filled with late wild flowers came to be at first tolerated and then
liked. "Elsie's notions," the captains called them.

There were some great discussions on art, over the teacups after supper.
Miss Preston painted very prettily in water-colors, and her sketches
were received with enthusiastic praise by the captains and Mrs. Snow.
But one day she painted a little picture of a fishing boat and, to her
surprise, it came in for some rather sharp criticism.

"That's a pretty picture, Elsie," said Captain Eri, holding the sketch
at arm's length and squinting at it with his head on one side, "but
if that's Caleb Titcomb's boat, and I jedge 'tis, it seems to me she's
carryin' too much sail. What do you think, Jerry?"

Captain Jerry took the painting from his friend and critically examined
it, also at arm's length.

"Caleb's boat ain't got no sech sail as that," was his deliberate
comment. "She couldn't carry it and stand up that way. Besides, the way
I look at it, she's down by the head more 'n she'd ought to be."

"But I didn't try to get it EXACTLY right," said the bewildered artist.
"The boat's sails were so white, and the water was so blue, and the sand
so yellow that I thought it made a pretty picture. I didn't think of the
size of the sail."

"Well, I s'pose you wouldn't, nat'rally," observed Captain Perez, who
was looking over Jerry's shoulder. "But you have to be awful careful
paintin' vessels. Now you jest look at that picture," pointing to the
glaring likeness of the Flying Duck, that hung on the wall. "Jest look