Dyson could fill up all the blank in his
son's story, and was secretly not a little pleased with Cuthbert's
keen intelligence and ready interest.

The Dysons were merchants in a small way of business, but were
thriving and thrifty folks. They and the Holts had been in close
relations one with the other for more than one generation, and any
relative of Martin Holt's would have been welcome at their house.
Cuthbert was liked on his own account; and soon he became greatly
fascinated by the river-side traffic, took the greatest interest in
the vessels that came to the wharves to be unladed, and delighted
in going aboard and making friends with the sailors. He quickly
came to learn the name of every part of the ship, and to pick up a
few ideas on the subject of navigation. Whenever a vessel came in
from the New World but recently discovered, he would try to get on
board and question the sailors about the wonders they had seen.
Afterwards he would discourse to Jacob or to Cherry of the things
he had learned, and would win more and more admiration from both by
his brilliant powers of imagination and description.

So the river became, as it were, a second home to him. Abraham
Dyson had more than one wherry of his own in which Cuthbert was
welcome to skim about upon the broad bosom of the great river. He
soon became so skillful with the rude oars or the sail, that he was
a match for the hardiest waterman on the river, and more than once
Cherry had been permitted to accompany Cuthbert and Jacob upon some
excursion up or down stream.

And now, after many weeks of pleasant comradeship, Cuthbert found
himself in the unenviable position of standing rival to his friend
in the affections of Cherry, and the more he thought about it the
less he liked the situation. He could not give Cherry up--that was
out of the question; besides, had he renounced her twenty times
over, that would not improve Jacob's case one whit. Cherry was her
father's own daughter, and, with all her kittenish softness, had a
very decided will of her own. She was not the sort of daughter to
be bought and sold, or calmly made over like a bale of wool. She
would certainly insist on having a voice in the matter, and her
choice was not likely at any time to fall upon the worthy but
unprepossessing Jacob.

All this Cuthbert understood with the quick apprehension of a
lover; but it was very doubtful if Jacob would so see things, and
Cuthbert felt as though there was