Bowline what had
taken place. "He has understood all along what was the state of your
feelings," said Mary, "and I am sure has always regarded you with
paternal kindness."

CHAPTER II.

O! a most dainty man!
To see him walk before a lady and bear her fan!

LOVE'S LABOR LOST.

The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe
after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey!
what--what the devil have we here? Mary, love, hand me the glass--a
mariner adrift on a grating, by the Lord Harry!"

The object that called forth this animadversion, and broke a delightful
day-dream that Mary was indulging in, now appeared in sight, having
hitherto been hidden by a thick clump of trees, that bounded the ocean
prospect towards the right. It was a small sail-boat, with three men in
her, that, at one moment directly before the wind, and the next, "all
shaking," seemed rapidly approaching an extensive mud flat, that formed
one side of the harbor, and towards which the flowing tide and fresh
breeze seemed to be fast drifting her.

"There they are, hard and fast! and on their beam ends, too, by the
piper," continued the veteran, and as he witnessed this last
catastrophe, he sprang from his chair, forgetting in his charitable
intention of hurrying to their assistance, that they were more than half
a mile off, and in full view of the town.

"There is a boat going to them, pa," said Mary, slightly blushing as she
recognised at the mast head of a very handsome, fast sailing boat, a
blue "burger," with a large white M. in it, the work of her own fair
hands.

"Aye," said the veteran, reseating himself, "aye, there goes Tom Kelson
in your namesake, Mary; they'll get off with a ducking, and it will
serve them right. Yes," continued he, applying the glass to his eye,
"there goes two of them ashore through the mud, like a couple of
pup-seals."

Kelson managed his boat with great skill, so as to approach the wreck,
on board which still appeared one person half overboard, and apparently
almost exhausted by his violent struggles to disencumber himself from
the wet sail, and by anchoring immediately to windward, and carrying
away cable, reached the boat and rescued the unfortunate man from a
situation that was exceedingly uncomfortable if not dangerous. The other
two, by dint of swimming, wading, and wallowing through the mud, reached
the shore, which was