sentiment, but she was her father's daughter and inherited from him the
business sense.

"Here it is." He pulled out his pocket-book. The book was dripping, but
the contents were only fairly moist.

"Pa!" said the girl.

The trouser-seat remained where it was--deaf to its child's cry.

"Pa! Commere! Wantcha!"

The trousers did not even quiver. But this girl was a girl of decision.
There was some nautical implement resting in a rack convenient to her
hand. It was long, solid, and constructed of one of the harder forms of
wood. Deftly extracting this from its place she smote her inoffensive
parent on the only visible portion of him. He turned sharply,
exhibiting a red, bearded face.

"Pa, this gen'man wants to be took aboard the boat at quarantine. He'll
give you fifty berries."

The wrath died out of the skipper's face like the slow turning down of
a lamp. The fishing had been poor, and so far he had only managed to
secure a single two-dollar bill. In a crisis like the one which had so
suddenly arisen you cannot do yourself justice with a boat-hook.

"Fifty berries!"

"Fifty seeds!" the girl assured him. "Are you on?"