ich was one of his characteristics,--perhaps the
most distinguishing one,--he scouted the idea of retaining the whole of
his small fortune for his own benefit, pressing a share of it upon
Bill, presenting our children and his fellow-servants with tokens of
his regard, mostly of a tawdry, seaside-bazaar nature, but beautiful in
their eyes and his own; conveying, with an eye to the future, another
portion to the care of brother Edward, to be used for "'lection
expenses" when the time should come for him to run for that dignity to
which he aspired; and now it appeared that he had other ends, of a
philanthropic nature, in view.

Old Captain Yorke, a veteran sailor, now retired from active service,
was our purveyor-general, going each morning in boat or wagon to the
nearest town, whence he brought for us and other families such supplies
as we ordered; the Point affording no facilities for marketing or daily
household needs. He was a great friend and crony of our two young
servant-lads, and to him as well as to Bill had Jim confided his plans;
but the three heads had proved unequal to the settlement of the
arithmetical difficulties which presented themselves, and Jim had
applied to Allie, as being possessed of greater educational advantages.
This had not proved equal to the situation, however, as has been seen;
the knowledge of eight years not being able to cope with this
mathematical problem.

Divested of Jim's complications, Bill's discursive remarks upon other
subjects, and put into rather more choice English than that in which
the latter delivered it, the plan amounted to this:--

Captain Yorke, heartily admiring, and willingly co-operating, was to
bring from the town a large quantity of peanuts, which Mrs. Yorke, also
full of sympathy, had promised to roast. The amount of peanuts
purchased was to be determined by the price per bag, but Jim's ideas
were of a wholesale nature; for my young brothers Norman and Douglas,
who both had a weakness for this vegetable, had also greatly encouraged
him in his undertaking, giving him not only hopes of great results from
the home-market, but promises that they would interest "the other
fellows," and induce them also to become customers. He was not to be
salesman himself, of course, his daily avocations not permitting of
this; but, for the rest of our stay at the seashore, he purposed
obtaining the services of an acquaintance who belonged in the place,
and who was in the habit of pe