d and waved their caps.
Billy John trembled with passion.

"Who stole the bar'l o' beef?" he trumpeted through his palms.
"Who--stole--the--bar'l--o'--beef? Hoo hoo!"

This last sally had a subduing effect on the gig's company; they
turned their faces away and became absorbed in the view ahead.

* * * * *

[Illustration: CHILDREN'S PRESENTS. CHRISTMAS, 1920.

_Mother._ "ISN'T IT A PERFECT GEM, DARLING?"

_Son._ "WOULDN'T BE SEEN DEAD WITH IT. I ASK YOU, WHERE'S THE H.P.
CYLINDER THAT DRIVES THE CRANK-PINS ON THE TRAILING WHEELS?"]

* * * * *

Billy John sat down with a grunt of satisfaction. "That settled 'em,"
he grinned. "They dunno who did steal the bar'l to this day, and each
wan do suspect t'other."

"St. Martin's islanders?" I queried.

Billy John shook his head. "Naw, from St. Helen's, o' course; deddn'
you see their red 'eads? They 're all red-'eaded over on Helen's--take
after their great-grandfather the Devil."

"They're pretty smart, anyhow," said I.

Billy John threw up both hands. "Smart! By dang you've said it!
Anythin' in the way o' honest work they do leave to us poor mainland
grabbers; they don't unnerstand it; but come a bit o' easy money in
the way of wreckage and we might as well stop bed as try to compete
with they; we eddn but children to 'em."

"What about this barrel of beef?" I asked.

Billy John chuckled. "Comed to pass years ago, Sir. There was a party
of us over 'ere crabbin'. My brother Zackariah 'ad married a Helen's
wumman, and a brear great piece she were too. They was livin' on
Helen's upon Lower Town beach, and we lodged with 'em.

"Wan mornin' before dawn along comes great Susan in her stockined
feet. 'Whist!' says she, 'rouse thee out an' don't make no noise; I
think I heerd a gun from Carnebiggal Ledges.'

"We sneaked out like shadows, got the boat afloat and pulled away,
mufflin' the oars with our caps. We got a fair start; nobody heerd us
go. It weren't yet light and the fog were like a bag, but we got there
somehow, and sure enough there were a big steamer fast on the rocks.
Great Susan were right. Oh, I tell you t'eddn guesswork with they St.
Helen's folk; male or female they got a nose for a wreck, same as cats
for mice. There was a couple o' ship's boats standing by on her port
side full o' men.

"'Where in 'ell are we?' shouts 'er skipper as we comed nosing through
the fog. 'I ain't seen the su