in some office."

"Oh, there's Denny! Denny!" called Freda, leaving Cora without further
ceremony, and hurrying ahead as fast as the soft sand would allow.
"See, there he is! Just going out in his fishing boat."

Cora ran after her, and soon they overtook the old fisherman, who was
deaf. Freda didn't mind getting her shoes wet in order to approach the
water's edge.

"Good morning, Denny," she called, "come in here. We want to talk to
you."

He took his pipe from his mouth, in order that his mind should not be
distracted. Then he pushed his cap back, and dropped an oar.

"Freddie, is that you?" he asked. "Sure I thought you was comin' up to
the shack, and I've bin waitin' for you."

"We are on our way up there now. You are not going out, are you?"
pleaded Freda.

"No, Freddie," (he always called her Freddie), "I'll come right in. I
was only goin' acrost to get a few little things; but they can wait."

Cora now had a chance to see this quaint old fellow. He was Irish,
with many fine humorous wrinkles about his eyes and mouth. He seemed
to breathe through his pipe, so constantly did he inhale it, and just
how he kept his sailor's blouse so clean, and his worn clothes so
neat, was a trick he had learned in his younger days in the navy.

"Isn't this a fine day?" he commented, with a nod to Cora.

"Simply perfect," she answered, seeing there was no need for a formal
introduction. "I have been telling Freda how surprised I was at the
beauty of this place."

"Surprised, is it? Sure, there ain't another spot this side of Cape
Cod with as many fine points to it. I wouldn't leave this little bay
for a berth on any ocean liner."

"My friend, Cora Kimball, is from Chelton, Uncle Denny. Do you know
where that is?" asked Freda.

"Chelton? Chelton? Sure, I do. I went through there once in a parade
wagon. We were out with the G. A. R. and I guess the parade got lost,
for I remember at Chelton we had to put up for the night in an old
church they were using for a fire house. But we had a fine time," and
he chuckled at the recollection. "And next day we finished up without
the need of a wagon. It was like camp days to scatter ourselves about
the big ramshackle place."

"Oh, yes, that's out in the East End," Cora said. "We have quite an
up-to-date fire house in Chelton Center."

"Well, that was good enough for me," he asserted. "But come along and
I'll show you my shack. Freddie will be surprised at my new decorations."