had paused at the turn of the road by the church to listen to this
song of the sea; at any rate he was there, and when Captain Eri steered
Daniel and the cranberry barrels around the corner and into the "main
road," he stepped out and hailed.

"I beg your pardon," he said; "I'm afraid I'm mixed in my directions.
The stage-driver told me the way to the cable station, but I've
forgotten whether he said to turn to the right when I reached here, or
to the left."

Captain Eri took his lantern from the floor of the wagon and held it up.
He had seen the stranger when the latter left the train, but he had not
heard the dialogue with Josiah Bartlett.

"How was you cal'latin' to go to the station?" he asked.

"Why, I intended to walk."

"Did you tell them fellers at the depot that you wanted to walk?"

"Certainly."

"Well, I swan! And they give you the direction?"

"Yes," a little impatiently; "why shouldn't they? So many blocks till I
got to the main street, or road, and so many more, till I got somewhere
else, and then straight on."

"Blocks, hey? That's Joe Bartlett. That boy ought to be mastheaded, and
I've told Perez so more'n once. Well, Mister, I guess maybe you'd better