rentially. "I'll let you have 'em for a
cent apiece, and water's cheap. Lemonade would sell well these hot
days," for Simon had been taken into Cricket's confidence.

"That's a good idea," beamed the small merchant. "There's the sugar,
and I guess grandma would give me that, and I'd let her have a glass of
lemonade free. Yes, I'll take four lemons, Mr. Simon, thank you. Now,
Billy, you take the peanuts and put the lemons in your coat pocket, and
I'll carry the peppermints."

Thus laden the two went gaily homeward.

"For goodness sake! look there, Billy!" Cricket suddenly exclaimed, as
they approached the little dock, where they had arranged the table,
chair, and canopy, the night before. Archie had evidently been busy
during their absence. He liked to tease Cricket, because, as he said,
she was so "gamey." Edna would grow peevish and fretful if he teased
her, and his mother would never allow it. But Cricket never cared, and
enjoyed a joke on herself as well as on any one else.

She went into shrieks of laughter, at the new decorations adorning her
place of business. From every rib of the umbrella hung a little, live,
wriggling crab. Four horseshoe shells, stuck up on the sharp points,
decorated the four corners of the table, and a drapery of seaweed
festooned its legs, and the back of her chair. A flapping sign was
suspended on one side, on which, in big letters, they read:

PEANUT EMPORIUM!!

SIGN OF THE CRAB

MISS SCRICKET, BILLY & CO.

PEANUTS STRICTLY FRESH EVERY YEAR
CALL EARLY AND OFTEN

Billy glanced from Cricket to the peanut stand, and back again, not
knowing whether to join in her laughter or not. He didn't see anything
funny himself in it, for he had a horror of creeping, crawling things.

"Drat them boys!" he said, at length; "how be we goin' to get them
things off?"

"You go get me a basket and a pair of scissors, Billy," ordered Cricket
of her willing slave, "and I'll take them away. _Don't_ they look
funny?"

In a very little while the crabs were restored to their native element,
the seaweed was thrown over the dock, the chair and table wiped clean
and dry, and everything was again in order. The horseshoe shells were
left sticking up for ornaments. Then she proceeded to lay out her stock,
and dispose of it to the best advantage. Grandma contributed a big
cracked dish for the peanuts, which stood in the middle of the table.
The peppermints were a