d secured her precious fragment
of treasure, which she wrapped up carefully in her handkerchief,
resolving to enlighten Sally with the story, and to consult the Captain
on any nice points of criticism. Arrived at the cove, they found Sally
already there in advance of them, clapping her hands and dancing in a
manner which made her black elf-locks fly like those of a distracted
creature.

"Now, Sally," said the Captain, imitating, in a humble way, his wife's
manner, "are you sure you've finished your work well?"

"Yes, father, every stitch on't."

"And stuck in your needle, and folded it up, and put it in the drawer,
and put away your thimble, and shet the drawer, and all the rest on't?"
said the Captain.

"Yes, father," said Sally, gleefully, "I've done everything I could
think of."

"'Cause you know your ma'll be arter ye, if you don't leave everything
straight."

"Oh, never you fear, father, I've done it all half an hour ago, and I've
found the most capital bed of clams just round the point here; and you
take care of Mara there, and make up a fire while I dig 'em. If she
comes, she'll be sure to wet her shoes, or spoil her frock, or
something."

"Wal', she likes no better fun now," said the Captain, watching Sally,
as she disappeared round the rock with a bright tin pan.

He then proceeded to construct an extemporary fireplace of loose stones,
and to put together chips and shavings for the fire,--in which work
little Mara eagerly assisted; but the fire was crackling and burning
cheerily long before Sally appeared with her clams, and so the Captain,
with a pile of hemlock boughs by his side, sat on a stone feeding the
fire leisurely from time to time with crackling boughs. Now was the time
for Mara to make her inquiries; her heart beat, she knew not why, for
she was full of those little timidities and shames that so often
embarrass children in their attempts to get at the meanings of things in
this great world, where they are such ignorant spectators.

"Captain Kittridge," she said at last, "do the mermaids toll any bells
for people when they are drowned?"

Now the Captain had never been known to indicate the least ignorance on
any subject in heaven or earth, which any one wished his opinion on; he
therefore leisurely poked another great crackling bough of green hemlock
into the fire, and, Yankee-like, answered one question by asking
another.

"What put that into your curly pate?" he said.

"A book I've