not relishing
their Company 238

CHAPTER XX.

Brings the Holidays of the Little People and the Story of
the Old Man to an End 254

CAST AWAY IN THE COLD.

CHAPTER I.

Relates how an Ancient Mariner met three Little People
and promised them a Little Story.

[Illustration]

A bright sun shone on the little village of Rockdale; a bright glare was
on the little bay close by, as on a silver mirror. Three bright children
were descending by a winding path towards the little village; a bright
old man was coming up from the little village by the same path, meeting
them.

The three children were named William Earnest, Fred Frazer, and Alice.
Alice was William Earnest's sister, while Fred Frazer was his cousin.
William Earnest was the eldest, and he was something more than eleven
and something less than twelve years old. His cousin Fred Frazer was
nearly a year younger, while his sister Alice was a little more than two
years younger still. Fred Frazer was on a holiday visit to his
relatives, it being vacation time from school; and the three children
were ready for any kind of adventure, and for every sort of fun.

The children saw the old man before the old man saw the children; for
the children were looking down the hill, while the old man, coming up
the hill, was looking at his footsteps.

As soon as the children saw the old man, the eldest recognized him as a
friend; and no sooner had his eyes lighted on him than, much excited, he
shouted loudly, "Hurrah, there comes the ancient mariner!"

His cousin, much surprised, asked quickly, "Who's the ancient mariner?"
And his sister, more surprised, asked timidly, "What's the ancient
mariner?"

Then the eldest, much elated, asked derisively, "Why, don't you know?"
And then he said, instructively: "He's been about here for ever so long
a time; but he went away last year, and I haven't seen him for a great
while. He's the most wonderful man you ever saw,--tells such splendid
stories,--all about shipwrecks, pirates, savages, Chinamen, bear-hunts,
bull-fights, and everything else that you can think of. I call him the
'Ancient Mariner,' but that isn't his right name. He's Captain Hardy;
but he looks like an ancient mariner, as he is, and I got the name out
of a book. Some of the fellows call him 'Old Father Neptune.'"

"What a funny name!" cried Fred.

"What