re painful thoughts to Paul,
and his heart almost sunk within him, as he considered the possible
failure of his favorite scheme. If he failed in this, he must accept the
paltry two dollars and a half a week, and let his mother drudge like a
slave. He could not tolerate the thought of failure, and----

A bite!

Paul did not whistle till he got out of the woods, and announced his
success to John by slapping a monster perch upon the bottom of the boat.
If that was a type of his success he was satisfied. Before he had time
to follow out the reflections suggested by the event, John hauled in the
mate to the big fish, and another had taken hold of his own hook.

By ten o'clock there were six dozen perch in the basket, besides three
handsome tautog and half a dozen sea flounders. The young fisherman was
satisfied, hauled up killock, and made sail for home. His heart was as
light as the upper air, and he was confident of the success of his grand
scheme.

CHAPTER VI.

PAUL MAKES A GOOD SPECULATION.

"Now, John you must steer, while I skin the perch," said Paul, as he
resigned the helm to his brother.

"That I will," replied he, with alacrity, for he did not often get a
chance to handle the boat, and was fond of the amusement.

"But you must be careful, and keep your eyes open, for we have no time
to spare," added the youthful skipper.

"Do you think I don't know how to steer a boat?" asked John, hurt by the
insinuation.

"You know how well enough, if you will pay attention to it, and not be
fooling with her."

"I'll keep her right."

Paul took from under the thwart an old shoe-knife which had been ground
down to one third of its original width. It had been well sharpened for
this important occasion, but he had provided an old whetstone as a
further precaution against a dull blade. To skin a perch neatly and
expeditiously is a nice operation; but Paul had had sufficient practice
in the art to render him a skilful hand. Seating himself on the lee
rail, he commenced work in earnest, occasionally glancing up to see that
the boat was doing her best in the way of sailing.

"How much will you make, Paul, if you sell all your fish?" asked John.

"The perch will bring a dollar and twenty cents, if I get twenty cents a
dozen for them."

"The tautog are worth something."

"They are worth a quarter apiece."

"You have done a good day's work then?"

"If I sell the fish, I shall," answered Paul, with a smile of