tie a lot of names on a string and wear
'em that way. Even Mommer calls herself Mrs. Edward Newcomer-Blank of
R."

"Why 'of R?' What does it mean?" asked Mabel, again impressed.

"Doesn't mean anything, really, as far as I know. But don't you know a
lot of Baltimoreans, or Marylanders, write their names that way?
Haven't you seen it in the papers?"

"No. I never read a paper."

"You ought. To improve your mind and keep you posted on--on current
events. I'm in the current event class at school--I go to the Western
High. I was going to the Girls' Latin, this year, only--only--Hmm. So
I have to keep up with the times."

Aurora settled her silken skirts with a little swagger and again Mabel
felt it a privilege to know so exalted a young person, even if their
acquaintance was limited to a few weeks of boat life. Then she
listened quite humbly while Aurora related some of her social
experiences and discussed with a grown-up air her various
flirtations.

But after a time she tired of all this, and looked longingly across to
the tender, on whose rail Dorothy was now perched, with the three lads
clustered about her, and all intently listening to the "yarns" with
which Cap'n Jack was entertaining them.

All that worthy's animation had returned to him. He had eaten the best
of dinners in place of the "ship's biscuit" he had suggested to his
small hostess: he was relieved of care--which he had pretended to
covet; and the group of youngsters before him listened to his
marvellous tales of the sea with perfect faith in his truthfulness.

Some of the tales had a slight foundation in fact; but even these were
so embellished by fiction as to be almost incredible. In any case, the
shouts of laughter or the cries of horror that rose from his audience
so attracted Mabel that, at last, she broke away from Aurora's tamer
recitals, saying:

"I'm getting stiff, sitting in one place so long. I'll go over to
Dolly. She and me have been friends ever since time was. Good-bye.
Or, will you come, too?"

In her heart, Aurora wished to do so. But hoping to impress her new
acquaintance by her magnificence, she had put on a fanciful white silk
frock, wholly unfitted for her present trip and, indeed, slyly packed
in her trunk without her mother's knowledge. The deck of the Pad
wasn't as spotless as this of the Lily. Even at that moment small
Methuselah was swashing it with a great mop, which dripped more water
than it wiped up. His big eyes