a mystery to me always how it happened. Nobody ever knowed,
only that we found the boat two days arter on the beach, three miles up.
When yuh git tired say so, an' I'll spell yuh."

After a long time they drew near the other shore. Here lights had been
seen, and Darry discovered quite a collection of houses, for the most
part cabins such as are so common in the south, especially along the
coast of North Carolina.

Abner insisted upon taking the oars now; and as he knew just where it
was most desirable to land the boy no longer objected.

Sitting there in the stern he watched the scene unfold as they
approached the mainland, though the new moon gave very little light.

Sounds as of boys at play, together with the barking of dogs, and even
the gabble of a goose, awoke in his breast new emotions such as he had
never experienced before; for he was about to be introduced to a home,
no matter of what character, where he would after that belong.

The boat was brought up against a landing, and both went ashore.

"In the mornin' I'll get yuh to help carry the groceries to the boat, so
I kin ferry 'em acrost. Jest now I'm pinin' to get to the shack, 'cause
I ain't ben home these two weeks, yuh see. This way, Darry, lad. My
cabin ain't jest in the village; but when I come home I ginerally stop
in at the butcher's an' take some meat along. Git out, yuh yaller
critter!" this to a dog that had come barking toward them as though
recognizing the fact that a stranger had come to town.

"Hyar, Peake, don't yer hit my dorg!" shouted a half-grown boy,
slouching around a corner as though he had just come out of a drinking
resort there.

"Keep him home, then, Jim Dilks, er else teach the critter to behave. He
tackled me onct and I had to kick him over a fence to save my shins from
his teeth. Some day that hound'll get a call all right, yuh hear me,
Jim?" declared Abner.

Jim leered at him, and then looked at the boy.

"Reckon it'll be a bad day for the feller that hurts me dorg, see? Who
yer got trailin' 'long with yer, Peake? Say, be he the critter as kim
ashore? Sooner he skips outen this the better. We ain't got jobs enough
now fur them as growed up round hyar."

"No danger of you worrin' 'bout jobs, Jim Dilks. Work an' you never got
on well. Mind your own business, now. This lad can look out for hisself.
He's goin' to live with me. Come on, Darry, don't notice the loafer,"
concluded the life saver; and he and the boy passed