“How I wish father and mother were here!” said Charlie.
“Here they are,” was the reply; and Ben, Sally, and the widow Hadlock came out from behind the cart.
“This is too good,” said Charlie, hugging them both. Indeed, it was as much of a surprise to Ben and his wife as to the boys. Uncle Isaac, knowing that they must come to the beach, on their return from the funeral, to take the boat, had said nothing to them of his intentions.
Hannah Murch, who was a great friend of Sally, had entered into her husband’s plans with all her soul, and she was not one of the kind that did things with a slack hand.
“I wish my mother was here, too,” said John.
“Here she is,” was the reply; and Mrs. Rhines and her daughters came out from some alder bushes at the head of the cove.
“What’s in that pot over the fire now?” said Fred, who was a dear lover of good cheer, and could eat as much as a heron.
“Never you mind, Fred,” replied Mrs. Murch, “the pot is doing very well; but get me those fish Isaac has just cleaned, and hand me that thing full of potatoes. Sally, will you wash and pare the potatoes? Mrs. Rhines, won’t you be good enough to draw the tea? Girls, put the dishes on the table; you’ll find them in a tub in the cart; and the pies are there, too, and the milk and sweetening.”
While the chowder was preparing, the men, who were workmen at the business, aided by the boys, split the fish and salted them.
“Now, John,” said Uncle Isaac, “these fish can stay in the pickle till you get back from the island; I’ve salted them slack, so they will not be hard and dry; then you can take them out, put them on the flake, and dry them. I’ll come and look at them once in the while, and, when they are cured, you can take your steers and cart and take them to the widow’s; she is in no hurry for them, as the neighbors have given her all she needs for the present.”