ke hands with me, Mr. Kinzer?" asked Annie, with a
malicious twinkle of fun in her merry blue eyes.

Poor Dabney! He had been in quite a "state of mind" for at least three
minutes; but he would hardly have been his own mother's son if he had
let himself be entirely "posed." Up rose his long right arm with the
heavy string of fish at the end of it, and Annie's fun burst out into a
musical laugh, just as her brother exclaimed:

"There, now, I'd like to see the other boy of your size can do that.
Look here, Dab, where'd you get your training?"

"I mustn't drop the fish, you see," began Dab, but Ford interrupted him
with:

"No, indeed. You've given me half I've got, as it is. Annie, have you
looked at the crabs? You ought to have seen Dick Lee with a lot of 'em
gripping in his hair."

"In his hair?"

"When he was down through the bottom of his boat. They'd have eaten him
up if they'd had a chance. You see he's no shell on him."

"Exactly," said Annie, as Dab lowered his fish. "Well, Dabney, I wish
you would thank your mother for sending my trunk over. Your sisters,
too. I've no doubt we shall be very neighborly."

It was wonderfully pleasant to be called by his first name, and yet it
seemed to bring something into Dabney Kinzer's throat.

"She considers me a boy, and she means I'd better take my fish home,"
was the thought which came to him, and he was right to a fraction. So
the great lump in his throat took a very wayward and boyish form, and
came out as a reply, accompanied by a low bow.

"I will, thank you. Good afternoon, Mrs. Foster. I'll see you to-night,
Ford, about Monday and the yacht. Good afternoon, Annie."

And then he marched out with his fish.

"Mother, did you hear him call me 'Annie?'"

"Yes; and I heard you call him 'Dabney.'"

"But he's only a boy----"

"I don't care!" exclaimed Ford, "he's an odd fellow, but he's a good
one. Did you see how wonderfully strong he is in his arms? I couldn't
lift those fish at arm's length to save my life."

It was quite likely that Dab Kinzer's rowing, and all that sort of
thing, had developed more strength of muscle than even he himself was
aware of; but, for all that, he went home with his very ears tingling,
"Could she have thought me ill-bred or impertinent?" he muttered to
himself.

Thought?

Poor Dab Kinzer! Annie Foster had so much else to think of, just then,
for she was compelled to go over, for Ford's benefit, the whole story of
her tribul