from school.
She's a perfect beauty."

"We will go over and see her by and by," said Paul, for a new boat was
an object of interest to him, and he always improved the opportunity to
inspect any strange craft that visited the bay. "But, John, we must be
off early on Monday morning, and the jib of the Blowout, as you call
her, wants mending. We will go down and sew it up."

The brothers repaired to the beach, where the old boat was now high and
dry upon the sand and taking a little box containing the thread,
needles, and wax for mending the sail, they commenced their labors.
Their busy hands soon completed the task, and the Blowout was otherwise
prepared for duty on Monday, for Paul never went near the boat on
Sunday. They were now ready to visit the new craft; but when they had
pushed their boat down into the water, Paul saw a gentleman enter the
cottage of his mother.

It was Captain Littleton; and Paul delayed their departure, thinking
that he might want to see him. Presently his friend appeared on the
bluff.

"Are you busy, Paul?" he shouted.

"No, sir; I will be with you in a moment."

"Stay where you are;" and Captain Littleton descended the steep path
which led to the beach. "You were going out--were you?"

"We were, sir; but it is of no consequence," replied Paul. "John says
there is a new boat over by the Point, and we were about going to see
her."

"Very well, I will go with you;" and Captain Littleton stepped into the
boat.

"Our boat is not a very nice one for you to sail in," apologized Paul.

"I have been in worse ones than this, Paul; and I have seen the time
when I would have given all I had in the world for even so dingy a boat
as this."

"When was that, sir?" asked John, very promptly; for he stood his
ground, unawed by the dignity of the richest man in Bayville.

"Get your boat under way, and I will tell you about it," replied Captain
Littleton.

Paul shook out the mainsail, and then pushed off the boat, while John
hoisted the jib. The former then took his place at the helm, and the
latter seated himself amidships, both eager to hear the story of the
captain. It was fortunate for them that the old Blowout was a very heavy
sailer; otherwise they could not have obtained the whole of the story,
which was long and very interesting and exciting. We have not space to
repeat the story, but it was all about a shipwreck, and clinging to a
broken spar for forty-eight hours, without food or water