So Polly flew off on a gay little story about a dog that bade fair to
rival Grandma Bascom's cat for cleverness. He belonged to Mr. Atkins
who kept store in Badgertown, and the Pepper children used to see a
good deal of him, when they took home the sacks and coats that Mamsie
sewed for the storekeeper. And in the midst of the story, when the
stolid steerage children were actually laughing over the antics of that
remarkable dog, Jasper glanced up toward the promenade deck, took a
long look, and started to his feet. "Why, Polly Pepper, see!" He
pointed upward. There, on the curve, were old Mr. Selwyn and Tom
walking arm in arm.




IV

STEAMER LIFE


And after that, it was "My grandson, Thomas," on all occasions, the old
gentleman introducing the boy to the right and to the left, as he
paraded the deck, his old arm within the younger one. And the little,
sharp black eyes snapped proudly and the white head was held up, as he
laughed and chattered away sociably to the passengers and the ship's
crew, at every good opportunity.

"Yes, my grandson, Thomas, is going back to school. We've been running
about in your country a bit, and the boy's mother went home first with
the other children--" Polly heard him say as the two paused in front of
her steamer chair.