t trees on the banks of this
famous Silver Spring."

"Mr. Chipperton!" exclaimed his wife.

"To be sure, the tree was cut down, but that makes no difference in the
fact. It is both an ornament and a trophy of travel. If necessary, I'll
buy a trunk for it. What did you do with Corny after they got her out?"

Our journey home was very much like our trip up the river, but there
were a few exceptions. There was not so much firing, for I think the
ammunition got pretty low; we saw more alligators, and the yellow-legged
party, which had joined us at Pilatka, went all the way to St.
Augustine with us. There was still another difference, and that was in
Rectus. He was a good deal livelier,--more in the spirit that had
hatched out in him in the cemetery at Savannah. He seemed to be all
right with Corny now, and we had a good time together. I was going to
say to him, once, that he had changed his mind about girls, but I
thought I wouldn't. It would be better to let well enough alone, and he
was a ticklish customer.

The day after we returned to St. Augustine, we were walking on the
sea-wall, when we met Corny. She said she had been looking for us. Her
father had gone out fishing with some gentlemen, and her mother would
not walk in the sun, and, besides, she had something to say to us.

So we all walked to the fort and sat down on the wide wall of the
water-battery. Rectus bestrode one of the cannon that stood pointing out
to sea, but Corny told him she wanted him to get down and sit by her, so
that she wouldn't have to shout.

"Now then," said she, after pausing a little, as if she wanted to be
sure and get it right, "you two saved my life, and I want to give you
something to remember me by."

We both exclaimed against this.

"You needn't do that," said I, "for I'm sure that no one who saw you
coming up from the bottom, like the fairy-women float up on wires at the
theatre, could ever forget you. We'll remember you, Corny, without your
giving us anything."

"But that wont do," said she. "The only other time that I was ever
really saved was by a ferryman, and father gave him some money, which
was all right for him, but wouldn't do for you two, you know; and
another time there wasn't really any danger, and I'm sorry the man got
anything; but he did.

"We brought scarcely anything with us, because we didn't expect to need
things in this way; but this is my own, and I want to give it to you
both. One of you can't use it