did the rotten board in the boat-bottom, upon which Dick Lee
had so rashly danced.

It let go of the rest of the boat so suddenly that poor Dick had only
time for one tremendous yell, as it let him right down through to his
armpits.

The water was perfectly smooth; but the boat was full in an instant, and
nearly a bushel of freshly-caught and ill-tempered crabs were
manoeuvring in all directions around the woolly head, which was all
their late captor could now keep in sight.

"Up with the grapnel, Ford," shouted Dab. "Take an oar: we'll both row.
He can swim like a duck, but he might split his throat."

"Or get scared to death."

"Or those crabs might go for him, and eat him up."

"How he does yell!"

CHAPTER VII.

A VERY ACCIDENTAL CALL.

At the very moment when the angry crab closed his nippers on the bare
big toe of Dick Lee, and his shrill note of discomfort rang across the
inlet, the shriller whistle of the engine announced the arrival of the
morning train from the city, at the little station in the village.

A moment or so later, a very pretty young lady was standing beside a
trunk on the platform, trying to get some information from the flagman.

"Can you tell me where Mr. Foster lives?"

"That's the gimlet-eyed lawyer from New Yark?"

"Yes, he's from New York," said the young lady, smiling in his face.
"Where does he live?"

"He's got the sassiest boy, thin. Is it him as took the Kinzer house?"

"I think likely it is. Can you tell me how to get there?"

"Thim Kinzers is foine people. The widdy married one of the gurrels to
Misther Morris."

"But how can I get to the house?"

"Is it there ye're afther goin'?--Hey, Michael, me boy, bring up yer
owld rattlethrap, and take the leddy's thrunk. She'll be goin' to the
Kinzer place. Sharp, now."

"I should say it was," muttered the young lady, as the remains of what
had been a carryall were pulled up beside the platform by the skinny
skeleton of what might once have been a horse. "It's a rattletrap."

There was no choice, however; for that was the only public conveyance at
the station, and the trunk was already whisked in