ith us at the Inn. How you
makin' out down there to Cap'n Abe's? Land sakes! _that_ ain't Cap'n
Abe!"

"It is his brother, Cap'n Amazon Silt," explained Louise.

"I want to know! He looks amazin' funny, don't he? Not much like
Cap'n Abe. You see, my folks live down the Shell Road. My ma married
again. D'rius Vleet. Nice man, but a Dutchman. I don't take up much
with these furiners.

"Now! what was I sayin'? Oh! The boss tells me there's a Mr. Judson
Bane of your crowd goin' to stop with us. Sent a telegraph dispatch
for a room to be saved for him. With bath! Land sakes! ain't the
whole ocean big enough for him to take a bath in? We ain't got nothing
like that. And two ladies--I forget their names. You know Mr. Bane?".

"I have met him--once," confessed Louise.

"Some swell he is, I bet," Gusty declared. "I'm goin' to speak to him.
Mebbe he can get me into the company. I ain't so _aw_-ful fat. I seen
a picture over to Paulmouth last night where there was a girl bigger'n
I am, and she took a re'l sad part.

"She cried re'l tears. _I_ can do that. All I got to do is to think
of something re'l mis'rable--like the time our old brahma hen, Beauty,
got bit by Esek Coe's dog, and ma had to saw her up. Then the tears'll
squeeze right out, _just as ea'sy_!"

Louise thought laughter would overcome her "just as easy" despite the
day and place. She knew a hearty burst of laughter in the church
edifice would amaze and shock the lingering congregation.

Seeing that Cap'n Amazon was busy with some men he had met, the girl
walked out to the little vestibule of the church. Here a number of
women and men were discussing various matters--the sermon, the weather,
clamming, boating, and the colony at The Beaches. Two women stood
apart from the others and presently Louise was attracted to them by the
sound of Lawford Tapp's name.

"I dunno who he is exactly, bein' somethin' o' a stranger here," one of
the women said. "But I was told he was some poor relation who allers
lived among the fisher folk. But he does seem to know how to run thet
autermobile, don't he?"

"I should say!" returned the other woman. "An' he's well spoken,
too--from what I heard him say down to the store."

"Yes, I know that too. Well, I hope he buys the outfit--Jimmy wants to
sell it bad enough--an' needs the money, believe me!" And thereupon
the two women took their departure.

The conversation hung in Louisa's mind and she l