Ellen sank into the seat by her cousin’s side. “What a relief,” she sighed. “It was a close shave, wasn’t it?”
“Couldn’t have been much closer. It’s just as I always say, Ellen; it is safer to be half an hour too early than one minute too late. If we had not been prompt ourselves, there’s no telling what might have happened. It’s lucky we checked our own trunks yesterday.”
Beulah, in serene possession of her hat, sat complacently looking out of the window. From time to time she produced from some obscure pocket some article of food of which she partook with evident enjoyment. First it was a banana, then a ginger snap, next some bread and cheese, an apple, a strip of pink and white candy, then peanuts. To enliven the journey, once in a while she waddled to the water cooler. When the train boy came through she supplied herself with various other comestibles and began all over again. To eat was to live, in Beulah’s opinion.
“She’ll probably acquire a larger appetite up in that bracing climate,” Ellen whispered to her cousin.
“Then let us be thankful that it is Miss Wickham and not we who will pay the store bills,” replied Miss Rindy.
They were joined by Miss Wickham in New York, and by noon the next day were aboard a small steamer which wound its way through a many-islanded bay to a quiet cove, and presently Beatty’s Island was reached. A tall, stalwart old man with weather-beaten face, shrewd blue eyes, and white chin-whiskers was on the lookout for them. “Cap’n Belah, Cap’n Belah,” Mabel called, “were you looking for us?”
He strode up to her. “Wal, here you be,” he greeted her by saying. “Cal’lated you’d get here on this bo-at. Got any traps?”
“We have trunks and these hand-bags.”
“I d’know as I can lug the hull passel of you,” he said as he surveyed Beulah’s proportions. “I ain’t got any insurance on my kerridge, and I ain’t bought myself an aut’mobile yet.” His eyes twinkled as he said this. “I’ll get Sim to fetch up your trunks, and them as is good walkers can go on to the cawtage while I look after the lame and lazy.”
“We’ll walk, Miss North and I, for I remember it isn’t far. How are your family, Cap’n Belah?”