ing," said Captain Jim.
"They're fresh as trout can be, Mistress Blythe. Two hours ago they
were swimming in the Glen Pond."

"Who is attending to the light tonight, Captain Jim?" asked Doctor Dave.

"Nephew Alec. He understands it as well as I do. Well, now, I'm real
glad you asked me to stay to supper. I'm proper hungry--didn't have
much of a dinner today."

"I believe you half starve yourself most of the time down at that
light," said Mrs. Doctor Dave severely. "You won't take the trouble to
get up a decent meal."

"Oh, I do, Mistress Doctor, I do," protested Captain Jim. "Why, I live
like a king gen'rally. Last night I was up to the Glen and took home
two pounds of steak. I meant to have a spanking good dinner today."

"And what happened to the steak?" asked Mrs. Doctor Dave. "Did you
lose it on the way home?"

"No." Captain Jim looked sheepish. "Just at bedtime a poor, ornery
sort of dog came along and asked for a night's lodging. Guess he
belonged to some of the fishermen 'long shore. I couldn't turn the
poor cur out--he had a sore foot. So I shut him in the porch, with an
old bag to lie on, and went to bed. But somehow I couldn't sleep.
Come to think it over, I sorter remembered that the dog looked hungry."

"And you got up and gave him that steak--ALL that steak," said Mrs.
Doctor Dave, with a kind of triumphant reproof.

"Well, there wasn't anything else TO give him," said Captain Jim
deprecatingly. "Nothing a dog'd care for, that is. I reckon he WAS
hungry, for he made about two bites of it. I had a fine sleep the rest
of the night but my dinner had to be sorter scanty--potatoes and point,
as you might say. The dog, he lit out for home this morning. I reckon
HE weren't a vegetarian."

"The idea of starving yourself for a worthless dog!" sniffed Mrs.
Doctor.

"You don't know but he may be worth a lot to somebody," protested
Captain Jim. "He didn't LOOK of much account, but you can't go by
looks in jedging a dog. Like meself, he might be a real beauty inside.
The First Mate didn't approve of him, I'll allow. His language was
right down forcible. But the First Mate is prejudiced. No use in
taking a cat's opinion of a dog. 'Tennyrate, I lost my dinner, so this
nice spread in this dee-lightful company is real pleasant. It's a great
thing to have good neighbors."

"Who lives in the house among the willows up the brook?" asked Anne.

"Mrs. Dick Moore," said Captain Jim--"and he