“Starfish Cottage?” the old man repeated. “Never heard of it, but it must be one of those little places along the beach.”
“We can’t even find the beach,” Vevi declared. “Everything is all mixed up and nothing looks right.”
“Now don’t you fret,” soothed the captain. “Just grab my hand, and I’ll steer you through the shoals. We’ll be at Starfish Cottage before you can say Davey Jones Locker.”
Vevi and Connie felt quite safe now that they were with the captain. They fell into step on either side. The captain noticed that Vevi was shivering and made her put on his warm jacket. After that she felt very comfortable.
Tapping along the gravel walk with his cane, the captain led the Brownies to the paved highway.
“Now, we could follow this road to the beach,” he said. “But I know a shorter way that cuts off a quarter of the distance.”
The captain walked along the pavement only a short distance. Presently he chose a path which wound in between clumps of tall trees. Vevi and Connie never would have known that it was there. Their guide, however, seemed familiar with every inch of the trail.
“We’ll be at Starfish Cottage quick as the wind,” he encouraged the girls. “Now tell me how it was that you lost your way.”
Trudging along beside the old seaman, Vevi related how she and Connie had started for the pond to find a racing turtle. She told also of coming to the strange ship cottage and of seeing a boy run out of the dwelling.
“The door was open?” The captain seemed quite disturbed. “Are you sure?”