es a musician," went on the
wistful voice. "Then again I think myself a great man an' doin'
somethin' worth while in the world. Then there's times I've thought
myself with a family of children an' planned how they should learn
mor'n ever I did." He mused, then banishing the seriousness of his
tone by an embarrassed laugh added, "I've waked up afterward to think
how much less it cost just to imagine 'em."

The heart that would not have been won by the naivete of the speaker
would have been stony indeed!

Howard Snelling flashed a tribute of honest admiration into the gentle
old face.

"Dreams are cheap things," rambled on the little inventor. "Sometimes
I figger the Lord gave 'em to those who didn't have much else, so'st to
make 'em think they are kings. If you can dream there ain't a thing in
all the world ain't yours."

The conversation had furnished Snelling with the opportunity to study
more minutely the object on the table, and he now said with a motion of
his hand toward it:

"Wouldn't it be rather nice if you had some netting of coarser mesh and
which wouldn't corrode?"

"Oh, this screenin' ain't what I'd choose," returned Willie, "but 'twas
all I had. I ripped it off the front door. Tiny didn't fancy my doin'
it very well. 'Tain't often she's ruffled, an' even this time she
didn't say much; still, I could see it didn't altogether please her."

"Tiny?" interpolated Mr. Snelling.

"My aunt, Miss Morton, who keeps house for Mr. Spence," explained Bob
with proud directness.

"I wasn't aware you had relatives down here," the boat-builder
observed, turning toward Robert Morton with interest. "I imagined you
came to the Cape because of the Galbraiths."

"Oh, no. I didn't know the Galbraith's were here until the other day."

"Really!"

The single word was weighted with incredulousness.

"'Twas the funniest thing you ever knew how it happened," put in Willie.

Robert Morton tried to cut him short.

"A package for the Galbraiths was sent to me by mistake; that was how I
secured their address," he said.

Snelling looked puzzled.

"That warn't it at all, Bob," persisted Willie. "You ain't tellin' it
half as queer as 'twas."

It was useless to attempt to check the little old man now. Artlessly
he babbled the story, and Howard Snelling, listening, constructed a
good part of the romance interwoven with it from the young man's color
and irritation.

"So there were two beauties in the case!"